E3 Harelbeke 2015 **SPOILER**

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  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    inseine wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    We all know it's net weekend and the one after that matter though, Gawd bless Gee, but outside of belgians, today means little.

    SKYs biggest one day win?
    I'd say Omloop Het Nieuwsblad rates slightly higher, in Flanders, but only just
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,852
    Using Sagan as an example, a win in E3 seems to mean nothing if you don't go on to win a monument.
    Half man, Half bike
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    FJS wrote:
    inseine wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    We all know it's net weekend and the one after that matter though, Gawd bless Gee, but outside of belgians, today means little.

    SKYs biggest one day win?
    I'd say Omloop Het Nieuwsblad rates slightly higher, in Flanders, but only just

    Really? For me E3 ranks below only Flanders and Roubaix in terms of the cobbled races. I've never lived in Belgium though.

    Sagan does look very chunky. He's slowly tried to move away from being an Amstel Gold type rider to a cobbled classic type rider. At the moment he looks like neither.
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    E3 for the last couple of years has been the "up and coming" one day race.

    I agree that Sagan did look chunky on that bike but even so he was in the selection and will probably finesse the necessary form for July.

    Great win for Thomas but I wonder in these days of knife edge form will he maintain it over the next couple of weeks?
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Re Sagan, given his implosion and still going for gels @ 4km some rumours that he bonked.

    Let's hope it is that so we get a bit more excitement next weekend.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    And E3 is bigger than het volk, but I would say that.
    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    And E3 is bigger than het volk, but I would say that.
    Cancellara has won E3 three times but doesn't bother to enter Het Nieuwsblad. That tells you all you need to know.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,162
    Finally got to watch. That attack looked really well timed, he seemed to know Sagan was struggling and waited until he had just gone to the front and Stybar was dropping back. Fair play to Sagan though, he was obviously on his last legs but didn't try missing turns while recovering for a sprint.

    Geraint looks really good on a bike when he's going well and not going downhill. Rick picked up that he wasn't using the drops but when he was switching hand positions in the last few kms the rest of his body barely moved and his back was completely flat.

    Stybar is my pick for P-R now, G looking good for RVV but has now made himself a marked man which is never good with the negative racing tactics. Sky will need to get other riders up front for options so he doesn't get left doing all the chasing.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Hopefully stannard and Rowe will be riding in that sort of role (no idea if they are even racing)
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Front page of the South Wales Echo. That's proper big time.

    CBIuyEAVEAEgh-g.jpg
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    RichN95 wrote:
    Front page of the South Wales Echo. That's proper big time.

    CBIuyEAVEAEgh-g.jpg

    I know. Israel v Wales. Finally the big showdown everyone's been waiting for.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Lol at that front cover.

    Sagan definitely bonked.

    I prefer E3 to Het volk.

    Great photos from yesterday's race. G's solid display of emotion on winning.

    G is another rider that looks extremely lean. Got to be one of the leanest classics riders. His legs are so narrow. Definitely Sky's usp - being able to rip their riders to shreds but lose no power in the process.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Milton50 wrote:
    I know. Israel v Wales. Finally the big showdown everyone's been waiting for.
    Don't knock it. It's a massive match. Wales have a genuine chance of qualifying for the Euros and Israel are top of the group.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,449
    RichN95 wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    And E3 is bigger than het volk, but I would say that.
    Cancellara has won E3 three times but doesn't bother to enter Het Nieuwsblad. That tells you all you need to know.

    E3 has the best cobbled riders in the world going head to head at close to peak form. Het Volk/Nieuwsblad is more a test of condition 6 weeks in advance of the serious racing.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    RichN95 wrote:
    Front page of the South Wales Echo. That's proper big time.

    CBIuyEAVEAEgh-g.jpg

    Nice! *goes to 6 Nations thread to restart convo about national bias ;) *

    With regard to hand positions, there was an article around a few years ago that tested positions and found that actually having your hands on the levers but your arms flat was better than using the drops. Sounds like the kind of thing Sky would be all over...

