Amstel Gold Race 2014 *SPOILERS*
Comments
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Contador is the Greatest0 -
Apart from Kreuziger away up the road, almost a carbon copy Cauberg finish to last year.
Already missing the cobbles."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
ThomThom wrote:
That is just sick.0 -
I hauled my ass back from the post club-run pub sesh just in time to see Gilbert hit the gas - literally as I clicked play on Eurosport player. That's the way to do it.
I can't get that excited about Amstel but it's nice to see Gilbert winning again. And a proper strong man's attack too.
Real panache.
Valverde and Gerrans are such lame riders from a fans perspective. Always happy waiting to sprint for the second and third steps on the podium. Never willing to fully lay it on the line. Although of course they mop up in the shit-small races :roll:
Faux panache.0 -
Remarkable wrote:ThomThom wrote:
That is just sick.
Hahaha, In hindsight I probably should have made the reference more clear towards the fellow behind her
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ThomThom wrote:Remarkable wrote:ThomThom wrote:
That is just sick.
Hahaha, In hindsight I probably should have made the reference more clear towards the fellow behind her
Better. But not much better
“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
OK so stop being weird about the pic of Gilbert's wide and child please.
Back to road helmets, I really want a Specialized evade in my life.... but at £160 not sure I can justify it. How many seconds do you reckon it's worth on a club 10?0 -
frenchfighter wrote:Yes yes well done, you must be over moon, your favourite rider: Simon non-shame Gerrans placed.
Have you watched this season much? Know how many times Valverde attacked and showed some class and delighted the fans? Sure Mr Valverde knows how to ride wheels but he does the rest as well. Your Aussie is just an all out - i dont care if i lose, I only want to win if I can ride on greater riders coat tails - rider.
Gerrans isn't my favourite rider, I just respect the results he gets, given his talents.
Valverde is a flat-track bully, he only wins, in Cavendish's words, shitty little races, and then when the opposition is weak. He's not won a world tour race yet this season, unlike Gerrans, and, once again, sucked wheels when it matters in a major race and came away with a placing rather than the win.
Read the comments from today by Kwiatowski, Gerrans was working with him to try and get up to Gilbert, but Valverde, yet again, sat on. He's a wheel sucker. He always has been and he always will be.0 -
TailWindHome wrote:ThomThom wrote:Remarkable wrote:ThomThom wrote:
That is just sick.
Hahaha, In hindsight I probably should have made the reference more clear towards the fellow behind her
Better. But not much better
Don't be soft.0 -
andyp wrote:frenchfighter wrote:Yes yes well done, you must be over moon, your favourite rider: Simon non-shame Gerrans placed.
Have you watched this season much? Know how many times Valverde attacked and showed some class and delighted the fans? Sure Mr Valverde knows how to ride wheels but he does the rest as well. Your Aussie is just an all out - i dont care if i lose, I only want to win if I can ride on greater riders coat tails - rider.
Gerrans isn't my favourite rider, I just respect the results he gets, given his talents.
Valverde is a flat-track bully, he only wins, in Cavendish's words, sh!tty little races, and then when the opposition is weak. He's not won a world tour race yet this season, unlike Gerrans, and, once again, sucked wheels when it matters in a major race and came away with a placing rather than the win.
Read the comments from today by Kwiatowski, Gerrans was working with him to try and get up to Gilbert, but Valverde, yet again, sat on. He's a wheel sucker. He always has been and he always will be.
Yup.
Valverde sitting on, hoping to get towed to the finish, has killed the chase two years in succession.
No class."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
I don't think Valverde sucked wheels anymore than Gilbert. He just had did not have enough left in his legs and was hoping the race might come back to him but Gilbert just had to much. Valverde did try and respond. It is a long race and very difficult to react after 200km for any rider.0
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As much as you Valverde haters like to hate, just a little FYI: in the last 11 years of his pro career, he has been ranked top 5 in 8 years - the others years, 6th and 14th and one year sidelined. He has provided numerous attacks and numerous moments of excitement for the fans.
Dont go trotting out WT race wins. His ranking this year speaks for itself. Gerrans, very unfortunately, won a training race in Australia, on the back of greater riders.Contador is the Greatest0 -
I don't like Gerrans or Valverde but today in particular Gerrans contributed more to the race. Hard to tell if Valverde couldn't or wouldn't do more. I think a lot of us are guilty of assuming riders who 'wheel suck' are unwilling to work but quite often they'll be at their limit hanging in there. They know the only way they stand a chance is to hope someone else pulls it back and they can snatch a result in the sprint. It's good to see Gilbert back in some form though. There's no out-and-out favourite for Flèche or L-B-L, especially if J Rod is absent from them.0
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Gerrans is often strategic with his efforts, but on this occasion he was actually the first of the favourites to attack on the Cauberg, after Samu. Valverde can ride an attacking race if he needs to, but didn't do much today, apart from closing the gap to Kwia
A double again for Gilbert - with J-Rod out, presumably, making it a triple on Wednesday?
