The Cobbled Classics thread – spoilers!

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/gent-wevelgem-preview

Bring it on! 💥

MvdP vs rest.

I think MVdP might be on lead out duty today unless he gets into someone else’s break

Pog sprints to another stage win 😕

and crosswind carnage @ Gent-Wevelgem

Battle of the MPs.

M(vd)P vs MP (Mads Pedersen).

Who we picking then?

I’m going VdP

Asgreen keeping them honest!

the milan “stalking horse” play won it

Clever from Lidl Trek

Super close sprint finish in the Women’s race!

Onto Dwars Door Vlaanderen on Wednesday then Tour of Flanders on Sunday. 🙂

Really pleased for Mads Pedersen. He’s been in the shadow of the vans and Pog the last couple of years but he’s been knocking even louder on the door this year. I doubt it’s the last we see of him at the pointy end of the classics this year.

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/dwars-door-vlaanderen

Tomorrow’s race, the Dwars Door Vlaanderen. Afternoon viewing sorted. 🙂

Watching the Men’s race at the moment – it’s actually quite fascinating to see the tactics. One or two teams are taking it up at the front and absolutely smashing it into the foot of the climbs then just taking it steady up the climb which acts like brake-checking the bunch. Over the top, smash it again leaving the bunch to try and accelerate right on the steepest part of the climb.

I know it’s basically just a warm-up race for Flanders on Sunday but this is being properly raced, they’re averaging mid 40’s kph.

Crosswinds brewing as well, here come the echelons!

What impresses me is that you see Lidl Trek and the front 2 of them breathing out of their backsides, then Visma throw a few at front and they’re killing themselves… but still 70km… how do they go so hard so long !!!

Properly fragmenting now!
Sometimes these smaller races are more enthralling than the big ones with a favourite like Pogacar or MvdP who just smashes clear. This is a just a massive free-for-all scrap!

****, that’s a massive crash. 🙁
WvA down. Biniam Girmay too. Jasper Stuyven.

Oh that’s horrific. 🙁

That’ll be WvA out this weekend then.

brutal!  doesn’t look good for WvA’s season 🙁

This is going to be a nailbiting finish! Lots of options but a chasing group at 90 seconds keeping it tight. Two Visma riders, could they do they old 1-2…?

Wonder what happened with Alberto Bettiol, he was going well and then just seized up, didn’t look like a mechanical.

Proper entertaining!

Tarling for rider of the day

Vos! ❤

Shame about WvA crashing out but Visma – Lease a Bike still got the win in both Men’s and Women’s races.

Update Wout van Aert:

Unfortunately, Wout van Aert suffered several fractures in the crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen today.

A broken collarbone and several broken ribs were diagnosed in hospital. It is unclear how long his recovery will take. He will definitely miss the Tour…

— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) March 27, 2024

🙁

Ouch! That’s bad.

That’s unlucky for WvA.

That’s a shitter for wva and a shame for the racing

Tarling worth an ew bet for Roubaix? 33/1

33/1 sounds more like top 20 odds, but why not? 20yo making the podium of PR would be incredible, even for someone as strong as Tarling. 260k plus cobbled chaos and insane fights for position at key sectors, huge challenge for a young rider coming from a TT formation.

WvA did Roubaix his first two serious road seasons and was 13th and 22nd – and he’s been smashing the cobbles since he was off the teat.

I think too many kickers for Tarling in reality and he was slightly flattered by the fact the super climbers were either not riding (as they’d crashed) or not there…. I think he’ll find the PR a fair bit trickier to match the leaders.

My pal is very proud to have beaten Tarling in a TT. Mind you it was a 100 mile TT, the difference was just a couple of minutes and Tarling was only 12 ! #beast

Wonder what happened with Alberto Bettiol, he was going well and then just seized up, didn’t look like a mechanical.

Cramp.

Stuyven and WvA were one after the other in the Herentals hospital getting their collarbones fixed. Stuyven joking about having a coffee together afterwards in the ward, although I felt he was also sort of pinning the blame for the crash on Wva?

“****, I saw it happening in front of me, but I couldn’t move. Wout tapped the rear wheel of a teammate, was thrown off balance and collided with my teammate Alex Kirsch. The two fell and since I was just behind Kirsch, there was no way to dodge. I went over my bike with my head and took a serious tumble ending up on my left shoulder.

“Am I angry? It is typical that it happened in the run-up to the Kanarieberg. One of the most dangerous moments in the race. It is not without reason that they have taken that out of the Tour [of Flanders] this year, but not yet for Dwars door Vlaanderen. Maybe now they will avoid it in the future. However, you cannot blame the organisation, it is the riders who want to position themselves as best as possible in such a large group, which made it dangerous.””

Tiesj Benoot: "We were doing the leadout before Kanarieberg, they asked me to accelerate. I think Wout was standing up. He touched my back wheel, I feel quite shit about it actually. " #DDV24 pic.twitter.com/2b3NDahpb1

— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) March 27, 2024

Latest edition of Rouleur magazine is Classics focussed. Ironically enough it’s got a big interview with WvA about Flanders and Roubaix – guess that’s the problem with the schedule of printing a magazine!

Good interviews with the three winners of the Women’s Paris Roubaix and lots of good pics.

Linking it now cos I’m out tomorrow morning, hopefully back in time for the bulk of the racing!

Men’s:
https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/tour-of-flanders-2024-men-preview-contenders-and-prediction

Women’s:
https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/tour-of-flanders-2024-women-preview-contenders-and-prediction

Tomorrow, and P-R next Sunday, are my two favourite races (indeed two favourite Sundays) of the year. The only two races where I will sit down and watch every minute of the coverage. Got the diary cleared for the day, a couple of Belgian beers chilling in the fridge for when they hit the bergs, and MrsKenny primed to make the frites and mayo.

Gutted to see WVA out, so it does look like MVP is the clear favourite, especially with Pog saving himself for Liege. However my outside bet would be Bettiol who is looking pretty good so far this season. What I worry might happen is that MVP goes clear with a good distance to go (possibly second time up the Kwaremont but I suspect Steenbeekdries is more likely) then the chasers do that annoying thing of “Well I’m not leading the chase”, “Neither am I”, “Well I’m not doing all the work” and fight for second place.

I also hope MVP doesn’t win because he fails my “Is it someone I’d like to have a beer with” test. Mind you so does WVA. That said, they are both brilliant riders. Here’s hoping for a classic in every sense.

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/tour-of-flanders-preview

Some great historical pics in there plus the start list for both races.

And they’re off! I think I’ll give it a couple of hours before putting it on and cracking open a Bruges Zot.

I’m letting it burble while I contemplate attacking a piece of belly pork with a razor blade. First beer after 136km I think as they hit the Oude Kwaaremont.

Frantic start, break gone, everyone sits up for the next 100km…

Basically by accident driving home from a ski trip in our motorhome, we’re on the Kwaremont!!! Unbelievable atmosphere