    I think Sagan bonking is the most likely explanation, it had that "instant implosion" look about it
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,706
    We also now know where Rich spends his Sunday evenings. :D

    E3 definitely>Het Nosebleed in my book for the reasons Andy gave.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    andyp wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    And E3 is bigger than het volk, but I would say that.
    Cancellara has won E3 three times but doesn't bother to enter Het Nieuwsblad. That tells you all you need to know.

    E3 has the best cobbled riders in the world going head to head at close to peak form. Het Volk/Nieuwsblad is more a test of condition 6 weeks in advance of the serious racing.
    Not sure I agree. You could also spin that as E3 just being a test-race for De Ronde, tagging along to the cobble monuments in attracting in-form riders, while De Omploop is more a stand-alone race. Historically De Omloop certainly was the bigger and more prestigious of the two, although yes, E3 is recently up and coming. The build-up and media attention for De Omloop is still more significant though.
    Exhibit A: Merckx has never won the E3. :wink:
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    We also now know where Rich spends his Sunday evenings. :D
    Castle Bingo? That's just round the corner. I did go there once many, many years ago.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    Yeah, but, but Omloop is the first "proper" race of the season so of course it attracts more attention...

    (i think the last few pages show that there is actually very little difference between the 2 races, but DOES show that they re nowhere near as important as the next 2 weekends)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    FJS wrote:
    Exhibit A: Merckx has never won the E3. :wink:
    Counter evidence: It's not the 1970s any more.

    Boonen & Cancellara have won E3 eight times between them, but never Het Volk.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Every cobbled rider rides E3. Omloop this year had no Cancellara, no Sagan, no Degenkolb, no Orica.

    Omloop may possibly still look more prestigious on a palmares, but E3 is definitely the harder race to win at this point.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Turfle wrote:
    Every cobbled rider rides E3.

    Does this mean Wiggins is not a cobbled rider? :wink:
    Correlation is not causation.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    RichN95 wrote:
    FJS wrote:
    Exhibit A: Merckx has never won the E3. :wink:
    Counter evidence: It's not the 1970s any more.

    Boonen & Cancellara have won E3 eight times between them, but never Het Volk.
    Boonen has won the Tour of Qatar 4 times, doesn't mean it's a big race. Boonen and Cancellara only won E3 because they just happened to be in form for Flanders, using it to test themselves, and have something in the bag in case Flanders and Roubaix went wrong. Merckx won eveything worth winning
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Above The Cows wrote:
    Turfle wrote:
    Every cobbled rider rides E3.

    Does this mean Wiggins is not a cobbled rider? :wink:

    Wiggo doesn't believe in rules.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Turfle wrote:
    Above The Cows wrote:
    Turfle wrote:
    Every cobbled rider rides E3.

    Does this mean Wiggins is not a cobbled rider? :wink:

    Wiggo doesn't believe in rules.

    :D
    Correlation is not causation.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,706
    No thread for Ghent-Wevelgem, so I'm posting this heads up here.
    Contrary to what folks thought, if the epg on my Sky box is correct,
    the race is now being shown live on Eurosport!
    1-15pm ES 2, with the CI also live on ES1. :D
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,382
    Great ride by Geraint, and the rarest of things - a Sky win that no-one seems to be able to find any fault with!
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    r0bh wrote:
    Great ride by Geraint, and the rarest of things - a Sky win that no-one seems to be able to find any fault with!

    Surely not? I bet the clinic have found something... I never go on there though, the sound like lunatics!

    I thought it was a well deserved win, similar win to what he did at the commonwealth's (Apart from rubbish wheel change man!)
    Road
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    NEW Cross
    Track/Grass Track/Winter bike
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    Yes, they have. Gerraints slow incremental improvement over the last few years is absolutely proof of doping
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,535
    ddraver wrote:
    Yes, they have. Gerraints slow incremental improvement over the last few years is absolutely proof of doping

    I expect the fact he was in white socks was put down to him trying to look innocent by not wearing doper's black socks. Absolutely brazen of him.
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