2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen 1UWT. Antwerpen › Oudenaarde (266.5k) *Spoilers*

blazing_saddles
blazing_saddles Posts: 21,968
edited April 2018 in Pro race
Starting this one a bit earlier to give a couple of days for wild speculation and Rick's Boonen reminiscing.

course-map.jpg

ronde-van-vlaanderen-2018-map-n2-f2e06a6554.jpg

DZYqL2qXcAIdARz.jpg:large

Previous Winners

2017: Phillipe Gilbert (bel)
2016: Peter Sagan (svk)
2015: Alexander Kristoff (nor)
2014: Fabian Cancellara (swi)
2013: Fabian Cancellara (swi)
2012: Tom Boonen (bel)
2011: Nick Nuyens (bel)
2010: Fabian Cancellara (swi)
2009: Stijn Devolder (bel)
2008: Stijn Devolder (bel)
2007: Alessandro Ballan (ita)
2006: Tom Boonen (bel)
2005: Tom Boonen (bel)
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
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Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 73,787
    Forget Boonen reminiscing; it’s 20 years since Museeuw won solo.

    Here he is in the church van Geeradsbergen describing and reminiscing when the burning in his legs as an athlete at the top of his game was equivalent to an orgasm.

    https://youtu.be/om-t_25lrZM @ 2:18
    _
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 17,655
    that map is totally pointless.
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,968
    Well, those are the only 2 maps available and but for Lasterketa's nifty bit of handiwork, the profile would be even worse.
    I guess I could have stopped at the thread title.
    Starting race threads sure is a thankless task around here, sometimes.

    Here is some more pointless information.

    Het Nieuwsblad
    5 stars:- Sagan
    4 stars:- van Avermaet, Gilbert
    3 stars:- Benoot, Vanmarcke, Kwiatkowski
    2 stars:- Terpstra, Stybar, Trentin, Stuyven
    1 star:- Nibali, Naesen, van Aert, Moscon, Lampaert
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,786
    Apart from the fact that Nibali isnt riding the star rating shows how open the race is this year.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,968
    inseine wrote:
    Apart from the fact that Nibali isnt riding the star rating shows how open the race is this year.

    He's not?

    https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/ro ... /startlist

    http://www.cyclingfever.com/editie.html ... d=MjgzNjM=

    http://www.rondevanvlaanderen.be/sites/ ... 18_1_0.pdf

    :wink:
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ducknumber1
    ducknumber1 Posts: 1,158
    Is it Sunday yet?
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,794
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Well, those are the only 2 maps available and but for Lasterketa's nifty bit of handiwork, the profile would be even worse.
    I guess I could have stopped at the thread title.
    Starting race threads sure is a thankless task around here, sometimes.

    But much appreciated by many of us
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 73,787
    Terpstra 2 stars???

    #outrage
    _
  • arnuf
    arnuf Posts: 98
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Terpstra 2 stars???

    #outrage

    He's not Flemish, eh?
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,786
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    inseine wrote:
    Apart from the fact that Nibali isnt riding the star rating shows how open the race is this year.

    He's not?

    https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/ro ... /startlist

    http://www.cyclingfever.com/editie.html ... d=MjgzNjM=

    http://www.rondevanvlaanderen.be/sites/ ... 18_1_0.pdf

    :wink:

    Vincenzo Nibali: ‘I’m not going to risk my season in the Tour of Flanders’
    Read more at
    http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racin ... b9vloK2.99

    He's in, he's out, he's in......
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • peteco
    peteco Posts: 184
    DeVlaeminck wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Well, those are the only 2 maps available and but for Lasterketa's nifty bit of handiwork, the profile would be even worse.
    I guess I could have stopped at the thread title.
    Starting race threads sure is a thankless task around here, sometimes.

    But much appreciated by many of us

    Me included.

    Pete
  • peteco
    peteco Posts: 184
    Today's Niuewsblad (courtesy of Twitter and William Fotheringham).

    IMG_0107.jpg
  • gweeds
    gweeds Posts: 2,576
    mididoctors wrote:
    that map is totally pointless.

    Much like your post.

    Thanks Blazing - it's always appreciated.
    Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    Surprised they gave Sagan 5 stars.

    I guess they must think he's been sandbagging the last few weeks.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 73,787
    arnuf wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Terpstra 2 stars???

