Finally, we have Milan-Sanremo. I hope pedale.forcetta is ready to shoot some pictures, especially black and white because it will be cold and possibly wet. Throw in a little wind and a race of this distance will weed out the less hardy. Recently, but not too recently, this race would be won out of a decent size field sprint. And yet, besides Fabs winning in 2008 it does come down to a sprint finish of some size. That race was setting up for a field sprint when Cancellara bolted and no one could catch him. The solo charge to the finish just doesn’t seem to work here. It is such an interesting race because the finish is unlike any of the other monuments. Moreno Argentin lost the race because he was not as good as descender as Kelly. Getting down the Cipressa and Poggio well is not easy. The descents are tight narrow Italian roads, hairpin turns, madness. Fabs and Sagan are two excellent descenders and Sagan has a killer sprint. NIbali just won Terreno. Thor has recovered. Boonen is back with Cavendish, on the same team! Gilbert is wearing the rainbow jersey. Andy Schleck has pre-dropped out. God Damnit, if you are going to get up at some weird hour of the night to watch a race this year, this is it people.
An American has never won one of cycling’s monuments and Sunday’s race does not seem to be where it is going to happen. Tyler Farrar would have to latch onto a special train and surely Cancellara will not be towing people to the line this year. The odds of Australian riders winning the last two editions were very long but it demonstrates how exciting and unpredictable this race is.
Here is the incomplete start list, it will be updated when available. No Delgados, no whining, the betting window is now open. Get you picks in before the countdown timer goes to zero at midnight Pacific Time. The winner of this event is awarded the MSR comment badge for the remainder of the season.
Here is a little video from last year, interesting more for the behind the scenes action and the amount of bleeped out cursing.
[vsp_results id=”22700″/]
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@Deakus
And obviously this then leads to the classic Velominati follow up to rule #5
what a beautiful MSR
its about time we had a nasty spring classic, this one fulfilled our deepest and darkest desires to have a sufferfest!
agree, Sagan was very good
I disagree though on Spartacus, riding like a wet napkin. Listen, it was Sagans to lose, right?? Cancellara was a marked man in Bianchi-strada, and Sagan sucked his wheel like crazy...and granted, Cancellara is defending it. I think Cancellara was playing it well, and demanding someone else share in the work, and sure, throw it if he has to like he did one Paris-Roubaix due to the wheelsuckers on his tail. So, it is a smart tactic I thought, and Sagan performed to task, and had he timed it better, I think Sagan could have won it.....
but oh well, Ciolek better enjoy this win.
I mean he did win it, but man, did he hang off the back of the grouppo or what, I may have missed it as I DVR'd it, but did he pull any?? I will see tonight hopefully
A-fuckin-MEN. Bit here is stolen from cyclingnews link about Stannard. A true hardman who will hopefully be given the reins come RVV and PR.
Super Stannard
Ian Stannard finished sixth in Milan-San Remo but the result explains little about his incredible performance. His day out front, on the attack with Sylvain Chavanel, his audacious surge on the Poggio and even his last do or die move in the final two kilometres showed his huge potential for when races become a battle between the hard men of the peloton.
While Edvald Boasson Hagen cracked in the cold and rain, and other Team Sky riders crashed and suffered, Stannard seemed to enjoy it more and more.
Whenever rain is forecast, Team Sky should make Stannard automatic team leader.
@Buck Rogers Wasn't it Stannard who came in 2nd in KBK a couple years ago to Traksel when only 30 dudes finished the race?
@Nate Yup.
A merckx on Stannard, a true hardman, he drilled it and really earned respect from the breakaway
I mean, when he had nothing in the tank, he was just plowing that 53x11 for all he was worth and nearly pulled it out
@Nate
Fucking LOVIN Stannard. Yeah, I think that he was actually 3rd in KBK during that freezing hurricane two years ago but it was just awesome! The guy is as hard as nails. There used to be a youtube vid of the KBK post-race interview with Stannard that I had on my favorites list so that I could watch it anytime I felt like being a nancy and not training but now I cannot find the vid anymore. All I can find is photos form the race.
Well, as long as it was a colon problem, you know, I completely understand.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lefevere-defends-boonens-decision-to-abandon-milan-san-remo
And what the fuck is up with that helmet that Boonen is wearing in the picture???
@Pedale.Forchetta
Well it's not great, but it's a damn sight better than the thing Wiggins had on the back of his bike a few months ago.
I'm turning a deaf ear to the Boonen-haters out there. The spring classics are his happy hunting ground. With luck, he gets P-R #5 this year. I doubt that will ever be bettered. The last thing he needs is a silly tumble on his dodgy elbow - or worse. Even though some favorites were up there at the end, the weather did make things a lottery. Boonen likes his P-R odds better than a slog through the snow and ice. Anyway, Chavanel and Cavendish were still racing and both finished top-10. That's a better result than any other single team.