Tour of Flanders 2018

pelevin

Just to start a thread on the upcoming race. No fancy images, nothing. Sagan of course the favourite just ahead of GVA with the bookies but in truth, not that I've been particularly following the cycling this year, there seems much less reason than previous editions to see stand-out very probable winners. Seems very open in what could happen.

Hopefully Sagan and GvA have better luck this year , shame they had that crash in 2017 but Gilbert looked super that day and he's looking pretty strong this year with the effort he put in for Viviani last week that didn't pay off in the end. Theres a couple of other Quikstep lads looking very good too. Is Valverde going to ride it? He was looking mighty the other day.

Think this been shown in full from 9:20 on Sunday, womens race (hopefully with commentary this time) is on the player at 12:30 and looking at the field there it's going to be a cracking race if someone goes for it.

TheBlaaMan

The Ronde is always a huge race and the build up races this year suggest that it will be closely contested with lots of possible winners. Sagan is the bookies favourite, again, but will have to get some lucky breaks if he is to shed the hangers-on that seem to defy his attempts to win these big races. He played a very clever game in Gent Wevelgem last week, as he watched the other contenders knock spots off each other wit attacks in the last 3k and only going once and decisively within the last 250m. The Ronde is unlikely to be won in such circumstances - a sprint from a large group (I hope not, anyway!) but I wouldnt begrudge GvA or Sagan a win like Gilberts of last year. Quickstep are certainly the in-form team, and Gilbert will be expecting the support of Terpstra and Lampaerts in return for his work with them in E3 - he also sat out the mid-week races so should be fresh for Sunday.

Valverde is not riding it, though apparently gave it considerable thought.......

The weather might play a part - it certainly doesnt look like being a day like last Sunday in G-W, and the forecast is for light rain in dull conditions, with a moderate westerly wind.....


Sep Vanmarcke has to win a monument soon and has been going well of late. Nibali is also riding it (for the first time ever, the oldest of 25 debutants at 33 ) and it will be interesting to see how competitive a 65kg climber/GC guy like him will do on the cobbles of Flanders. Thijs Benoot seems to have great form too and with Boonen now in the Lotto Soudal camp advising riders, could this be a factor in Benoots success on the day?

My pick for the podium - in no particular order - is Benoot, Vanmarcke and Sagan.

As well as being shown live and in full, ES2 has a 2hr highlights program at 7pm on Sunday. The first of the hills is the Oude Kwaremont for the first time at 120km, so it will probably be a longish morning up to that point, and at 170km (probably 1:30 - 2pm our time) they go through Geraardsbergen and up the KapelMuur (which was fairly important last year) but there is still over 90km of racing to go at that point. It is really likely to be another 40km or so before the decisive selections are made as the races crests the Kwaremont again, quickly followed by the Paterberg, Koppenberg and Taaienberg - all in the space of the following 18km. I doubt there will be many contenders left for the final 40km which includes the Kwaremont, Paterberg double one more time .....

The GCN boys previewed the iconic climbs in this video if you need any encouragement to watch the race https://youtu.be/HiMCbsXyU_w

Must get in some Belgian beer for the afternoon.......

pelevin

Tobh & of course I could be quickly proved completely wrong, but I think Vanmarcke has the feel of a rider eternally second (at best) & would actually bet on him going through his career without ever winning a Monument.

As said I haven't really seen the racing this year but I htink given the reports & how strong Quikstep are going, I'd plump for Gilbert to win.

Vanmarcke actually looked ok the other day. Finished 3rd with Benoot and GVA 30 seconds and 60 seconds behind him. Don't think he can win on Sunday though.

Didn't he have some bad luck last year too? Wheel got caught in the groove in the middle of a concrete section I think and took out Luke Rowe behind him.

TheBlaaMan

pelevin wrote: »

Tobh & of course I could be quickly proved completely wrong, but I think Vanmarcke has the feel of a rider eternally second (at best) & would actually bet on him going through his career without ever winning a Monument.

As said I haven't really seen the racing this year but I htink given the reports & how strong Quikstep are going, I'd plump for Gilbert to win.

Deleted User wrote: »

Vanmarcke actually looked ok the other day. Finished 3rd with Benoot and GVA 30 seconds and 60 seconds behind him. Don't think he can win on Sunday though.

Didn't he have some bad luck last year too? Wheel got caught in the groove in the middle of a concrete section I think and took out Luke Rowe behind him.

Sagan was forever a second place finisher but has matured into a regular winner. GvA was even moreso the 'first loser' in races up to the last Olympics road race, nowadays he is among the favourite for each race he participates in.....I'm not saying Vanmarcke can win, but he might do with the team all working for him and any luck being on his side.

pelevin

Sagan finished second a lot though. I don't think Vanmarcke has finished so close too often!

sy

The best race of the season and for me the toughest, yes even harder than Roubaix. With 18 cobbled climbs, unpredictable weather and 265kms of twisting roads very few outsiders win this monument. Definitely more open this year and I think Benoot will win his first of many monuments. He's only 24 which is very young for a potential winner of this race. Boonen was 25, Sagan 26, Eric Vanderarden( one of Kelly's arch enemies )was one of the youngest at 23. He has shown great form this season and like all Belgians this is THE race to win. Terpstra looks strong and so too is Gilbert and Stybar...what a team!! Benoot's weakness is that he hasn't got a team like Quickstep to back him up. Not sure if GVA is going as well as last year and yes Sagan has to start as favourite but not convinced he is at his best and there will be no bluffing on the Kwaremont and Paterberg with 14kms to go ( assuming Gilbert hasn't skipped up the road!!) Podium... Benoot Terpstra and Sagan...can't wait

Macy0161

Benoot from vanmarcke are my picks for the top two, with GVA for third.

