Omloop het Nieuwsblad (het Volk)

24

Comments

  • Art Vandelay
    Art Vandelay Posts: 1,982
    No profile as yet but here are the main obstacles ahead of the riders on Saturday:

    The Omloop 2014 - 10 climbs, 2 less than last year's edition. There are 11 cobblestone sections.

    Climbs:
    Leberg at 63,6 km
    Kasteeldreef at 68,9 km
    Muur at 84,6 km
    Valkenberg at 102,9 km
    Kruisberg at 132,6 km
    Taaienberg at 142 km - 533m cobbled, max 16%
    Eikenberg at 147,3 km - 1200 meters, cobbled, max 9%
    Wolvenberg at 150,4 km - 800 meters, tarmac, max 17%
    Leberg at 160,8 km
    Molenberg at 166,3 km

    Cobblestone sections:
    Haaghoek at 60,6 km, 111,7 km and 157,8 km - 1700m
    Donderij at 137,1 km
    Ruiterstraat at 150,5 km
    Karel Martelstraat at 151,9 km
    Holleweg at 153,2 km - 1500m
    Paddestraat at 171,2 km
    Lippenhovestraat at 173,9 km
    Lange Munte at 180,8 km
    Steenakker at 201,7 km

    Bring it on!
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    ♫Rodania♫
    ♫Rodania♫
    ♫Rodania♫
    ♫Rodania♫

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FchTj07x-Uo
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    Milton50 wrote:
    At last the season proper starts. Quality riders in that OPQS squad.
    argyllflyer wrote:
    It's being shown live on cycling.tv in UK,

    Oh, I hadn't heard of that before. Might be worth the £3 a month.

    You also get access to their archive which is quite good, albeit fiddly to navigate (you find races easiest by looking at the calendar for each season). While US customers get the best deal (most races they have live in UK are blocked as Eurosport have them), even just subbing for the month or two of classics is a fairly straightforward way of following some more obscure races I listed initially.
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    I can live with Bundesliga on Eurosport 2 but f****** skiing the whole day on Eurosport1 saturday is ridiculous. As if 3 weeks of it wasn't enough...
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    ThomThom wrote:
    I can live with Bundesliga on Eurosport 2 but f****** skiing the whole day on Eurosport1 saturday is ridiculous. As if 3 weeks of it wasn't enough...

    They'll be making up for lost time after having no Sochi coverage!
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    No such worries.
    13:35 - Sporza: Omloop het nieuwsblad - 17:15.
    Lovely! :)
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    No such worries.
    13:35 - Sporza: Omloop het nieuwsblad - 17:15.
    Lovely! :)


    All going to yours on Sat. Please arrange for a plentiful supply of beers and frites. Ta.
  • blim
    blim Posts: 333
    yay! Real cycling returns. The sporting year starts now...
    kop van de wedstrijd
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Thinking about this Saturday and now I have a MASSIVE craving for Vlaamse Stoverij

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-LtFmO6l65mnkK_u09XXpfufKbsRb_llDtZQnEXxQkkCs8UQv

    I may have to make this tonight/tomorrow so its nice and lekker for Saturday lunchtime.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Boonen taken steps to reduce stress and fatigue from travel which Lefevere thinks will make a large difference:
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lefever ... difference
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Boonen taken steps to reduce stress and fatigue from travel which Lefevere thinks will make a large difference:
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lefever ... difference


    Interesting....OPQS, like Movistar and now BMC, starting to learn from Sky... :wink:
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Can you guys hear it as well? What is that?

    What is that sound?
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,651
    ThomThom wrote:
    Can you guys hear it as well? What is that?

    What is that sound?

    I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
    Omloop het Niewsblad's going down
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    No. It's coming closer... What is that strange sound?
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Bak... Bak.... Bak.... Bak... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak... Bak.... Bak..... Bak.... Bak Bak Bak bak... bak...bak... Bak!!

    Choo Choo!!!
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,651
    ThomThom wrote:
    Bak... Bak.... Bak.... Bak... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak... Bak.... Bak..... Bak.... Bak Bak Bak bak... bak...bak... Bak!!

    Choo Choo!!!

    :lol:
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • Art Vandelay
    Art Vandelay Posts: 1,982
    We have a profile!
    omloop-profiel.jpg
  • Art Vandelay
    Art Vandelay Posts: 1,982
    Will Boonen try and add this to his palmares or just test the legs on the Taaienberg and then work for a Stybar/Terpstra win? Not sure. Any thoughts?

