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
@frank
Even not knowing the language, the Flemish announcer counting down the seconds as the gap closed below 20s as they entered the Muur was pretty exciting.
What does anyone make of Chavanel giving Cancellara a little slingshot 2km before the end?
Looking at the last kms again, it does seem Chavanel would rather quickly downshift if he found himself in the front and waited for Boonen until the last possible moment.
I've put a shitload of commitment behind the GarVelo squad (one or more of their riders in each VSP race this season) and I've received no return on my investments. Haussler isn't on form yet. Thor is a marked man. Farrar might have the goods, but I don't see it yet.
Watch me leave all of them out of next week's picks and the fuckers sweep the podium. Grrrrr.
@Steampunk
Agreed 100%. He was the strongest rider of the race. Just not on the smartest team.
@Ron
Nothing was filed and technically I think it was by the book, but yeah - Nuyens definitely deviated from his line and impeded Chav. Was is worth regulating? Probably not, it seemed pretty much like he was just sprinting and moved and that shit happens. It's hard to go straight when you're going cross-eyed with effort. But, I agree - Chav was going faster and like @Steampunk points out - really was the man of the day.
Still, per team tactics, with how fresh Chav was and how strong Tomeke still appeared, there was some seriously flawed logic in the car.
Re: JV
The move to not let his riders work makes sense from a tactical standpoint, but not from a "winning" stand point - or, as we phrase it here, from the V view. Sure, it might not make sense to work when you're outnumbered, but you're just guaranteeing that you'll lose. I love riding for the joy of riding a bike, but racing is about two things and two things only: first: good sportsmanship and fair play, and second: winning.
The rest is ancillary.
@Nate
I pray to Merckx that JV reads that. It's not that his decision was that bad - it was just lacking vision and resigned to losing. That's all. And I was to see those boys win. Matty White made the same mistake at Le Tour last year on Stage 2. You have to fight, fight, fight. End of.
Ha! One of the great expressions is that a climb will "hit you on the hips". Such a great description of what a steep climb feels like. Love it. The other great expression is, "eternally a tooth less" meaning, whenever you feel yourself get comfortable, you drop it into a smaller cog and lay down some more V. These Belgians know about bike racing.
Gold! Best. Assessment. Ever.!
Wow, what a race! And second place in the super prestige too! I was wrong with the winner but can't complain, the race was wide open when cancellara was cuaght on the muur, would have loved for gilbert's attack to have stuck, what a racer!
good stuff.
@frank
We're starting to beat a dead horse (which is one of my real strengths), but who were the smarter teams? Credit Nuyens, naturally, for finding a way to win, but was that a Riis master plan or did Nuyens just have the wherewithal to be in the right place at the right time? If Cancellara was cramping from lack of food and dehydration, then surely that's a team fault, no? Quick Step was a good several steps up on Garmin-Cervelo. BMC had good numbers toward the end, but did even less with them. I can appreciate that second and fourth would be a bit disappointing, but bad/not smart strategy or just a bit of bad luck? The lone error I can see is that Boonen was strong, then weak, then strong, which made it difficult to ascertain whether or not he could actually go for the win. But is that a team error?
And after seeing this race unfold and some seemingly poor efforts from some riders/teams we thought would do well, how hard is PR going to be to pick next weekend!
@anotherdownunder
This is what my mind will be consumed with most of the week.
Maybe, just maybe, if BMC can keep their poop in a group long enough and lady luck shows up, it'll be Georgie's year at P-R. To Merckx I pray.
@Steampunk
That's a good point - who's fault is that? In a well-drilled team, Boonen should have told them he was not strong enough and made a clear decision and let Chav go - or say, I have the legs, so drop the fuck back and help me bridge up. Boonen's fault or the Teams, one of them should have been clear in their decision and moved forward to win - because they could have won with either one of them had they stayed disciplined to the end.
Ultimately, I see it as a team mistake; you either bet the farm on one guy and do it all for that rider, or you let the guy who's best-positioned in the race get the support and let him focus on what's important - winning - rather than looking around to see if his leader is coming up or not.
When you try to have the best of both worlds, you end up with 2nd and 4th.