SPOILER Kuurne Brussels Kuurne 2018

2»

Comments

  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    And that's caused a split which is being driven by Lotto Soudal, looks like it will come back together but the chasing group is stringing out with splits appearing.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,448
    ShutupJens wrote:
    Quickstep have replaced Stijn Vandenbergh with another huge unit who's now helping with the chase, any idea who that is?

    Tim Declerq, I think.
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    And back together with a lap of the finishing circuit to go. Dylan G has not had his nose in the wind at all, neither has Demare I don't think? Who else is going to throw their hat in the ring?
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,532
    With 3km to go a group of 3 has 15s
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    All grimacing big time but the chase has not much momentum, keeps bunching up
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,535
    Someone pass Rick the Kleenex.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    Groaning wagon takes it.

    Demare 2nd.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,532
    Groenewgen wins relatively easily
  • lettingthedaysgoby
    lettingthedaysgoby Posts: 1,732
    Made that look fairly easy.
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    Not the best opening weekend for red Lotto
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,160
    ShutupJens wrote:
    And back together with a lap of the finishing circuit to go. Dylan G has not had his nose in the wind at all, neither has Demare I don't think? Who else is going to throw their hat in the ring?

    Good call
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    Mad_Malx wrote:
    ShutupJens wrote:
    And back together with a lap of the finishing circuit to go. Dylan G has not had his nose in the wind at all, neither has Demare I don't think? Who else is going to throw their hat in the ring?

    Good call

    To be fair they were top two picks before the start as well haha
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Three riders - Demare, Colbrelli and Wisniowski - get top ten in both races.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Wisniowski looks like a hell of a prospect for tough one dayers.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,455
    I think Sky only really care about Grand Tours. Think they will burn him out or he will switch to a team like Lotto Soudal or Trek to try and find a more leading role if he turns out to be truly decent. Wonder what will happen if Astana, BMC and Quick Step fold.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,313
    iainf72 wrote:
    Wisniowski looks like a hell of a prospect for tough one dayers.
    He did a massive effort to get across to the lead group at Het Nieuwsblad at the base of the Bosberg just before Naessen gunned it and then got him dropped - but he dug in and TT'd back to them... then got 2nd. That Pole was in a hole but achieved his goal.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,154
    M.R.M. wrote:
    I think Sky only really care about Grand Tours. Think they will burn him out or he will switch to a team like Lotto Soudal or Trek to try and find a more leading role if he turns out to be truly decent. Wonder what will happen if Astana, BMC and Quick Step fold.

    I don't think that's the case any more, they're building a good Classics squad.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    OCDuPalais wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    Wisniowski looks like a hell of a prospect for tough one dayers.
    He did a massive effort to get across to the lead group at Het Nieuwsblad at the base of the Bosberg just before Naessen gunned it and then got him dropped - but he dug in and TT'd back to them... then got 2nd. That Pole was in a hole but achieved his goal.
    I'd literally never heard of him before the weekend, but he looked pretty damn good.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Pross wrote:
    M.R.M. wrote:
    I think Sky only really care about Grand Tours. Think they will burn him out or he will switch to a team like Lotto Soudal or Trek to try and find a more leading role if he turns out to be truly decent. Wonder what will happen if Astana, BMC and Quick Step fold.

    I don't think that's the case any more, they're building a good Classics squad.

    They seem to be dont they. Though in fairness with Stannard and Rowe and others theyve always had those big strong riders that could do the business.
  • yorkshireraw
    yorkshireraw Posts: 1,632
    Pross wrote:
    M.R.M. wrote:
    I think Sky only really care about Grand Tours. Think they will burn him out or he will switch to a team like Lotto Soudal or Trek to try and find a more leading role if he turns out to be truly decent. Wonder what will happen if Astana, BMC and Quick Step fold.

    I don't think that's the case any more, they're building a good Classics squad.

    And in the last 2 seasons have won 2 monuments - LBL & MSR - and had a 3rd place in Roubaix and LBL. Kwiat has also won E3, Strada Bianchi & San Sebastian for good measure.
    Dylan van Barle will make for a good sub for Rowe this season - although he was a bit anonymous at the weekend.
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,455
    Well outside of Wout Poels somewhat fluky win in LBL it's basically just Kwiatkowski. GT won E3 once and Stannard Omloop twice, but that seems rather on par with other teams.

