13th Strade Bianche: Siena › Siena (184k) Saturday, 9th March 2019 *Spoilers*

2

Comments

  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    Van Aert blown - Alaphillipe and Fuglsang up the road...
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Between these two now.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    Si Clarke attacking the chase group- it's a good job Kirby isn't commentating!
  • gethinceri
    gethinceri Posts: 1,640
    Rob Hatch "if you haven't watched the women's race I'm not going to spoil it for you but....." Then spoils it. Prize throbbing pr*ck.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,701
    Gethinceri wrote:
    Rob Hatch "if you haven't watched the women's race I'm not going to spoil it for you but....." Then spoils it. Prize throbbing pr*ck.

    To be fair, given the coverage they got from Rai, there wasn't much to spoil.
    5 minutes in a you would have known.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    So we’re only getting the final 90 mins or so on TV.

    Organisers can’t afford any more because they are showing a similar amount of the women’s and that has maxed out the budget (since TV relay is usually €€€€€€)

    The women's coverage turns out to be a fiasco.
    Way ahead of the fastest schedule, so less than the final 15kms live.
    Plus Eurosport go straight to an ad break.
    Shambles.

    I missed it, but hadnt expected any better so not really bothered to check it out, the UCI had a live youtube feed I think, but theres 45mins of highlights later...which Rob Hatch seems to have helpfully tripped up on trying to promote with spoilers :roll:
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Fuglsang needs to go early
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    Van Aert is back under 15 seconds... but surely he'll be too knackered.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,570
    YAAAAAAAAWN.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,535
    Quickstepped again. That was always on the cards. Fuglsang could maybe have gone a touch earlier but I think Alaphilippe had that all the way.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    Good for my PTP but quickstep again, snooze.
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Textbook from Alaphilippe. Gutsy from van Aert as well.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • Crampeur
    Crampeur Posts: 1,065
    More Strade A-bit-wanky than Strade Bianche.

    (yes I know its not pronounced Bianchi).
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,701
    The good news is that there isn't a big one day race next week for Deceuninck-QuickStep to win.
    They'll have to make do with sharing half a dozen stages in France and Italy with Astana....
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • lettingthedaysgoby
    lettingthedaysgoby Posts: 1,732
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    Textbook from Alaphilippe. Gutsy from van Aert as well.
    Yeah, that was one hell of an effort to get back on from Van Aert.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Maybe he would have won if he had used disc brakes like the other two :wink:
  • shipley
    shipley Posts: 549
    I don’t get the ‘yawn’ Quickstep comments ???? They are a team focussed on classic one day races, clearly they have a great early season training plan, their fan base in Belgium is a wonderful thing to be part of and a different rider wins each race they win. What’s not to like ?

    Boring to me is the ‘stick insect’ and his compatriots turning a 3 week tour into a predictable bore fest.

    Each to his own I guess.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    Shipley wrote:
    I don’t get the ‘yawn’ Quickstep comments ???? They are a team focussed on classic one day races, clearly they have a great early season training plan, their fan base in Belgium is a wonderful thing to be part of and a different rider wins each race they win. What’s not to like ?

    Boring to me is the ‘stick insect’ and his compatriots turning a 3 week tour into a predictable bore fest.

    Each to his own I guess.
    The out and out favourite won easily, and it was a quickstep rider (again).

    They're turning the classics season into a predictable procession (I won't say bore fest).
  • Alejandrosdog
    Alejandrosdog Posts: 1,975
    Shipley wrote:
    I don’t get the ‘yawn’ Quickstep comments ???? They are a team focussed on classic one day races, clearly they have a great early season training plan, their fan base in Belgium is a wonderful thing to be part of and a different rider wins each race they win. What’s not to like ?

    Boring to me is the ‘stick insect’ and his compatriots turning a 3 week tour into a predictable bore fest.

    Each to his own I guess.

