Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Sat 28 Feb) *unmasked spoilers*

Darkglasses

It's Classics time! It begins as always with the Omloop, cobbles and pointy little climbs included.

Road book
Startlist
Oddschecker

The course is over 200km long, winding around it's way around the Ardennes in Flanders. It features 11 hellingen, including the Muur and the Molenberg and 10 cobbled section.

Alexander Kristoff will start as the favourite with his spectacular early season form, although Etixx Quickstep have almost certainly sent the strongest team, with Tom Boonen, Niki Terpstra, Zdenek Stybar and Stijn Vandenbergh all real contenders for the win. Team Sky are likely to be working for Ian Stannard, with Bradley Wiggins also hoping to show form for Paris Roubaix. No Irish riders taking part.

dastardly00

Would I be correct in saying that Eurosport are not covering this?

Darkglasses

dastardly00 wrote: »

Would I be correct in saying that Eurosport are not covering this?

Correct, they're showing skiing and the snooker.

dastardly00

Darkglasses wrote: »

Correct, they're showing skiing and the snooker.

You should have just done a Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne thread instead

bbolger

Eurosport have a 2014 KBK review @ 8:30pm but no Omloop highlights.

neris

dastardly00 wrote: »

Would I be correct in saying that Eurosport are not covering this?

Eurosport the "Home of cycling"

dastardly00

I was looking through the list of previous winners, and I was surprised to see that Kelly never won this race. But as is the way with a lot of races that he didn't win, he came very, very close on numerous occasions. He entered this race a total of 7 times, finishing 2nd, 3rd (twice), 7th, 10th, and 11th (twice)!

TheBlaaMan

dastardly00 wrote: »

I was looking through the list of previous winners, and I was surprised to see that Kelly never won this race.

Shay Elliot did, though....

K-B-K has three Irish riders this year and AnPost are to take part.......someone do a thread, go on.

Wey-hey...the Classics are here finally. No more of that middle-eastern sun, lets see the rain and mud........

Darkglasses

Here's Eurosport's cycling schedule for the year - http://programmeguide.eurosport.com/sport/cycling/

Brian?

It may be the best named race of the year but I'm not sure you can class it as a Classic. If it is indeed a classic it's the least prestigious one.

neris

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Shay Elliot did, though....

K-B-K has three Irish riders this year and AnPost are to take part.......someone do a thread, go on.

Wey-hey...the Classics are here finally. No more of that middle-eastern sun, lets see the rain and mud........

Shay Elliott was the 1st non Belgian to win it or so the telegraph cycling podcast said

The tax man

neris wrote: »

Eurosport the "Home of cycling"

I'd class them as the "Home of cycling" They show more than anyone else. They don't have coverage of a handful of races per year and people have a go at them?
Certain races may have coverage rights in place which prevent Eurosport from carrying the event, you can't blame them for that.

dastardly00

Yeah, in fairness to Eurosport, they show all the UCI World Tour races, apart from Gent-Wevelgem, Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse (which are broadcast all on Sky I think).
And they have coverage of all the Spring Classics except for this Saturday's Omloop, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the aformentioned Gent-Wevelgem, Schelderprijs, and De Brabantse Pijl.

Taxuser1

dastardly00 wrote: »

Yeah, in fairness to Eurosport, they show all the UCI World Tour races, apart from Gent-Wevelgem, Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse (which are broadcast all on Sky I think).
And they have coverage of all the Spring Classics except for this Saturday's Omloop, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the aformentioned Gent-Wevelgem, Schelderprijs, and De Brabantse Pijl.

all belong to Sporza only in Belgium - they release De Ronde under contractual agreements to show World Tour races.

http://www.omloophetnieuwsblad.be/en

Taxuser1

anyway, no harm brushing up on your Flemish for an afternoon. And it saves having to listen to that gob****e Carlton Kirby.

dastardly00

Taxuser1 wrote: »

anyway, no harm brushing up on your Flemish for an afternoon. And it saves having to listen to that gob****e Carlton Kirby.

I have come to like Carlton

Taxuser1

dastardly00 wrote: »

I have come to like Carlton

oh God, no.

Carlton negates any use of an expert as nothing he ever commentates on involves a question mark. He is the world leader in spouting nonsense and then losing himself in it completely. There is no need for Kelly analytics

His Stijn Devolder moment in the 2014 Ronde von Vlaanderen. Devolder plucking his way through the stragglers for the second time, up the Paterberg albeit over 5 minutes back, with Carlton gently sobbing into his mike and Kelly wondering wtf.

real crash at 2.27.41 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRRkB6Bt41w

car crash tv at 2.31.00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRRkB6Bt41w

Atrocious.

MPFG

Good Thread Darkglasses....(no typos unlike me !!)

looks like Ettix-QuickStep have the strongest team but I'd love if one of the MTN guys won this or even Van Summeren

MPFG

Oh BTW Matt Brammeier is riding this race

Zipp101

Aside from Quickstep, it's hard to look past Kristoff if its a sprint, or else Van Avaermaet on his own for this.