    I do concede that I may be asking too much of their classics squad or the my expectations for the, might be too high, but they do have the budget others can only dream of. I love Kwiatkowski and like Sky, so I'm certainly not trying to hate.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    You don't win LBL by fluke. You don't even finish it by fluke..

    Also budgets don't win classics, considering where they used to be, they've done a considerable amount to beef up their classics squad - hardly the behaviour of a team (compare this to movistar) who only cares about GTs
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,455
    edited February 2018
    double post sorry. pls delete
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,455
    Wout Poels is a good rider and a great domestique, but let's not act like winning LBL is a common occurrence for him.

    https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.p ... ter=Filter
    https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.p ... ter=Filter
    https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.p ... ter=Filter
    https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.p ... ter=Filter

    And that is my point. They haven't done badly, but if you subtract Kwiatkowski they are hardly worth talking about (even with the LBL win) considering their overall budget.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,771
    YorkshireRaw wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    M.R.M. wrote:
    I think Sky only really care about Grand Tours. Think they will burn him out or he will switch to a team like Lotto Soudal or Trek to try and find a more leading role if he turns out to be truly decent. Wonder what will happen if Astana, BMC and Quick Step fold.

    I don't think that's the case any more, they're building a good Classics squad.

    And in the last 2 seasons have won 2 monuments - LBL & MSR - and had a 3rd place in Roubaix and LBL. Kwiat has also won E3, Strada Bianchi & San Sebastian for good measure.
    Dylan van Barle will make for a good sub for Rowe this season - although he was a bit anonymous at the weekend.

    Plus Swift podiumed at MSR, after podiuming there previously also.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    M.R.M. wrote:
    I think Sky only really care about Grand Tours. Think they will burn him out or he will switch to a team like Lotto Soudal or Trek to try and find a more leading role if he turns out to be truly decent. Wonder what will happen if Astana, BMC and Quick Step fold.

    I must admit I didn't even know he was in the team last year, but I didn't see him at Quick Step either.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,645
    M.R.M. wrote:
    Wout Poels is a good rider and a great domestique, but let's not act like winning LBL is a common occurrence for him.

    https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.p ... ter=Filter
    https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.p ... ter=Filter
    https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.p ... ter=Filter
    https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.p ... ter=Filter

    And that is my point. They haven't done badly, but if you subtract Kwiatkowski they are hardly worth talking about (even with the LBL win) considering their overall budget.

    Er what?

    Take away Tom Boonen and how many quick-step monuments do you have in the period he was riding? And of those, how many were relying on everyone watching Boonen?

    Basically you have a couple Bettini magic Lombardy wins, Pozzato winning MSR because people thought he was leading Boonen out, Devolder winning 2 Flanders because everyone was watching Boonen and the same goes for Terpstra's Paris Roubaix win.

    Ridiculous comment.

    To win monuments you need top riders who can finish the job; end of.
    _
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,455
    Entirely fair, but the difference is in the amount of wins. :wink:

    Sky caring about the classics is just Kwiatkowski having an incredible conversion rate. But I will concede that it looks to be changing. Especially since they seem stable and keep building with the help of their enormous coffers, whereas even the other big name teams seem to be going belly up.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • yorkshireraw
    yorkshireraw Posts: 1,632
    Plus they have Moscon coming top 5 in both Paris-Roubaix and Lombardy aged 22/23 last year. If they can sort his head out he'll be top drawer.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    M.R.M. wrote:
    Entirely fair, but the difference is in the amount of wins. :wink:

    Sky caring about the classics is just Kwiatkowski having an incredible conversion rate. But I will concede that it looks to be changing. Especially since they seem stable and keep building with the help of their enormous coffers, whereas even the other big name teams seem to be going belly up.
    Caring doesn't necessarily lead to winning.

    But after Quick-Step they have one of the strongest classics line-ups: Kwaitkowski, Thomas, Rowe, Stannard, Moscon and Van Baarle would be (co-)leaders at many teams. All except Thomas (best 7th) have been in the top five in a monument.
    Twitter: @RichN95

Categories