Both have looked consistently strong, including Dwars door Vlaanderen during the week (managed to watch the final 70km last night.) They both need it to be a tough day, as I wouldn't fancy either them out of a group.

Lumen

Macy0161 wrote: »

Benoot

I've been trying to figure out how to pronounce his name correctly.

Tiesj is easy, like tish in bah-dum-tish.

Benoot, well. So if Boonen is Bonen, it should be Beh-note. But nobody says that. I've heard Benort, but there seems to be a bit of an "oi" in there, like half-way between Benoit and Benort. Maybe Benoirt, but that the noir is distracting me back to French, like Renoir.

So that's it, I'm sticking with for Tish Benort. I'll be mumbling in my sleep after the first couple of Duvels anyway.

niceonetom

Might be my imagination, but I think Rob Hatch - who goes all in on his pronunciation (which is not to say he knows anything about it) - says something like Chase Buh-note. Which is quite a good name for a cyclist, although "Chase" does sound a tiny bit like the kind of name Sarah Palin would give to one of her sons.

I'm a bit disappointed Valverde isn't riding it. He made the front group for Ghent Wafflegum (before it split) without making any apparent effort. He looked like he was barely trying and then deliberately sitting in the last 20km so as to keep a low profile ahead of Flanders. Ah well.

Macy0161

Well Rob Hatch is the "pronunciation police" on the cycling podcast!

He does speak 4 or 5 languages so I'd take his pronunciation over Kirby's

dastardly00

How does Kelly pronounce Tiesj Benoot? :pac:

dastardly00

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

Lusk_Doyle

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Sagan was forever a second place finisher but has matured into a regular winner. GvA was even moreso the 'first loser' in races up to the last Olympics road race, nowadays he is among the favourite for each race he participates in.....I'm not saying Vanmarcke can win, but he might do with the team all working for him and any luck being on his side.

I can count on one hand the number of times that I can recall team mates of Vanmarcke being with him close to the business end of proceedings in order to be of assistance to him when it truely kicks off.

Kaisr Sose

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Must get in some Belgian beer for the afternoon.......

Right on cue, Lidl have 750ml bottles of Leffe and Hoegaarden...corks will pop!

Lusk_Doyle

Lumen wrote: »

I've been trying to figure out how to pronounce his name correctly.

Tiesj is easy, like tish in bah-dum-tish.

Benoot, well. So if Boonen is Bonen, it should be Beh-note. But nobody says that. I've heard Benort, but there seems to be a bit of an "oi" in there, like half-way between Benoit and Benort. Maybe Benoirt, but that the noir is distracting me back to French, like Renoir.

So that's it, I'm sticking with for Tish Benort. I'll be mumbling in my sleep after the first couple of Duvels anyway.

The problems that you have! Between this and getting annoyed over people wanting to be like their da!

Kaisr Sose

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

Right on cue, Lidl have 750ml bottles of Leffe and Hoegaarden...corks will pop!

Oh?? Our local centra has that Primus stuff which is "ok" are the lidl ones any use? Haven't tried them. Mind you they'll be for evening time, if i had the sniff of even one beer during the day I'd be fit to sleep.

Kaisr Sose

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Oh?? Our local centra has that Primus stuff which is "ok" are the lidl ones any use? Haven't tried them. Mind you they'll be for evening time, if i had the sniff of even one beer during the day I'd be fit to sleep.

The Leffe is 6.6 % pure Belgian!

Kaisr Sose

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

The Leffe is 6.6 % pure Belgian!

Ha better lock up my bike and give the key to herself so :pac:

MPFGLB

dastardly00 wrote: »

How does Kelly pronounce Tiesj Benoot? :pac:

Tays Benuut

Plastik

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

Right on cue, Lidl have 750ml bottles of Leffe and Hoegaarden...corks will pop!

Can someone confirm this ASAP. This is without a doubt the most important pre-race information that I've read so far.

Kaisr Sose

dastardly00 wrote: »

Great video. Makes you want to do them ....and have the celebratory Koppenberg beer!

Both were on discs. Will they be used tomorrow and by whom?

Edit: Still no general take up if disc brakes.

Kaisr Sose

Plastik wrote: »

Can someone confirm this ASAP. This is without a doubt the most important pre-race information that I've read so far.

True! Seen at 7pm tonight(Sat), centre aisle, Lidl, Grange Road...€2.99 each

Kaisr Sose

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

True! Seen at 7pm tonight(Sat), centre aisle, Lidl, Grange Road...€2.99 each

Was my local Lidl once upon a time. Ah good times living around there.

at1withmyself

Live now on Eurosport 1 for the full day ☺

Good to hear Kelly back on ES, first time I've heard him this year. He never won this race did he? Think he had 3 second place finishes.

EDIT: That Roompot rider on the front has super narrow bars there no?

dahat

Easter Sunday dinner with the in laws has ended my Sunday plans of watching this.

I'll record and watch the last 2 hrs later on while trying to avoid the result.

MPFGLB

Weather is poor...should make the race harder

Looks like Vanmarcke is have no luck again this year.