Paris Roubaix ***Spoilers***

emadden

RichN95 wrote:

Degenkolb is the first German winner since the very first edition in 1896. I expect he had a moustache too.

And 28mm tyres, or bigger.

emadden

RichN95 wrote:

Degenkolb is the first German winner since the very first edition in 1896. I expect he had a moustache too.

And 28mm tyres, or bigger.

milton50

Degenkolb is the first German winner since the very first edition in 1896. I expect he had a moustache too.

No gloves.

RichN95.

They clearly hadn't worked out aerodynamics in 1896.

thegibdog

RichN95 wrote:

Degenkolb is the first German winner since the very first edition in 1896. I expect he had a moustache too.

I think someone on here will be very unhappy with the finish line photo of the winner today!

Great win by Degenkolb, clearly had the legs and rode a tactically superb race. He was never going to lose that sprint, a big £6 on our way from the bookies!

thegibdog

Now to catch up on the big event of the last week, the Chorley GP.

Turfle

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

Does anyone else think Quickstep are killing these races by having so many riders making the selection?

They've developed a bit of a habit of helping force a split, then having a rider or two in the front group ("I can't ride I've got a teammate coming up"), and a rider in the second group (usually Stybar "I can't ride I've got a teammate ahead").

Obviously an effective tactic, but a little bit cheesy.

Pross

Cracking ride by Degenkolb there to fair. Always near the front, happy to bridge solo when he needed and could have easily sat up and waited for the sprint when EQS wouldn't work. Sagan looked in decent form too, getting back on after a bike change in the last 3km isn't easy. Really pleased to see my man Luke Rowe in the top 10 too.

Turfle

Rowe's had an impressive few weeks. He might even have been Sky's strongest man this week and at Flanders.

hammerite

hommelbier wrote:

curium wrote:

Fortunate that the TGV was going slow - full pelt and this race would have made the british news tonight!

Like here

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/12/paris-roubaix-cyclists-train-level-crossing

Having worked on the railways for several years I find this inexcusable. It's not just your own life at risk but the those on the train also - be interesting to hear the train driver's opinion. Rant over.

Bit sensationalist writing though "seconds away from disaster". I'm not condoning what the riders did, but those that were trying to cross were doing so as the barriers were still coming down, most riders had stopped by the time the barriers were fully down. I'd expect the train to come through a good few seconds after the barriers had come down completely.

No_Ta_Doctor

hammerite wrote:

hommelbier wrote:

curium wrote:

Fortunate that the TGV was going slow - full pelt and this race would have made the british news tonight!

Like here

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/12/paris-roubaix-cyclists-train-level-crossing

Having worked on the railways for several years I find this inexcusable. It's not just your own life at risk but the those on the train also - be interesting to hear the train driver's opinion. Rant over.

Bit sensationalist writing though "seconds away from disaster". I'm not condoning what the riders did, but those that were trying to cross were doing so as the barriers were still coming down, most riders had stopped by the time the barriers were fully down. I'd expect the train to come through a good few seconds after the barriers had come down completely.

And how many seconds does it take if you crash into another rider, get tangled up together?
It was certainly seconds rather than minutes before the train came.

rick_chasey

MSR and PR in one year. Phwoar.

Superstar.

The_Boy

Above The Cows wrote:

Making quantitative value judgements on something so variable is dumb.

Without wanting to dignify the agenda of those who bang on endlessly about Wiggins, surely the above is the whole point of being a supporter? Arguing about the ifs, what-ifs and maybes, and trying to compare competitors from different eras for no reason other than because. It's half the fun, surely?

The_Boy

RichN95 wrote:

They clearly hadn't worked out aerodynamics in 1896.

Pish. That's practically Obree's position.

FJS

Rick Chasey wrote:

MSR and PR in one year. Phwoar.

Superstar.

Not Merckx did it. Only Kelly

thegibdog

We're all seconds from disaster whenever we get on a bike. I would have DQ'd them all though, wouldn't get anyone doing it again for a good few years...

above_the_cows

The_Boy wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

Making quantitative value judgements on something so variable is dumb.

Without wanting to dignify the agenda of those who bang on endlessly about Wiggins, surely the above is the whole point of being a supporter? Arguing about the ifs, what-ifs and maybes, and trying to compare competitors from different eras for no reason other than because. It's half the fun, surely?

But surely you can be a supporter of some people without denigrating the achievements of others. I'm a Cav fan, always have been always will be, but I'm not going to crap all over Kittel.

