Paris Roubaix 2014

1246

Comments

  • typekitty
    typekitty Posts: 188
    I might be watching the London Marathon so will have to watch it in the evening. No internet for me that day.

    Thought this was nice re Vansummeren starting at PR:

    "Family members told Het Laatse Nieuws that they did not blame Vansummeren, and urged him to not only race Sunday, but to try to win in honor of Moreels."

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/04/ ... ash_323706
  • Crozza
    Crozza Posts: 991
    TheBigBean wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Me and the gf make a day of it.

    We get chips and tonnes of mayo and a few nice beers and watch it together.

    Do you get to count that as romance? If so, I'm sure there'll be a lot of jealous people on this forum.

    Rick's GF must have had the night of her life in 2012

    unless he went really early, like his hero :wink:
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Devolder out of the race


    http://www.trekfactoryracing.com/news/d ... is-roubaix
  • andy_wrx
    andy_wrx Posts: 3,396
    Mooro wrote:
    I watched the first half of RVV live whilst checking out the web, and the comments here which was ace. The second half after watching the young'un play football and you do miss a few things not being able catch up on updates, get views on events etc. Can't wait for this Sunday!
    file.php?id=11529

    Are you a New Man ?

    Sitting on the sofa with your beer while the wifey does the ironing
    - love it ! :lol:
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    andy_wrx wrote:
    Mooro wrote:
    I watched the first half of RVV live whilst checking out the web, and the comments here which was ace. The second half after watching the young'un play football and you do miss a few things not being able catch up on updates, get views on events etc. Can't wait for this Sunday!
    file.php?id=11529

    Are you a New Man ?

    Sitting on the sofa with your beer while the wifey does the ironing
    - love it ! :lol:
    And he's still got the same carpet from 1974.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Comments in Cnews from Pozzato, Phinney and Hayman re wiggins PR participation.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    I think this will be the Boonen and Cancellara show, with anyone else that can hang on going along for the ride.

    Think Wiggins will do a good ride if he gets the luck, but there's no way he can win.

    Stybar & Terpstra are who I'd choose to support me, as well.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Devolder is out. Shame. Stupid Belgium fans that took him down in Flanders.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Crampeur
    Crampeur Posts: 1,065
    Quick bit of geology, courtesy of Rouleur:

    "The first Belgian cobbles appeared in the 17th century. Later, during the rule of Maria Theresia (1740-1780), the first stone public roads were built. The type of stone used is like a geological record of when that section was laid.

    Porphyry

    Porphyry was a Neoplatonic philosopher from the 3rd century (AD), but porphyry is also an igneous natural rock found in Belgium (and many other countries). It therefore furnished the material for most of the old roads. It’s tough stuff and is shock- and frost-resistant. Many of the older sections in the Flanders region are made with this as the main material. It comes in a variety of colours, but the Belgian brand is usually speckled and grey. And slippery when wet.

    Sandstone or Gres

    The more modern cobbles at the hellish ‘Wall’ – or Muur de Grammont – at Geraadsbergen, are made from this stuff. It’s not as tough as porphyry but is (slightly) less slippery when wet. It, too, is grey.

    Granite

    Norwegian and Swedish granite are now used in Belgium and most of Europe. This has sharper edges and is harder-wearing and less likely to crack. Grey also, but available in a few other shades. It is commonly used in pavements and ‘modern’ patterned driveways. Slippery? Oh yes."
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Was on a course with a guy who used to ride for Van Petegem in the 1990s yesterday. He was says he can't see past Cancellara and that he's never watched it from the roadside because he enjoys watching all the positioning and tactics on the TV too much. Also, he seriously rates Thomas, said he only crashes so much because he properly fights for positions and takes the odd risk too far.

    The Wiggins piece on CN is pretty good this morning.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Everyone in Flanders knows van Petegem or used to ride with him ;).

    I get his attitude though. Seen many an interview with real cycle racing lovers on Dutch TV and they all say the same. If you really love it, you sit infront of the TV for 6hrs.

    Given I'm watching this with the gf, an illegal sporza feed for commentary isn't an option. Who's commentating on Eurosport? please please please tell me it's not Kirby.
    _
  • Norfolk Hill Champ
    Norfolk Hill Champ Posts: 206
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Who's commentating on Eurosport? please please please tell me it's not Kirby.

    Pretty sure it is. Think he said it was him and Matt Stephens during one of the stages of the Tour of the Basque Country earlier this week.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Norfolk Hill Champ wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Who's commentating on Eurosport? please please please tell me it's not Kirby.

