Ronde van Vlaanderen April 5th 2015 **warning: contains unmasked spoilers**

irishrover99

Snowchaser wrote: »

Sagan sat in all day and didn't do a tap. Even with 20km to go he didn't do a tap to chase down the break. Then he attacks . Delighted he didn't make it across.

Also a note on Wiggins. This guy is apparently 12kg heavier than when he won the tour. Did a few turns at the front but then tailed of the back. Massive ego. Yet another strange chapter in this fella
career.

I've been finding wiggins whole season a bit strange tbh. But his main goal is Paris roubaix so I'll wait till next week before I decide. The guy is so cocky and determined that I wouldn't be suprised if he's holding a lot back for next week and not worrying what people are saying about him. Remember he is sir brad

He also did crash yesterday

pelevin

Seems to me Wiggins' Paris Roubaix hopes & build-up come across as kind of delusional - as if how much he says it means to him count more than racing miles in the legs. . . . talk of timing the cobbled sections, the game-changing bike and so on. Surely being at the hard business end of long, very hard one-day races is what counts here far more. Also his history of being first over the finish line in a road race is as far as I know practically non-existent. Rather than trying to learn & go big down that route, it sounds like he's pinned his hopes on the purely physiological - timing the sectors, etc.

For instance before yesterday he was talking of how great it'd be putting in a storming ride up whatever iconic sector, launching Thomas towards victory; & then next week Thomas returning the favour. Well maybe his fall was more significant than so far revealed but I don't think it was too much of a surprise to many that Wiggins was a non-event in the race. So part of one of the fairytale send-off has been reduced to nothing but substanceless words before the event. As of now I don't see any reason to expect much different next week.

dastardly00

As well as crashing, Wiggo had to change his bike twice. That might have had a bigger impact than we know of.

Lusk_Doyle

C3PO wrote: »

Great win for Kristoff - Comes across as a nice bloke too!

Have not seen such spring domination since Gilbert in what, 2012?

Brian?

pelevin wrote: »

Seems to me Wiggins' Paris Roubaix hopes & build-up come across as kind of delusional - as if how much he says it means to him count more than racing miles in the legs. . . . talk of timing the cobbled sections, the game-changing bike and so on. Surely being at the hard business end of long, very hard one-day races is what counts here far more. Also his history of being first over the finish line in a road race is as far as I know practically non-existent. Rather than trying to learn & go big down that route, it sounds like he's pinned his hopes on the purely physiological - timing the sectors, etc.

For instance before yesterday he was talking of how great it'd be putting in a storming ride up whatever iconic sector, launching Thomas towards victory; & then next week Thomas returning the favour. Well maybe his fall was more significant than so far revealed but I don't think it was too much of a surprise to many that Wiggins was a non-event in the race. So part of one of the fairytale send-off has been reduced to nothing but substanceless words before the event. As of now I don't see any reason to expect much different next week.

I agree with pretty much all of that. He's never won a classic or even a semi classic one day race. I don't think he's ever even won a stage in a grand tour that wasn't a TT.

I'm bamboozled by this notion he has about winning Paris-Roubaix, the most difficult one day race in cycling. Fair play to him if he pulls it off, but his focus should be to ride for Geraint Thomas. Thomas is a proper classics rider, who I have no doubt is very close to winning a monument.

Yes there were extenuating circumstances yesterday; he had a fall and changed bike twice. But who's fault was that?

Brian?

dastardly00 wrote: »

As well as crashing, Wiggo had to change his bike twice. That might have had a bigger impact than we know of.

The crash was his own fault and he didn't need to change bike a 2nd time, he could have easily finished the race on a standard Dogma but decided he wanted the fancy suspension back. Silly carry on.

Junior

Brian? wrote: »

The crash was his own fault and he didn't need to change bike a 2nd time, he could have easily finished the race on a standard Dogma but decided he wanted the fancy suspension back. Silly carry on.

Did he decide or did the team tell him ? We don't know.

Brian?

Junior wrote: »

Did he decide or did the team tell him ? We don't know.

