Rund um Koln *SPOILER*

pottssteve
pottssteve Posts: 4,069
edited April 2012 in Pro race
Top 8 from today's race:

1st Jan Barta
2nd Gediminas Bagdonas
3rd Tomasz Marcynski
4th Pavel Brutt
5th Tom Dumoulin
6th Wilco Keldermann
7th Mauritius Lammertink
8th William Clarke
Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs

Comments

  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    I watched the absolutely appalling WDR "hightlights" earlier, (to think up until 2 years ago they covered the whole race)
    which consisted of 10 minutes of the race and 30 minutes of nothing to do with cycling.

    Anyhow, lousy day weather wise meant the peloton couldn't be bothered to chase the break of the day.
    Half climbed off.
    Barta solo'd and to the win and the rest of the break made a half hearted attempt for the leftovers.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • disquieting_museeuws
    disquieting_museeuws Posts: 601
    I think a wet 'Rund' like yesterday's was always likely to end with a large group off the front followed at some distance by a bedraggled & uninterested peloton once enough teams were represented at the front.

    The race seems a sad remnant of what it was a few years ago; in general it's another victim of post-doping fallout in German cycling, and was reduced to national teams only for a year or two. A cancellation due to snow in 2008 didn't help, either.

    It's finest hour recently was probably Ullrich's lone win in 2003, on the road to his comeback second place in the Tour de France that year. This win on a beautiful Easter Monday (the race's usual date) with huge numbers out spectating or participating in sportives and blanket local TV coverage really captured the imagination - and by the same token, I suppose, darkened the race's reputation by association following Ullrich's subsequent fall from grace.

    I think the race is generally on the upturn again - it's had some great podiums, especially among the sprinters, in recent years.

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