    #outrage

    He's not Flemish, eh?

    Damn straight.
    _
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,968
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    arnuf wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Terpstra 2 stars???

    #outrage

    He's not Flemish, eh?

    Damn straight.


    Inrng have ratings that you might prefer, Rick. :wink:

    INRNG
    5 stars:- No one
    4 stars:- Peter Sagan, Philippe Gilbert
    3 stars:- Greg Van Avermaet, Niki Terpstra
    2 stars:- Sep Vanmarcke, Michał Kwiatkowski, Tiesj Benoot
    1star:- Lampaert, Naesen, Štybar, Moscon, Roelandts, Boasson Hagen, Trentin, Stuyven, WvA

    Their complete preview piece.

    http://inrng.com/2018/03/ronde-van-vlaa ... more-33212
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,794
    Kwiatkowski a bit low there?
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 73,787
    Phil Gil at 4 stars with no wins this season and the winner of E3 and someone with great form at 3 stars is wrong.
    _
  • lettingthedaysgoby
    lettingthedaysgoby Posts: 1,732
    Can’t wait for this. So many guys in with a good shout of the victory.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Rick (or anyone else) can you recommend somewhere showing this in central Cambridge?

    Ta
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 73,787
    Espresso library is the likeliest candidate (no guarantees though)
    _
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,591
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Het Nieuwsblad
    5 stars:- Sagan
    4 stars:- van Avermaet, Gilbert
    3 stars:- Benoot, Vanmarcke, Kwiatkowski
    2 stars:- Terpstra, Stybar, Trentin, Stuyven
    1 star:- Nibali, Naesen, van Aert, Moscon, Lampaert

    *Spoiler alert:* Het Nieuwsblad was won by Valgren.

    I'll get my coat.
    Gweeds wrote:
    mididoctors wrote:
    that map is totally pointless.

    Much like your post.

    Thanks Blazing - it's always appreciated.

    I think mididoctors was commenting on the graphic itself, rather than Blazing's topic starter.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    Yeh, I can't speak for mididoctors but I didn't read it as having a go at Blazing for posting the map.
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,271
    What is it with map graphics in cycling generally? They are nearly always shite. It’s particularly bad in the big glossy road cycling periodicals and their travel pieces. The Cyclist, Procycling...I’m thinking of you, amongst others...
    Basically this
    fnEMkajB1G-12.png
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,374
    Hahahaha. It's utterly fitting for cycling. Always amateur hour, whenever possible.

    Really looking forward to this year's race. Seems more open than for a very long time. Really no clear cut favourite outside of possibly Sagan.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,271
    Tiesj Benoot has really impressed.
    He’s been making GVA, in particular, pull some excellent faces so far this season. It’s a shame he obviously had the same ballet teacher as Froome...
    It’s a shame, too, that his team is diminished: I can see him doing a lot of damage on Kwaremont- and particularly Paterberg. But then I can’t really see how he’d stay away solo to the finish unless he’d crushed the entire QS Team...
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 73,787
    OCDuPalais wrote:
    Tiesj Benoot has really impressed.
    He’s been making GVA, in particular, pull some excellent faces so far this season. It’s a shame he obviously had the same ballet teacher as Froome...
    It’s a shame, too, that his team is diminished: I can see him doing a lot of damage on Kwaremont- and particularly Paterberg. But then I can’t really see how he’d stay away solo to the finish unless he’d crushed the entire QS Team...

    21st Century Eddy Bosberg ;).
    _
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,271
    My new tactic is to bet a few quid on the riders I nearly chose for PTP.
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,271
    Tiesj Benoot =
    21st Century Eddy Bosberg

    Mmm...Dreamy thought!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,188
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    OCDuPalais wrote:
    Tiesj Benoot has really impressed.
    He’s been making GVA, in particular, pull some excellent faces so far this season. It’s a shame he obviously had the same ballet teacher as Froome...
    It’s a shame, too, that his team is diminished: I can see him doing a lot of damage on Kwaremont- and particularly Paterberg. But then I can’t really see how he’d stay away solo to the finish unless he’d crushed the entire QS Team...

    21st Century Eddy Bosberg ;).
    Who's Eddy Bosberg? The only 20th century Eddy I know is Merckx. He's not Merckx.
    Twitter: @RichN95

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