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General race thread 2021 **spoilers**

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    #602
    mr spuckler
    Registered Users Posts: 3,113 ✭✭✭mr spuckler


    Mefistofelino wrote: »
    Merlier and Kristoff are two minutes down, back in the bunch. Kristoff crashed earlier - don't know about Merlier.

    Both involved in the same crash according to text commentary anyway...
    13:41:45 IST
    The second group already appeared to be losing ground on the baker's dozen out in front, and now Tim Merlier and Alexander Kristoff have crashed in this second group. They are quickly back on their bikes, but their chances of seeing the front of the race again are severely diminished.


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    #603
    dastardly00
    Registered Users Posts: 13,424 ✭✭✭✭dastardly00


    So Sam's main competitors (if it comes down to a sprint finish) should be Ackermann, Bol, Nizzolo, & Philipsen. And Van Poppel isn't too bad at sprinting either.


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    #604
    lennymc
    Registered Users Posts: 6,458 ✭✭✭lennymc


    Mefistofelino wrote: »
    Merlier and Kristoff are two minutes down, back in the bunch. Kristoff crashed earlier - don't know about Merlier.

    Hadn't seen that. Really like Kristoff! he is a tough fecker.


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    #605
    Dodge
    Registered Users Posts: 10,288 ✭✭✭✭Dodge


    dastardly00 wrote: »
    So Sam's main competitors (if it comes down to a sprint finish) should be Ackermann, Bol, Nizzolo, & Philipsen. And Van Poppel isn't too bad at sprinting either.

    Basically the main contenders before the race too


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    #606
    CantGetNoSleep
    Registered Users Posts: 7,251 ✭✭✭CantGetNoSleep


    Surely very few of this front bunch will want this coming to a bunch sprint. Even Bora with five, or a few other sprinters in there, but DQS have a few there who could win it and a perfect train for Sam


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    #607
    Brian?
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 21,339 Mod ✭✭✭✭Brian?


    CantGetNoSleep wrote: »
    Surely very few of this front bunch will want this coming to a bunch sprint. Even Bora with five, or a few other sprinters in there, but DQS have a few there who could win it and a perfect train for Sam

    Very few riders ever would be capable of attacking and winning out of this group in these conditions.

    they/them/theirs


    And so on, and so on …. - Slavoj Žižek




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    #608
    Brian?
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 21,339 Mod ✭✭✭✭Brian?


    I live up the road from the finish of this race (well, 90km). The weather is much worse than it looks like on TV. It was snowing heavily until lunch time here.

    they/them/theirs


    And so on, and so on …. - Slavoj Žižek




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    #609
    dastardly00
    Registered Users Posts: 13,424 ✭✭✭✭dastardly00


    Dodge wrote: »
    Basically the main contenders before the race too

    Except for Kristoff, Tim Merlier, and Viviani


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    #610
    dastardly00
    Registered Users Posts: 13,424 ✭✭✭✭dastardly00


    Cav is tiny compared to Sam :pac:


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    #611
    De Bhál
    Registered Users Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭De Bhál


    so what's Cavandish's job here - lead out as long as possible?


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    #612
    Mefistofelino
    Registered Users Posts: 1,851 ✭✭✭Mefistofelino


    De Bhál wrote: »
    so what's Cavandish's job here - lead out as long as possible?
    I'd have thought its to keep the other teams guessing and giving DQT a Plan B. I wouldn't see any great value in involving him with a DQT lead-out train that's worked quite well without him.


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    #613
    Morris Garren
    Registered Users Posts: 556 ✭✭✭Morris Garren


    Despite the numbers, this is going to be tricky for Sam. Too many lads sitting on here--- I wouldn't rule out a win for Cavendish, unless he fully commits to lead out in the final kms... Bol, Sarreau, Nizzolo all having it relatively easy, if that's possible in these conditions.

    To paraphrase a bit: Cheese Boll is the Dangerman among all these Belgiums...


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    #614
    De Bhál
    Registered Users Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭De Bhál


    Mefistofelino wrote: »
    I'd have thought its to keep the other teams guessing and giving DQT a Plan B. I wouldn't see any great value in involving him with a DQT lead-out train that's worked quite well without him.

    yeah I was wondering would he go on his own following a different path...could be interesting if he does that and ends up competing against his own team.


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    #615
    dastardly00
    Registered Users Posts: 13,424 ✭✭✭✭dastardly00


    De Bhál wrote: »
    so what's Cavandish's job here - lead out as long as possible?

