Thanks guys, indeed strange sprint at OHN, check this one.
Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne
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K-B-K is the second belgian classic in two days and the route is similar to Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. But here the cobbled sections are not so many, although they are longer. Last 30-40 kilometres are completly flat and without cobbles, so we can expect the sprint of the pretty large group, it depends on weather and race speed also.
The startlist and Liquigas team are both completly the same today like yesterday, so all eyes on the cobbled heroes like Boonen, Cancellara, Ballan again. young gun Peter Sagan will try to improve his 4th place from OHN.
Welcome to Belgium for the second day in the row. The weather has completly changed and sun shined on the six breakaway riders who broke free from the peloton, with names like Wouter Poels and Simon Geschke. Not any great cobblers though. The max lead was 7 minutes.
Pictures from the most steep paved hill on the route show, that peloton was controlling the gap later in the race. Also we can see Liquigas sitting nicely near the front again.
With 20kms to go and break caught, all the cobbles were gone. But that did not prevented several riders from attacking. First was Vansummeren here on the picture, later Devolder, Ballan, Hushovd or cancellara, who seemed fine after his crash at OHN.
The attacks were brave, buth without result though...
Here breschel and Leukemans with another move, but now it was clear that winner of 2012 KBK will come from the mass sprint. Liquigas was ready for that with two man train Oss - Sagan in great position behing Hincapie. Boonen was further back in the group.
Right under the 1km to go banner, the battle for the win was still open. Hincapie was ready to lead out Hushovd perfectly, but Sagan stole that wheel,very smart. Hushovd had to make his way around Oss, who was still going strong after great work for Peter.
So who now, Sagan or Hushovd? Future or the past?
And it is Peter Sagan who won K-B-K 2012 with a powerful sprint! Hushovd came close, but than Peter turned the bigger gear and he was away. He celebrated his first win of the year with a nice gesture. Hincapie completed the podium after accidental leadout to his opponent. Oss finished 8th, great for him too.
The comment of Avin, the journalist noob
I am extremly happy that Peter was the strongest today, it was fantastic to see his enormous speed when he was going to the line. It seemd that great job from Oss and clever positioning later were the keys to success and first win of the year for national champion of Slovakia.
I had a chance to speak with him shortly after the race, i will prepare a little summary next week, before his racing in important month of March.
Thanks guys for the support, lets hope this was not last win for Peter for a long time.
Here are some promised news about other Liquigas results.
January + February Team Liquigas news
Peter Sagan is of course not the only rider in lime green colours, who can get interesting results, so we can talk now about how other group of riders did in January and February. I willl give you a brief summary of noteworthy results and also rankings at the end of February, because it is very pleasing to the eye.
Tour de San Luis Vincenzo Nibali - 3rd in GC
Tour Down Under Moreno Moser - 5th overall, white jersey, 1x stage win
GP Etruschi Fabio Sabatini - 3rd Moreno Moser - 9th
Vuelta a Mallorca Moreno Moser - 2nd overall, white jersey
Giro della Calabria Moreno Moser - 9th
Fabio Sabatini - 12th, 1x stage win
Volta ao Algarve Vincenzo Nibali - 2nd overall, points jersey, 1x stage win Moreno Moser - 3rd overall, white jersey, 1x stage win
GP di Lugano Vincenzo Nibali - 1st Moreno Moser - 2nd
As you can see, twe start of the season was very good from Liquigas and especially Nibali and Moser scored some great results. That is also reflected in rankings.
WT Rankings:
Liquigas rider Moreno Moser is fifth, thanks to his performances at Tour Down Under, of course the only WT race so far. Because of that Txurruka is on the top as the winer from Australia.
CQ Riders:
Moser on the top, after constatly great performances in the early season. Nibali is 7th and Sagan 18th
CQ Teams:
In the CQ team rankings, Liquigas is second behind ruling BMC. WT teams are so far above all the continental squads.
Victories riders:
Belgian veteran Nicko Eackhout is on the top of these rankings, with 4 wins, same amount as Mark Renshaw and R.Janse van Rensburg.
Victories teams:
Rensburg brothers solely brought their team to the third spot in teams victory ranking with 7 wins. First is Lotto and second is Sky, with 9 and 8 victories. Liquigas with nice 6th spot for 6 victories.Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 12-11-2012 10:54
We are coming to the one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Italian province of Tuscany. The wine, gastronomy and white roads are the signs of it, however riders will probably fight only with the roads, maybe only the winner will get some wine also. The gravel sections are many and important for the outcome of the race, combined with narrow roads and up and down profile. Puncher with strong finishing kick should be favoured by this terrain.
Startlist:
Spoiler
Race Favourites:
The organisers and local newspapers seem to favorize the sprinters with hilly abilities, but this early in the season, almost any rider with good fitness and legs that day can win.
Liquigas is coming to Tuscany with both their young guns and upcoming superstars, Sagan and Moser. These should have joined leadership, however Peter Sagan should be the overwhelming favourite of the race and i doubt Moser can beat him even when given a chance. Best solution could be cooperation for the benefit of both these promising talents. They are said to be getting well with each other and to have friendly personalities, so it should have not been a problem. They have bunch of good domestiques wiuth them and i expect at least a single podium placement.
