Paris-Roubaix 2014 "spoiler"

mroli

TailWindHome wrote:

Did Carlton say, just before the leaders entered the Forest of Arenberg, that it was one of 3 categorised climbs on the route?

Yes he did. I've only watched as far as that on the highlights so far. That and the bit with someone lobbing his bike into the forest...

frenchfighter

frenchfighter

Demare crashed once and had two punctures.

Macaloon

PeteMadoc wrote:

What stage of the race did Wiggins open that gap on the cobbles, I don't remember seeing it?

Looked about Arrivé 15km point

I want to understand this 5s burst to get separation issue. Is this primarily a genetic talent that can't be trained, or a defect suffered only by British classics riders?

RichN95.

PeteMadoc wrote:

What stage of the race did Wiggins open that gap on the cobbles, I don't remember seeing it?

Who knows? It's impossible to tell without a big sign in the background saying 15km to go.

TheBigBean

Macaloon wrote:

I want to understand this 5s burst to get separation issue. Is this primarily a genetic talent that can't be trained, or a defect suffered only by British classics riders?

I know you're joking, but I think it is about two things: having the legs and the tactical awareness of knowing when and how to do it. Thomas didn't have the former and Wiggins didn't have the latter.

knedlicky

Terpstra: “It’s not the best day of my life, but definitely one of the best in my careeer, a childhood dream come true“.

Degenkolb: “I’m loving the moment, it’s a great feeling, a dream come true, to stand on the podium at a cycling monument … Someday I want to win this race, I’m still young, the future belongs to me, I’ll become more experienced with age … the result was the next step in my development”.
Of when he was dropped after his chainring broke and his team had to ride him back (it was when the Boonen group was in front), “That used a lot of energy, of my team-mates too … as for thereafter, sometimes one has to ride tactically, I regret nothing”.

Cancellara: “Overall I’m quite proud, I’m satisfied with my Spring season, even if I’m only measured by victories and my second and third places don’t count, but they are really not bad results either … I know that people expected attacks from me but today I somehow had funny legs … I had no fear when Boonen went, it was still a long way to the finish and there was a lot of headwind”
Of the quintett 15 kms before the finish “It’s somehow understandable that the group didn’t harmonise (and stay ahead of the pursuers). I tried, Vanmarke tried, Degenkolb tried, but Quick-Step played it well tactically”. Obviously he means Stybar not taking turns at the front, but it’s also noticeable he doesn’t say Sagan did either.
“At the end it was too hard for me (to chase Tepstra) alone; I wanted to keep some energy for the sprint”.
Cancellara skipped the press conference and was fined 1000 Swiss Francs for that.

Vanmarke: “I’m disappointed, my legs were great, more was possible, I was one of the best riders in the race … When Tepstra had a gap of 15 m, I knew the outcome. The others hesitated and I didn’t want to yet again take the responsibility (to chase) … I can’t feel guilty, the headwind and the fact that none of the others wanted to properly ride made it hard to win … I’ve been in the forefront of every race, but in the end I’ve come away with nothing”.

Van Avermaet: Of his crash 25 kms before the finish, when Sagan was in front, and thus why he wasn’t part of the group which chased Sagan, “I was at my limit and then one loses one’s technical ability … my front wheel slipped away from me and I couldn’t prevent a fall … today I didn’t have the legs I had last week, I wasn’t good enough to win, but (without the crash) I should have been able to stay with the front group for a top-ten placing”.

David Millar: “I’m happy to have finished the race, especially since I nearly didn’t … towards the end I had a defect and also crashed because I’d given up hopes by then and wasn’t concentrating … then in the velodrome I stopped first time past the finish and only realised 5 mins later, what a beginner’s mistake!”
He then got back on his bike and went around the velodrome to complete the course.

Boonen: “Preferably I would have liked to have won myself“.

okgo

lol @ Boonen's comment. As if he was going to win with the effort (too much of an effort I reckon) he was constantly making with that break.

petemadoc

RichN95 wrote:

PeteMadoc wrote:

What stage of the race did Wiggins open that gap on the cobbles, I don't remember seeing it?

Who knows? It's impossible to tell without a big sign in the background saying 15km to go.

So that'll be 15k to go then :oops:

frenchfighter

I like Sep as he is a racer and not afraid to try. Sometimes get annoyed with him berating others ALL the time. It is fair to some extent but I reckon he should save everything and then attack and go solo for 20-30ks. Then there will be no one to blame. He should however blame his team who are always there in numbers then do little to make the race or be there when Sep really needs it.

Cancellara, agreed re how despondent he is with 2nd and 3rd which anyone else bar Big man Boonen would be over the moon with. As I said however he comes to race for the win and like Contador thinks the rest is irrelevant. Lol at missing the presser...he is not a fan of all that at all but he could have been there for this one.

Millar's first participation in PR.

Also from Sep:
"At the Carrefour de l'Arbre everybody started thinking about the final sprint and nobody went flat out. Stybar was always able to keep up but he didn't do anything. Degenkolb counted on his sprint. Sadly enough nobody went flat out. That's why others came back. That made it hard to follow if one goes from Quick-Step while there's three or four others. I launched a few attacks before and I couldn't keep reacting because otherwise I would've been considered a fool again," Vanmarcke said. His reaction reflected that the criticism about his attractive but energy-consuming racing style bothered him.

iainf72

With Sep on that one. The cobbles were fairly pedestrian and that's why it lacked the wow.

If they'd hit a few of the section 100% I reckon it would've been a smaller group.

