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Standby...
GO!
I might watch the first 20 minutes of attacks then come back for the cobbles in 3hrs time.
then come back for the cobbles in 3hrs time
is a good plan. weather is looking ok
Jens Voigt on the EuroSport moto! Awesome. 🙂
It's a RAPID start - mid-50's kph with peaks into the high 60's.
nasty crash and keeping the break on a very short leash!
Cobbles!
I've had it on in the background while doing other stuff around the house.
Any free to air coverage online?
Farmers out blocking the route now according to Jens!
Any free to air coverage online?
No - EuroSport or Discovery+ only.
Peloton is shattering already, gaps opening all over the place. The speed is just insane, they're averaging about 32mph. OK there's a decent tailwind but Alpecin are drilling it, using the crosswinds now to split it further.
wtaf!! look where you are going man!
wtaf!! look where you are going man!
Poor guy. I reckon he was probably already wrecked from his first crash - there should be rules against continuing in those circumstances. He's in pain already, can't concentrate properly, is working overtime just to stay in the bunch, possibly on painkillers which have dulled his reaction time.
🙁
Josh Tarling DQ
IGN blue are good
D'oh, just ordered Michelin Regional Road Map 511, looked decent but 8 times the scale of the IGN maps (albeit I think you would need 4 of those IGN maps for the full route?).
It will do for now, I've planned a few routes based around gravel versions of the Paris Roubaix but every time I watch it on TV I see some amazing sector that I want to ensure I've included!
Alpecin are on a mission!
Here comes the Arenberg! (in 10km)
.@13thfloormonk :
https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-roubaix-2024/map/
https://www.paris-roubaix.fr/en/overall-route
Race maps are usually available, on the aso website I think
.
Who's the EF rider in the front group?
Pidcock got himself right up the front on that CX-style hairpin entry to Arenberg! Nice work.
Who’s the EF rider in the front group?
Stefan Bissegger. Swiss TT Champion.
As Gary Lineker said
Football Cycling is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans van der Poel always win.
awesome!
Very haphazard chase behind...
A 1-minute gap already! 😳
This is going to be another embarassing margin isn't it? Just tuned in for a minute as someone from Team Lease-a-bike ambled up to the front then sat there looking behind, it looked like they were already just manoeuvring for 2nd place 🙄
'Everyone has a plan....until they get punched in the face' - Mike Tyson MVDP
Echoes of Strada Bianche? He's ridden away and it looks like they just kind of accepted* it.
*I realise they are probably all cooked though!
Didn't realise that this was Pidcock's first senior Roubaix. Just doesn't look like he quite has the power on the cobbles.
Impressive but there'll always be the " if WVA was fit" question over the dominance
Didn’t realise that this was Pidcock’s first senior Roubaix. Just doesn’t look like he quite has the power on the cobbles.
He's tiny! He did well in the U21 but most of the U21 were all similar stature. MvDP has the perfect physique to batter a big gear over the cobbles. Pidcock is still going to be top 20 though so great effort
could say the same about Pog @ flanders, I think MvdP would prefer it if they were there but it's not within his control.
Impressive but there’ll always be the ” if WVA was fit” question over the dominance
I'm a big WvA fan but I guess partly because he looks human in his victories. I don't think he would have stood a chance against MvdP in this form, he'd be stuck back with Pedersen and Pollit providing a lead out for Philipsen 🙄
He’s tiny!
Yep! 60kg or there abouts?
MvDP is just an utter machine!
Impressive stuff but the Women's race was more exciting to watch to the finish. This became pretty much a procession. I'll admit that the way that Alpecin rode the first 100km up to the cobbles was a masterclass in whittling the bunch down.
Some ride that!! Can not comprehend the strength of these guys.
Fred Wright was highest Brit in 13th at 4'47", Tom Pidcock finished 17th - first rider out of the 4th chasing group that was 6'20" back.
These early attacks to the finish are making racing a bit boring IMO. Very impressive but not great viewing.
I don't remember this being all that common in the past (rose tinted spectacles time!)
I don't think anyone was daft enough to follow Van Der Poel and inevitably melt in his wake and end up way down the field. I think it really is that simple this time. 🤷♂️
I don’t remember this being all that common in the past (rose tinted spectacles time!)
It rarely ever happened at all. I remember people losing there minds when Gilbert went from 50k out in Flanders. To go from the distances MVdP is doing, in both Flanders and Roubaix, and win by margins of several minutes: I'm not sure how far back you'd have to go to see a similar performance. Has it even been done?
This is at a time when the peloton are riding faster than ever. I don't normally give much thought to what's happening behind the scenes but it does make you wonder how a select bunch of riders are suddenly able to make it possible.
I’m a big WvA fan but I guess partly because he looks human in his victories. I don’t think he would have stood a chance against MvdP in this form, he’d be stuck back with Pedersen and Pollit providing a lead out for Philipsen
Exactly what I said, he didn't ride so we'll never know. He'd based all his off season training on flanders and Roubaix for the first time ever too so I'm not so sure it would have been such a walkover.
I’m not sure how far back you’d have to go to see a similar performance. Has it even been done?
Andre Tchmil won from 60k out in 1994, MVDP went from 59.3k to go. MVDP beat his own fastest ever time from last year though
MVDP beat his own fastest ever time from last year though
There was a significant tailwind for much of the route though.
I rode out into a headwind yesterday and in spite of being kind of wrecked by the time I was coming home courtesy of having slogged into the bloody wind for 20 miles, I set quite a few PRs on the tailwind-assisted homeward leg without even trying to smash it. It does make a huge difference.
Plus being on your own and able to take the ideal line choice every time.
Andre Tchmil won from 60k out in 1994
Did he do the same in Flanders the week before though? When people do pull it off, it's usually a one off.
