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Biniam went down like he'd been shot, he got run over by 3 or 4 others. 🙁
Matej Mohoric down. Couldn't see who else was affected. It's been a bad day out for crashes.
here we go! unleash the pog
he's using his seated power on the greasy cobbles..... MvP and WvA are all out the seat power merchants
OK this is great now!
Fred Wright in the lead group - big 🤞 for him.
Pog on his own chased by Laporte, WvA, MvdP and Pidcock.
I've ridden the Paterberg. Not this fast though...
Pidders is riding a blinder not once had his nose in the wind
Jumbo didn't like Pidcock sitting on 😀 this is fascinating
what a brute 😀
Pidcock is screwed now, he's not going to close that on his own and Laporte won't do anything to help.
looks like he's struggling to hold LaPortes wheel
WvA in a tad of bother. Putting in a spirited effort to get back in
yes, but foiting bravely 😉
even on my easy sunday ride I have to ease up on the approach to any of the climbs, I need to arrive at the bottom with low heart rate and having spun any effort out of the legs. Having to chase fullgas and in all likelihood not going to get back on anyway, before the last couple of climbs coming - nah, I'd be strongly in **** it mode by now.
Pog and MvP 2 up time trial absolutely brutal.
eh Mads how yer doing? Stunning!
I’d be strongly in **** it mode by now.
273km is considerably more km than I've ridden all week...
273km is considerably more km than I’ve ridden all week month…
what a race.
And that is exactly why it's my favourite spectator sport. Brilliant stuff. Pure theatre.
Lotte Kopecky has obviously been inspired by Tadej Pogacar!
I’m glad it’s not my job to race against Pogacar. Or, indeed, Kopecky. Jonas Vingegaard is probably scanning the job adverts even as we speak.
I thought both races were excellent. Interesting how the Women's one played out in a similar manner to the Men's. And the crowds were amazing!
I've ridden most of those climbs but it was tricky to recognise them with the crowds everywhere.
The sprinters get a turn on Wednesday with Scheldeprijs
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/scheldeprijs/2023/startlist (Men's)
https://procyclinguk.com/womens-scheldeprijs-2023-race-preview/ (Women's)
Such a fast race. Our bus to the oude kwaremont had to stop as they were 15mins ahead of their fastest estimated schedule. No one was messing around today
There’s a large number of riders struggling to keep it rubber side down.
🙁
Interestingly, after what could be called a crash prone Flanders, I was reading an article the other day (can't remember where) that was saying there's an increasing number of riders in the peloton voicing concerns about the rise of very narrow bars with turned in levers being the cause of a lot of riders losing control/unable to brake effectively and causing crashes. Will be interesting to see if there are moves afoot for the UCI to further legislate against overly narrow bars and 'incorrectly mounted' controls in bunch races.
#EDIT : Found the article.. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/stupid-and-extreme-handlebar-positions-may-be-threatening-race-safety-and-angering-riders
the gap closing of mads on the Oude Kwaremont was insane,
Spring classics rarely fail to deliver and this was no exception. I didn't think Pog could break the other 2 if you'd asked me before the race.. but clearly he did... and quite brilliantly.. Epic performance.
To think that Pog will be there in the TDF or other bike 3 week events, then battering people into submission in a 1 dayer... it's really a golden age of cycling at the moment.
I'm not sure narrow bars and turned in levers contributed much to swerving off the grass verge to avoid a puddle and into the path of the peloton.
I’m not sure narrow bars and turned in levers contributed much to swerving off the grass verge to avoid a puddle and into the path of the peloton.
I'm surprised by the reaction - I saw the guy's apology on Twitter and a load of people saying "don't worry about it, that's racing". To me it looked like massive selfishness, to get out a situation he put himself in by risking the safety of the peleton. Would be a DSQ and a big fine if I ruled the world !
He didn't swerve to avoid a puddle - he was trying to move up the outside using the pavement, the pavement became grass and in the middle was a huge puddle which he hit full on and that sort of bounced him into the bunch.
