Northern Classics

Alejandrosdog

No tA Doctor wrote:

Are we nearly there yet?

Nearly, one more sleep, a quick 60 miles, a good lunch and then the settee calls

blazing_saddles

No surprises with who are first out with their star rating, given it's their race.

Het Nieuwsblad
***** van Avermaet
**** Stybar, Trentin
***Gilbert, Naesen, Vanmarcke
** Valgren, Benoot, Stuyven, Lampaert
* van Aert, Lutsenko, Pederen, Wellens, van Baarle

ducknumber1

For sequence lovers, it's due to be an Italian:

1995 - Ballerini
2001 - Bartoli
2007 - Pozzato
2013 - Paolini

I was leaning towards Trentin anyway on PTP, and while checking previous winners noticed that - its a shoe in.

blazing_saddles

Be interesting to see who's got the Eurosport gig, with Hatch currently on duty in OilLand and Kirby (mercifully) at the track World Champs.
I suppose we could still get stuck with laughing boy, today, but definitely not tomorrow, as KBK clashes with the track.
Sporza starts up live coverage in exactly one hour, probably with a huge amount of hot air, before the boys hit the hellingen and pave.


Edit: Hatch reveals it will be Quigley and Maggie B....

slim_boy_fat

Live stream of the womens race here https://www.facebook.com/ProximusSports ... 175811537/

slim_boy_fat

Womens race neutralised for 5 mins because the organisers can't do maths and they are going to catch the mens race!

Edit: Slightly harsh on the organisers, men are pootling, 10 mins behind slowest schedule.

Mad_Malx

Is this a spoiler thread now?
Wouldn’t like anyone to be taken by surprise when they log into a Northern Classics thread on a race day...

Edit - just realise Rick has it covered
viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=13103760

Crampeur

I was in Ninove today and the coverage of the women's race was absolutely shit. No live pictures, commentators only really acknowledging there was women's race when they had 10k to go when everything had already happened. A lot of people seemed genuinely surprised when Blaak rode past, they had no idea there was another race on.

rick_chasey

Crampeur wrote:

I was in Ninove today and the coverage of the women's race was absolutely shoot. No live pictures, commentators only really acknowledging there was women's race when they had 10k to go when everything had already happened. A lot of people seemed genuinely surprised when Blaak rode past, they had no idea there was another race on.

Yes Flemish local interest in women’s racing is errr, further behind the curve of places like the U.K.

Crampeur

Rick Chasey wrote:

Crampeur wrote:

I was in Ninove today and the coverage of the women's race was absolutely shoot. No live pictures, commentators only really acknowledging there was women's race when they had 10k to go when everything had already happened. A lot of people seemed genuinely surprised when Blaak rode past, they had no idea there was another race on.

Yes Flemish local interest in women’s racing is errr, further behind the curve of places like the U.K.

I don't know why I was suprised by it, it's always been pretty evident in cross too.

Another couple of observations: the Sunweb bus driver clearly gained his licence from the Orica Greenedge school of bus driving. And Sonny Colbrelli is quite possibly the nicest person in pro cycling.

philbar72

Milton50 wrote:

philbar72 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

gsk82 wrote:

I'm heading in to this season's classics campaign without my usual levels of enthusiasm. I remember last year as such a dud. All I can recall is riders attacking from long distance and everyone just sitting a looking at each other. For me that was the overall theme for the first half of last season, especially during the classics.

We kept hearing how strong quick step are. I kept thinking are they really? Eventually Sagan pressured them at Roubaix and it turned out they weren't. They don't have a real superstar cobbled classics rider who teams should fear towing back to the front. Hopefully the other teams won't be so scared of them this year.

Gilbert....?

seems to be built more for Roubaix than for a hilly classic nowadays.

Has his build changed that significantly from 2017?

Just looks a bit heavier to me, I may be wrong!

rick_chasey

Rick Chasey wrote:

Didn’t realise Jungels was focussing on the cobbled classics.

Strong 4some. Lampaert, Jungels, Stybar, Gilbert.

And of course, Gilbert likes it hot, so current weather suits.

Very strong this weekend as it turns out.

