Winning one Monument in a career is more than most Pros will ever achieve. Winning two in a season, nearly impossible. Winning two a week apart, it has been done more than a few times, by only the toughest of men. The Ronde and Roubaix both have cobbles but that is about all they have in common. Roubaix might be the harder one to win. The evil Lady Luck lurks on the Roubaix course. Flats and crashes are more likely on the farm tracks of Northern France, helpful team cars can be minutes away. Granted, Miss Luck does like to install errant road furniture and roll loose bidons in feed zones in Ronde van Vlaanderen, and that is a cause for concern for some riders.
A paceline, drafting, hiding behind teammates all fall apart on the cobbled secteurs of Roubaix. The ability to hit the cobbled secteurs with the throttle jammed fully open again and again and again is what separates the beasts from everyone else. Speed on these stones is only sustainable by having huge power and a Roger De Vlaeminck ability to ride over the cobbles. It’s like riding your bike through sand; only power keeps the bike moving forward. If you ease up, you don’t go. Tom Boonen is the perfect example of power and ability and he has a mighty sprint. Who could even stay on his wheel to arrive in the velodrome for a sprint? Oh Tommy, you will be missed this year.
Historical perspective? I don’t think so, not here, not now. Paris-Roubaix is coming on like a freight train. Fabian Cancellara is halfway to the double, again. And unless some Johan Vansummeren break gets away… how did Boonen do it last year? He didn’t have to worry about towing everyone up the road, he just hauled ass, dropped everyone and rode away solo. That should work for Fabian. It doesn’t work on the route into Sanremo but it will work on the way to Roubaix. No wee Simon Gerrans will be riding in his slipstream all the way to the velodrome.
Who you want to pick for second through fifth place in the VSP tomorrow is your business. This is a lock I’m telling you. Bet everything you have. That college tuition your Dad gave you to hand over to the bursar, double it down somewhere, this is easy money. This is the double.
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@mcsqueak
Kind of like what happened in T/A a couple weeks back: the race organizers have decided PR isn't quite hard or exciting enough, so let's add zombies. It'll bring up the ratings too.
Entire house on Faboo - dead cert
.....but then this is Paris Roubaix
- I'll be more nervous waiting for something to go wrong than for an exciting race to unfold
I can't help but have a flashback to last year's Ronde when I was at a friend's house getting frites ready and preparing for some serious sitting on the couch with a tripel and yelling at the TV in faux-french.
And then the unthinkable happened.
One of the most unpleasant beers I've ever had.
But he's making up for it wit last weekend's powerhouse TT and probably a similar display this weekend.
But then again... this is Roubaix, bets are never certain.
Speaking of picks 2 - 5, I've been having a look at the start list and it will not be an easy decision. A bunch of guys that might finish in the top ten. Who knows?
Boonen is the only guy awesome enough to make those horrible aero helmets look halfway decent. What class he has!
Wee Simon Gerrans? Ahem, I'm exactly the same size/weight as him, so I enjoy watching how he rides. And, I'd like to point out that I consider myself to be on the edge of wee, right in the Medium Sized Man zone.
Sunday is coming damn fast, huh? I'm already feeling a bit sad though that all this spring racing is winding down. Oh well, the Giro looms.
Who has any idea what is up with Hushovd? And Tyler Farrar. They both seem like half the riders they used to be. I know riding at the top for any sustained period is very, very difficult, but I'm still confused by how fast both have seemed to fade.
@unversio
He looks the balls in that photo. It's a weird helmet from the side but from the front Tommeke looks like a superhero, ffs.
@Ron
OK, wee in a relative sense. Fabs is a big boy, 181lbs, 82.2 kg, He is only 10+ pounds lighter and twenty times more powerful than I am. 82 kg is very big for a pro cyclists and amazing he can drop everyone on the bergs. The Man!
(Sammy Davis, Jr. voice) Hey... Fabs babe. If you must wear a helmet over your cap -- or a cap under your helmet -- then make sure thine helmet touches the top of the brim daddy. Tighten up that gap man. Do you dig it?
@unversio
Because those lines deserve a visual.