    Exactly this.
  • cruff
    cruff Posts: 1,518
    Crampeur wrote:
    More Strade A-bit-wanky than Strade Bianche.

    (yes I know its not pronounced Bianchi).
    Hat
    Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
    Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,643
    You do wonder how much energy Alaphilippe wastes with all that nervousnous.

    Seemed a fast finish since it whittled down fast from the group on that long section.

    I actually felt Fuglsang was the stronger of the two but he didn’t have the finish and he knew it. Thought he maximised his chances today. Top ride.

    Tactically I would never underestimate the value of having decent team mates in the group behind.

    Quick step were happy with the final selection of the 2/3 and that instantly means they get away as no one is gonna let Stybar get an easy ride.

    No surprises who got 4th....

    Had they not have been happy it’s very easy for their rider up front to say “I’ve got decent teammates in the group behind” and shut it all down.
    In classics having multiple favourites is having all the aces. Gives so much tactical flexibility.
    _
  • shipley
    shipley Posts: 549
    How beautifully put :)
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,643
    I mean if sky really wanted they could throw Rowe, Stannard, Thomas, Moscon, Kwiatkowski and van Baarle and they’d give QS a run for their money.
    _
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,701
    Rick Chasey wrote:

    Tactically I would never underestimate the value of having decent team mates in the group behind.

    Quick step were happy with the final selection of the 2/3 and that instantly means they get away as no one is gonna let Stybar get an easy ride.

    No surprises who got 4th....

    Had they not have been happy it’s very easy for their rider up front to say “I’ve got decent teammates in the group behind” and shut it all down.
    In classics having multiple favourites is having all the aces. Gives so much tactical flexibility.
    Shipley wrote:
    How beautifully put :)

    Except when it's Sky at the Tour, though.
    Then it's boring, right?
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,643
    They use a different tactic, right?

    You need more domestiques over three weeks and your favourites need to actually be up there GC but I do maintain that if you can put egos aside and you rode a Tour with multiple leaders you could tactically destroy the opppsirion (like CSC once did).

    But in a GT you need 2-3 riders who are at a high enough level that the physiology gap is small enough that tactics matter....
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,643
    Another way to look at the sky dominance boring, quick step not argument is the basic tactical premise that Sky shut the race down; Quick Step open it up.

    It’s down to the format mainly and what tactics work best, but that’s the difference.
    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Another way to look at the sky dominance boring, quick step not argument is the basic tactical premise that Sky shut the race down; Quick Step open it up.

    It’s down to the format mainly and what tactics work best, but that’s the difference.
    Another way of looking at it, consistent with your format point, is that there's never really been a time since the 50s where the Tour de France was all that open. It's been dominated by the best rider since Bobet
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,313
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Another way to look at the sky dominance boring, quick step not argument is the basic tactical premise that Sky shut the race down; Quick Step open it up.

    You’ve paraphrased the full (more Zen) dictum: Sky shut the race down (unless you’re another Sky rider); Quick Step open it up (as long as you’re another Quick Step rider).
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    OCDuPalais wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Another way to look at the sky dominance boring, quick step not argument is the basic tactical premise that Sky shut the race down; Quick Step open it up.

    You’ve paraphrased the full (more Zen) dictum: Sky shut the race down (unless you’re another Sky rider); Quick Step open it up (as long as your another Quick Step rider).
    To use a team sport cliche - forwards win matches, defences win championships. One day races are the matches, Grand Tours the championships.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ducknumber1
    ducknumber1 Posts: 1,172
    RichN95 wrote:
    You’ve paraphrased the full (more Zen) dictum: Sky shut the race down (unless you’re another Sky rider); Quick Step open it up (as long as your another Quick Step rider).
    To use a team sport cliche - forwards win matches, defences win championships. One day races are the matches, Grand Tours the championships.[/quote]

    Pretty much describes it exactly for me, but the quote comes from a sport where the championship is the be all and end all, whereas in cycling it's different strokes for different folks

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