The classics thread

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  • EKIMIKE
    EKIMIKE Posts: 2,232
    Talking of which, a shoot weather Roubaix wouldn't go amiss!
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  • cal_stewart
    cal_stewart Posts: 1,840
    Fancy swift on the podium again if it's bad weather with yogi pulling on the forward like its 2013. Sagan 7-10 place.
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  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,810
    No love for Greg van Av? I think he'll go on the Poggio, before being caught a la Ballan 2006.

    On the Cycling Podcast point, was anyone else dead annoyed that they (Friebos) kept getting the dates wrong?

    He said the last finish on the Via Roma was 2006 [was actually 07] and Canc won the first Lungomare finish in 2007 [08]
  • cal_stewart
    cal_stewart Posts: 1,840
    Problem is with MSR is that you could problem name most of the top 10 but you just don't know the order, think it's the hardest classic to pick the winner
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  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,810
    That's because there's so many 'specilists' that could win it.

    In 2012 you had a Classics specialist, a group sprinter and a Grand Tour contender going for the win

    podium-1-2.jpg
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,536
    Weather could be a bit wet, especially early, with a briskish 8m/s tailwind.

    Lump on a sprinter who doesn't mind the rain. Or a rouleur that can get away on the Poggio.

    I think the tailwind will prevent the course, already a bit easier this year, from being selective.
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Weather could be a bit wet, especially early, with a briskish 8m/s tailwind.

    Lump on a sprinter who doesn't mind the rain. Or a rouleur that can get away on the Poggio.

    I think the tailwind will prevent the course, already a bit easier this year, from being selective.

    Tailwinds = more selective.

    Headwind = bigger group arriving at finish line.
    _
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,536
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Weather could be a bit wet, especially early, with a briskish 8m/s tailwind.

    Lump on a sprinter who doesn't mind the rain. Or a rouleur that can get away on the Poggio.

    I think the tailwind will prevent the course, already a bit easier this year, from being selective.

    Tailwinds = more selective.

    Headwind = bigger group arriving at finish line.

    Not quite, though I think we're just using slightly different interpretations of selective.

    Yes, tailwinds give a better chance of an escape, but they also take the sting out of the distance and the climbs, so selection by being dropped when the pace is forced is minimised. So if selection is about covering an attack or bridging to an escape, I'd agree.

    So in general I'd say you were right, but in MSR I think it's the distance and climbing that makes the selection, and while it's more difficult for sprint teams to control the race the sprinters themselves will get to the line fresher.

    We'll see how it pans out on Sunday though.
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  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    That's because there's so many 'specilists' that could win it.

    In 2012 you had a Classics specialist, a group sprinter and a Grand Tour contender going for the win

    That's its charm as well. A lot of riders have a chance of glory. Changing the course so that it suits only one type of rider is a poor decision.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    No love for Greg van Av? I think he'll go on the Poggio, before being caught a la Ballan 2006.

    Not good enough at one particular thing.

    Phil Gil's faster up the Poggio, and there are much faster finishers who can get up and over the Poggio with him.
    _
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,160
    Milton50 wrote:
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    That's because there's so many 'specilists' that could win it.

    In 2012 you had a Classics specialist, a group sprinter and a Grand Tour contender going for the win

    That's its charm as well. A lot of riders have a chance of glory. Changing the course so that it suits only one type of rider is a poor decision.

    I had the thought that MSR is much better World Championship test than most of those used. It has just the right balance to allow the widest range of rider styles to be in with a chance. Maybe less so in the autumn though.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    A whole load of historical Milan San Remo highlight clips on Sporza:
    http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/re ... aansanremo
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Lump on a sprinter who doesn't mind the rain. Or a rouleur that can get away on the Poggio.
    I think the tailwind will prevent the course, already a bit easier this year, from being selective.
    The last I have of a rouleur getting away on the Poggio was Jalabert & Fondriest or maybe Colombo but the whole thing changed with a Super Drug team bringing their sprinter Zabel to the Via Roma Finish.
    I really did enjoy that rouleur Andrei Tchmil getting the Jump in the last 500, to beat Zabel to win one year.

    Now, all this speculation about a short course to a finish on the Via Roma and this is about 2 Km farther than the old finish on the Corso Cavallotti where Sean Kelly beat Moreno Argentin. (who never ever won the race)
    In those days you saw the sprinters missing the Poggio by riding straight down the main road to rejoin the course into San Remo. (particularly Mario Cipollini a couple of years)

    Now it is the longest sprint race in the world and even longer than Paris-Tours.
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    Zdenek Stybar ‏@zdenekstybar 4m4 minutes ago
    @ProCyclingStats @Milano_Sanremo the UV index looks great!!!

