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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@frank
He wrote himself in indelible ink onto the list of Permanent Fuckwit Riders when he pulled that "arrow" victory salute at his Tour win.
But I think his song should be "I'm a Catalan on Cobbles" sung to Sting's Englishman in New York. A shit song too.
So much better to be talking about real racing than that other crap!
Alright, signed off yesterday and didn't get a chance to sign on until today and I miss ALL the fun!
So, for tomorrow:
1.Boonen
2.Gilbert
3.Thor
4.Boom
5.Roulston
Was traveling for the past two days, completely forgot about the race and I just got home. Half past midnight, drinking an Eggenberg beer from the town I just visited, and about the watch the last 10 km. Awesomeness.
Alright, who can read lips? What are Flecha and Langeveld saying to each other at the 4 km mark?
Woah, and just watched a short, but awesome, interview with Freddy Maartens. He said his toughest moment on a bike was crashing and breaking his arm in the Giro when he was leading. Then his boss, the Flandrian head, wanted him to start the Tour de Suisse eight days later.
I'd never heard that story. Wow, that's a demanding boss, eh.
on another note, I was watching a bit of video youtube from PEZ on the Giro of Sardinia, in Italian. The announcer kept saying DiLuca this, Diluca that...I'm thinking they are talking about some past edition but no, there he is in his little Katusha kit, at the front, like he belongs there.
I'm so sick of these guys; EPO, CERA, lifetime ban. They have no place in the peloton. Especially Diluca, he is already a habitual offender.
I really thought I heard the Italian announcer say Schumacher too, please tell me this is not possible. At least Ricco proved he is a complete and utter idiot.
Boonen wants to reclaim his lost race yesterday.
Boom wants to finally win a classic.
Maaskant was close yesterday, but he fell and Flecha made his move that exact moment. He wants his revenge.
I don't know who else will be there, but keep an eye on these three.
Frank, I'm starting to realise that your weird prejudices against various riders automatically makes me like them even more.
And Marcus, the bow and arrow salute was creative genius - who wants boring same-same arms in the air every time?
Spose u liked Cav's phone home salute too?
Succinct
@Oli Brooke-White
How much time do you think these blokes would devote to devising a new salute? Would it be the night before - "mmm, now IF I win tomorrow what shall I do? Everyone does the both hands in the air thing, sooo last century. Liked Clenbutador's pistol, same theme.....I know, bow and arrow, fuckin' genius!" as they drift off into sleep or at the moment they're crossing the line " OMG, OMG, OMG, I've won OMG, OMG, OMG what am I gonna do? hands, no, pistol, shit, rockin' the cradle, shit...." all in about 10 nano seconds.
Now if it's while crossing the line at the critical moment, brain only focused on the V just delivered, then some can be forgiven. An unhealthy amount of time devoted to a tosser's salute, fail.