Kirchen_75 wrote:
If you dont like the race, dont watch it. Nobody forces you to watch it.
Never said I didn't like the race???
It wasn't aimed solely at you, to all those who are moaning above. Ardennes classics will rarely be thrilling races. You just gotta accept it.
In the 90s they were usually the most exciting of all the spring classics, with usually one or two just fighting for victory at the end or a small group of about six riders fighting it out. The peloton was usually long dropped as the favourites had normally got into the winning move.
Well there was a big reason why the 90's were like that so I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for that to happen again.
I agree with Kirchen, these races are meant to be tactical, tight races and Flèche is always going to be about the final climb so I really can't see what people are complaining about, seems like after almost every race on the forum people complain it was boring, i think fan romanticise the past and in a few years will do so with the current races and bemoan how boring the races on at a time.
Hells 500 Crew and 6 x Everester
Don Rd Launching Place
Melbourne Hill Rd Warrandyte
Colby Drive Belgrave South
William Rd The Patch
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Movistar wrote:
Did the addition of the climb before the Huy make the race worse this year? Seemed that guys were just completely dead.
I don't think it made much of a difference, I think once the other riders realised they couldn't drop Valverde and he was just marking time that it stopped them going earlier.
Hells 500 Crew and 6 x Everester
Don Rd Launching Place
Melbourne Hill Rd Warrandyte
Colby Drive Belgrave South
William Rd The Patch
David Hill Rd Monbulk
Lakeside Drive Emerald https://www.everesting.cc/hall-of-fame/
Movistar wrote:
Did the addition of the climb before the Huy make the race worse this year? Seemed that guys were just completely dead.
I don't think it made much of a difference, I think once the other riders realised they couldn't drop Valverde and he was just marking time that it stopped them going earlier.
Probably correct, I honestly love this race because since I am not able to watch it live, I can catch the last 10km when I get home and the Huy is usually awesome but damn was it just a procession this year.
Be curious to hear what some the riders have to say, though I doubt we will get much honesty.
Still dont understand a moaning about how boring races have these days.
I think think you all now why races at 90's and until 2009 was different.
Today riders do not have energy to attack several times..and go after hopeless long solo ride.
It was about 15 years ago when they decided that football is boring..lets make goals bigger to get more goals.
Same here ..banning a race radios etc. wont help a thing. It is top game team sport..and this is the reason I like it. If you dont like race winner..it is not cycling fault. Enjoy. Damn it.
I enjoy races Guido, just not Valverde winning. But i disagree with the race radios thing, i would bet that banning them would make racing much more unpredictable and more out of control for strong teams...
Riis123 wrote:
How hypocritical are you allowed to be, sutty? Believing in marginal gains and basically sucking Sky's ass while hating Valverde because he doped...
Just the best rider in the peloton for these races. Doing it for 10 years and being better than evaaah. Loving it
Innocent until proven guilty i think is the saying and until Team Sky are found guilty in anything its all just gossip, but if they were to be found doing something wrong then i will hold my hands up and say i was wrong but until then they are clean in my eyes !!
Valverde really did own that climb - no-one was really that close to him. The closest was young Aliphillipe, really interesting to see a youngster mixing it up with the usual grizzled veterens.
I guess when you have such a wall at end, it is difficult to see any other way Fleche goes. I have many doubts that LBL will be any better really - i wish some more teams who didn't have out and out favourites would try something different as Lotto and guys like Nibali do.
Riis123 wrote:
Just the best rider in the peloton for these races.
I don't think I can agree with that. Looking at the 3 big Ardennes races here, Valverde only has 5 wins. Gilbert also has 5 wins, but can add 2x Lombardia and a rainbow jersey.
But Valverde is closer to wins almost anytime and more consistent than Gilbert. He's the best puncheur around, easy.
Actually, a bit of a shame that he lost to Kwiatek on the Cauberg, we could talk about another ardennes triple, which would be like the only thing that would make me excited for La Snooze Doyenne right now.
Edited by Shonak on 23-04-2015 13:33
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Riis123 wrote:
Just the best rider in the peloton for these races.
I don't think I can agree with that. Looking at the 3 big Ardennes races here, Valverde only has 5 wins. Gilbert also has 5 wins, but can add 2x Lombardia and a rainbow jersey.
