Amstel Gold Race spoilers.

124

Comments

  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    I think I'm a bit in love with Gilbert this year...

    No amount of good racing can ever make up for this though. This is wrong and will always be wrong.

    103282118.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=3&d=77BFBA49EF87892102A727B1636DE2E61E75046898B8D6E15B0010D7FC011372C91EAD44FF814F65E30A760B0D811297
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Gilbert is officially back!
  • cal_stewart
    cal_stewart Posts: 1,840
    Not seen a salice ad in years
    eating parmos since 1981

    Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Aero 09
    Cervelo P5 EPS
    www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=13038799
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Well, that was a great race :)
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    A really enjoyable edition of the race. Even better with two of the standout riders this season contesting the finale.

    Hopfefully the Wallon Arrow follows suit with its route to change things up.
  • rajMAN
    rajMAN Posts: 429
    Two down the hatch, what a star! :D
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,182
    No-one told Phil that you have to put the empty glass on your head to win

    https://mobile.twitter.com/inrng/status ... 6536632320
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    The route change certainly worked.
    Kwiatkowski's long range sprint into a headwind certainly didn't.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,548
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    The route change certainly worked.
    Kwiatkowski's long range sprint into a headwind certainly didn't.

    What was he thinking? Had Gilbert on the front and enough of a gap not to worry about the chasers, then goes with over 300 metres to go into a headwind. :shock:

    He led over the line with 19 kms to go so you think he'd have worked out the wind direction then, so he must've thought Gilbert was cooked, or he was feeling so strong he thought he was unbeatable.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    I must admit, when they got onto the finishing line I was thinking Kwia had it in the bag. Would have been equally happy, but Gilbert's better for my PTP so...
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    andyp wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    The route change certainly worked.
    Kwiatkowski's long range sprint into a headwind certainly didn't.

    What was he thinking? Had Gilbert on the front and enough of a gap not to worry about the chasers, then goes with over 300 metres to go into a headwind. :shock:

    He led over the line with 19 kms to go so you think he'd have worked out the wind direction then, so he must've thought Gilbert was cooked, or he was feeling so strong he thought he was unbeatable.

    Yeh, it was a bit of a misjudgment. Maybe after beating Sagan in MSR he was just over confident.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,891
    Not working because a rider has a team mate behind is becoming fashionable. I did like the way that Valverde didn't do much work either because he had a team mate ahead. Perhaps, they both knew that they didn't have the legs.

    Otherwise, the new route made for some good racing.
  • NervexProf
    NervexProf Posts: 4,202
    Highlights of the women's race https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu0Wxw0FN_A
    Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Gilbert out for at least a week and will miss FW and LBL

    http://www.quickstepfloorscycling.com/en/news/detail/philipe-gilbert-out-of-remaining-ardennes-classics/3120

    as already mentioned within a more appropriate thread :roll:
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,182
    ^makes his win all the more impressive. Riding with a 'minor kidney tear' must have hurt.
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    Dang... missed this slogging up the Lakes climbs. Sounds a cracker... will have to catch it later. Shame my man couldn't take the win but Pip is having an amazing season!

    Apparently Pip was peeing blood at dope control... went straight to hospital...
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Shows how ridic good is form is/was.
    _
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    Wake up guys.
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Don't say it's time to get up for work already...
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    okgo wrote:
    Wake up guys.

    ?
    _
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    okgo wrote:
    Wake up guys.

    ?

    Man wins bike races therefore....
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Oh that one.
    _
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,116
    NervexProf wrote:
    Highlights of the women's race https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu0Wxw0FN_A

    Lizzie Deignan has a serious pony tail this season, that must slow her down.
    Coryn Rivera is the woman on form this year. PFP seems to be returning to some form after her post Olympics breakdown.
    Piccola Ragazza probably hoped to be a bit higher placed after her good early season form.
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
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  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    Man wins stuff in ridiculous fashion after being shite for years, while being on a shit salary with a huge win bonus, then has to pull from all his main races from some injury that he sustained and still managed to piss all over everyone while carrying.

    I'm not usually that cynical but it's hardly begging me to believe its legitimacy.
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    okgo wrote:
    Man wins stuff in ridiculous fashion after being shite for years, while being on a shoot salary with a huge win bonus, then has to pull from all his main races from some injury that he sustained and still managed to wee-wee all over everyone while carrying.

    I'm not usually that cynical but it's hardly begging me to believe its legitimacy.
    Man wins race he has won three times before. Including when he was shite and on a huge salary.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    okgo wrote:
    Man wins stuff in ridiculous fashion after being shite for years, while being on a shoot salary with a huge win bonus, then has to pull from all his main races from some injury that he sustained and still managed to wee-wee all over everyone while carrying.

    I'm not usually that cynical but it's hardly begging me to believe its legitimacy.

    That particular race would have been a lot closer had there not been crashes behind, to be fair. It's pretty likely he'd have been caught, but even if not the gap would have been much, much smaller with Sagan and GVA chasing properly.

    Wouldn't like to speculate on the reason for his form. It was an "impressive" ride on the one hand, but on the other he has had similar exceptional runs of form before so it's hardly donkey to racehorse stuff (you may argue he was being naughty then too, but whatever).

    Basically if he got caught I'd not be surprised*, but until then and in the absence of anything other than good performances I'm not going to call him a doper. But Flanders was an exciting watch (as was Amstel), regardless of anything which may happen later on.



    *I suppose that wouldn't be saying much - shall we say even less surprised than usual.
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    QS Dr the same one Gilbert had at Lotto in 2011 - lolz.
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    okgo wrote:
    QS Dr the same one Gilbert had at Lotto in 2011 - lolz.

    Had the same mother too I believe.
    _
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    okgo wrote:
    Man wins stuff in ridiculous fashion after being shite for years, while being on a shoot salary with a huge win bonus, then has to pull from all his main races from some injury that he sustained and still managed to wee-wee all over everyone while carrying.

    I'm not usually that cynical but it's hardly begging me to believe its legitimacy.

    How about Kwiatkowski? Two really fallow seasons and now he's at the pointy end of everything.

    My point is that you can look at virtually any rider who is showing good form and ask questions if you're so inclined. And it's not like Gilbert wasn't absolutely exceptional previously.

    And as for the point about riding with an injury, riders ride in discomfort all the time as the winner of any race is usually one that has to be prepared to suffer. An internal pain probably wouldn't have registered as something serious until the blood in the urine.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    I don't really find his return to form much more surprising than van Avermaet becoming a bona fide classics contender after his move to bmc (he was pretty bloody good in Liege Bastogne Liege in 2011 itself). Tried to rationalise the discrepancy in attention to their revivals as an age thing, but was surprised to see that van Avermaet is already 32.

    The issue is that there could be any number of reasons why Gilbert failed at BMC relative to his level, but the focus always tilts to only one of them.

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