TheBlaaMan

I had forgotten a lot about last year's race, but rereading this piece on CN http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/motorbikes-and-cold-ruin-omloop-for-quick-step reminded me; I wonder if the UCI have made any changes to the number of motos that will be allowed accompany the race this year ?

It looks like it might be a fair day weather-wise
Ghent:

neris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U85aXJkFd_Y

sy

Brian? wrote: »

It may be the best named race of the year but I'm not sure you can class it as a Classic. If it is indeed a classic it's the least prestigious one.

Would be technically what they call a semi classic but quite a prestigious one .. Looking forward to the start of the classics season and what will probably be the end of the line for 2 of the greatest cobble riders of all time. Tom B and Fabian C will surely bow out at the end of this season. Can't wait for the showdown at the Ronde and Roubaix. Boonen will be testing the water Sat but my tip ftw is Greg Van Avermaet

ROK ON

sy wrote: »

Would be technically what they call a semi classic but quite a prestigious one .. Looking forward to the start of the classics season and what will probably be the end of the line for 2 of the greatest cobble riders of all time. Tom B and Fabian C will surely bow out at the end of this season. Can't wait for the showdown at the Ronde and Roubaix. Boonen will be testing the water Sat but my tip ftw is Greg Van Avermaet

You always know that classic season is back when Sy comes in with the predictions. Class.

For me I'd love to see Stannard or Thomas at Omloop. But not sure what either have been like. As Sy this year could be it for the two giants of the Spring classics. It will be a long time before we see anyone of that calibre. But still here are a lot of riders on the rungs just below Fab and Tom. I will miss both races due to kid stuff, ah well.
Kristov for KBK.

dastardly00

ROK ON wrote: »

For me I'd love to see Stannard or Thomas at Omloop.

I don't think Geraint Thomas is riding on Saturday.

Darkglasses

Only slightly relevant, but the free online education site futurelearn.com is soon starting a 3 week introduction to Dutch - might be interesting for people who consume foreign streams and such!

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/categories/languages-and-cultures

TheBlaaMan

Preview

Darkglasses

Matt Brammeier is in the break with 5 others today, 90km to go with a gap of 4'42

dastardly00

Less than 90km to go, and a breakaway have a 4:29 lead over the peloton.

The breakaway consists of Alexis Gougeard (AG2R), Matt Brammeier (MTN), Christophe Laborie (Bretagne-Séché Environnement), Michael Reihs (Cult Energy), Kevin Van Melsen (Wanty), Louis Verhelst (Cofidis), Jaroslaw Marycz (CCC Sprandi Polkowice), Sean De Bie (Lotto Soudal) and Albert Timmer (Team Giant-Alpecin).

Live text ticker on Cyclingnews.

EDIT: Darkglasses got in just before me

Darkglasses

Gap already down to under 3 minutes, 81km to go. Sky and Etixx on the front of the peloton. No real danger of break away win today unfortunately.

Koobcam

what channel are you watching this on?

Pudsy33

Peloton watch saying Brammier has attacked solo

Chips Lovell

Brammier's pushing it on but won't be long now till they're caught.

Chips Lovell

Koobcam wrote: »

what channel are you watching this on?

Cycling.tv

Darkglasses

Jep Gambardella wrote: »

Cycling.tv

What's the quality of that site like? Seems expensive for what you get.

dastardly00

Decent shift put in by Brammeier today.

downwiththatsor

Live on french Sport+ tv also on Astra1.

dastardly00

Crap luck for Vanmarcke as he goes on the attack and then gets a puncture!!

Chips Lovell

Yeah. Buried himself to pull out the gap and then flats. Quick Step can't believe their luck.

dastardly00

If Quick-Step don't end up winning this now.....

dastardly00

Boonen attacks. It's up to Stannard to chase on his own.

dastardly00

Stannard now attacking! :eek:

dastardly00

Vandenbergh is gone. Boonen in big trouble. Just Stannard and Terpstra left.

dastardly00

Stannard wins!!!!!

downwiththatsor

Ballsy ride by Stannard

ROK ON

You beaut of a brute.

Darkglasses

Holy crap, what a complete blunder by Etixx, not to take anything away from Stannard, but they made a total hash of that. Well done Stannard. Was only reading twitter updates for the last ten km

velo.2010

Savage ride from Stannard! Wiggens riding for Stanard in Roubaix now?

Darkglasses

Jose Been even said it at the time - awful decision by Boonen to attack so far out, when he obviously hadn't the gas to complete it.

TheBlaaMan

Wow, Boonen and Terpstra are just about now having a real hairdryer moment from Lefevre on the team bus, I bet. How did they lose that ?? Fantastic ride from Stannard, I didn't give him a prayer from 10k out it looked a forgone conclusion that Boonen or Terpstra would romp home.......a great start to the Belgian races.

dastardly00

velo.2010 wrote: »

Savage ride from Stannard! Wiggens riding for Stanard in Roubaix now?

I'd still say Wiggins is Sky's main man, but Stannard will be a great option. You can never put all your eggs in one basket anyway for Paris-Roubaix, unless Cancellara is on your team.