Again hat off for Van Avermaet, one of the few to ride both the cobbles, Amstel and Sam Remo, and both in Vlaanderen and today very active0 -
Valverde has made some very exciting and aggressive moves in many races. He did not have much left towards the end and had to race with his brain and save himself for any chance that may have came his way. It just did not pan out. Gilbert was to good0
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andyp wrote:frenchfighter wrote:Yes yes well done, you must be over moon, your favourite rider: Simon non-shame Gerrans placed.
Have you watched this season much? Know how many times Valverde attacked and showed some class and delighted the fans? Sure Mr Valverde knows how to ride wheels but he does the rest as well. Your Aussie is just an all out - i dont care if i lose, I only want to win if I can ride on greater riders coat tails - rider.
Gerrans isn't my favourite rider, I just respect the results he gets, given his talents.
Valverde is a flat-track bully, he only wins, in Cavendish's words, sh!tty little races, and then when the opposition is weak. He's not won a world tour race yet this season, unlike Gerrans, and, once again, sucked wheels when it matters in a major race and came away with a placing rather than the win.
Read the comments from today by Kwiatowski, Gerrans was working with him to try and get up to Gilbert, but Valverde, yet again, sat on. He's a wheel sucker. He always has been and he always will be.
I know that Cavendish said that Andre Greipel only wins sh!11y little races, but when did he say that about Valverde?Infinite diversity, infinte variations0 -
In my experience of watching Valverde (past 5 years) he disappoints on the biggest stage.
I think my negative view of him is probably magnified by the fact that he looks so good in the smaller warm-up/training races and then ultimately does very little when it counts in the big'uns. It's a sort of perpetual let-down.
Frankly I find 60th in the WT/annual rankings and a barn-storming ride in one of the classics is far more endearing than top 5 in the WT/annual rankings and a hatful of top 5's in the classics. Unfortunately the stats/rankings belie the true story of the racing. Where the big races are concerned Valverde is simply dull in reality and only exciting on a statisticians spreadsheet.0 -
BTW I think Greipel and Valverde make for a very good comparison. Valverde is the Greipel of climbers. Stacks in the wins early season and in lesser races but on the biggest stage, against the best, only pulls out the win on rare occasions.0
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FJS wrote:Again hat off for Van Avermaet, one of the few to ride both the cobbles, Amstel and Sam Remo, and both in Vlaanderen and today very active
Yeah he is a real racer.
Note Leukemans' results this year are amazing - really hope he gets back to a proper team next year.
11th Amstel Gold Race
5th Brabantse Pijl
15th Paris - Roubaix
9th Ronde van Vlaanderen
46th Gent - Wevelgem
52th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke
23rd Dwars door Vlaanderen
Ironically a great set of results like that place him only 70th.
He would have raced MSR has his team been there. A proper racer too.
GVA's
40th Amstel Gold Race
N/A Brabantse Pijl
17th Paris - Roubaix
2nd Ronde van Vlaanderen
28th Gent - Wevelgem
10th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke
N/A Dwars door Vlaanderen
25th Milano - SanremoContador is the Greatest0 -
EKIMIKE wrote:In my experience of watching Valverde (past 5 years) he disappoints on the biggest stage.
I think my negative view of him is probably magnified by the fact that he looks so good in the smaller warm-up/training races and then ultimately does very little when it counts in the big'uns. It's a sort of perpetual let-down.
Frankly I find 60th in the WT/annual rankings and a barn-storming ride in one of the classics is far more endearing than top 5 in the WT/annual rankings and a hatful of top 5's in the classics. Unfortunately the stats/rankings belie the true story of the racing. Where the big races are concerned Valverde is simply dull in reality and only exciting on a statisticians spreadsheet.
FYI, a few selected results:
Worlds, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd
Fleche, 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th, 7th
LBL, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 3rd
Amstel, 3rd, 2nd, 4th
Lombardia, 2nd
Vuelta, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 5th, 2nd, 3rd, 7 stage wins
TDF, 6th, 9th, 8th, 4 stage wins
Dauphine, 1st, 1st, 7th, 2 stage wins
Paris Nice, 2nd, 3rd, 1 stage win
+a huge amount of top five placings and a huge amount of wins in what you would consider unworthy races.
+a more to come given he is only 33.
