This weekend proper bicycle racing starts for the season with Omloop Het Volk (yes, I know it’s not called that anymore but I like the old name better and it’s easier to spell for my dumb American ass) and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Now that riders have stretched their legs in the TDU, Oman, Algarve, Qatar and various and sundry other spots on the planet, the peloton gets down to serious business in the country that suits it best in weather that will hopefully befit Rule #9. Can I get an A-Merckx from the cog-gregation!?!?
Although the Velominati Super Prestige won’t launch officially until Milan-San Remo, we thought it would be fun to have an un-official, no points awarded banter about this weekend’s races. Is Flecha going to repeat in Gent? Will Vaughter’s strategy of splitting Thor and T-Bone to captain each race respectively result in two for the win column for Garmin-Cervelo? What of Phillipe Gilbert, is he primed to start an onslaught on the great podiums of his country? Will Steampunk show his form in a semi-classic by tipping the winner or bluff until a monument? We will never find consensus among us when it comes to tipping the winners and also-rans.
The one thing I can say for sure is that we’ll all be cheering for rain to cover, no deluge, the cobbled bergs of Flandria. The potential for a heaping helping of Rule #9 served up on a big old platter of the V is the one thing we can all agree would make this weekend’s racing that much better. So I tuned in Al Roker to see what the chances are that our heroes will need to don arm and knee warmers underneath rain capes and he says yes, more than likely. The Flandrian forecast for both Saturday and Sunday looks like precip has an 80% chance of coming from the heavens. Looks to be a good weekend.
So tip your top five for OHN and KBK here if you’d like and know that no points will be awarded. But at a minimum, we felt the need to create a space where we could discuss the weekend’s festivities. Our V-Chalice runneth over with stoke and it just wouldn’t be right if we didn’t have a dry space for it to spill.
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@G'phant
Outstanding! Great stuff!
Frank: Yeah, I also think Tomeke is the second coming of Merckx!!! But love the idea of him doing an imaginary snort as he rolls across the "line". Too funny!
Now that one I hated! :D
@Buck Rogers
Or shag an imaginary teenager. I'd like to see him do that one.
As for Flecha, I have no issues with him other than his salute. He seems to factor in to the spring classics of late (crashes aside, Frank) on a pretty consistent basis which I find laudable and yesterday's ride was pretty badass. I imagine him looking around at the others in the front of the bunch "eh, we gonna go or what, that Levegwhoeverthefuck is riding up the road." Everyone else. "nah, it's only 30 some seconds we've got time". Flecha: "fuck you wankers then, he's got a tailwind, I'll catch him myself." Especially given he was the defending winner, you should ride like that in a race you won the previous year.
Now would someone post up an article on who this Langeveld fellow is? I know he's a Dutchman, yet I haven't heard peep out of Frank about this yet. I know three things 1)He won Het Volk with a fantastic Rule V ride, 2) He's Dutch, and 3) He ride for Robabank. Oh, and 4) That's the last he'll factor in this spring.
@Marko
Is he one for the young lasses? Had not heard that but I suppose it would not surprise me (but he is STILL a cycling Merckx in my mind!)
@Marko
Forget about the Dutch - they aint that much.
It's the Aussies that deserve the attention - a win and a podium - ever since you asked that question Marko...
@Buck Rogers
Tommeke loves the young ones - dunno whether he still has her, but a few years back he was tracking square with the 17yo daughter of a very rich Belgie industrialist. 17 and rich. What's not to like about that?
@Marcus
The man's moving up in my book! :)
@frank
It would be hilarious to see a race come down to a sprint between Flecha and Leif Hoste. Somehow they would probably both find a way to lose.
Gilbert will pull that off, one of these years, and it will be a thing of beauty if it even approaches this one.
You guys have got to calm down. Dating 17 year olds with money to buy your drug of choice is a great move. Lay off Boonen, seems like he has it down to me.
I second (or third? fourth?) how bad Flecha looks on a bike. Both days I thought to myself while watching, "That guy just doesn't look so good on a bike." I wish it were just the black shoes and invisible socks, but I think it goes beyond this. Just looks like he's fighting it all the time, never smooth.
Yeah, I'm intrigued by the neon green gloves of Stijn as well.
The Cervelo-Garmin & Sky kits are already starting to bother me. They are too damn close. I like black as well, but Sky has too much for me.
Good weekend of racing. Spring is in the air, at least in the mind of a Velominatus.
RE: Boonen - I meant constantly bringing up his wee problem with snorting white powders. Dating 17 year olds with money shows his true class.