Rob Hatch’s exaggerated pronunciations of places and names gets in the way of his commentary
i know what you mean but it’s rare to hear Dutch names being pronounced even semi-correctly.
Did he do the same in Flanders the week before though? When people do pull it off, it’s usually a one off.
It was 94, he probably only had the one transfusion
Evening all, just watched a few highlights on YT and noted that the Arenberg seemed very quiet for spectators, lots of gaps on the barriers. This surprised me as I recall great difficulty getting a view when I have been there live.
I am missing something obvious here?
Impressive but there’ll always be the ” if WVA was fit” question over the dominance
I know he was focusing his season around Flanders and Roubaix but I think MvdP is a level above Wout now. Six monuments to one, a World title on the road in dominant fashion, and six cross World titles. I do wonder if WvA has tried to spread himself too thin at times - super domestique for JV etc. And wonder if he regrets gifting Laporte the win at Gent Wevelgem a few years back. Phenomenal talent but a bit of a bridesmaid if you compare him to MvdP (at the moment).
And I like Rob Hatch's pronunciation - makes an effort to get it right at least. Speaks four languages fluently, so I'll bow to his greater knowledge and linguistics!
Cancellara and Boonen both went from a way out at least once iirc? I think that there is an element of rose tinted specs here. Some years there's a small group to sprint, others a cobbles specialist/utter engine makes sure that there's no sprint. Today was one of the bigger distances out to attack from, but there have been plenty of others in the 15 years that I've followed pro cycling.
Tchmil’s win in ‘94 was also memorable for being the last truly filthy edition - struggling to even remember a wet edition this century.
struggling to even remember a wet edition this century.
erm 2021?
Cancellara and Boonen both went from a way out at least once iirc?
Remember the furore around Cancellara potentially using a motor? There were videos showing the "unusual" movement of his hands on the bars (allegedly to turn the motor on and off).
Nothing conclusive ever came of it but the rumours persisted for years.
Yeah I remember that @crazy-legs iirc it was the year that he went from about 40-50km out to win. 2010-12 era I think?
Last wet one was when that Italian sprinter won wasn't it? Colbreli? (Seemed dodgy as hell the form he was in around that time!)
IIRC 2002 100th edition was a rather wet one as well.
MvdP what a unit. Looked totally in control. Plus the team too: look, either I'm going long or jaspers going to out sprint you, so let's just decide I'm the winner shall we?
Missed tarling and the sticky bottle. How blatant was it?
Very obvious sticky bottle and no question he should have been DQ’d. Very poor decision from him and the team. He’s 20 years old in his first PR and whoever allowed him to do that in the team car should be in a heap of trouble from the team.
It didn't help the team car accelerated as well.
He’s 20 years old in his first PR and whoever
allowedtold him to do that in the team car should be in a heap of trouble from the team.
FTFY
I can understand when people don’t realise that cycling is a team sport. They should look at todays ride. Vermeesch closed down chase after chase from the moment MVDP went and thoroughly demoralised the chasers. Epic in a very different way and seriously contributed to MVDP’s win and Phillipsen’s second
Vermeesch closed down chase after chase…
Yes, he rode a blinder, all over the counter-attacks. Poor old Mads was really stifled by the Alpercin tactics.
Got to give MVDP credit - an incredible performance even if it takes away from the excitement over the last hour. A class of his own right now.
No ones fault but would have liked to have seen what Lidl-Trek could have done with Steyven and Kirsch. It seemed a couple of weeks ago like they could have given Alpecin a real challenge. Sadly with those two out Mads seemed mostly alone, and totally wrapped up by Phillipsen and Vermeersch. Likewise with WvA of course.
Thought Pidcock did pretty well for first full PR. Never looked like winning but went pretty deep considering he wasn't scheduled to ride it at all.
Final thought - women's race was excellent. Lots of contenders, deserving winner, Georgi a surprise 3rd just pipping Vos.
Now being on the Ardennes!
Now being on the Ardennes!
Yep - the semi-Classic Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday 10th then a Sunday / Wednesday / Sunday of Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
I'll miss Amstel and FW on account of being in Spain...
Definitely a classic Classic yesterday. My L4/L5 disc was twinging in sympathy as MvdP went like a rocket down the cobbles.
Definitely a classic Classic yesterday. My L4/L5 disc was twinging in sympathy as MvdP went like a rocket down the cobbles.
Weird thing is, as an L4/L5 discetomy-ee myself, I don't mind the bumpy stuff on the bike, I think the riding style over cobbles/rough gravel (big gear, GLUTES, hover) seems to both protect my low back, and to some degree highlights what's wrong with my low back the rest of the time, i.e. my glutes aren't doing anything!
Same for some of the local 8-10 minute efforts that I do on the road bike as long intervals, head down, aero pose, pushing hard, all the aches, pains and misalignments seem to go away. Shame it's an effort I can only maintain (at best) for 4 x 8 minute efforts before staggering home! I imagine after 270km of it I would be a limp noodle 😂
I agree. It was the team tactics that made it a classic. As opposed to a weather-beaten war of attrition (which we tend to hope for). The strongest rider was in the strongest team yesterday. The second strongest rider was not. That made a difference. I half expected the two to jump onto the front and soft pedal every pave they could! The pinnacle of my racing was helping a team mate win a road race series. There was a lot of soft pedalling near the front. It’s a great team sport.
Poor Mads. He was really trying to go for a chase but Vermeersch and Phillipsen were all over him and he cooked himself. Alpecin were dominant from the start to the finish. That chicane before Aarenburg really didn't add too much in the way of safety or excitement did it...maybe if there was a much bigger group it would have been nutso.
@13thfloormonk I still have the disc in place and it's abit squishy still but the core keeps it all together.