Paris-Nice **SPOILERS**

gweeds

Reports coming in that Boonen hasn't broken his collarbone. Shoulder sprain.

milton50

I didn't see the stage but it's quite a strange looking result. Greipel, Demare and Degenkolb nowhere in a bunch sprint? Apparently Degenkolb didn't have a mechanical. He just went too early and ran out of legs.

That's a pretty impressive result for Kristoff. To beat the likes of Sagan and Boonen is one thing but to beat Bouhanni in a bunch sprint shows he's fast full stop.

rick_chasey

Man, being a cycling fan is cruel.

Even being a glory hunter and supporting one of the most successful classics riders of his generation is mainly a tale of disappointment.

At least, they're the bits I remember.

iainf72

Boonen out for 6 weeks.

Classics are now dead to me.

gsk82

Milton50 wrote:

I didn't see the stage but it's quite a strange looking result. Greipel, Demare and Degenkolb nowhere in a bunch sprint? Apparently Degenkolb didn't have a mechanical. He just went too early and ran out of legs.

That's a pretty impressive result for Kristoff. To beat the likes of Sagan and Boonen is one thing but to beat Bouhanni in a bunch sprint shows he's fast full stop.

Bouhani's reputation is based on a Giro where the only other sprinter smashed him twice in two stages then went home.

FransJacques

Rick Chasey wrote:

Pollys Bott wrote:

Did my eyes deceive me or did I really just see a pair of top mounted brake levers on Voeckler's bike? :shock:

They deceive you.

No Rick they were there. I was agog. Does he ride Robert Millar style with his hands right beside his stem or something?

milton50

gsk82 wrote:

Milton50 wrote:

I didn't see the stage but it's quite a strange looking result. Greipel, Demare and Degenkolb nowhere in a bunch sprint? Apparently Degenkolb didn't have a mechanical. He just went too early and ran out of legs.

That's a pretty impressive result for Kristoff. To beat the likes of Sagan and Boonen is one thing but to beat Bouhanni in a bunch sprint shows he's fast full stop.

Bouhani's reputation is based on a Giro where the only other sprinter smashed him twice in two stages then went home.

He won two Vuelta stages as well, against Degnkolb. He's a long way behind Kittel and Cav but I think most people would have said he's faster than Kristoff in a bunch sprint.

gsk82

Kristoff has been mixing it with the top sprinters this year so far though. Bouhani hasn't ever come close to them. The fact that John Degnkolb can win 4 or 5 Vuelta stages a year shows the quality of the sprinters there.

frenchfighter

Another Kristoff win :roll:



Looked very cold out there today (note that Haussler again doesn't have gloves)

Stupid beards:


I did not watch any of the stage today so can anyone tell me whether there is a legitimate reason for cross brakes?

iainf72 wrote:

Boonen out for 6 weeks.

Classics are now dead to me.

This is a disaster. Absolute disaster. Enjoyment of the fans sky rockets when Tommeke is there even if he hasn't quite got the killer legs. Still, I can't see him not being there for Flanders or Paris Roubaix.

Very stupid crash:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EvXOHdZpng
He shouldn't be at the back and should not be riding into another rider and should be able to land properly at that speed.

andyp

frenchfighter wrote:

I did not watch any of the stage today so can anyone tell me whether there is a legitimate reason for cross brakes?

Never. Not even in cyclocross.

frenchfighter

Just looked at the parcours for this race and it looks awful. I also cant stand finishing the race with a TT. Not the race it was when Contador was racing it - proper classic in those days.

No wonder the real big hitters opted for TA this year (although that parcours is looking a touch week and also finishes with a TT).

takethehighroad

The thing about today's stage was it was sooooo slow, they must have averaged about 35 kph until Tommeke's crash, which i think contributed to the fact he was at the back, and damage he did.