It is fair to say, that from those 5 wins, three are part of the thing known as "Ibarguren triple". Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 23-04-2015 13:36
It's a tough call.
I'd say, people will remember Gilbert 2011 season as legendary. But Valverde will hold a bigger name overall, I think.
Though a World Title eludes him, and Gilbert has got that.
Riis123 wrote:
Just the best rider in the peloton for these races.
I don't think I can agree with that. Looking at the 3 big Ardennes races here, Valverde only has 5 wins. Gilbert also has 5 wins, but can add 2x Lombardia and a rainbow jersey.
It is fair to say, that from those 5 wins, three are part of the thing known as "Ibarguren triple".
Riis123 wrote:
Just the best rider in the peloton for these races.
I don't think I can agree with that. Looking at the 3 big Ardennes races here, Valverde only has 5 wins. Gilbert also has 5 wins, but can add 2x Lombardia and a rainbow jersey.
It is fair to say, that from those 5 wins, three are part of the thing known as "Ibarguren triple".
Are you suggesting Valverde was clean 2006-2009?
No, he's not. Good Guy Shonak defends the honour of the fair maiden Avin Wargunnson. <3
Avin Wargunnson wrote:
Meh, i cant withstand Valverde.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
In the past two years, the race has been decided in the climb to Liège. And honestly, I expect the same to happen again. Looking at the route of LBL, two climbs imediatelly spring to us, the cycling fans, minds: the La Redoute, and Saint-Nicolas. The first is one of the hardest climbs of the race, and it's where the real race starts, where the men get separated from the boys. And the second is the last climb of the day before hitting the finish line. The second should provide fireworks for the riders, if they're looking to attack, and to avoid a sprint finish up Liège, like the last two years. Hopefully they'll attack, even if it will only probably be the second-mans from the teams. After two rather boring classics, we're expecting a great one, to salvage the Ardennes, who once again, are beeing overshadowed by the Cobbled classics. So, hopefully, Liège can save us from that, and we can have a true Ardennes classic.
Startlist
Startlist Analysis
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Alejandro Valverde
Valverde dominated in the Huy and enters as the man to beat in LBL
Alejandro Valverde showed that he still has it, as he dominated, mid-week, in the Mur de Huy. Always riding at the front, indimating the bunch, then he gave the final kick and shadowed everyone to win again on the Huy. And tomorrow, he'll look to win again in Liège. If Valverde has had his lessons learned from last year, he's not going to let everything come to finish line, to avoid getting beaten again on the line. Alejandro is the main favourite, but that can also work against him. He will be marked, and he will have to be not only the strongest, which I think he'll be, but also the smartest to win.
The World Champion won one, and disappointed in the other. But LBL fits him, so can he win a double?
Michal won Amstel, and if that's to live by, he can win LBL too. Why? Well, the Cauberg is a hard climb, so is the climb to Liège. LBL has usually finished in a sprint between the strongest. Amstel finished with a big group sprint, which Michal won. See the similarities? Well, but mid-week, Michal's race wasn't good. He entered with such a poor position in the Mur he disapeared mid-climb, and finish outside the top 30. If he rides like in Amstel, he can certainly win it. If he rides like in Flèche, he won't win it for sure. Luckilly, for Etixx, they have Julian Alaphilippe to trust in case Michal fails.
You might call I'm beeing biased here, but be with me. Costa finished 4th in Amstel, a race that doesn't fit him. He powered up the Huy most of the pack, and dropped a good bunch of people before the more explosive riders came to the front. And then, he's one of the smartest riders out there. If the race provides to him, he can certainly take it. And if guys like Valverde, Gerrans or Kwiatek decide to wait too long to go for it, and if a guy like Costa is in front, it will be hard to catch it.
Alejandro Valverde
Michal Kwiatkowski
Rui Costa
Domenico Pozzovivo
Tony Gallopin
Simon Gerrans
Philippe Gilbert
Sergio Henao
Bauke Mollema
KREUZIGER, Roman (TINKOFF-SAXO) 
MARTIN Daniel
IGLINSKIY Maxim
SCHLECK Andy
