E3 Harelbeke 2023 *spoilers*

13

Comments

  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,024
    tailwindhome said:

    Very much enjoying the Sky box deciding not to record the last 5 km

    That's why it's worth having the Discovery+ app. You don't need to record.
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    tailwindhome said:


    Assuming that is the current law book being quoted, then pretty disgraceful if the result stands.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    edited March 2023
    Dorset_Boy said:

    tailwindhome said:


    Assuming that is the current law book being quoted, then pretty disgraceful if the result stands.
    Rule says the "greasing of chains" is not permitted. That's not grease, it's lubricant.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    The magic spanner is traditional and therefore approved by the French lead UCI. Supersapiens is new and scientific and therefore disapproved.

    Cycling has for a while had its own 'culture war'. Those that look to technology (lead by Velon teams & commerce) and those that haven't quite come to terms with the derailleur (lead by the French & middle aged journalists).

    Basically that those who look to the future versus those that look to the past
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • JimD666
    JimD666 Posts: 2,293
    It's the inconsistency of enforcement that's most annoying.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,458
    The roadside footage of the motorbike sliding into the crowd just ahead of the main group looks grim

    I hope everyone involved is OK.

    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    Was a solid edition. Definitely worth watching the VOD for those who weren't able to see it live.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,227
    JimD666 said:

    It's the inconsistency of enforcement that's most annoying.

    Soren Kragh Anderson took his hat off while changing clothes, that apparently should have been a dq for Alaphillipe the other day as well. Any talk of that?
  • JimD666
    JimD666 Posts: 2,293
    kingstongraham said:

    JimD666 said:

    It's the inconsistency of enforcement that's most annoying.

    Soren Kragh Anderson took his hat off while changing clothes, that apparently should have been a dq for Alaphillipe the other day as well. Any talk of that?
    No talk of it but we're back to my inconstancy statement. If it breaks the rule, and the rules say that to do so results in a DQ the they should so be dq'd. Otherwise the rules aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

    Or change the rule so it's a fine and not a DQ. If a DQ would be considered too harsh.

    If both seem OTT then remove the rule.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    All 3 used everything they had
    "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
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    WvA sat in just enough ....
    "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
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    mididoctors said:

    All 3 used everything they had


    I'm thinking two of them were saving something. Just getting in some practice.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    edited March 2023
    The person interviewing Van Aert said it was the most beautiful (ie best) podium ever. Maybe for E3. But I'd offer up these three in my viewing years (the olden days don't seem to have podium shots)

    2010 Tour of Flanders - Entry five monument minimum



    2013 Tirreno-Adriatico - three of the seven GT career slammers



    1989 Tour de France. A podium of previous Tour winners




    Time will tell how this one stacks up.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,458
    Is Pog planning a full classics season?
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    tailwindhome said:

    Is Pog planning a full classics season?

    He's set to ride Flanders, Amstel and Liege currently.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,591
    andyp said:

    tailwindhome said:

    Is Pog planning a full classics season?

    He's set to ride Flanders, Amstel and Liege currently.
    That’s good, I wasn’t listening properly and thought I heard them say Pog wasn’t doing Flanders.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Pog is baller isn’t he? Just straight up doing a full classics season while he’s looking to regain the tour title.
    _
  • drhaggis
    drhaggis Posts: 1,150
    rick_chasey said:

    Pog is baller isn’t he? Just straight up doing a full classics season while he’s looking to regain the tour title.

    It feels so fresh to have a proper GC contender to not actually ride but to try and win San Remo, Flanders, LBL and Lombardie... And yeah, his chances in at least the first two aren't great, because he's up against the likes ov MvdP and WvA, but damn it's nice while it lasts.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,492
    There's quite a bit if time between the end of the classics and the TdF, so why not?

    He can obviously handle his bike (cyclo cross experience helps I expect) so injury risk is slightly less.
    Fair play to him and yesterdays race proves that the event does not have to be high profile to evoke a good race.

