Ok, ok, settle down now people. Take your seats please. You’re all a little bit on edge, like some cycling Gamblers Anonymous group that’s been let out for the weekend with a pocket full of bills and the name of the nearest bookie. But in your excitement, you managed to crash our server, delaying the fix you so desperately crave.
But wait no more. You’ve warmed up on the gateway races, now it’s time for the hard stuff, as grimy, rough and unadulterated as the roads of Flanders themselves.
You see, there’s this bloke I know who knows a bloke, hangs around the Velominati bike sheds, seems to know a bit about the racing game. Reckons he’s got a sure bet for the weekend. A cert. A dead-set shoo-in. Number 1 in Race 3 of the VSP at Flanders. Fella reckons you could put your left one on it. Absolutely Faboolous or something he’s called. He’s got form (and, judging by the way he shelled the nags on last week’s card, possibly a motor). But word is there could be a late plunge on the other fella, Boom Boom Boy, so maybe a bob each way might be the way to go. I’d watch out for those not-so-roughies though, the likes of Gilbert, Devolder, Ballan and Thor will be waiting to pick up any leftover chaff and could steal away the win, leaving you as frustrated as a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest.
So what’s it gonna be then? Take the sure thing, or the other sure thing, or throw a dart at the board and hope it sticks? It’s time to study the form guide, search the dark recesses of your soul, throw out any logic, and pencil in your picks on the ticket provided at the bottom of the comments. Whether you’re canny, savvy or just plain tinny, the coveted Obey The Rules bumper sticker is waiting. Is your bumper worthy?
The only thing for certain is that bicycle racing will be the winner on the day.
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View Comments
@Buck Rogers
I'm with you (albiet with slightly less punctuation) - with Tomeke METERS behind, I can't understand anyone giving him the green light to work. In a a 3-man group, having one person breaking the rhythm would have put Boonen at the front in Merebeke. I'm sure of it. But that's racing; it was super risky to wait til the last moment like that, and that's that.
Today proved that bike racing is so unpredictable. Fuck, I love this sport.
Note: A Walloon speaking Flemmish sounds weird. GIlbert is getting interviewed on the Flemish feed.
@Steampunk
Boonen did not quite have it on the bergs but DAMN when he finally decided to come off of Ballan's wheel with 700 meters to go he closed pretty quickly. I still wonder if Chav had not pulled at all in those final 3k's ... but then again, what a race!!! Cannot wait for my group ride this afternoon!!!
As if the race wasn't exciting enough, it's pure awesomeness that so many Fellow Followers are all pumped up from just watching that race.
G'phant - fuck, you're a Hardman! Stay up all night watching races and only catch a few hours of sleep. Good man, good man.
I have all Sunday in front of me. Just back to the U.S. after eight weeks abroad & I haven't been out for a ride yet. Supposed to be high 60s and sun today. Ooh, boy!
Enjoy your post-race euphoria, lads.
That's about as good as it gets no?
@Steampunk
Agreed. Seems like that final 10-15k was perfectly suited to the "well rounded" team. Thor attacks on the Bosberg, Heino goes up the road with Gilbert, T-Bone in the sprint. All these different combos we've been reading about and Garmvelo does shit. WTF, not one of those blokes anywhere to be seen in the selection. American football teams that are stacked like that and then lose get coaches fired all the time.
@Nate
Get in touch with @G'Phant. He'll send you loads of Flemish bootleg DVDs.
@G'Phant - got them Friday, been watching them ever since. RAD.
@Marko
Agree completely. I was surprised to hear Vaughters tell those guys not to work...you can't expect to sit in and have that work out. BMC did the lions share - I would have loved to see Hinkey pull something together, but alas I think his dream will go unfulfilled.
It would have been great to see Boonen take it, but he just didn't have the guns on the bergs; Roubaix will be interesting. Faboo's confidence shaken, Boonen strong at the end, unpredictability of racing prevails. LOVE.IT.
@Steampunk
Seriously! I love Garmin but they have an uncanny ability to under deliver every single time. They better step it up for the TDF and get a stage this year.
What. A. Race!! Absolutely awesome.
Can't say I liked Vaughters' call, but I reckon it was the right one - if Farrar & Thor couldn't go make the final selection without pulling, what would pulling have done for them?
I'm not sure Chavanel even knows how to ride for other blokes! Or conversely he was shamed into taking a turn having surfed the Fabian wave for quite a time. Either way, he did at the wrong time, and lost out.
Triffic stuff!
Big props to Staf Scheirlinckx. That must have been the ride of a lifetime. Guy must have found himself in the selection and just kept going.
Chavanel did spend a lot of time looking over his shoulder waiting for Boonen to materialize. And it wasn't clear that if Boonen did reconnect he wouldn't be dragging half that second group with him. For his part, you have to figure that Chav was probably the freshest of the trio, and you can see the team car telling him to go for it at that stage. I wonder, too, if Nuyens didn't cut into his line during the sprint; Chavanel seemed to pull up more than once in the final 100m.
Garmin-Cervelo: Vaughters's tweets are coming in fast, furious, and defensive. He sounds pretty pissed. At critics. But probably riders, too. I joined the feed at 65km left; where on earth was Haussler?