Paris Roubaix 2017 -*SPOILERS*

inseine

thegibdog wrote:

inseine wrote:

If everyone was a wheel sucker there'd be no racing

Conversely, if nobody was a 'wheel sucker', then we'd just have time trialling.

That's clearly not true. In the end the right guy won so it hardly matters.

milton50

So we're all agreed that Flanders was the better cobbled monument this year?

Mad_Malx

Milton50 wrote:

So we're all agreed that Flanders was the better cobbled monument this year?

By a long way

thegibdog

inseine wrote:

thegibdog wrote:

inseine wrote:

If everyone was a wheel sucker there'd be no racing

Conversely, if nobody was a 'wheel sucker', then we'd just have time trialling.

That's clearly not true. In the end the right guy won so it hardly matters.

If you say so... :roll:

Surely racing is abut maximizing your chances of winning? If you're have the option of not working but decide to work anyway, then you're not doing that. The mistakes Stybar made were attacking and sprinting too early.

GvA was lucky that letting Stybar sit in too long didn't cost him, but I guess he backed himself in being able to handle Stybar. In a way he played it in a similar way to Sagan has recently but, unlike Sagan, GvA did the lion's share of the work and still had enough left to win. It was very impressive.

As for Langeveld, it was a shame that he (the team?) was just gunning for the podium, rather than the win.

bobmcstuff

Think the only card Langeveld had was to pull a late attack with 1-2km to go, but I thought he looked pretty cooked. I know he stuck it for 3rd but Moscon and Stuyven were even more cooked from chasing on.

Without knowing too much about Langeveld I still think he should have given it a go - coming to the line with GVA was always going to end like that for him.

andyp

bobmcstuff wrote:

Think the only card Langeveld had was to pull a late attack with 1-2km to go, but I thought he looked pretty cooked. I know he stuck it for 3rd but Moscon and Stuyven were even more cooked from chasing on.

Without knowing too much about Langeveld I still think he should have given it a go - coming to the line with GVA was always going to end like that for him.

It's stick or twist in that situation, so finish on the podium or chance your arm to win but run the risk of losing that podium spot. Factor in that he was probably on his knees and you can see why he played it safe.

graeme_s-2

Milton50 wrote:

So we're all agreed that Flanders was the better cobbled monument this year?

Absolutely. And I usually enjoy P-R more as a spectacle than Flanders.

Enjoyed P-R fine this year, but it was nothing special, whereas Flanders really was.

inseine

thegibdog wrote:

inseine wrote:

thegibdog wrote:

inseine wrote:

If everyone was a wheel sucker there'd be no racing

Conversely, if nobody was a 'wheel sucker', then we'd just have time trialling.

That's clearly not true. In the end the right guy won so it hardly matters.

If you say so... :roll:

Surely racing is abut maximizing your chances of winning? If you're have the option of not working but decide to work anyway, then you're not doing that. The mistakes Stybar made were attacking and sprinting too early.

GvA was lucky that letting Stybar sit in too long didn't cost him, but I guess he backed himself in being able to handle Stybar. In a way he played it in a similar way to Sagan has recently but, unlike Sagan, GvA did the lion's share of the work and still had enough left to win. It was very impressive.

As for Langeveld, it was a shame that he (the team?) was just gunning for the podium, rather than the win.

I think we're mainly agreed By sitting on Stybar became the villain so mosy people seem to have been routing for GvA and so were happy when he won. He's, shame Langeveld didn't have the legs for an upset or that the second group didn't have a little bit more when the latched on (though that was exciting for a second).

Omar Little

Could this be the futureshock failing for Terpstra?

Cannock Chase

Maybe the local farmers should be encouraged to drive their tractors and muck spreaders over the cobbled sections in the days preceding the race.

onyourright

That looks grim for Terpstra. Is he okay?

hanshotfirst

Was that BMC's first monument as well?

rick_chasey

hanshotfirst wrote:

Was that BMC's first monument as well?

Believe so.

hanshotfirst

OnYourRight wrote:

That looks grim for Terpstra. Is he okay?

Yeah, he'll live.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSquBNnBRZA ... intcycling

rick_chasey

Race changing crash that one.

inseine

Scott Thwaites

On_What

One of few races that I will sit and watch start to finish, but didnt live up to the events of alst year. Sad to see Boonen go.

Vino'sGhost

nobody wins a monument without being in awesome form and racing well, luck plays a part but youve still got to be there.

rick_chasey

Vino'sGhost wrote:

nobody wins a monument without being in awesome form and racing well, luck plays a part but youve still got to be there.

Don't think anyone's saying otherwise, not even me.

inseine

Vino'sGhost wrote:

nobody wins a monument without being in awesome form and racing well, luck plays a part but youve still got to be there.

Well, occassionally you can buy one...

tailwindhome

Said it before and I'll say it again.

Cycling coverage in the UK needs a MOTD/ITV4 style programme
1 hr long, 40 mins of highlights, 15 minutes of interviews and discussion with 5 minutes of breaks for payday loans

Sunday nights in the spring and nightly for the GTs



(By cycling coverage needs I of course mean "I want")

DeVlaeminck

thegibdog wrote:

[

Surely racing is abut maximizing your chances of winning? If you're have the option of not working but decide to work anyway, then you're not doing that. The mistakes Stybar made were attacking and sprinting too early.

n.

