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Liege - Bastonge - Liege 2021 ***Spoilers***

ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
edited April 2021 in Pro race
At the request of the good not a doctor...

Family raver has a puppy arriving today so anticipation levels are high.





We race from Liege, to Bastogne and...not sure where next

The Ardennes are hilly with a capital STEEP! Oro-typical gradients are frankly flat. This is a peneplain. Not a mountain range. As the land goes up, the rivers cut down and rivers make valleys with steep sides. When the sun shines it is a beautiful place. Walks (or MTB rides) under beautiful forests with open spaces in the valleys below. La Roche Ardenne has one of the best campsites I've ever seen. Scars of it's military past can be seen everywhere. I'm sure we've all watched Band of Brothers.

2020 Mwah ha ha ha ha





Panzers - Got to be a continuation of the WvA/JA/TP battle really with a hint of Roglic thrown in for extra spice. Likewise its time for Niewadoma to shake free from her anchors and fly free (but it will probably be Van Vleuten)

Shermans - Do not rule out a cheeky breakaway from a GC Specialist or a second-tier classicist. It has been done before. A very high chance of this in the girl's race as none of them are prepared to work with anyone else. Is LizzieD riding..?


Food and Drink

Drink - Beer - you know this by know

Food - I mean...Salade Liegois is a bit obvious. Belgians are good at cooking - it's hard to miss honestly. Until the worlds however, it's time for one last cone of...








We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver
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Posts

  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,203
    Will repost this here...
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    Can't do an lbl spoiler thread from my phone, but a couple of interesting* facts

    No rider has been on the podium twice in the last 5 editions.

    Of the current pro peloton, only Valverde, Kwiatkowski and *ahem* Rebellin have been on the podium more than once.

    Only 17 riders have won it more than once, over the 106 editions. These riders have 44 wins between them. 62 riders have a single win.

    Does this make it the most open, or hardest to win monument?





    *For a nondeterminate value of interesting

    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,725
    ddraver said:



    Family raver has a puppy arriving today so anticipation levels are high.


    You know the rules. Any puppy/kitten/baby gets named after the race winner.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
    edited April 2021
    She's going to be sis-raver's so I will be unlikely to get a say (In fact I think it's already too late).

    Shame because there's actually some good pickings tomorrow. Roglic, Wout, Tom, julien...all decent boy dog names. Lizzie, Katya, Breggen - not bad for a girl
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ProssPross Posts: 36,355
    RichN95. said:

    ddraver said:



    Family raver has a puppy arriving today so anticipation levels are high.


    You know the rules. Any puppy/kitten/baby gets named after the race winner.
    Did Dirk de Wolf make a come back and win anything on Good Friday? If not I breached the rules.
  • tailwindhometailwindhome Posts: 18,366
    Pidcock out

    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 20,658
    tailwindhome said:

    Pidcock out

    Sounds like it should be on a placard but:

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/tom-pidcock-to-miss-liege-bastogne-liege-as-brit-not-quite-fully-recovered-from-fleche-wallonne-crash-497292
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • phreakphreak Posts: 2,809
    Crazy for me. Resting someone from one of the biggest races of the year so they're ready for a chipper next week.
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,725
    You put your Pidcock in
    Your Pidcock out
    In Out In Out
    Shake it all about
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • bobmcstuffbobmcstuff Posts: 10,627
    Just came on to share the Insta post from Ineos, although I see is covered already:


  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,203
    DSM out of women's race with a Covid
    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
  • tailwindhometailwindhome Posts: 18,366
    I fancy Pog for this tomorrow

    I suspect in this new generation he's the stand out talent.

    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,203
    tailwindhome said:

    I fancy Pog for this tomorrow

    I suspect in this new generation he's the stand out talent.

    Yeah, he's my favourite for it as well.
    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
  • andypandyp Posts: 9,428
    Isn't his main talent his ability to recover, so he's more suited to stage race success. He's yet to win a one day race so, whilst it's possible he could win tomorrow, he's not the stand out favourite.
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
    edited April 2021
    He doesn't have Roglic's sprint for a group finale but I can imagine him slipping away on the sneaky...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,725
    edited April 2021
    ddraver said:

    He doesn't have Roglic's sprint for a group finale but I can imagine him slipping away on the sneaky...


    He outsprinted Roglic twice at last year's Tour. There's always the caveat about sprints at the end of long hard classics not being the same as when fresher
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • mididoctorsmididoctors Posts: 14,624
    Could be anyone
    "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
  • m.r.m.m.r.m. Posts: 3,027
    edited April 2021
    Yeah it's really entirely open. Alaphilippe has the advantage of the best team though.
    PTP Champion 2019 & 2022
  • phreakphreak Posts: 2,809
    m.r.m. said:

    Yeah it's really entirely open. Alaphilippe has the advantage of the best team though.

    QuickStep has had far less success at LBL than they've had at any other classic.
  • david37david37 Posts: 1,313
    phreak said:

    m.r.m. said:

    Yeah it's really entirely open. Alaphilippe has the advantage of the best team though.

    QuickStep has had far less success at LBL than they've had at any other classic.
    time they rectified that then :)

  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 20,658
    Nice profile of the final kms.


    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • pblakeneypblakeney Posts: 22,878
    That'll be after the potential winners are filtered out on the Redoute, I'd think?
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 67,500 Lives Here
    JA needs it to be hot weather.

    He’s not good when it’s cold.
    _
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
    Girls go Live with 45km to go.

    Single attacker up the road with a fluctuating 20 - 30s
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
    Ashleigh Moolman Passio forces the split on La Redoute. The standard group of big names all go clear as one.

    Cecile attacks across the gap and draws Lucinda Brand out off the front on the false flat at the top.

    Immediately the chase falters as no one will work.

    CUL, LB and AMP working well together
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
    Some teammates join back on the descent so they can acquaint themselves with the revolutionary concept of a bigger group of riders working together to pull a small group back.

    Gap is falling slowly but inexorably

    25 to go and it's down to 8s
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • tailwindhometailwindhome Posts: 18,366
    ddraver said:

    Girls go Live with 45km to go.

    Single attacker up the road with a fluctuating 20 - 30s

    Is this a deliberate change in the timing of the women's races or is it just getting more coverage
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
    Gap increases to 30s again over next climb but front 3 are now playing games.

    Movistar and a little bit of JV working on the front
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
    edited April 2021
    Credit to CUL to refuses to play the stupid games and just sits up. Genuine looks of surprise on Brand & MP's faces...

    18 to go, all back together
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • orraloonorraloon Posts: 11,658
    How not to drop Vos 😊
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 25,573
    SD Worx make it hard and a final attack by CUL over La Roche and drops Vos...and herself.

    Group in front.....stops working on the descent as ELB gets to the front.

    Vos gets back on (with CUL)

    Utterly ridiculous riding (albeit great by Vos)

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
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