I thin EQS will still have a good classics campaign, with Cav in MSR, Stybar for E3/Flanders, Terpstra for PR and Kwia for the Ardennes. Plus all the other semi classics riders for the semi classics/de Panne.

Update from the 3 year old. He was looking sad before so his Mum asked "What's the matter, you look sad?" The reply? "I was just thinking about Tom Boonen, Mummy"

takethehighroad

Also, he was very happy to see Kristoff win (Frozen reference)

ddraver

We need a TTHR's 3yr Old twitter account...

above_the_cows

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

Also, he was very happy to see Kristoff win (Frozen reference)

Who's Sven in Katusha then?

murf1480

andyp wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

I did not watch any of the stage today so can anyone tell me whether there is a legitimate reason for cross brakes?

Never. Not even in cyclocross.

If you can get a image up he was actually riding a adapted cyclo cross bike..

takethehighroad

Above The Cows wrote:

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

Also, he was very happy to see Kristoff win (Frozen reference)

Who's Sven in Katusha then?

I'd imagine someone like Isiachev, or Ignatiev or Pliuschin back in the day (a real workhorse/reindeer)

blazing_saddles

Another trudge through flat, featureless Northern (ish) France.
Still 60kms left.
Sean Kelly reckons that Boonan's career is over......

thomthom

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Another trudge through flat, featureless Northern (ish) France.
Still 60kms left.
Sean Kelly reckons that Boonan's career is over......

Shame.

What about Boonen though?

thomthom

Live cycling is better than no live cycling but I'm almost (almost..) inclined to call it unnecessary to show 80km of a Paris-Nice stage.

jgsi

Interesting to note that viewing Eurosport.de (using Hola) you get significantly less annoying adverts than the Brit Euro service... one assumes that Europeans view us Brits as mugs for buying stuff and having 'cheap' shark loans

all hell breaks loose .. not

smithy21

Greipel takes it. Remember him? He didn't even cross my mind for PTP. More fool me.

graeme_s-2

ddraver wrote:

We need a TTHR's 3yr Old twitter account...

I think he's already got one

frenchfighter

smithy21 wrote:

Greipel takes it. Remember him? He didn't even cross my mind for PTP. More fool me.

Yeah he has had a very slow start...marginally better than Kittel though.

Macaloon

Graeme_S wrote:

ddraver wrote:

We need a TTHR's 3yr Old twitter account...

I think he's already got one

All Tweeters should temp change their user names to 'Thinking about Boonen'. Go.

Edit: That's too long. Suggest 'Thinks about Boonen'

pinno

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

Also, he was very happy to see Kristoff win (Frozen reference)

Who's Sven in Katusha then?

I'd imagine someone like Isiachev, or Ignatiev or Pliuschin back in the day (a real workhorse/reindeer)

...Tchmil, Konyshev, Ekimov...

Back on topic, sort of:

As far as the televised dull Paris-Nice, The Milan - San Remo is one they should (finally) get around to changing. Nothing happens until the Poggio, not worth watching until then and often it isn't decisive.

Macaloon

Makoto AYANO ‏@makotoayano 3m3 minutes ago Tokorozawa, Saitama-ken
ジルベールがヴォクレールの真似してるって笑RＴ“@SubiendoPuertos: .@PhilippeGilbert imitando a @voecklerthomas en #ParisNice ”


13:50:00 CET
The presence of the Europcar leader has already had an affect with the gap to the trio up to 1:55 over the chasing bunch. We're less than 20km from the start of the next climb, the Col de La Bosse - our second third cat of the stage.

13:41:18 CET
With the gap down to 1:15 Voeckler has jumped clear of the peloton and joined the break to make it three men in the front group. The Europcar car rider is on the attack again after his stage 1 move.

rick_chasey

hommelbier

Over the Col de La Bosse the three leaders (Gilbert, Vachon & Voeckler) have a lead of 5 minutes. 80km to the finish.

cc78

5 minutes for the break as they pass the Col de la Bosse, just under 80km to go