    Pretty sure it is. Think he said it was him and Matt Stephens during one of the stages of the Tour of the Basque Country earlier this week.

    1000w
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Right.

    Gf is gonna love this....

    I'll put it on mute and ill do the commentary.
    _
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Right.

    Gf is gonna love this....

    I'll put it on mute and ill do the commentary.

    Won't she be distracted by the fapping whenever Boonen is in shot?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    ^Messy. Do the commentary in the style of Kirby. While you're getting her name wrong, and reminiscing about historical descending prowess, she'll be able to slip away unnoticed.
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Having watched the rerun of last year's on ES last night again, I can't wait for tomorrow.
  • dolan_driver
    dolan_driver Posts: 831
    Norfolk Hill Champ wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Who's commentating on Eurosport? please please please tell me it's not Kirby.

    Pretty sure it is. Think he said it was him and Matt Stephens during one of the stages of the Tour of the Basque Country earlier this week.

    How come Sean Kelly won't be on-board?

    DD.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,104
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    Was on a course with a guy who used to ride for Van Petegem in the 1990s yesterday. He was says he can't see past Cancellara and that he's never watched it from the roadside because he enjoys watching all the positioning and tactics on the TV too much. Also, he seriously rates Thomas, said he only crashes so much because he properly fights for positions and takes the odd risk too far.

    The Wiggins piece on CN is pretty good this morning.

    I'm like that, the lads in the club were on about finding a pub or cafe to watch it and I'm thinking stuff that I can go to a pub any time I want to watch the racing not use it as a reason for a social event.

    Will look up the Wiggins piece - I'd love it if he could get on the podium.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,436
    UK Cycling Expert ‏@ukcyclingexpert · 1m
    Paris-Rubiks was first held in 1896 but only became truly important yesterday when Sir Wiggins said how great it was.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    Great. So if having Kirby wasn't annoying enough we get Matt Stephens instead of Kelly?

    Who's going to let us know about all the calcyeeelaaashions?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    iainf72 wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Right.

    Gf is gonna love this....

    I'll put it on mute and ill do the commentary.

    Won't she be distracted by the fapping whenever Boonen is in shot?

    Doubt that will happen much if last week is anything to go by :wink:
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Like I said he'll be nearer the front tomorrow. Not winning but an improvement on Flanders.

    Roubaix suits him more, he usually is in better form the week after and this year in particular last Sunday's race will have helped.
    _
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    RoubaixWinner.jpg

    OK, it's from last year, but still interesting. Cancellara went clear with Vanmarcke in 2013 at the Carrefour de l'Arbre, so that seems to be the place to head for this year!
    The chart is all very interesting, and I realise it's only trying to cover the last 15 years, but I felt Dirk Demol’s winning move from 1988 deserves to be on it.

    Revised chart:
    13796473505_0e1bee936c.jpg

    Detail:
    13796616253_792ddfb334.jpg
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Crampeur wrote:
    Quick bit of geology, courtesy of Rouleur:

    "The first Belgian cobbles appeared in the 17th century. Later, during the rule of Maria Theresia (1740-1780), the first stone public roads were built. The type of stone used is like a geological record of when that section was laid.
    ....
    ....
    Although everyone associates Paris-Roubaix with cobbles, it hasn’t always been 50+ kms of cobbles, as now the case.
    In the 50s/60s, as local authorities in the area bit-by-bit tarmaced over cobbled roads, the total kms of cobbles in the race gradually reduced and reduced, there only being 22 kms in the 1966 edition. (That’s not much more than the total amount of cobbles in the 2012 Tour of Flanders, 21.8 km).
    It was only when former rider Albert Bouvet took over as race director that the trend was reversed, he finding and introducing still-cobbled routes, e.g. he introduced Arenberg in 1968.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    I wonder what would have happened to the status of the race if the cobbles had been allowed to disappear? It would have basically become a pan flat road race so possibly gone the way of Paris-Brussels or Paris-Tours and relegated to semi-classic status at best.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    I agree, Wiggins' comments on Cnews are quite entertaining.
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins ... -de-france

    tumblr_n3u1fi55gP1scsu5do1_1280.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    Saw that too, BW did a good snippet with:
    "...makes you realise how good these guys [classics specialists] are – they come through all the risks, they take the risks, they put themselves on the line and I think that’s what Sunday’s about – forget everything else and just be willing to end up in hospital at the end of the night."
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Yeah that last line was my favourite!
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    It's good to hear him sounding positive and seemingly enjoying himself. It looks like, given the choice, he would rather be a Classic rider. Hopefully he'll walk the walk and be up there to support EBH / Geraint at least.

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