Ster ZLM Toer

islwyn

Hello you lot...

So today sees the start of the Ster ZLM Toer, four day race based in the South of Holland.

What with the Swiss stealing a lot of TV coverage, do we know if Ster ZLM Toer is being screened anywhere?

Cheers.

knedlicky

Kittel versus Greipel versus Cavendish.

The ultimate chipper championship?

rick_chasey

Route de Sud is a little more interesting than this...!

inkyfingers

knedlicky wrote:

The ultimate chipper championship?

Does this even count as a chipper? It's more of a French Fry.

inkyfingers

Kittel
Renshaw
Cavendish

iainf72

Cavendish is finished

:P

frenchfighter

Didn't have to wait long to bring this edit out.

Pross

Misjudged finish apparently, thought it was further. Maybe that's code for the others starting their sprints early as they see him being vulnerable to the tactic?

pottssteve

So that's why the car park of the hotel next to my office is full of team buses! RadioShack, Sky, Rabo, Omega are all there.

Tomorrow's stage is on my local roads but I'm working all day.

andyp

iainf72 wrote:

Cavendish is finished

:P

Those 4 kgs he's lost have affected his top end power output.

inkyfingers

Greipel
Cavendish
Renshaw

Cavendish takes leaders jersey, obviously riding for the GC rather than stage wins

Yellow Peril

inkyfingers wrote:

Greipel
Cavendish
Renshaw

Cavendish takes leaders jersey, obviously riding for the GC rather than stage wins

Must hurt following "the Grimace" home in a sh*t small race like this...

pottssteve

I met Cav in his hotel lobby this morning - he looked fighting fit. He's just toying with them - lengthening his odd on the green jersey before he puts a few quid on.

inkyfingers

Boom
Cavendish
Flecha

Yes, you did read that right. Stage included the Cauberg and had an uphill finish so sounds like Cavendish did well to be there:

http://www.romers.nl/static/results/2012-06-14!Nederland!Schijndel!Ster%20ZLM%20Tour%20GP%20Jan%20van%20Heeswijk!Algemeen/2012-06-09!Nederland!Schijndel!Ster%20ZLM%20Tour%20GP%20Jan%20van%20Heeswijk!Elite%20-%20Stage%203,%20Etape%203.html

greasedscotsman

So does this mean he will be able to get over all those climbs of Box Hill after all?

inkyfingers

greasedscotsman wrote:

So does this mean he will be able to get over all those climbs of Box Hill after all?

Possibly, but according to this race he'll probably lose the sprint!

Seriously though, it does look like he's improving his climbing. Will be interesting to see whether it has any detrimental effect on his finishing speed when we get to the Tour.

inkyfingers

Turfle

Very good from Cav. Didn't expect him to make it anywhere near the front. Difficult course and a difficult finish too.

RonB

Looking at tomorrow's stage - Schijndel to Boxtel he could be in with a shout for the overall here. Lars Boom is only 8" down though.

cal_stewart

will PMSL if he gets overall

inkyfingers

Cal_Stewart wrote:

will PMSL if he gets overall

He should do (barring crashes and silly splits) as final stage is pan flat. I imagine that he'll be quite keen to get a stage win as well.

I reckon that having watched Wiggins win a bunch sprint he wanted to prove he could win a stage race

gsk82

the route peaks at about 33 metres so i'm sure he'll have no problem retaining his lead

http://www.sterzlmtoer.nl/download/2012 ... 4_2012.gif

pottssteve

Looking ahead, this may be a little optimistic but it does look a bit more interesting for the Worlds. Earlier in the year I wondered whether he'd even bother showing up as it's a pretty lumpy course with multiple climbs of the Cauberg, but having got through the Giro and then done pretty well this week he may be in with a chance? Or am I stretching it a bit?

Turfle

Worlds are a stretch, but the Olympics are certainly looking a better bet.

frenchfighter

inkyfingers wrote:

Thanks. I like this. Will try and find a large one as you dont often get the chance to see Cav like that.

Didn't watch the race but Boom and Flecha are heavyweights of those semi-classics so great for Mark.

TMR

inkyfingers wrote:

I reckon that having watched Wiggins win a bunch sprint he wanted to prove he could win a stage race

Funny you should post that, because on his Twitter tonight...

Mark Cavendish ‏@MarkCavendish

Proud of @TeamSky in #SterZLMToer today. They rode into the ground. Felt like @bradwiggins & his GC lot. 2nd on stage, keeping yellow jersey

frenchfighter

Wow, looking down the results list, there are some decent gaps. Very impressive from Cavendish.

Highlights from stage 2 here. Stage 1 on the side and am sure stage 3 will be up at some point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pli9uxg6t_o

frenchfighter

Can't wait until he slips on the green jersey at the Tour as have a superb edit of him in it last year.

Turfle

Just to go back to reading too much into it for a minute, I wonder if these next few months could be the point where he gives a proper go to turning himself into that one day classic type rider he says he'd like to end up as. If he can keep the weight off, win a number of stages at the Tour, and then win Olympic gold, it would have to give him pause for thought.

frenchfighter

Some surprisingly good photos here and you can see highlights on the side also, including stage 3.

http://www.sterzlmtoer.nl/phpAlbum/main.php?cmd=album

inkyfingers

Turfle wrote:

Just to go back to reading too much into it for a minute, I wonder if these next few months could be the point where he gives a proper go to turning himself into that one day classic type rider he says he'd like to end up as. If he can keep the weight off, win a number of stages at the Tour, and then win Olympic gold, it would have to give him pause for thought.

It's a nice idea, and i'd be delighted if he was able to show himself as more than just a very good sprinter, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. This was the Ster ZLM Toer, not De Ronde.