    CAnjOLiVIAAG2Cv.png
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  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    PwYpkcu.png
    Contador is the Greatest
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,310
    http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Ron ... ports_2015

    Trentin has some explaining to do :lol:

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  • talius
    talius Posts: 282
    Reminds me of a picture from some Paris Roubaix or other a long time ago...
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  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Iljooooooooo!

    I'm heading to his dads bar tonight, should be a good scene
    "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'"

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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Talius wrote:
    Reminds me of a picture from some Paris Roubaix or other a long time ago...
    That was Paris-Roubaix though. This was like Real Madrid playing in the League of Wales.
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  • pollys_bott
    pollys_bott Posts: 1,012
    EKIMIKE wrote:
    Wouldn't count out a small group going away over the Poggio. They have less to do on the other side with the finish on Via Roma and the sprinters have less time to recover.

    Apologies if a daft question but I'm not particularly au fait with the last few kms of MSR: I'm assuming this means that this year the finish has moved closer to the bottom of the Poggio descent?
  • talius
    talius Posts: 282
    RichN95 wrote:
    Talius wrote:
    Reminds me of a picture from some Paris Roubaix or other a long time ago...
    That was Paris-Roubaix though. This was like Real Madrid playing in the League of Wales.


    Yes, I know and clearly this is different, but the image is unfortunately sooooo similar.

    mapei96.jpg
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Macaloon wrote:
    Zdenek Stybar ‏@zdenekstybar 4m4 minutes ago
    @ProCyclingStats @Milano_Sanremo the UV index looks great!!!

    CAnjOLiVIAAG2Cv.png

    Grim looking weather.

    Cav will be disappointed.
    _
  • talius
    talius Posts: 282
    looks like it will be interesting. Can't wait! paris nice and tireno adriatico don't really do it for me, good to get to the start of the best run of cycling of the year.
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Pollys Bott wrote:
    Apologies if a daft question but I'm not particularly au fait with the last few kms of MSR: I'm assuming this means that this year the finish has moved closer to the bottom of the Poggio descent?

    That's right. It also doesn't finish on the seaside, so instead it's a straight, but shorter, run into the finish after the decent.

    All these little things matter, especially after 300km...
    _
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Talius wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Talius wrote:
    Reminds me of a picture from some Paris Roubaix or other a long time ago...
    That was Paris-Roubaix though. This was like Real Madrid playing in the League of Wales.


    Yes, I know and clearly this is different, but the image is unfortunately sooooo similar.

    mapei96.jpg

    QS were founded out of Mapei's demise too
    "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'"

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  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    Pollys Bott wrote:
    EKIMIKE wrote:
    Wouldn't count out a small group going away over the Poggio. They have less to do on the other side with the finish on Via Roma and the sprinters have less time to recover.

    Apologies if a daft question but I'm not particularly au fait with the last few kms of MSR: I'm assuming this means that this year the finish has moved closer to the bottom of the Poggio descent?
    YES : Read my post above.
    In the early years the finish was about one and half Kilometers after they left the Poggio to enter the Corso Cavallotti Main Road.
    Due to official cars blocking the area after the finish, which caused a mighty pile up of later riders coming into the finish.
    The Finish was moved 2Km further down past the Marina onto the Via Roma, which is a wide road for bunch finishing.
    Then for some reason or other the finish was moved another couple of Km's into a twisty road finish alongside the sea.
    So now It's back to the wide road finish on the Via Roma. Should be a safer Finish.
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Lots of chat on Sporza about the slight false-flat uphill drag for the sprint which brings a different type of sprinter into play - e.g. Sagan.
    _
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    FJS wrote:
    A whole load of historical Milan San Remo highlight clips on Sporza:
    http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/re ... aansanremo
    If you check the 1993 Fondriest Finish, then right at the end you can see the carnage of the riders that crashed.
    The Official car's broken window was probably caused by Mario Cipollini's bike that he kept smashing on the car.
    1994 the Finish was put 2 Km's further down on the Via Roma.

    So now you need a very fit Spartacus or Andrei Tchmil to jump away before the sprinters get going for the win.
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • cal_stewart
    cal_stewart Posts: 1,840
    Sagan's finished
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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Lots of chat on Sporza about the slight false-flat uphill drag for the sprint which brings a different type of sprinter into play - e.g. Sagan.
    I don't see any of the sprinters likely to be involved being bothered by a slight drag. They will need to have done their homework though.

    Right. Who is going to start the spoiler thread, because this is not the place to discuss the race itself.
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