Alejandrosdog

Banging start to the season, it’s a shame the season is only 6 weeks long

ShutupJens

Alejandrosdog wrote:

Banging start to the season, it’s a shame the season is only 6 weeks long

It's a shame but it's also what makes it special. No time for the favourites to evade each other. Being shorter means it's full gas too which is the best

rick_chasey

Crampeur wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Crampeur wrote:

I was in Ninove today and the coverage of the women's race was absolutely shoot. No live pictures, commentators only really acknowledging there was women's race when they had 10k to go when everything had already happened. A lot of people seemed genuinely surprised when Blaak rode past, they had no idea there was another race on.

Yes Flemish local interest in women’s racing is errr, further behind the curve of places like the U.K.

I don't know why I was suprised by it, it's always been pretty evident in cross too.

Who knew a rural catholic part of the world is backward on feminism.

rick_chasey

QS are proof beyond doubt that “having 4 genuine favourites” in your team is the best classics tactic around.

blazing_saddles

Rick Chasey wrote:

Crampeur wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Crampeur wrote:

I was in Ninove today and the coverage of the women's race was absolutely shoot. No live pictures, commentators only really acknowledging there was women's race when they had 10k to go when everything had already happened. A lot of people seemed genuinely surprised when Blaak rode past, they had no idea there was another race on.

Yes Flemish local interest in women’s racing is errr, further behind the curve of places like the U.K.

I don't know why I was suprised by it, it's always been pretty evident in cross too.

Who knew a rural catholic part of the world is backward on feminism.

Never mind, there is always the BBC to put a positive spin on things.
The sum total of their articles on the opening weekend's big races.
Personally, I'm surprised they manged one.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47433583

Alejandrosdog

Rick Chasey wrote:

QS are proof beyond doubt that “having 4 genuine favourites” in your team is the best classics tactic around.

only 4?

rick_chasey

dish_dash wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

4) the weaker CCC team for GvA will change the tactical dynamic substantially.

Meant to pick this up earlier... do you really think that GvA has much a weaker team than last year? Van Keirsbulck not rated?

So I think this played out in Omloop.

His team was basically burned out by 50km to go; spent the rest basically on his own.

Back in the day he would have had a Daniel Oss to help (as he did in GvA's best season 2017).

Alejandrosdog

it certainley highlights the importance of a good team in one day racing.

blazing_saddles

I'd missed this, but I see that the E3 boys have been at it again with their promo posters.



Sneaky, but with the same result: consigned to the bin.

Mad_Malx

^Same result in that it gets publicity way beyond cycling.

rick_chasey

Groenewegen just announced he’s doing MSR, GW and Driedaagse.

rick_chasey

New series interviewing the likes of Wiggins, Contador, Cancellara, Vanmarkce, Hayman etc etc starting on Canvas/Sporza in Belgium tonight (21u15 local). Called De Kleedkamer (the changing room).

Follows the format of the classics season:

https://www.canvas.be/de-kleedkamer


Obviously if they're not Dutch, Belgian or French and speak English they will, so worth keeping an eye out.

Looks bloody great if you're a fan.

blazing_saddles

Cobbles on the Eurosport menu for this afternoon, in the form of the Danilith Nokere Koerse.



Seven times up the Nokereberg, but the race has recently become a happy hunting ground for sprinters.
So, the organizers have set about toughening things up.
Instead of staying on the local circuit, for the final two laps they'll now go for a bigger loop and have added a whole bunch of cobbled sections into the final kms.



Sporza are live from 2-15pm GMT Eurosport from 2-30pm, for two hours.

Alejandrosdog

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Cobbles on the Eurosport menu for this afternoon, in the form of the Danilith Nokere Koerse.



Seven times up the Nokereberg, but the race has recently become a happy hunting ground for sprinters.
So, the organizers have set about toughening things up.
Instead of staying on the local circuit, for the final two laps they'll now go for a bigger loop and have added a whole bunch of cobbled sections into the final kms.



Sporza are live from 2-15pm GMT Eurosport from 2-30pm, for two hours.

Good spot Blazing that looks like a proper tough one.

m.r.m.

MvdP riding. Excited to see how he will fare!

Alejandrosdog

Nokere Koerse is shaping up to be cracking I love Belgian racing quite a good turn out on the roadside for a Wednesday afternoon

blazing_saddles

Nathan Haas's shocking season continues.
2nd crash!

Alejandrosdog

and another crash! at this rate its last man standing wins