2015 Fleche Wallonne - *spoilers*

124

Comments

  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    My men in first and second. Wooo. Backing Valverde since forever and he has never let me down. Alaphillipe, my man from the beginning and a proper little racer.
    Thank goodness that loser Albasini didnt win.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    4.25/10
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
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  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    See what happens when you don't do your dance AtC?!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    emadden wrote:
    4.25/10
    That's generous
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Thank goodness that loser Albasini didnt win.

    Else he wouldn't be a loser ;).
    _
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,643
    Result:
    1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team
    2 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx - Quick-Step
    3 Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge
    4 Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha
    5 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha
    6 Alexis Vuillermoz (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
    7 Sergio Luis Henao (Col) Team Sky
    8 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team
    9 Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
    10 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,400
    Wasn't particularly exciting except for all the crashes.

    Won a MASSIVE £5.75 on Valverde though, so that's a good thing.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    That was a solid 3/10

    This seems apt.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML3G1MykdnM

    The end is more exciting tho'
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,706
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Well even the sprint up the Muur was boring.

    I'm afraid that was down to the new climb. Gave us a bit of "early" action, the payoff being
    a slog up the Muur.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    frenchfighter wrote:
    My men in first and second. Wooo. Backing Valverde since forever and he has never let me down. Alaphillipe, my man from the beginning and a proper little racer.
    Thank goodness that loser Albasini didnt win.

    Silly question; didn't you feel just a little let down when he was implicated in Puerto and banned for 2 years? Or did this not happen on your planet?
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Vuillermoz 6th @ 4s. Fatty Betancur way down @ +2m.

    Plus ca change...
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    PS yes, not the most thrilling race.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    ShinyHelmut wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    My men in first and second. Wooo. Backing Valverde since forever and he has never let me down. Alaphillipe, my man from the beginning and a proper little racer.
    Thank goodness that loser Albasini didnt win.

    Silly question; didn't you feel just a little let down when he was implicated in Puerto and banned for 2 years? Or did this not happen on your planet?

    Meh.

    If you want to be sanctimonious you're following the wrong sport.
    _
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Anyone complaining at this race being boring well, what do you expect. There is never anything worth watching other than the last climb.

    The days of Gweiss no longer exist.

    You basically need to tune in with a few km to go, see a furious sprint up the Huy, get excited, then tune out.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Samenvatting: valpartij valpartij valpartij valpartij valpartij valpartij valpartij valpartij valpartij Valverde. #waalsepijl

    You can translate that.
    _
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
      frenchfighter wrote:
      Anyone complaining at this race being boring well, what do you expect. There is never anything worth watching other than the last climb.

      The days of Gweiss no longer exist.

      You basically need to tune in with a few km to go, see a furious sprint up the Huy, get excited, then tune out.

      That's what I did.

      It was boring. The final up the Huy was dull dull dull.
      Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
    • frenchfighter
      frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
      Ok fair enough, the last climb was admittedly lacking suspense. There wasn't even someone who went too early and blew!
      Contador is the Greatest
    • RichN95.
      RichN95. Posts: 27,241
      frenchfighter wrote:
      Anyone complaining at this race being boring well, what do you expect. There is never anything worth watching other than the last climb.
      But it wasn't even an interesting final climb. No-one went too early, no-one blew up, no-one surged from way back. They all just rode up with their positions largely unchanged all the way up.
      Twitter: @RichN95
    • gsk82
      gsk82 Posts: 3,570
      The ardennes races are the worst of the year.
      "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
    • frenchfighter
      frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
      ShinyHelmut wrote:
      frenchfighter wrote:
      My men in first and second. Wooo. Backing Valverde since forever and he has never let me down. Alaphillipe, my man from the beginning and a proper little racer.
      Thank goodness that loser Albasini didnt win.

      Silly question; didn't you feel just a little let down when he was implicated in Puerto and banned for 2 years? Or did this not happen on your planet?

      It happened almost a decade ago and he performs better now then before. I dislike his involvement and it means he will never be my favourite rider but I am an unashamed fan each and every year. He provides a lot of enjoyment for me.
      Contador is the Greatest
    • milton50
      milton50 Posts: 3,856
      The_Boy wrote:
      Vuillermoz 6th @ 4s. Fatty Betancur way down @ +2m.

      Plus ca change...

