Gent - Wevelgem *spoilers*

mm1

Wiggo looks pretty cheerful in Frenchie's last picture, probably thinking about the next couple of hours he was about to spend safe, warm and dry rather than slogging through that wind. Right decision for him on the day, especially when Digger posted on twatters calling him a "disgrace".

deejay

frenchfighter wrote:

No Paolini:

Well No - The little cycle race stands no chance against that outstanding Motor Bike Race (sport result) any where in the world except Belgium.
Three riders got away when the all conquering Honda Team riders failed to keep up with the leaders.
World Champion Marc Marquez (Honda) lost it on the first corner onto the grass and last place but finished 5th.
Rossi knows the Champion is coming through the field and leaves the "peloton" to try to catch the 3 leaders.
Slowly he makes ground on the fast moving trio and makes contact.
Then the fantastic overtaking of one another (breath taking) and if a Yamaha had a lead coming off the final bend into the long finishing straight then with the Ducati's power it would cross the finish as 1st every lap.
That is until that last lap and that 36 year old Magician Valentino ROSSI uses his talents through the many bends to have bigger lead into the final straight and Wins. Outstanding.
MotoGP - Grand Prix of Qatar.
1 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA
2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA
3 Andrea IANNONE Ducati ITA
4 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha SPA

---

5th & 6th places to Honda
Italy 1 - 2 - 3, and good news if you are Italian.

So if Wevelegem had been on it's usual place on a Wednesday then Paolini would have had as much publicity in Italy as did Mario Cipollini when he won the Wevelgem race.

jmacsam

keef_zip wrote:

jMACsam wrote:

may have been mentioned before but...deep sections?? really?? on a day like that - can't help but think that a lot of riders made a bad situation worse

The flaw in that argument is that the winner road deep carbon rims. Well, 50mm rims, just like Wiggins....

Yes that's true but did he, like many others, not take to the air at one stage? - obviously they get the benefit in the tailwind but I'd be surprised if the deeper section in the crosswinds didn't contribute to a few guys taking a tumble.....or a swim ......just saying like

frenchfighter

Pross wrote:

So, are we saying that Wiggins crashed rather than he just decided he couldn't be bothered and took an early bath as had been previously suggested?

No. He asked the race organizers to neutralize the race. Then he did f-all to help G. Then he bailed like a loser.

frenchfighter

Ginsterdrz wrote:

Here we go chaps:

Wiggo has only ONE target this year. P-R

His racing at the moment is: a) training for P-R. b) paying back a few favours as a domestique

It wasn't worth risking an injury or infection in a race which he's not there to win or place in.

Would you have gone out in Sunday's weather let alone race?

THE END

What if every rider did that? Would it be worth watching this sport?
Why is he able to do that but most other leaders and well known riders are expected to earn their salary?
This is meritocracy not cronyism.

ddraver

well, http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Gent_Wevelgem_2015 , suggests that quite a few pro cyclists disagree with you

Pross

frenchfighter wrote:

Pross wrote:

So, are we saying that Wiggins crashed rather than he just decided he couldn't be bothered and took an early bath as had been previously suggested?

No. He asked the race organizers to neutralize the race. Then he did f-all to help G. Then he bailed like Quintana.

Fixed.

deejay

frenchfighter wrote:

[
What if every rider did that? Would it be worth watching this sport?
Why is he able to do that but most other leaders and well known riders are expected to earn their salary?
This is meritocracy not cronyism.

You seem to be out of order with that final sentence because you have said they "Earn" their position on a team.
Wiggo has proved what he can achieve with his single mindedness and taking the weather into account is one of them.
I wish him Luck,

blazing_saddles

ddraver wrote:

well, http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Gent_Wevelgem_2015 , suggests that quite a few pro cyclists disagree with you

I see that Sagan was the only finisher from the current shambles that is Tinkoff. Quite pathetic.
Contador's little helpers haven't been much better, pretty much all bailing out at first sight of a serious climb.
I would say they are probably training for bigger races, but since that doesn't seem to be an acceptable reason.......

Yellow Peril

frenchfighter wrote:

Ginsterdrz wrote:

Here we go chaps:

Wiggo has only ONE target this year. P-R

His racing at the moment is: a) training for P-R. b) paying back a few favours as a domestique

It wasn't worth risking an injury or infection in a race which he's not there to win or place in.

Would you have gone out in Sunday's weather let alone race?

THE END

What if every rider did that? Would it be worth watching this sport?
Why is he able to do that but most other leaders and well known riders are expected to earn their salary?
This is meritocracy not cronyism.

No this is Sky and this is the singlemindedness of their approach. P-R and RVV (particularly P-R though) have been "discovered" by the new breed of cycle fans. Winning it is a huge tick and so it is a big target for them. Wiggo will be following team orders...don't shoot the messenger.