Anonymous

Sep seems like a moany little child, never his fault he didn't win, it's always someone else's. I liked him but these constant press snippets put me off him. At one point they had 3 riders in a lead group and did nothing but sit on and let G and boonen work.

andyp

frenchfighter wrote:

He is likely one of the top earners in BMC and is very poor value for money.

He fits right in at BMC then.

Macaloon

Despite being a Eurosport Player in good standing, I risked a Bein sports stream. It's shocking how superior Phil and Paul are at calling a race compared to Kirby. They even have the audacity *gasps* to let the pictures speak.

Paul 8v

frenchfighter wrote:

I love this photo.

Some great photos from this edition

milton50

frenchfighter wrote:

Boonen didn't hide his disappointment when talking with the media after taking a shower in the team bus. When asked if he had the legs to win a fifth Paris-Roubaix, he was somewhat offended.

"I don't think I have to say that. That was obvious," said Boonen

Like that response.

I'm not particularly surprised that Cancellara couldn't go on a decisive attack to be honest. Flanders is his best event and even that went down to a sprint. Last year he just about beat Sep and this year the group of favourites was much stronger.

There's too much moaning going on by some people along the lines of "oh I still had good legs, but when Terpstra went no one wanted to bridge across." Weak.

milton50

Macaloon wrote:

Despite being a Eurosport Player in good standing, I risked a Bein sports stream. It's shocking how superior Phil and Paul are at calling a race compared to Kirby.

Serious? Kirby may not be the best commentator in the world but he can at least understand words and form coherent sentences. Unlike Paul Sherwen.

A typical Paul Sherwen sentence is something like:

"Oh, and absolutely it is positively the case that this certain very much rider's effort is blown over the top."

What?

Although Phil is still a good commentator in my opinion.

smithy21

sjmclean wrote:

Sep seems like a moany little child, never his fault he didn't win, it's always someone else's. I liked him but these constant press snippets put me off him. At one point they had 3 riders in a lead group and did nothing but sit on and let G and boonen work.

Yep. Problem for him as that everyone knows that whatever Belkin do he is the only card they are playing. Same for Cancellara I suppose but maybe you can gamble a bit more when you have won the thing 3 times already.

RichN95.

People can talk about tactics and what riders should or shouldn't have done, but the fact remains that in the last ten years 17 of the 20 cobbled monuments have been won by either Boonen's team or Cancellara's team. If you don't have one of those two, you're p1ssing into the wind.

mfin

RichN95 wrote:

PeteMadoc wrote:

What stage of the race did Wiggins open that gap on the cobbles, I don't remember seeing it?

Who knows? It's impossible to tell without a big sign in the background saying 15km to go.

Top post You deserve a beer

Pross

iainf72 wrote:

Ed Pickering has some good analysis on the Comics website.

I think the problem both Wiggins and G would have is they don't have a jump of note. If they arrive at the finish with Boonen, Sagan, Chinny or even Sep they're not going to win. I know Wiggins won that sprint in Romandie but still

Maybe that's why there is focus on Biggles, at least he can sprint. Pity about the rest.

I can see Rowe filling that role in the next couple of years. The likes of Stannard and Thomas can get in the breaks and Luke can sit on the chasers. He's got a good sprint on him. They might be tempted to try Swift in the Classics too. I think Eddie's chances of winning a big one have gone to be honest.

alihisgreat

RichN95 wrote:

People can talk about tactics and what riders should or shouldn't have done, but the fact remains that in the last ten years 17 of the 20 cobbled monuments have been won by either Boonen's team or Cancellara's team. If you don't have one of those two, you're p1ssing into the wind.

Interesting point. OPQS are outrageously strong... I think there are parallels between OPQS and certain GT teams that get slated for ruining GTs due to the strength of their team.

OPQS certainly neutralized the finish yesterday since they had numbers and no one was willing to pull Terpstra back only to let another one of the other OPQS boys go on the attack.

frenchfighter

OPQS got pumped in Flanders. The biggest race of the year for them.

smithy21

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

People can talk about tactics and what riders should or shouldn't have done, but the fact remains that in the last ten years 17 of the 20 cobbled monuments have been won by either Boonen's team or Cancellara's team. If you don't have one of those two, you're p1ssing into the wind.

Interesting point. OPQS are outrageously strong... I think there are parallels between OPQS and certain GT teams that get slated for ruining GTs due to the strength of their team.

OPQS certainly neutralized the finish yesterday since they had numbers and no one was willing to pull Terpstra back only to let another one of the other OPQS boys go on the attack.

Not sure the rest of OPQS were the threat at that point. The group just didn't want to pull Degenkolb or even Sagan to the line to lose a sprint.

Macaloon

Milton50 wrote:

Macaloon wrote:

Despite being a Eurosport Player in good standing, I risked a Bein sports stream. It's shocking how superior Phil and Paul are at calling a race compared to Kirby.

Serious?

I know. I was like, wtf, this is great compared to CK's pants. Carlton's too proud of his lack of knowledge and it sucks for a sport with beauty in its beasts.

Elfed

frenchfighter wrote:

I love this photo.

I notice Bradley's wearing shoes with laces, anyone know why?

Richmond Racer

Elfed wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

I love this photo.

I notice Bradley's wearing shoes with laces, anyone know why?

Moved from Bont to Giro this year - they're Giro Empires

Daz555

Elfed wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

I love this photo.

I notice Bradley's wearing shoes with laces, anyone know why?

A Knight of the Realm should not be seen in velcro, surely!

Elfed

Thanks, thought lace up cycling shoes were a thing of the past.

greasedscotsman

Couple of vids from yesterday...

http://youtu.be/FT2EWFH-gQQ

http://youtu.be/hGlggcOe0PM