      Vuillermoz is awesome. No one seems to have noticed though.
    • dolan_driver
      dolan_driver Posts: 831
      That must have been one of the worst editions of the Fleche in years. Riders falling off left, right and centre and not one rider brave enough to put in an attack on the Mur. They handed that race to Piti on a plate.

      Hopefully, Froome, Martin et al have no serious injuries and everyone is back racing soon.

      DD.
    • Crampeur
      Crampeur Posts: 1,065
      Milton50 wrote:
      The_Boy wrote:
      Vuillermoz 6th @ 4s. Fatty Betancur way down @ +2m.

      Plus ca change...

      Vuillermoz is awesome. No one seems to have noticed though.

      Agreed. Proper stealth 11th on GC at the Giro last year. He could be the new Haimar Zubeldia.
    • graeme_s-2
      graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
      edited April 2015
      Dolan Driver wrote:
      That must have been one of the worst editions of the Fleche in years. Riders falling off left, right and centre and not one rider brave enough to put in an attack on the Mur.
      I think it was easy to watch it and assume they were all soft pedalling up the climb, but I suspect after the previous late climb they were all ruined and on the limit. I think it's highly unlikely that J-Rod or Henao were riding up the Mur thinking "I've got the legs for this, but I'm scared to attack, so I think I'll just wheel suck Señor Hairplugs and see if he falls off before the line".

      It was a seriously dull finale though. At least you can normally guarantee a mad sprint up the Mur at the end of F-W. I think it's worth sticking with the altered route for a couple of years, will be interesting to see how the peloton attempt it next year.
    • frenchfighter
      frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
      A fair few people on this forum have noticed. He is a solid talent and pretty dependable.
      Contador is the Greatest
    • frenchfighter
      frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
      Heano only 4 secs back in 7th and Kreuziger only 8 secs back in 11th. That new great talent Teuns in 13th.

      Ulissi was riding this...sort of climb he should rip it up on. Came in 2mins down.

      Quintana 3mins down.

      Majka (leader for Saxo) 3.5 mins back.

      Froome didnt pack after that fall but soldiered on and finished 12mins down.

      Dan Martin DNF along with 66 others.

      Shame Valverde got 2nd not first in Amstel. He has got to be a strong favourite for LBL and the clean sweep would have been super.
      Contador is the Greatest
    • The_Boy
      The_Boy Posts: 3,099
      Milton50 wrote:
      The_Boy wrote:
      Vuillermoz 6th @ 4s. Fatty Betancur way down @ +2m.

      Plus ca change...

      Vuillermoz is awesome. No one seems to have noticed though.

      He's my mannest of men, but I forgot about him when picking my nine :facepalm: @ self. And he breathes like a goldfish. le guppy du Jura if you will.
      Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
    • RonB
      RonB Posts: 3,984
      Graeme_S wrote:
      Dolan Driver wrote:
      That must have been one of the worst editions of the Fleche in years. Riders falling off left, right and centre and not one rider brave enough to put in an attack on the Mur.
      I think it was easy to watch it and assume they were all soft pedalling up the climb, but I suspect after the previous late climb they were all ruined and on the limit. I think it's highly unlikely that J-Rod or Henao were riding up the Mur thinking "I've got the legs for this, but I'm scared to attack, so I think I'll just wheel suck Señor Hairplugs and see if he falls off before the line".

      It was a seriously dull finale though. At least you can normally guarantee a mad sprint up the Mur at the end of F-W. I think it's worth sticking with the altered route for a couple of years, will be interesting to see how the peloton attempt it next year.

      Wholly agree. I wonder if a few will try an attack on that penultimate climb, particularly those lacking a "kick" up the very steep stuff. Shame Dan Martin had to abandon, perhaps it's the sort of thing that might suit him.
    • above_the_cows
      above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
      ddraver wrote:
      See what happens when you don't do your dance AtC?!

      I've been in boring meetings and a work dinner all day, I should have been dancing inside at least to try and prevent this.
      Correlation is not causation.
    • rick_chasey
      rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
      Time gaps on Mur are usually big enough that if you don't turn up at the bottom having sat in the wheels all day with a lot of juice left you'll haemorrhage time.

      You've got to go a lot further out and be in a group big enough that there won't be any chase behind with a good minute or 2 advantage AND have juice left which I just don't think will happen.
      _

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