I thought I’d take this opportunity to move en danseuse on Rule #89 and to refer to Liege-Bastogne-Liege by its less-common Flemish name. It also draws into sharp relief that fact that while Dutch may be every bit as expressive and subtle as French, it certainly sounds less sexy.
Some races seem to foster a romanticism that other races of equal difficulty simply can’t match. Sometimes it is due to the parcours of the event, but many times it has to do with its history and the tales of superhuman effort that capivate our imaginations and builds on itself. The last few editions of this event have left something to be desired in terms of its legend, with the event falling to riders with less-than-pristine records. But that probably only means we’re due for another epic, so buckle in. Perhaps snow is in the forecast, or perhaps the hearts of the early break foil the computers dictating the pace to the field and it stays away. Or perhaps we wind up with a nail-biting sprint finish between the big names. One thing is for sure; the final of this race is perhaps the most difficult of any race on the calendar, with a combination of kilometers and climbs taking its pound of flesh from any who venture towards the line.
La Doyenne is a monument, and as such the winner of this event will win the customary symbol pack and earn the right to comment for the remainder of the season with the LBL Winner’s comment badge. Check the start list, watch the countdown timer, and try not to Delgado this beautiful race. Bon chance.
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@ChrisO
c'mon, don't be so cynical. Iglinsky may not have doped.
He might have won it Kazakh-style by simply buying the win.
Disclaimer: I love Vino. Sorry Vino.
@JC Belgium
I think @ChrisO says it very well here; whether Boonen is on the juice or not, he has now been at the top for a decade by my count, with a steady rise up. He'd won three Roubaix, two RVV's, a Worlds, the green jersey, and races in every season and in (almost) every stage race I can think of. His amazing season my have been fueled by something, but this is not a case of incredible transformation.
The Astana team's rise this spring was, on the other hand, astounding, to say nothing of their winning riders. They came out of nowhere, when their team has already had a positive test and in the midst of reports of new drugs being around.
Personally, the doping thing is very complicated, and it's hard to find a line to stand on with the matter. In the end, for me, what bothers me is the donkeys into thoroughbreds thing and riders who perform like this. How much time did he take on nibbles in the last 5km? Was it 45 seconds? Whatever it was, it was a lot to take out of one of the best riders in the world.
@ChrisO
J-Rod has really only been *this* good for two seasons. And his rise was quite sudden, if I'm not mistaken. But a few more years and I'll change my tune; for now, though, he's a bit Chiapuccian. Another rider I loved, by the way. (accusing someone of doping is not the same as saying I dislike the rider.)
@Marcus
I didnt like Veinos LBL win, but I like that doping little fuck as well. He's got panache and loads of V. And we all know you can't dope for V - that stuff comes from the heart.
@frank
JRod's potential was recognized before he broke out; the problem for him was that he was toiling in Piti's shadow at Caisse d'Epargne. Given their overlapping characteristics, it's no wonder he wasn't getting results. Having said that, I have a hunch that he doesn't naturally have the engine to win monument-length races. But that's nothing more than speculation on my part.
@frank
How much time did he take on nibbles in the last 5km? Was it 45 seconds? Whatever it was, it was a lot to take out of one of the best riders in the world.
Yeah it was but Nibbles bonked. There was a big bunch only 15s behind him.
@Frank
With J Rod I wouldn't put the house on him - anyone who rode with Saunier-Duval and Caisse d'Epagne in the last 10 years has to be looked at carefully, and obviously Katusha is now added to the list.
Having said that, I wouldn't say he had made a sudden rise from nowhere. He's got pretty consistent Ardennes form going back through to 2008, four top 10 finishes at grand tours, three Vuelta mountain jerseys and a bronze in the world championships.
In fact I'd almost say it suggests he's not doping - if he had been then he would probably have done even better.
We should just assume that anyone who ever wins a race must be on the juice, and the rest of the field is squeaky clean.
@Oli
Unless the winner is Belgian - because then they're obviously at one with the V.
@Oli
Comic value of your post aside, I fixed a technicality with it.
And here we get into the greasy underbelly of Cycling as entertainment (not sport): with a lack of evidence showing decreasing speeds, I think we have to assume the juice is still flowing. So then it comes back to Fignon's beautiful statements about drugs "then" and drugs "now" - in his day, there were drugs that could win someone a race, but there were no drugs that could turn a domestique into a champion. Modern drugs do that, and that bothers me.
I like watching two riders fight for a win; I like for them to show weakness, and to overcome it. I like to see them battle and have one come out the winner. I don't like to see a rider just walk away with a win without having to really suffer to get it. Its hard to see from television, of course, but thats what makes great racing for me.
In the end, I prefer that they don't dope, but I'm not a Pro, I'm not in the environment, and I know enough about drug testing to know a lack of positive tests doesn't mean they're clean. Those things all tell me I can't comment or make a judgement on whether they are doping, clean, or what. I can only judge the quality of the racing.
Moving past LBL, Roubaix is a great example. Faboo won a few years back in similar style to Boonen, but in my view, Boonen's win was fantastic and Faboos was lame. Part of that is my preference for Boonen, but part is also the fact that Boonen struggled - he didn't make much ground up for much of the break and even lost ground on the Carrefour secteur. It wasn't until the riders behind decided they'd been beaten and started racing for 2nd place that he opened up a big gap. Faboo, for all his strength, just rode away - kept opening a bigger gap, and the race was over. It wasn't exciting racing. Boonen's win was nailbiting to the end, depsite the longer breakaway.
@frank
Boonen may have lost time at Carrefour (I thought he gained there?) but he eked out seconds on almost every other secteur - on the whole his time was stable on the tarmac and the gap opened every time he hit the cobbles, although I agree with you the gap did open up at the end there when the chasers realised they weren't catching him.
I don't see how that makes Cancellara's win "lame" though, even though I understand your "logic". I am getting used to your oddly fanciful way of viewing racing though.
@frank
Disagree. The race was over as soon as Boonen went. No more suspense. All over. Same as Fab, but we all know he had a motor to help.