Il Lombardia - *** Spoilers***

rick_chasey

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Interesting stat CafeRoubaix on Twitter

For the first time since 1896, the season ended without a Monument being won by a rider from Belgium, France, Italy, or Spain.

Norway, Switzerland, Holland, Australia, Ireland. Very European

Ftfy

Anonymous

frenchfighter wrote:

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Yellow Peril wrote:

Valverde is my man this season. I think his consistency in results is unparalleled. He is so race savvy.

He is, but to what end if he's just going to watch others ride away from him at the death?

There are a handful of riders in that group. What about all those wheel suckers?

Mr Dan Martin rode wheels the entire day apart from inside the last km. Situation dictated it as it was another long race coming down to the last 10km as usual with these conservative pros but still we can't say it was a great win, it was just a win, but better than a sprint.

Do you not notice berts real big long winded attacking days ended when he got busted? That's why it comes down to the last small percent, not many are superhuman any more.

Paul 8v

Strange seeing Costa in the normal Lampre kit now, that'll take a bit of getting used to. No white shorts is a bonus though.

Contador still made a pretty impressive attack in the 2012 Vuelta after returning from his ban, it was just unfortunate that they didn't actually have the cameras on at the time! I think that there are more people of the same level now so it makes it harder to pull off those sort of attacks.

Nibs, Froome, Contador, Quintana can all stick with each other to a certain extent, that's why once they'd gone in the tour Nibs was romping all over everyone, if the other two had stayed his performance wouldn't have raised questions from certain people as he would have been marked more.

I personally don't know all the ins and outs of the Contador suspension but it seems like he was busted for something that a few people have been given the benefit of the doubt on since.

deejay

disgruntledgoat wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Be fair, that wasn't his blood. CAN I mishandled some random blood so badly it turned into am exact match of his.

They wouldn't even try that one on The Jeremy Kyle Show.
I just find Valverde a source of amusement

This. A pantomime villain

Look out he's behind you. :roll:

curium

frenchfighter wrote:

Valverde takes 80 points to Contador's zero and he was 14 points behind coming in.

Contador crashed as some amateur crashed right in front of him. Others behind then crashed into him. He banged the same knee pretty badly.

What was he doing behind the amateur?

DeVlaeminck

sjmclean wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Yellow Peril wrote:

Valverde is my man this season. I think his consistency in results is unparalleled. He is so race savvy.

He is, but to what end if he's just going to watch others ride away from him at the death?

There are a handful of riders in that group. What about all those wheel suckers?

Mr Dan Martin rode wheels the entire day apart from inside the last km. Situation dictated it as it was another long race coming down to the last 10km as usual with these conservative pros but still we can't say it was a great win, it was just a win, but better than a sprint.

Do you not notice berts real big long winded attacking days ended when he got busted? That's why it comes down to the last small percent, not many are superhuman any more.

If you mean he doesn 't attack from distance any more I don't agree with that, Contador tested positive in 2010, in 2011 he attacked on the first of three categorised climbs with two HC climbs to come. If he needs to make up time he seems happy to roll the dice early on.

frenchfighter

Haha smj is on perma-block for me and that last quote showed why. Needs to watch a lot more racing. How do you think he won the Vuelta 2012. Long range attack. How do you think he won TA 14. Long range attack.

deejay

TailWindHome wrote:

The new Bergamo Alto climb is a beauty. Takes in city walls and carries on all the way to the top right

Blazing Saddles wrote:

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

Is it the same finish as they had in the Giro in 07? Think Garzelli won that day, with Simoni just in behind.
Also 2009, IIRC

I'd assumed it to be the same finish that they had for this race, from 1995 until 2003...................

As you saw, It was the same finish that was used for nine (9) years that Saddles posted.
This is a better finish than the previous 5 (1990-1994) in Monza where my memory has Vladislav Bobrik (Gewiss) doing a solo ride over the flat final kilometers and the year earlier a pair of Ariosta riders Giorgio Furlan & Pascal Richard riding those flat roads for the Swiss man to win.

Ah yes, quiet please but Ariosta and Gewiss we know now, were the early EPO teams.

The Racing is much better these days.
Even with wheel suckers who have teams to help them.
Ryder Hesjedal-Garmin (not mentioned) did a major job towing the peloton to reduce the gap of Pieter Weening & Ben Hermans and his team mate won.
He did the same in last years Liege race and Martin won that also.

frenchfighter

You are right about Hesjedal - he would be well up there on my teammate wish list. DG mentioned him yesterday:

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Credit too for the "job of work" Ryder Hejsedal did in the last 15km there.

andyp

The Monza finish was rubbish, about 50 kms from the final climb.

Bobrik won when he and Chiappucci caught Richard, who'd been out solo for some time, with about 300 metres to go. Chiappucci had done all of the work in the final 1.5 kms, and Bobrik jumped past him and Richard as the catch was made.

deejay

andyp wrote:

The Monza finish was rubbish, about 50 kms from the final climb.

Bobrik won when he and Chiappucci caught Richard, who'd been out solo for some time, with about 300 metres to go. Chiappucci had done all of the work in the final 1.5 kms, and Bobrik jumped past him and Richard as the catch was made.

Well done Andy but all I remember was the flat roads and how I wanted to Puke when Bobrik won.

With so many complaints about this years "NEW" Finish, I just wanted to put it in perspective. (sorry my memory isn't that good)

disgruntledgoat

deejay wrote:

disgruntledgoat wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Be fair, that wasn't his blood. CAN I mishandled some random blood so badly it turned into am exact match of his.

They wouldn't even try that one on The Jeremy Kyle Show.
I just find Valverde a source of amusement

This. A pantomime villain

Look out he's behind you. :roll:

My work has a policy against posting on forums... I've been waiting all day to do this.

Oh no he isn't!

Paul 8v

frenchfighter wrote:

You are right about Hesjedal - he would be well up there on my teammate wish list. DG mentioned him yesterday:

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Credit too for the "job of work" Ryder Hejsedal did in the last 15km there.

I was listening to an interview with David Millar and he said Ryder is into juicing (Not a euphemism) and he'll go around making juices for all the riders after the races, he was quite complimentary about him as a team mate.