Even the BBC covered it although in a thoroughly anti-cycling manner, they didn't even mention the winners (or even the British riders) just a big crash. 🙄
Would be a DSQ and a big fine if I ruled the world !
He got a near instant DQ, not sure about any fine.
He got a near instant DQ
OK, my mistake.
He didn’t swerve to avoid a puddle – he was trying to move up the outside using the pavement, the pavement became grass and in the middle was a huge puddle which he hit full on and that sort of bounced him into the bunch.
Swerve or not, he was doing what he didn't oughta have been doing, and it wasn't "just one of those things".
https://escapecollective.cc/gallery-two-grand-champions-one-remarkable-tour-of-flanders/
Whole gallery of suitably epic photos from both of yesterday's races.
Sometimes pog on the rampage makes a race boring but that was something else. He definitely earned his frites & mayo.
And the chase from MvdP was all-in even when it was clear he wouldn’t catch pog.
Whole gallery of suitably epic photos from both of yesterday’s races.
Great pictures!!
He didn’t swerve to avoid a puddle
OK watched it back and I'm wrong. Still a daft move though. Also what happened to riders getting DSQ'd for riding on the pavement? There was loads of it going on in the men's and women's races.
roast lamb with the family vs Paris Roubaix who's bright idea was it having it on easter sunday.
Cycling is far too accepting of crashes....'oh, it's part of the sport'. Really, how about doing something about it then? And also far too much reckless riding, resulting in crashes......this was another example. I can imagine in motor racing or horse racing he'd have got a few weeks off for causing that crash......
Yet there are people (former pros) saying a DSQ was harsh......Really?? Absolutely clueless....so it will keep happening.
roast lamb with the family vs Paris Roubaix who’s bright idea was it having it on easter sunday
Surely you mean who bright idea was it to put Easter Sunday on Paris Roubaix day 😀
Any weather forecasts for Sunday? A bit of 'weather' would be good but not too much that it causes riders to fall like Bambi on ice...
Third place for Cav @ Scheldeprijs
Yeah, he's on form!
Lorena Wiebes had a pretty decisive sprint win in the Women's race.
Yet there are people (former pros) saying a DSQ was harsh……Really?? Absolutely clueless….so it will keep happening.
This is part of the issue with cycling and why it remains SO traditional (or so stuck in the past!).
Former pros all go into coaching/DS roles and they keep repeating everything they learnt and did which is why doping remained so embedded, even after the Festina affair.
Same with riding standards, with coaching methods, with the whole traditional way of racing, with equipment - look at the furore around disc brakes and to a certain extent tubeless tyres. It's only quite recently that pros have actually begun to engage with new tech like Campanaerts and the rear hub, Jumbo-Visma and their auto tyre pressure thing etc.
Women's Paris-Roubaix today, 145km.
It doesn't do all the cobbled sectors the Men do, notably missing Arenberg but it does include Carrefour de l'Arbre.
Rouleur has a list of their picks for it:
Startlist is here:
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/paris-roubaix-we/2023/startlist
Great to see both Elynor and Zoe Backstedt in there. Magnus will be on the edge of his seat!
Pfeiffer Georgi is in with a good chance but, like Rouleur, I'm hoping for a Vos win.
Magnus will be on the edge of his seat!
He’ll be in the Canyon SRAM car working as a DS, meaning there’s three chances for a Backstedt win 😀
My heart pick is also Vos. Not sure how one goes about having a head pick for this race.
I think I’d mostly like to see a small group make it to the finish. I’ve had my fill of ‘daring solo break’ races for the moment
Inrng have their preview of tomorrow's Men's race.
https://inrng.com/2023/04/paris-roubaix-2023-preview/
Back to today...
https://twitter.com/RoubaixFemmes/status/1644666847336300544?t=dsNn2aPBvCt9F6nKVyI0pA&s=19
oof.... that looked painful