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 12-11-2012 11:30
It seems like luck is not with us in Tuscany, i dont know why, but the Strade Bianche keeps freezing my computer, i tried other save (with other race) and it is fine.
I will probably simulate it to move on to the big WT races in March. It is very probable we will rule with our duo in simulation, but we would rule anyway.
So as i said, i did simulate the stage and we did not dominate. To be honest, i am happy Peter did not win, because it would not have been mine win somewhat.
And thirtd is still pretty good , first behind the break.
Sorry for that , hopefully it will not happen again.
Strade Bianche results- quick simulation
1
Leonardo Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
3h35'55
2
Adrian Kurek
Utensilnord - Named
s.t.
3
Peter Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 47
4
Gert Steegmans
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
5
Sacha Modolo
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
6
Kenny Van Hummel
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
7
Danilo Napolitano
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
8
Jens Keukeleire
Orica - GreenEDGE
s.t.
9
Robbie McEwen
Orica - GreenEDGE
s.t.
10
Daniele Colli
Team Type 1 - Sanofi
s.t.
Next step? Paris - Nice! Preview coming today... Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 12-11-2012 12:57
Little later, but here is the preview for the first WT appereance for Peter this year.
Paris-Nice - Preview
Profiles of the stages
Spoiler
March is here and that means every year in a cycling calendar, that peloton is ready to take the "route to the sun", Paris-Nice. One of the most famous one week races is the early option for various punchers,sprinters, prologue-specialists and stage racers to show themselves in the new season. As suggested there is a stage for almost every type of rider. However majority of stages is flat or hilly. Not a single stage is dead flat, but sprinters will have the chance or two also. The most demanding stages are the very hilly ones stage 5 and stage 7, plus the mountain TT on stage8, up to famous Col d Eze.
Startlist:
Spoiler
Race Favourites:
It is hard to judge the favourites here really, as it depends on the early season fitness and we cannot be sure how the different riders will do this season, but i rate the favourites as the mixture of punchers, stage racers and one Terminator. Rabobank and Radioshack come with extreme quality lineups, it will be surprise who will lead their respective teams.
Liquigas enters the race with their young hilly squad, dominated by their young guns without a fear, Peter Sagan and Moreno Moser. Moser should have some sort of a free role and permisssion to attack and join breakaways, while all the other riders will work for Slovakian champion. Sabatini to help him in the sprints and rest in the uphill terrain and carrying water. I think anything but a top 10 in GC and a couple of stage podiums would be not good for Peter Sagan. He will have the biggest problems with final TT, so he needs to gain time before.
Ou, disappointing you Ian is the last thing on my wishlist, so i will try to do my best. Prologue report could come today, not sure with it though, but the whole race will be reported during this week.
And yeah, stages 4,6 and 7 especially looks like ideal terrain for Peter.
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 13-11-2012 11:13
This year's paris-Nice starts with the prologue on distance nearly 10kms. There is a tiny uphill section in the first half, but it should suit prologue specialists the most anyway.
Vinokourov, Navardauskas and L.L.Sanchez with the first three places and three fastest time from the first half of the starters. Vino was leading so far with time of 12"38". In the end, they finished as 6th, 11th and 12th respectively.
No one from the first couple of Liquigas boys did great, but that changed with brilliant ride of Moreno Moser, surprise of the year and current CQranking leader. He set the fastest time on both first checpoint and also in finish with great time 12"36".
Here is Andy Schelck on the picture, beginning his season quest pointing on July. And as we know, he does not really care about other races apart from Tour, today's 107th place tells the story.
Surprise of the day came from the BMC colours and their fast time-trialist Steven Cummings, who shocked everybody and dethroned Moreno Moser to take the lead with time of 12"32". But in the end it was enough only for 3rd place. Who had beaten him?
And this the man, we have been waiting for the all day, Liquigas wonderkid Peter Sagan. The course of the prologue should be very much to his liking with up and down profile.
And indeed it was the great day for young slovakian, as he crushed the line with best time so far, 12"29" , less than three seconds faster than Cummings! Only two riders were behind him on the course.
If somebody was going to beat Sagan, it had to be multiple TT world champion Cancellara. And he truly owned the course, crushing all the time almost by twenty seconds! Incredible time of 12"10".
Last man on the road, the overall favourite of the race Philipe Gilbert did not shine today and finished only 36th.
The comment of Avin, the journalist noob
The word domination comes to my mind when thinking about this prologue. Cance smashed everybody and was in league o his own. Also great result today for the young tandem from Liquigas, Moser and Sagan, who finished 4th and 2nd. Cummings, Vogondy or Gusev were pleasant surprises, unlike Gilbert or Gesink.
Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne 
Tour de San Luis
Tour Down Under
GP Etruschi
Vuelta a Mallorca
Volta ao Algarve
GP di Lugano
Paris-Nice - Preview 