The_Boy

Above The Cows wrote:

The_Boy wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

Making quantitative value judgements on something so variable is dumb.

Without wanting to dignify the agenda of those who bang on endlessly about Wiggins, surely the above is the whole point of being a supporter? Arguing about the ifs, what-ifs and maybes, and trying to compare competitors from different eras for no reason other than because. It's half the fun, surely?

But surely you can be a supporter of some people without denigrating the achievements of others. I'm a Cav fan, always have been always will be, but I'm not going to crap all over Kittel.

Which is why I selectively quoted the bit I did.

I think really what I was trying to say was that while arguing whether one's man is better than one's companion's man *is* stupid, it is also half the fun of having a man or men. As a passtime it is subtly distinct from what the fudds on twitter do.

The_Boy

On the train thing, was that a proper neutralisation afterwards? And do the rules actually address the eventuality. I have a funny feeling I've watched a race that got interrupted by a train and the racing was stopped with riders being set off in the groups they were in beforehand with the starts being staggered to reflect the time gaps prior.

alihisgreat

Turfle wrote:

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

Does anyone else think Quickstep are killing these races by having so many riders making the selection?

They've developed a bit of a habit of helping force a split, then having a rider or two in the front group ("I can't ride I've got a teammate coming up"), and a rider in the second group (usually Stybar "I can't ride I've got a teammate ahead").

Obviously an effective tactic, but a little bit cheesy.

Yep, I think it gives them all an excuse to not fully commit, So there is always a lot of Quickstep dead weight. Although I suppose credit has to be given for contributing to forcing the selection.

I don't think its an effective tactic though, unless they're happy with 2nd place?

markwb79

thegibdog wrote:

We're all seconds from disaster whenever we get on a bike. I would have DQ'd them all though, wouldn't get anyone doing it again for a good few years...

So who would have won it then?

Anonymous

I went out after the race and looked over a 10 route i have this week. I've had my roast supper and calmed down.

Good race, give it a 7/10.

I don't like Degonkolb that much, but think he's a strong rider, and to win 2 monuments, never mind 2 in one year, he's definitely a heavyweight

thegibdog

Markwb79 wrote:

thegibdog wrote:

We're all seconds from disaster whenever we get on a bike. I would have DQ'd them all though, wouldn't get anyone doing it again for a good few years...

So who would have won it then?

Someone from the break or one of the riders who actually stopped at the barrier. Providing they didn't ride on the footpath or draft any vehicles of course...

joelsim

Methinks there may be some scratching of heads going on amongst the Classics specialists. Three wins in three monuments for 'sprinters' so far. Some sort of strategy needs to be employed.

iainf72

Joelsim wrote:

Methinks there may be some scratching of heads going on amongst the Classics specialists. Three wins in three monuments for 'sprinters' so far. Some sort of strategy needs to be employed.

Which classics specialists are you talking about?

DeVlaeminck

Got to agree with Iain on this one - 5/10 for PR, maybe a 6 by monument standards. Not a great edition anyway but as always a poor Roubaix is still a decent race.

Not sure what EQS were playing at there - they had Degenkolb where they wanted him - on the front - then Stybar comes across and they give the German sprinter an armchair ride to the finish. Time and again teams think having superior numbers means the odds are in their favour but surely it only works if you have the best finisher OR you use the numbers to play a 1-2 and attack.

anjasola

At Gruson today,great weather and a great day. Wig go looked like he was on a Sunday bun run when he went past.

RichN95.

Joelsim wrote:

Methinks there may be some scratching of heads going on amongst the Classics specialists. Three wins in three monuments for 'sprinters' so far. Some sort of strategy needs to be employed.

Degenkolb and Kristoff are classics specialists. They've both been in the top ten in of all three of the monuments they've won in previous years. Degenkolb isn't even the best sprinter in his own team.

mroli

If we're doing what ifs - what if Vandenburgh and Stybar had collaborated with Wiggins when he put that dig in? They made the effort to stay/ride across to him and with Debusschere as well - could they have ridden away? Would have been a better place for Stybar to be than having to try and outsprint Degenkolb? Would have been a cool group too (I know Wiggins didn't have the legs)...

joelsim

Clearly with Kristoff and Degenkolb in town, EQS, BMC, TCS as well as Lotto Soudal and Jumbo, and Sky have some serious thinking to do if they don't want the said sprinters to walk away with things over the next couple of years. Rather like the Sky train of a couple of years ago, a strategy needs to be employed to drop these guys before the finale.