    Good question. Based on the Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne, the DSQ lead-out will be Senechal, Van Lergberghe, Morkov & Sam. But Senechal is doing a huge chunk of work at the front so I can't see him being there near the end. So will it be Cav at the front, before handing over to Van Lergberghe & Morkov?


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    #616
    Mefistofelino
    Registered Users Posts: 1,851 ✭✭✭Mefistofelino


    De Bhál wrote: »
    yeah I was wondering would he go on his own following a different path...could be interesting if he does that and ends up competing against his own team.


    Maybe Bennett is the Plan B! Cav has won this three times before - it might be even better exposure for DQT if he won today than if Sam won.


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    #617
    De Bhál
    Registered Users Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭De Bhál


    Mefistofelino wrote: »
    Maybe Bennett is the Plan B! Cav has won this three times before - it might be even better exposure for DQT if he won today than if Sam won.

    well, he is sitting behind Sam at the moment, but no way I can see Quickstep banking on him to win this as bar finishing second recently, he's won nothing of late.


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    #618
    De Bhál
    Registered Users Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭De Bhál


    3.5km to go


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    #619
    dastardly00
    Registered Users Posts: 13,424 ✭✭✭✭dastardly00


    Looks like Cav's job is to keep other riders off Sam's wheel


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    #620
    retalivity
    Registered Users Posts: 14,305 ✭✭✭✭retalivity


    DQS made a balls of that


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    #621
    De Bhál
    Registered Users Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭De Bhál


    dastardly00 wrote: »
    Looks like Cav's job is to keep other riders off Sam's wheel

    feck it anyway

    yeah that was his role alright by the looks of it


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    #622
    dastardly00
    Registered Users Posts: 13,424 ✭✭✭✭dastardly00


    What a c*ck-up


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    #623
    Mefistofelino
    Registered Users Posts: 1,851 ✭✭✭Mefistofelino


    Looks like this evenings forecast is the full hairdryer treatment from Lefevre and Peeters


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    #624
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,784 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Well they made a balls of that lead out. Well timed by Alpecin to block Bennett at his jump off point.


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    #625
    ratracer
    Registered Users Posts: 3,268 ✭✭✭ratracer


    retalivity wrote: »
    DQS made a balls of that

    Badly caught out on the fence alright!


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    #626
    retalivity
    Registered Users Posts: 14,305 ✭✭✭✭retalivity


    Got to love these mental basque roads


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    #627
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Kelderman crashed, colour me surprised :rolleyes:

    The man either has the worst luck or the worse bike handling in the pro game.


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    #628
    velo.2010
    Registered Users Posts: 3,010 ✭✭✭velo.2010


    Bennett..."I was doing my own sprint and then Mark was on the wheel to see what result he could do. And if he could come around, he’d come around. I just focused on my own race."

    What, so they were effectively racing each other? That's what I read from that statement. He can't be too happy with that set up today.


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    #629
    De Bhál
    Registered Users Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭De Bhál


    velo.2010 wrote: »
    Bennett..."I was doing my own sprint and then Mark was on the wheel to see what result he could do. And if he could come around, he’d come around. I just focused on my own race."

    What, so they were effectively racing each other? That's what I read from that statement. He can't be too happy with that set up today.

    doubt he's too worried about Cavandish, and if Cav has the strength to get around him then fair play. Good to have him there for keeping lads off his back wheel though.


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    #630
    Macy0161
    Registered Users Posts: 9,449 ✭✭✭Macy0161


    velo.2010 wrote: »
    What, so they were effectively racing each other? That's what I read from that statement. He can't be too happy with that set up today.
    fwiw Cavendish posted yesterday that his first win at the race was when he was given the freedom to ride for himself while Columbia/ HTC worked for Griepel.

    I haven't seen the sprint yet, but did it have any impact on Sam? We've been banging on for two years on here that they should put someone on his wheel.


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    #631
    Dodge
    Registered Users Posts: 10,288 ✭✭✭✭Dodge


    Macy0161 wrote: »
    fwiw Cavendish posted yesterday that his first win at the race was when he was given the freedom to ride for himself while Columbia/ HTC worked for Griepel.

    I haven't seen the sprint yet, but did it have any impact on Sam? We've been banging on for two years on here that they should put someone on his wheel.

    No. Philipsen got the jump on DQT and Sam couldn’t recover. Cav had no real effect at all I bud sprint


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