    Androni - sending only 6 riders and no Van Hummel or Hoogerland. Reckon their invite wight be reviewed next year.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Art Vandelay wrote:
    Will Boonen try and add this to his palmares or just test the legs on the Taaienberg and then work for a Stybar/Terpstra win? Not sure. Any thoughts?

    Androni - sending only 6 riders and no Van Hummel or Hoogerland. Reckon their invite wight be reviewed next year.
    Boonen seems quite keen to win it, but his biggest problem might be the strength of his team. They are perceived as so dominant that all other teams will look at them to bring back any breaks from the start. The only way to deal with that is send someone decent in the break yourself. Levefre has hinted at that strategy for Saturday. Keisse, Steegmans, Trentin, Van Keirsbulck or Vandebergh all seem strong enough (imagining the other teams won't let a group with Stybar or Terpstra go)
  • smokey_bacon
    smokey_bacon Posts: 1,639
    Art Vandelay wrote:
    Will Boonen try and add this to his palmares or just test the legs on the Taaienberg and then work for a Stybar/Terpstra win? Not sure. Any thoughts?

    Androni - sending only 6 riders and no Van Hummel or Hoogerland. Reckon their invite wight be reviewed next year.

    I cant see him doing anything other than going for the win TBH. Everything else is just misdirection.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Smokey Bacon wrote:
    Art Vandelay wrote:
    Will Boonen try and add this to his palmares or just test the legs on the Taaienberg and then work for a Stybar/Terpstra win? Not sure. Any thoughts?

    Androni - sending only 6 riders and no Van Hummel or Hoogerland. Reckon their invite wight be reviewed next year.

    I cant see him doing anything other than going for the win TBH. Everything else is just misdirection.


    So...smokey, you say, Smokey?
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Art Vandelay wrote:
    Will Boonen try and add this to his palmares or just test the legs on the Taaienberg and then work for a Stybar/Terpstra win? Not sure. Any thoughts?

    Androni - sending only 6 riders and no Van Hummel or Hoogerland. Reckon their invite wight be reviewed next year.


    Its Savio over-reaching himself as per usual

    He's got just 19 riders - and he's fielding squads on several simultaneous fronts Sat and Sun - Langkawi, Omloop/KBK and Sud-Ardeche/La Drome. A ProTour team can do it and field full strength squads - ProConti can't. So instead he sends under-strength squads to the 4 European races this weekend

    Waste of an invite for Omloop and KBK
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Rain and a light southerly wind with a high of 7 is being forecast for tomorrow.

    You can check out the live radar here: http://www.meteoservices.be/be/home/weer/neerslagradar/belgie.html?tx_mgradarplayer_pi1[focusCity]=Gent;3.72;51.05

    Hoping Geit van Gent will update us properly tomorrow.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Excited for this.

    If Boonen wins I'll be slightly worried for Roubaix.
    This is normally won by good 2nd/3rd tier riders who have had a good winter.
    _
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,434
    Anyone any thoughts on Cannondale not riding?

    Seems odd.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    TailWindHome wrote:
    Anyone any thoughts on Cannondale not riding?

    Seems odd.

    Aye it does. I agree.

    Maybe they're wanting to hold their cards close to their chests vis-a-vis Sagan, keeping other teams guessing as to his and the rest of the team's form, ready to unleash him on an unsuspecting peloton at the bigger races? :?

    Or maybe there is a much less Machiavellian and more likely reason to do with logistics.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    TailWindHome wrote:
    Anyone any thoughts on Cannondale not riding?

    Seems odd.

    Never normally ride it afaicr.

    Invites are a North European affair.
    _
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    Boonen wants this one badly, he seems in good form and he's used his magic pillow.

    Has to be the outstanding favourite.

    Cannondale never bother with this one. Androni shouldn't.

    Roll on Saturday.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,907
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Boonen taken steps to reduce stress and fatigue from travel which Lefevere thinks will make a large difference:
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lefever ... difference


    Interesting....OPQS, like Movistar and now BMC, starting to learn from Sky... :wink:


    That's a big blow for their classics hopes then! Boonen for the tour.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,907
    ThomThom wrote:
    Bak... Bak.... Bak.... Bak... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak.... Bak... Bak.... Bak..... Bak.... Bak Bak Bak bak... bak...bak... Bak!!

    Choo Choo!!!

    Why do you like him so much? I kind of understand the various other rider crushes on the forum, but this one has me foxed.

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