At the time I thought Stybar timed his sprint pretty well, made GvA check his momentum and opened a gap, he was just beaten by a faster rider who could equally have won from the front. Watching it again just now maybe ideally he'd have opened it up later but not sure he had the option - looks like GvA was responding to Moscon ? anyway and I doubt Stybar was going to come round GvA. If it were me I'd rather lead it out and get a clean sprint - I bet Boonen wishes he'd done that last year.

bobmcstuff

TailWindHome wrote:

Said it before and I'll say it again.

Cycling coverage in the UK needs a MOTD/ITV4 style programme
1 hr long, 40 mins of highlights, 15 minutes of interviews and discussion with 5 minutes of breaks for payday loans

Sunday nights in the spring and nightly for the GTs



(By cycling coverage needs I of course mean "I want")

I really liked ITV4's GT coverage last year, which was a bit like that, although they did tend to just chuck it in at 30-40km to go without necessarily thinking through what had actually happened. Got so fed up of Kirby I tended to watch that instead.

Agree it would be better if they did the same magazine-style for the classics.

phreak

TailWindHome wrote:

Said it before and I'll say it again.

Cycling coverage in the UK needs a MOTD/ITV4 style programme
1 hr long, 40 mins of highlights, 15 minutes of interviews and discussion with 5 minutes of breaks for payday loans

Sunday nights in the spring and nightly for the GTs



(By cycling coverage needs I of course mean "I want")

I'd settle for better information on the riders, especially in an event like Paris Roubaix. Quite a few times yesterday you'd have riders having some kind of incident, and unless the camera stayed with them you'd be clueless as to where they were or what had happened to them. Rowe and Stannard were a good example. It seemed the commentary team were equally clueless.

It seems odd that in our GPS age we can't have some kind of reliable tracking system rather than relying on commentators making out grotty, torn-up numbers on jerseys.

rick_chasey

phreak wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Said it before and I'll say it again.

Cycling coverage in the UK needs a MOTD/ITV4 style programme
1 hr long, 40 mins of highlights, 15 minutes of interviews and discussion with 5 minutes of breaks for payday loans

Sunday nights in the spring and nightly for the GTs



(By cycling coverage needs I of course mean "I want")

I'd settle for better information on the riders, especially in an event like Paris Roubaix. Quite a few times yesterday you'd have riders having some kind of incident, and unless the camera stayed with them you'd be clueless as to where they were or what had happened to them. Rowe and Stannard were a good example. It seemed the commentary team were equally clueless.

It seems odd that in our GPS age we can't have some kind of reliable tracking system rather than relying on commentators making out grotty, torn-up numbers on jerseys.

When racing is all over the place, it's pretty hard to know, especially on rolling roads, with the race stretching and shrinking and then making it all travel 260km.

phreak

Rick Chasey wrote:

phreak wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Said it before and I'll say it again.

Cycling coverage in the UK needs a MOTD/ITV4 style programme
1 hr long, 40 mins of highlights, 15 minutes of interviews and discussion with 5 minutes of breaks for payday loans

Sunday nights in the spring and nightly for the GTs



(By cycling coverage needs I of course mean "I want")

I'd settle for better information on the riders, especially in an event like Paris Roubaix. Quite a few times yesterday you'd have riders having some kind of incident, and unless the camera stayed with them you'd be clueless as to where they were or what had happened to them. Rowe and Stannard were a good example. It seemed the commentary team were equally clueless.

It seems odd that in our GPS age we can't have some kind of reliable tracking system rather than relying on commentators making out grotty, torn-up numbers on jerseys.

When racing is all over the place, it's pretty hard to know, especially on rolling roads, with the race stretching and shrinking and then making it all travel 260km.

Some kind of GPS in the race number? If they can do it for pigeons, it's hard to see why they couldn't do it for cyclists.

bobmcstuff

Yeah, in the Tour last year they did have those GPS things on the back of the rider's saddles, but that could be confusing as well because if they did a bike change the GPS for the rider was then on the car following... So it always looked like they were just off the back.

Jerseys or something would be good.

Although I think there's a bit of drama you get from trying to pick out riders and not quite knowing exactly if someone has got back on.

inseine

TailWindHome wrote:

Said it before and I'll say it again.

Cycling coverage in the UK needs a MOTD/ITV4 style programme
1 hr long, 40 mins of highlights, 15 minutes of interviews and discussion with 5 minutes of breaks for payday loans

Sunday nights in the spring and nightly for the GTs



(By cycling coverage needs I of course mean "I want")

A season long version of ITVs TdF coverage? Would be good.

inseine

DeVlaeminck wrote:

thegibdog wrote:

[

Surely racing is abut maximizing your chances of winning? If you're have the option of not working but decide to work anyway, then you're not doing that. The mistakes Stybar made were attacking and sprinting too early.

n.

At the time I thought Stybar timed his sprint pretty well, made GvA check his momentum and opened a gap, he was just beaten by a faster rider who could equally have won from the front. Watching it again just now maybe ideally he'd have opened it up later but not sure he had the option - looks like GvA was responding to Moscon ? anyway and I doubt Stybar was going to come round GvA. If it were me I'd rather lead it out and get a clean sprint - I bet Boonen wishes he'd done that last year.

Stybar thought he was smart going up the banking but GvA just got on his wheel so he went from second to first place with a lap to go.

salsiccia1

TailWindHome wrote:

Said it before and I'll say it again.

Cycling coverage in the UK needs a MOTD/ITV4 style programme
1 hr long, 40 mins of highlights, 15 minutes of interviews and discussion with 5 minutes of breaks for payday loans

Sunday nights in the spring and nightly for the GTs



(By cycling coverage needs I of course mean "I want")

What you'll get though is 5 mins of highlights, 15 mins of interviews/discussion and 40 mins of payday loans ads...