There really is no point trying to argue about him failing at the sharp end - that would be pretty stupid. How many riders would be happy to have his palamares at the end of their careers? 90%? He doesn't have a good TT and is prone to an off day as well as some bad luck hence why his top stage race palmares isnt as great as some riders but then he is more of a one day racer with a natural talent in the stage races and so has a one day race palmares better than any GT rider.Contador is the Greatest0 -
All that Valverde bashing aside...Chapeau to Gilbert, he has this canny knack of popping up in the right place at the right time. I'm not sure the first 1000m of the final 1800m after the Cauberg tailed off was a breeze for him when in previous occasions the end of the hill was the finishing line. Initially, I didn't think he had the legs but he held out.
In years to come, we'll look back at the man and see him in the same light as De Vlaeminck or Museeuw. I hope he has a few big wins in him yet as he is one classy rider.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
@FF - I rarely post but feel moved by your continual perverse defence of Valverde.
Both wheelsuckers
Both got a fast finish and wheelsuck to take wins
Ones an unrepentant doper and one doesn't have a sniff of a scandal
I know which one I prefer
I hate myself more for backing Valverde when he couldn't even be arsed to sprint for 3rd0 -
That was a boring race. Didn't enjoy it that much. But well done Gilbert, for pretty much confirming the WC curse. haha.
Also was the last time great champion Valverde won a world tour race 2009?0 -
Moontrane wrote:andyp wrote:frenchfighter wrote:Yes yes well done, you must be over moon, your favourite rider: Simon non-shame Gerrans placed.
Have you watched this season much? Know how many times Valverde attacked and showed some class and delighted the fans? Sure Mr Valverde knows how to ride wheels but he does the rest as well. Your Aussie is just an all out - i dont care if i lose, I only want to win if I can ride on greater riders coat tails - rider.
Gerrans isn't my favourite rider, I just respect the results he gets, given his talents.
Valverde is a flat-track bully, he only wins, in Cavendish's words, sh!tty little races, and then when the opposition is weak. He's not won a world tour race yet this season, unlike Gerrans, and, once again, sucked wheels when it matters in a major race and came away with a placing rather than the win.
Read the comments from today by Kwiatowski, Gerrans was working with him to try and get up to Gilbert, but Valverde, yet again, sat on. He's a wheel sucker. He always has been and he always will be.
I know that Cavendish said that Andre Greipel only wins sh!11y little races, but when did he say that about Valverde?
He didn't, Andy was quoting Cav's use of sh!tty little races not that he said Valverde only won them.0 -
Has he? I bet you can't name two which happened before the flame rouge.tuneskyline wrote:Valverde has made some very exciting and aggressive moves in many races.Twitter: @RichN950 -
This whole wheel sucker thing gets a bit tired. At what point do you have to attack to avoid the label? Is Gilbert a wheel sucker for sitting hidden in the bunch until the final 3km? We all want heroic breaks to succeed but as has been said many times a professional rider is there solely to get the best possible result he can or to help a team mate to do so. The best way to achieve that depends on the rider and the course and it may be that the best result is to settle for a definite second than to risk all for a win and finish 6th. Sure, it's not great for us as fans but this is the riders job and like it or not points make salaries.
Oddly, in amateur racing, people will criticise someone who rides too hard and doesn't get placed as being foolish and yet they are in a position where results don't really matter.0 -
frenchfighter wrote:
FYI, a few selected results:
Worlds, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd
Fleche, 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th, 7th
LBL, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 3rd
Amstel, 3rd, 2nd, 4th
Lombardia, 2nd
Vuelta, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 5th, 2nd, 3rd, 7 stage wins
TDF, 6th, 9th, 8th, 4 stage wins
Dauphine, 1st, 1st, 7th, 2 stage wins
Paris Nice, 2nd, 3rd, 1 stage win
+a huge amount of top five placings and a huge amount of wins in what you would consider unworthy races.
+a more to come given he is only 33.
Don't get me wrong, he has a very accomplished palmares. But my comments apply within a narrowly defined context, which I've been clear about (past 5 years, top races), and within that context he's a perpetual disappointment. It's not that his placings are bad - obviously they are very good but he doesn't seem to lay it on the line in the big races like he does in the smaller races. In the big races he is tactically conservative and doesn't win alot, if at all in the case of the classics (remember, i'm talking last 5 years).
It's sort of like cooking really good beans on toast or driving a really nice Ford Mondeo. It's all a bit meh. The same applies to Gerrans.0 -
Pross wrote:This whole wheel sucker thing gets a bit tired.
It baffles me a bit too. It's a legit racing tactic and still requires you to be up there and crucially, following the wheels of the strongest.
However trying to distinguish Valverde from Gerrans, tactically, is absurd.0 -
Eh. As is quite clear he knows how to handle himself in the very top races. There really is no point trying to argue against.
Some of you need to watch more racing including Rich. Watching more than the last km would also help.Contador is the Greatest0
