Amstel Gold Race spoilers.
Comments
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Crescent wrote:Enjoying the GCN commentary team on Eurosport
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Agreed. If Eurosport are reading this (and they obviously aren't as Carlton still has a job) then more of Matt and Dan please.Saracen Tenet 3 - 2015 - Dead - Replaced with a Hack Frame
Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
Vitus Sentier VRS - 20170 -
prawny wrote:Crescent wrote:Enjoying the GCN commentary team on Eurosport
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Agreed. If Eurosport are reading this (and they obviously aren't as Carlton still has a job) then more of Matt and Dan please.
My only real comment - I enjoyed their commentary too - is that they're a bit same-y, in that I like it when you have a commentator in conjunction with an ex-pro (I know they're both ex-riders but it's not really the same as Sean Kelly...).0 -
Photo: TDWsport0 -
the 2 strongest guys on current form, and most suited to the course finish 1 and 2.
Rocket science. As for the finish Kwia royally messed that up, he has a phenomenal jump then realises --- Headwind, and legs falling off. Gilbert times his long sprint perfectly. not much more to it than that.
I've played football with a bruised kidney after someone elbowed me, its not really a problem (though is a bit painful) until you go for a pee and then you get freaked out by the near black blood that drops out when you go to the loo. Kidneys heal up very quickly...0 -
I saw someone note that Kwiatkowski's sprint was basically same as the one he used to surprise and beat Sagan to win E3 last year. But then Sagan gave up the chase while Gilbert didn't. (I don't what the wind was doing back then)philbar72 wrote:Rocket science. As for the finish Kwia royally messed that up, he has a phenomenal jump then realises --- Headwind, and legs falling off. Gilbert times his long sprint perfectly. not much more to it than that.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Yeh you're right, all these old guys riding the best they ever have is totally normal, performance doesn't wane with age.
I find myself agreeing with Digger (and I don't usually) in that Gilbert's exit from the sport will be as legendary as Horners (though maybe not now he's pulled out of everything else).Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com0 -
I think suggesting it was Horner-esque is a wild stretch!!
It's not like he did nothing then won a grand tour at 44 is it. As above he's only 34 and he had previously won Amstel 3 times, it's just not comparable.0 -
bobmcstuff wrote:prawny wrote:Crescent wrote:Enjoying the GCN commentary team on Eurosport
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Agreed. If Eurosport are reading this (and they obviously aren't as Carlton still has a job) then more of Matt and Dan please.
My only real comment - I enjoyed their commentary too - is that they're a bit same-y, in that I like it when you have a commentator in conjunction with an ex-pro (I know they're both ex-riders but it's not really the same as Sean Kelly...).
I know what you mean, but I think Stephens sounds more like a commentator than an ex rider, so works in that role better than he does as a number 2 (especially when he's with Carlton!). But I have to admit I only watched the last 40ks so I don't know how they sounded over the full 2.5hrs or whether they'd cope with more.
Lol @ Old guys - I reckon as a puncheur 34 is no age, should have another 3 seasons at the top then another 2-3 as an also ran.
If he was a sprinter though, finished.Saracen Tenet 3 - 2015 - Dead - Replaced with a Hack Frame
Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
Vitus Sentier VRS - 20170 -
really enjoyed the race. Wanted a Kwia win and watching on the overhead I thought Gilbert had already given up the win. Fair play to him for keeping going and fighting back.
It's easy to say with hindsight a rider started the sprint too far out etc. At the end of the day he only lost by a few inches0 -
RichN95 wrote:
I saw someone note that Kwiatkowski's sprint was basically same as the one he used to surprise and beat Sagan to win E3 last year. But then Sagan gave up the chase while Gilbert didn't. (I don't what the wind was doing back then)philbar72 wrote:Rocket science. As for the finish Kwia royally messed that up, he has a phenomenal jump then realises --- Headwind, and legs falling off. Gilbert times his long sprint perfectly. not much more to it than that.
Gilbert has always had a decent long kick though, Look at the stage in the vuelta where he jumped to boassen hagen, and overtook him on the line (2013).
I Think Sagan hasn’t got that in his locker, the super long kick. He has a better top end than most, but, look at others like Van Avaermat where they don’t have the top end but have better speed endurance, that can sometimes count…0 -
Listening to Jan Bakelandts, and he makes an interesting point regarding the new route and the main problem with Liege.
He noted the smart part of the new Amstel course is that, in the run into the Kruisberg, which was were it all really got selective, you have a very wide run in where lots of riders at the front get swamped as riders come up either side to get into position. You then turn into a very very tight road and head straight up the hill. At that point you can ' more or less go up the climb are your own pace' and if you're more than 20 places back, it's game over. Is basically what happened to GvA. This year with the new route that moment is now at a key point in the race.
In liege, there's not really any of that. It's much easier to arrange the chase since the roads are always so wide, so there's less of a fight into the climbs.
Also told a great anecdote about Gilbert pre 2011 Liege, but i'll save that for the spoiler thread
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Also as of y'day, Gilbert is still in hospital in Belgium as he's not even allowed to sit up.
Sounds pretty serious!0 -
Looking at that bit again, the first five riders into that corner were: Henao, Kwaitkowski, Benoot, Glibert and Albasini. (Although Kwaitkowski then missed the initial move and ended up with GVA)Rick Chasey wrote:Listening to Jan Bakelandts, and he makes an interesting point regarding the new route and the main problem with Liege.
He noted the smart part of the new Amstel course is that, in the run into the Kruisberg, which was were it all really got selective, you have a very wide run in where lots of riders at the front get swamped as riders come up either side to get into position. You then turn into a very very tight road and head straight up the hill. At that point you can ' more or less go up the climb are your own pace' and if you're more than 20 places back, it's game over. Is basically what happened to GvA. This year with the new route that moment is now at a key point in the race.Twitter: @RichN950 -
And arguably, had Kwia not made that impressive junction, that group may have not made it - as soon as Kwia gets on Henao keeps a very fast tempo.0
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So I was just looking on the Clinic (I know, but I'm supposed to be working...), spotted the Phil Gil thread, surprisingly quiet I thought.
However, nice to see they have a collection of anti-weekendcyclingfans over there! http://forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic. ... &start=800
Might join myself and start insisting everyone's clean.0 -
not read over there for a few weeks. Last things I ead was Sagan was using the haribos as a cover up for cheating.bobmcstuff wrote:So I was just looking on the Clinic (I know, but I'm supposed to be working...), spotted the Phil Gil thread, surprisingly quiet I thought.
However, nice to see they have a collection of anti-weekendcyclingfans over there! http://forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic. ... &start=800
Might join myself and start insisting everyone's clean.
Phil won so he has to be cheating, but anyone who didn't win had stopped cheating that weekend so they wont get caught. Unless they did get caught then they would be cheating too0