FJS

Thing is, a cobbled classic is too unpredictable to target a whole season on. Classics specialists tend to target a series of races, from San Remo to Roubaix. Even Cancellara or Boonen like to get a win in E3, Kuurne or Wevelgem under their belt in case things go wrong during the monuments. Roubaic and Flanders are not the tdf

mm1

Not sure why Wiggo climbing off on Sunday should have upset some people so much.
He's not the first, nor will he be the last, to pack when things aren't going the way he wants. Yeah it was great back when Hinault fought his way to win in Roubaix, just so he could toss his trophy cobble in the cellar and proclaim the race a "cochonnerie". Wiggins has displayed plenty of character over his career and I expect that we will see more of the same over the next 2 weekends.

ddraver

FJS wrote:

Thing is, a cobbled classic is too unpredictable to target a whole season on. Classics specialists tend to target a series of races, from San Remo to Roubaix. Even Cancellara or Boonen like to get a win in E3, Kuurne or Wevelgem under their belt in case things go wrong during the monuments. Roubaic and Flanders are not the tdf

Unlike classics specialists Wiggins has won the TdF already

FJS

ddraver wrote:

FJS wrote:

Thing is, a cobbled classic is too unpredictable to target a whole season on. Classics specialists tend to target a series of races, from San Remo to Roubaix. Even Cancellara or Boonen like to get a win in E3, Kuurne or Wevelgem under their belt in case things go wrong during the monuments. Roubaic and Flanders are not the tdf

Unlike classics specialists Wiggins has won the TdF already

Not sure what you mean

mm1

Great pre De Panne interview with Wiggins today on Sporza (apologies, I still haven't figured out how to reliably embed links using my poxy tablet):

"Bradley Wiggins, Riders on the Storm not your favourite song?" "No".

He also dismisses the claim that he tried to get the race neutralised on Sunday as a twitter rumour.

talius

FJS wrote:

ddraver wrote:

FJS wrote:

Thing is, a cobbled classic is too unpredictable to target a whole season on. Classics specialists tend to target a series of races, from San Remo to Roubaix. Even Cancellara or Boonen like to get a win in E3, Kuurne or Wevelgem under their belt in case things go wrong during the monuments. Roubaic and Flanders are not the tdf

Unlike classics specialists Wiggins has won the TdF already

Not sure what you mean

I guess the point is that he's not a classics rider and do like all the other gc rriders and gt winners gets some leeway to ponce about a bit and then chicken off home for a shower when it all gets a bit much. His being part of a team, and someone who could possibly have helped his teammate g win, is over looked because of his past achievements for the team.

Ho hum. If you're not going to try to finish the race don't fugggin start it, is my view.

ddraver

That would result in about 30 people starting RVV next week...

talius

ddraver wrote:

That would result in about 30 people starting RVV next week...

But what a thirty!

Yellow Peril

FJS wrote:

Thing is, a cobbled classic is too unpredictable to target a whole season on. Classics specialists tend to target a series of races, from San Remo to Roubaix. Even Cancellara or Boonen like to get a win in E3, Kuurne or Wevelgem under their belt in case things go wrong during the monuments. Roubaic and Flanders are not the tdf

But that's my point FJS. Sky's approach is different. Also Wiggins is quite happy to spend 4 years targeting a single race. He doesn't have the same mindset as traditional road racers he is very singularly minded and I would suggest quite happy to throw his eggs in just the P-R basket.

Let's not forget he'll be off to Team Wiggo and probably for a crack at the Hour, that's his season sorted. Best of luck to him

LeePaton

I really hope Wiggins wins P-R solely to peepee people off.

I would draw correlation between Contador hopping off when the tour was beyond him last year but i'm not childish like that.

frenchfighter

The Wiggins love is amazing. Must be because you blindly support any Brit that is held up on a pedestal regardless. Judge all riders equally not based on your Nationalist fervor and Celebrity interest. I am proud to be English and to have lived all my life in this country but it doesn't mean I can't analyse people and situations impartially.

deejay wrote:

Wiggo has proved what he can achieve with his single mindedness and taking the weather into account is one of them.
I wish him Luck,

How many years should pros ride on past glory?

Yellow Peril wrote:

Wiggo will be following team orders...don't shoot the messenger.

Don't delude yourself on this one.

mm1 wrote:

Not sure why Wiggo climbing off on Sunday should have upset some people so much.

Problem is that it is not just GW. The guy is consistently useless unless he is 'focused' :roll:

LeePaton wrote:

I would draw correlation between Contador hopping off when the tour was beyond him last year but i'm not childish like that.

Yes, because having a broken leg is the same as having a bad attitude :roll:

blazing_saddles

frenchfighter wrote:

The Wiggins love is amazing. Must be because you blindly support any Brit that is held up on a pedestal regardless. Judge all riders equally not based on your Nationalist fervor and Celebrity interest. I am proud to be English and to have lived all my life in this country but it doesn't mean I can't analyse people and situations impartially.

LeePaton wrote:

I would draw correlation between Contador hopping off when the tour was beyond him last year but i'm not childish like that.

Yes, because having a broken leg is the same as having a bad attitude :roll:

I have no love for Wiggins, FF, so I would say that in this game, a bad attitude is better than a bad doping record.
Providing one is making any comparison without blinkers, of course.

ddraver

frenchfighter wrote:

T. I am proud to be English and to have lived all my life in this country but it doesn't mean I can't analyse people and situations impartially.

:shock: :shock: Why is it then? :shock: :shock:

I suggest you re read the interview with Bernie Eisel about the neutralisation, but i suspect that might challenge your really very obvious bias...

LeePaton

Okay continue your pantomime act.

frenchfighter

Even if Wiggins didn't ask for neutralization it wouldn't much difference. This is based on a long time of him being useless but having special dispensation.

LeePaton

Didn't he win some rainbow bands last year?

frenchfighter

LeePaton wrote:

Didn't he win some rainbow bands last year?

Have you worked out why Contador quit the Tour last year?
Just in case you are mistaking him, it is the guy with 8 grand tours.

LeePaton

He was popped and Nibbles was running away with it.

frenchfighter

Great photo gallery here:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/03/ ... gem_365054

wallace_and_gromit

frenchfighter wrote:

The guy is consistently useless unless he is 'focused' :roll:

So what you're really saying is that he's useless except when he's really good?

"Luckily" for Wiggo, when he's really good, he tends to win events about which most pros - even good ones - can only dream.