Awesome! Photo: Sportza.be
What a stud. I would not have guessed he was going to be the first man up the Koppenberg. When the field is going warp speed to get good position for the tight right turn at the base of the Koppenberg, it takes some special legs to get there first. André bolted well before that turn and had enough daylight between himself and everyone else to have a little daylight left by the top. He does have the legs. Doing it in the German road race champion jersey only adds to the stud factor.
When Greipel, the sprinter, does this or Tony Martin, the time trial champion does that, it gives me hope. These Germans, they have the cycling spirit. Being a great sprinter or a great time trialist may be their strength but these guys are great cyclists, period. Give them a race and great cyclists can do great things.
The Gorilla was never going to win the Ronde with that move but he was going to keep himself at the front for his teammates after the Koppenberg. Twenty-one year old Lotto-Soudal teammate Tiesj Benoot, who finished 5th, must have been inspired to go a little further into the pain cave with a cyclist like André working for him.
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I really like Greipel, here in Milano at the last Milano Sanremo.
@Pedale.Forchetta
What's not to like? He's awesome on the bike, comes across as a top guy and manages to routinely get under Cav's skin, regardless of the result . His performance up the Koppenberg was beyond impressive and as for those guns...
@gilly in addition, if you have the chance to see him in person you will discover how agreeable he his with the fans.
He may not have been going to win the thing, but finishing 15th is nothing to be sneezed at!
He was my pick for GW, unfortunately for him the weather didn't give him a chance to cash-in his preparation and form. Based on his solid rides so far he seems to have targeted the Spring Classics this season, but he just hasn't had the luck you need as a sprinter in spring. I hope he can manage his form as the year progresses and pick up some results - it'll be hard once Cav and Kittel get going. You've got to respect him for taking on the spring. Rather than just targeting the pure sprints and managing his calendar to maximise wins (regardless of their significance), he's taking the more difficult path and pursuing rides of substance - I don't think you can't underestimate how tough the spring programme is for a guy like Greipel - yes he's powerful, but it would have taken a lot of hard work to build the endurance required to adapt that power to the longer distances.
Sorry - should read "I don't think you can underestimate how tough..."
Also - there's a lot to like about Lotto Soudal. They animate races with attacking tactics, and they also seem to have sense of style - they've not followed the boring black kit trend and their paired back, almost retro jerseys are my favourites of the current bunch. It's rare that teams have panache, but they seem to be one of the rare exceptions. It'd be brilliant if they could also get some more results as reward. In pure depth and quality terms they're a little behind EQS, Sky, but sometimes panache can make up for what pedigree might be missing from the start-list.
@dyalander
Plus, they have Campagnolo and Adam Hansen.
Their new Ridley frame looks nice too.
With Kittel out of Sheldeprijs, surely the Gorilla is odds on.
@Mikael Liddy
If he were racing he might well be odds on.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/scheldeprijs-2015/preview