Why would the team decide?

dastardly00

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Have not seen such spring domination since Gilbert in what, 2012?

2011 was Gilbert's magical year.
He won Strade Bianche, Amstel, Fleche Wallonne, L-B-L, Tour of Belgium, Belgian National Road race and ITT, San Sebastian and a stage in TDF.

Edit: sorry the last few of those wins were obviously not in spring.

Lusk_Doyle

Brian? wrote: »

But who's fault was that?

The Belgians.

dastardly00

Brian? wrote: »

Why would the team decide?

To protect his arse for Paris-Roubaix? :pac:

godtabh

Brian? wrote: »

Why would the team decide?

Commercial interests. Same reason why the use stages and every other bit of equipment they use

pelevin

You'd imagine given how fragile they know Wiggins can be, they'd be unlikely to go issuing orders like that to him during the race.
Actually that mental fragility offers maybe the biggest justification for still giving him some chance next week - that he couldn't handle the shock of the fall & hanging at the back of the peloton without teammates for much of the race. If being dropped with 50 km to go was instead a reflection of simply not having the legs - in a race that seemed at a pretty sedate pace for much of it - then how can he be competitive in Paris Roubaix?

Inquitus

pelevin wrote: »

You'd imagine given how fragile they know Wiggins can be, they'd be unlikely to go issuing orders like that to him during the race.
Actually that mental fragility offers maybe the biggest justification for still giving him some chance next week - that he couldn't handle the shock of the fall & hanging at the back of the peloton without teammates for much of the race. If being dropped with 50 km to go was instead a reflection of simply not having the legs - in a race that seemed at a pretty sedate pace for much of it - then how can he be competitive in Paris Roubaix?

We'll see, but while I am convinced he has the ability to win a Paris Roubaix if he really wanted it, I think the only thing he's really wanted on the road was that TDF win and since then he's been wrong in the head and not hungry enough to train hard enough to replicate similar wins either in a GT or a Classic.

Lusk_Doyle

Inquitus wrote: »

We'll see, but while I am convinced he has the ability to win a Paris Roubaix if he really wanted it, I think the only thing he's really wanted on the road was that TDF win and since then he's been wrong in the head and not hungry enough to train hard enough to replicate similar wins either in a GT or a Classic.

A problem with realising your goal and then struggling to set and achieve a new one.

pelevin

Inquitus wrote: »

We'll see, but while I am convinced he has the ability to win a Paris Roubaix if he really wanted it, I think the only thing he's really wanted on the road was that TDF win and since then he's been wrong in the head and not hungry enough to train hard enough to replicate similar wins either in a GT or a Classic.

Hard to equate all right really wanting to win Paris Roubaix in his depths with what seems to have been his build-up to it.

letape

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

A problem with realising your goal and then struggling to set and achieve a new one.

Did he not win the Olympic time trial after the Tour, the tour of California and the TT world champs last year - plenty of examples of goals set and achieved since his tour win.

Lusk_Doyle

letape wrote: »

Did he not win the Olympic time trial after the Tour, the tour of California and the TT world champs last year - plenty of examples of goals set and achieved since his tour win.

A problem with winning all of the above and then setting a new realistic goal then.

Inquitus

letape wrote: »

Did he not win the Olympic time trial after the Tour, the tour of California and the TT world champs last year - plenty of examples of goals set and achieved since his tour win.

All that came in a 3 month period though, the hard work training etc was done by then.

Edit nvm you are right he did win the worlds TT last year as you say and won it well, not something thats done without motivation.

Brian?

godtabh wrote: »

Commercial interests. Same reason why the use stages and every other bit of equipment they use

If they did do it for that reason, it's the worst piece of management I can think of.

Leroy42

Brian? wrote: »

If they did do it for that reason, it's the worst piece of management I can think of.

So telling rider to ride with the equipment that the sponsors have invested a huge amount of money, when it is those very sponsors that pay for everything in the team, including his wages!

Sorry, but a top class professional shouldn't let things like that distract him. People crash, get up and get on with it.

