Velominati Super Prestige: Gent – Wevelgem 2016
Deinze – Wevelgem really but Gent sounds correct, like Het Volk. Last year’s windy wet edition was a pretty awesome race except Luca Paolini won it wearing tights (FFS!?) and maybe high on Italian marching powder. Riders were leaning into the wind and being blown off the road. It was awesome to watch maybe not so awesome to race.
Tony Martin will be lining up as he prepares for a Spring Classics campaign. If you have Ronde van Vlaanderen dreams you best ride this and see how the gun prep has gone. Tomeke, Faboo, it should be a proper battle.
Here is the start list and it is impressive. Let us hope the Belgian weather is true to form. The prize list is equally impressive and after that weird Milan-Sanremo finish, no VSP savants are crushing it yet. So do some stretches, limber up, if you need to unload some bad choices (H. Haussler), get those out of your system now before the real races begin.
To review:
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Must factor in Belgian B
onus, I reckon…
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…unless Demare gets a tow
up the Kemmelberg, in which case this will be my last VSP
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Belgians back to the fore in Belgium, except for GVA who is looking a week or two ahead. Boonen well inside the top ten to give himself hope, hopefully not falsely, ahead of Flanders and Roubaix. Gaviria to win big this season, but not over this course, much less a Monument. Perhaps.
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These boys don’t want a bunch sprint. Hopefully the weather makes this a day for the strong.
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pulling GVA for boonen, news says he is ill.
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2 things: Haussler’s a baller, no bad pick IMHO. Also, a workmate suggested Paolini’s coke may have been from a blood bag that he filled during the offie, and got sprung for after re-infusing. No place for scurrilous gossip quite like the interweb, is there
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Time to swap out GVA if you’ve got him in your picks!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/greg-van-avermaet-out-of-e3-harelbeke-due-to-illness/
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Ah, FUCK! Not enough Espresso yet. He is out of E3 but still riding Ghent. Sorry all!
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just holding my spot. Don’t know what I want to change yet.
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@Buck Rogers
Yeah, i already pulled him, was leaning towards Boonen anyways, this was just the last straw.
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Really looking forward to this one — loved, loved, loved last year’s edition (and thanks for posting the highlights video above). Now that I’m getting back into racing, I’m hoping for good showings, but a great consolation prize would be to become a solid reader-of-races and decent amateur road captain. Luca was a bit of an inspiration on that.
Godspeed to Taylor Phinney! Hoping to see good stuff from him in his Classics campaign.
In case my picks don’t display: Van Avermaet, Sagan, Cancellara, Stybar, Vanmarcke.
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Team list change, Van Avermaet has a dicky tummy.
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@JohnB
Or an excuse to rest today and be REALLY on form tomorrow???
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@Buck Rogers
That too but I’m banking on him targeting Flanders and building to that.
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I kow it is E3 and not G-! but what about Stuyven??? What a fucking Stud! That dude is the real deal and I imagine we’ll be seeing A LOT more of him over the next 5-10 years.
E3 is turning out to be a CRACKER of a race today!!!
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Fecking Brilliant! I love the way Sagan races. He and Kawasaki (stole that from a cyclingnews quote form earlier today–cannot remember who said it) just exchange a word and drill it with 30 k’s to go. Will they make it to the finish? I seriously doubt it but at least they are willing to try and die! Fuck YES!!!
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Hope that this race season brings the Belgian public some much needed entertainment and respite from the awful events earlier this week. Imagining a strong showing from the Belgian riders!
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Watching E3 has me so freakin’ excited for GW. I think the classics specialist will be crushing the sprinter’s and hopes and dreams on the burgs!
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The weather is going to be bad again…
Let’s go for:
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This should be fun.
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Tweaked my picks.
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Subject to change…
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Apparently you have to be in it, to win it – so that’s Thomas out then :)
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Hmmmmm.
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DANGIT! I got in early and then Van Avermaet gets ill and pulls out of E3. Even if he’s racing on Sunday, I can’t see him winning it if he’s recovering from illness and/or dosed up on antibiotics.
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Making changes
:
Terp
Benoot
Sep
Stybar
Debusschere
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Switching in Stuyve
n because he is FUCKING awesome! Dude pulls, and then helps Sparty pull, gets dropped, makes his way back and ends up 5th today. Dude rocks!
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Change of line-up
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Thinking the break won’t stick and it’ll be for the remaining sprinter. Also thinking the big guns are keeping their powder dry for Flanders and Roubaix. Hoping Boonen works a little for Gaviria.
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