Was Paris-Roubaix the best of the Spring Classics in 2013? Milan-Sanremo was amazingly photogenic, Ronde van Vlaanderen was inevitable but Roubaix was just about perfect. We all prefer the wet and gray “This weather is good for us” Roubaix yet this race’s drama transcended the fine spring day in the North of France. There is no better way to understand why they are pros and we are not as when one watches the leaders burn secteur after secteur in the 53 x 17. Humbling is not a strong enough word.
With fifty kilometers left to race it was obvious Cancellara was not in his usual soul crushing form. He was riding a few groups back and not even dominating his own little pack. It was not going to be the Double. He was just another mortal, with no teammates and a lot of young bucks looking to leave him in the dust…and yet.
After a massive match burning rage he was in the lead group of four along with Stybar, Vanmarke, Vandenbergh. Two of the four were Quick-Step teammates. They hammered away toward the end of the Carrefour secteur. Vanmarke and Vandenbergh both looked strong as hell. Had Fabian not bridged up with Stybar spinning for his life right behind, those two big lads were riding away.
When they exited Carrefour it was just Cancellara and Vanmarke.
The evil lady luck was there, not to be ignored. First tempting Vandenbergh to the right gutter, inches from the spectators. He wobbled and his front wheel clipped a civilian. He was on the stones. Zdenek Stybar, moments later spooked to the left gutter and spectators, maybe clipped out of his left pedal for a second. He stayed up but the elastic had snapped. Zednek needed a good draft to stay with those men and he had lost it.
I have many beautiful memories of this race. I know how to adapt to this race, and I like the challenges it poses from a technical point of view but you need the luck. Sometimes it’s like an individual time trial though and along with luck you need to be smart. -F. Cancellara
Evil lady luck was in the gutters on Sunday. Always ride the crown.
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@biggles You're mistaking sarcasm for concern, I'm not that gutted. Seriously, though, I'm a very well educated three year old.
As for foot temperature management, once it gets too cold for regular socks, I switch to merino wool - Defeet seem to do a couple of grades and my Castelli pair are a different thickness again so I've got a four options before I start messing around with overshoes. The wool wicks and regulates heat pretty well so I've never had a problem with getting it wrong and being to hot. When it gets to too cold with wool and overshoes, the more deficient aspects of my character will have already decided there are better things to do and have a good line in excuses ready.
Obviously, wearing them with dark footwear and without logos is better than the RST example above but by my logic, your mentioning that you do that, suggests that deep down you know it's wrong.
No to toe covers. They are just some marketing dude's fancy idea. Don't fall for it.
Call me Ginger but I'm with Biggles on this toe cover thing.
The yellow princesses for example have large amounts of ventilation and a toe cover serves to stop the worst of the cold coming through. Their advantage is that they are very easy to get on and don't make it more difficult to put one's shoes on.
I have found them particularly useful on a ride where you expect to start out cold but end up warm, like the longer rides we do in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Is there any evidence of them being tri-oriented ? We have more than our fair share of tri-tards but I can't say I've noticed them wearing toe covers.
@gingerO You've been hanging around with your mate Mark too long.
Anyway, now that you've turned pro you can get away with toe covers, an epms and frame mounted pumps.
Here's how to settle the "toe thingy" from a NASCAR perspective. A friend of mine from North Carolina related a story from high school when the P.E. teacher was trying to get a particular redneck student to do sit-ups. The student's response (best when down in a nice N.C drawl): "Dale Ernhardt don't do no sit-ups."
Eddy don't wear no toe thingies.
Spartacus don't wear no toe thingies.
Tomeke don't wear no toe thingies.
Fast Phil don't wear no toe thingies.
I rest my case.
@Cyclops
This is true, quite a few of the RST riders were wearing toe thingies at the Ronde but Faboo wasn't. Sagan was and he popped.
Faboo is probably smiling to himself having seen Sagan shifting to the ickle ring.
You guys are so cute talking about shoes and covers. Up here in the Great White North, we basically just screw the cleats into our bare feet.
ffs ! We are going off topic here troops, Gianni was saying be a real man and ride the crown, harden up and stay out the gutter, all agree. Toe covers - lame 'half-way house' for folk who cant make their minds up. Full neoprene or sweet 'eff all are the choices, or should be.
@ChrisO - The words "Abu Dhabi" and "cold" do not compute.
@Chris
See! Sagan looks like a small ring, two bottle, toe thingy pussy in that picture.
I still want to have his babies though.
I just noticed something else in that photo. It looks like the seat tube slits into two tube just above the BB. What gives?