Just wanting to win isn't enough (my bet is that there are other riders that want to win as well!) He has shown no form, a clearly suspect temperment and seeminly happy to slip off into retirement.

I think the guy is great, think he is one of the best all round cyclist of the last generation (by that I mean track, TT and GT) but he needs everything to go his way, and everyone to do things his way or he just seem to throw his toys out of the pram

drogdub

Orica Green Edge video They're usually good but this is brilliant https://youtu.be/tSFTUVekg-4

Brian?

Leroy42 wrote: »

So telling rider to ride with the equipment that the sponsors have invested a huge amount of money, when it is those very sponsors that pay for everything in the team, including his wages!

Telling a rider to sacrifice his performance to change bikes is a terrible idea. I don't the Sky DS would have done this.

Junior

Brian? wrote: »

Telling a rider to sacrifice his performance to change bikes is a terrible idea. I don't the Sky DS would have done this.

Look at Kelly throwing on the Brancale helmet before the finish of the MSR because he was paid to, it's not unheard of like. Could you imagine the fuss if Thomas or Wiggins won on Sunday and they were on a standard bike after Pinarello launching a special bike for the event ?

But at the same time

Leroy42

Brian? wrote: »

Telling a rider to sacrifice his performance to change bikes is a terrible idea. I don't the Sky DS would have done this.

But he wasn't in it to win it, he was there for the team. I have no idea if the team told him or not, they gave him the normal bike as the 1st replacement before it was swapped.

He wasn't there to win it so what better way to really judge the new frame then have him ride it in the race with a view to seeing how it performs prior to Paris-Roubaix. Why would he have a problem with that?

Me thinks he had more of a problem with the team not waiting for him (which is fine as they were working for Thomas) but his demenour always comes across (to me) as someone who wants things his way.

neris

Leroy42 wrote: »

his demenour always comes across (to me) as someone who wants things his way.

Think alot of top sports people are like that. They get brought up in a bubble where they are the centre of attention and get spoiled.

Taxuser1

27 euros each way at 12/1 on Kristoff. was jumping at the tv willing Terpstra to work...

Darkglasses

The first of three highlight packages from the on-board bikes placed by Velon, very interesting viewing

Scary moment at 1'28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqaqWLtBWU8

Leroy42

So much for the Sky super bikes. Didn't seem to make any difference at all!

Still, with Kirby on board they had a few hours of free marketing I suppose.

Taxuser1

the good news is that Carlton isn't in town for Sunday's race. oh we'll miss some nuggets...

"OH MY WORD" "Be very afraid" "It's scary. Stuff of Nightmares" (repeat 5 times) The flamme rouge does beckon! It's Roberto Ferrari ! (it's Rui Costa) . Stijn Devolder, a true legend, oh this game reduces you to tears, i'm sorry give me a moment while I compose myself, or one of my favourites "His shoulders moving indicates he's not a good time triallist" And other gems from @carltonkirby

Sean ?

Junior

Darkglasses wrote: »

The first of three highlight packages from the on-board bikes placed by Velon, very interesting viewing

Jesus if this is what they want to package and make millions for teams off I doff my hat to their delusions. Post Production values are zero on that ..

neris

Taxuser1 wrote: »

the good news is that Carlton isn't in town for Sunday's race. oh we'll miss some nuggets...

"OH MY WORD" "Be very afraid" "It's scary. Stuff of Nightmares" (repeat 5 times) The flamme rouge does beckon! It's Roberto Ferrari ! (it's Rui Costa) . Stijn Devolder, a true legend, oh this game reduces you to tears, i'm sorry give me a moment while I compose myself, or one of my favourites "His shoulders moving indicates he's not a good time triallist" And other gems from @carltonkirby

Sean ?

Last sunday any sky rider on the front with facial hair was wiggo even though he was dumped out the back. Hopfully be quigley this week

Junior

neris wrote: »

Last sunday any sky rider on the front with facial hair was wiggo even though he was dumped out the back. Hopfully be quigley this week

Rob Hatch and Kelly on Sunday I believe

Taxuser1

Yeah Rob confirmed it on Twitter