    It will be interesting to see what races he does after the classics before the tour. There's no doubt about it though; he wants to race and he wants to win and I expect any DS is going to struggle to hold him back.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    From Liege to the Tour (over two months) he'll likely only do the Tour of Slovenia as he has the last two years
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Seems like I missed a good one.
    Impressive podium.
    Internet is pretty inadequate here.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    tailwindhome said:


    Another poor add for SRAM lol
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    TheBigBean said:

    tailwindhome said:

    Very much enjoying the Sky box deciding not to record the last 5 km

    That's why it's worth having the Discovery+ app. You don't need to record.
    Free to watch whenever on the VRT app for a year. Joys of vpn 🥹
    _
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 12,035
    edited March 2023
    What a cracking end to the race - watched the last 85k, and the last 60k on the turbo, just on a boring zone 2 thing.

    Even when the 3 went away, I couldn't take my eyes off it - did feel that wva was going to take it for some reason, also my ptp pick, but didn't expect him to win by that margin - I know it wasn't much, but I thought it would be a tyres width, or half a wheel.

    Really entertaining edition :)

    Oh and meant to add, Hatch and Blythe on commentary duties was the icing on the cake.
    Even blythe was repeating some things 3 times, so it's clearly the in trend.
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
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  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,492
    daniel_b said:


    Even blythe was repeating some things 3 times, so it's clearly the in trend.

    That's the effect on AI on Homo sapiens.

    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,458
    I'm not sure how Pog ever wins from that group of 3.

    I have a theory that he may have a recovery advantage, coping marginally better with being at the business end of long hard races over the weeks - but I think I'm clutching at straws

    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,024
    tailwindhome said:

    I'm not sure how Pog ever wins from that group of 3.

    I have a theory that he may have a recovery advantage, coping marginally better with being at the business end of long hard races over the weeks - but I think I'm clutching at straws

    Didn't he win a sprint against similar company a few years ago?
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    tailwindhome said:

    I'm not sure how Pog ever wins from that group of 3.

    I have a theory that he may have a recovery advantage, coping marginally better with being at the business end of long hard races over the weeks - but I think I'm clutching at straws

    He has to get rid of at least one of them, ideally both. I think the only way he could've won on Friday was to leave his inevitable attack until the last possible moment, so somewhere well into the final kilometre where, whoever shuts it down, will be giving up their chance to win. Both the others were, of course, hyper vigilant precisely because of that, so it's incredibly difficult to pull off.

    For Flanders, he has to get away alone in my view, but I'm not sure he can drop both MVDP and WVA on the cobbled bergs as they are too short for him and the other two have the power to stay with him. Therefore I think he has to be creative and escape when no-one is expecting it, but that's a lot easier to type than to do.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,458
    andyp said:

    tailwindhome said:

    I'm not sure how Pog ever wins from that group of 3.

    I have a theory that he may have a recovery advantage, coping marginally better with being at the business end of long hard races over the weeks - but I think I'm clutching at straws

    He has to get rid of at least one of them, ideally both. I think the only way he could've won on Friday was to leave his inevitable attack until the last possible moment, so somewhere well into the final kilometre where, whoever shuts it down, will be giving up their chance to win. Both the others were, of course, hyper vigilant precisely because of that, so it's incredibly difficult to pull off.

    He could have been doing with some road furniture in the last couple of KM. The ol' other side of the traffic island manoeuvre
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    tailwindhome said:

    andyp said:

    tailwindhome said:

    I'm not sure how Pog ever wins from that group of 3.

    I have a theory that he may have a recovery advantage, coping marginally better with being at the business end of long hard races over the weeks - but I think I'm clutching at straws

    He has to get rid of at least one of them, ideally both. I think the only way he could've won on Friday was to leave his inevitable attack until the last possible moment, so somewhere well into the final kilometre where, whoever shuts it down, will be giving up their chance to win. Both the others were, of course, hyper vigilant precisely because of that, so it's incredibly difficult to pull off.

    He could have been doing with some road furniture in the last couple of KM. The ol' other side of the traffic island manoeuvre
    Which worked a treat the day before at the Women's De Panne race:

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqJ39TxgL9H/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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