Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Off Topic => Sports Arena => Topic started by: Jon Crofts on March 03, 2014, 07:18:43 PM
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Finally Spring has sprung and the classics are here.
Next weekend Paris-Nice starts 9-16 then it's Milan - San Remo then Paris - Roubaix and the daddy of them all, Liege - Bastogne - Liege before the first big grand tour starts in Italy.
Wiggins has targeted a couple of the classics in his beat up to Le Tour and the inevitable showdown with Froome.
On a personal note I'm doing Paris - Roubaix the day before the pros, hopefully I'll have finished before they start.
What's your favourite of the classics?
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Tour of Flanders, Liege - Bastogne - Liege, Paris - Roubaix, they are all great.
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They are all great but. I enjoy the short steep climbs of the Amstel Gold race and the drunk Dutch fans.
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Very happy about all of this!
Roubaix and Flanders for me but love them all.
Dan Martin's win in L-B-L last year was a season highlight.
This year, Boonan's looking like he may have the form to challenge the magnificent Cancellara and hopefully Sagan's improvements are continuing, throw in Wiggins and there's some great racing.
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Which is the one with all the cobbles, I love that one.
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On a personal note I'm doing Paris - Roubaix the day before the pros, hopefully I'll have finished before they start.
Are you going to go down the middle of the road at Arneberg?
:D
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On a personal note I'm doing Paris - Roubaix the day before the pros, hopefully I'll have finished before they start.
Are you going to go down the middle of the road at Arneberg?
:D
The Arenberg Forest cobbles are the 12th set of cobbles on the route, by then I expect to have no fillings in my teeth or skin on my elbows and knees and there's only 16 more cobbled sections to go after that. 2 maybe even 3 layers of bar tape, some scabby old rims and some bullet proof tyres, there's not a lot else I can do really. Best tip I've seen so far is ride as fast as you can and you'll glide over the cobbles.
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Are you doing the whole thing? Let us know how you get on, it's something I quite fancy doing - just to say I've done it!
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Almost the whole thing, I'm doing the 170 km route of the Paris Roubaix challenge.
http://www.sport.be/parisroubaix/2014/eng/parcours/maps/groot.html
There are 3 routes possible.
http://www.sport.be/parisroubaix/2014/eng/parcours/
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Brilliant documentary you might have seen before about the Paris-Roubaix. If you haven't take a look.
http://www.veoh.com/watch/v20924403zBshk7AE?h1=A+sunday+in+hell (http://www.veoh.com/watch/v20924403zBshk7AE?h1=A+sunday+in+hell)
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Weather looks stunning for Paris Nice today, great finish today at Magny Cours race circuit, head to the mountains tomorrow with Geraint Thomas well placed in 5th.
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Ooooooooh get her.
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Tour Of Flanders on Sunday, Wiggins rides for Team Sky in place of Ian Stannard who's broken his back and was amongst the favourites for the Belgian classic. Looks like a day on the sofa with Eurosport methinks.
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Cancellara?
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I think Sagan might be a better bet than Cancellara but Omega Pharma appear to have a very strong team with several potential winners.
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Boonen or an outsider Geraint Thomas
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Sep Vanmarcke will be good at Flanders. Cancellara,Boonen, Sagan may well mark each other to death. Brad will get off at the first feed.
And loads of crashes. Apparently lots of riders are on tramadol at the moment and it's making them dopey...
John, I have done the Roubaix. Good luck. Its effing horrible.
Roubaix and LBL are my faves. I'll be at them both this year.
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Aside from the obvious 2, Stybar at 25/1 (!) Terpstra and Rolands for today
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Terpstra will have to work for Boonen but will be a good shout if Boonen isn't in contention. Crashes galore already. Van Summerens crash looked really nasty. First go up the Kwaremont now.
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Ouch! 3 into a lamppost.
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Spartacus wins!
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Great finish, 4 very able athletes at the front and then boom, up steps Spartacus and blows them all away from 200 odd metres out.
Wiggins finished as well.
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Tremendous performance by Lizzie Armistead to finish second yesterday.
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Great ride from Fab. Wiggins surprised me! Armitsted leads the world points in the women. Roubaix next week! Going to be immense.
Good luck with the ride John.
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Thanks, getting a niggly right knee just when I don't need it, changed shoes recently I think the cleats are out on the pair I wore yesterday and have put a strain on my ligaments, hopefully a days rest tomorrow will help.
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Cancellara?
Thank you very much.
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How's the knee Jon?
All psyched up? I have found a local cobbled segment on Strava titled "Hell of the North". 0.2 mile 6% gradient, can't be easier than what you're putting yourself through!
:D
Best of luck!
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Wiggo is at long odds for this. If he makes the selection at 70-50k out he isn't a crazy bet. He is the best time trialist there and has 2 top lads to ride for him in Thomas and Boasen-Hagen. Cancellara will be marked to death and Boonen isn't properly fit. I has 20 quid and 25-1 on him just now.
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Other than Belgians or Swiss I'll say Stybar (again) he was there last year before being fetched off, proving that 'anything' can happen, and only came unstuck on the climbs last week.
Kristoff has the power to drive over the cobbles and has shown he's strong over distance and can kick.....
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I feel like I've been beaten up by a gang of yobbos. Never again.
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Horrible isn't it. I was hating it after the first few sectors.
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Did you do it yesterday?
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No. 2 years ago. Was going to do Flanders as well but roubaix put me off. Today was epic. Best edition in a few years in my view. Fair play to wiggins, He made the selection. Terpstra saves Omega Pharmas season!
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Great race, let down by the piss poor Eurosport coverage at the end.
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Great race, let down by the piss poor Eurosport coverage at the end.
Yes, was difficult to follow and Carlton Kirby comes from the school of commentators where making any noise is better than silence.
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Carlton is a tool. Rib Hatch was commentating on the red button BBC. Apparently he was much better.
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Gilbert won the Amstel today. Not a great race but his team (BMC) rode it well tactically. Too many big guns knocking around this week for me to believe that he'll win the Liege on sunday but he looked really good today. All the major GC boys want to win Liege so expect Nibali to feature and Garmin to have a real go. Sadly I think Valverde will win it. The minging doping git. I am off to Belgium on Wednesday morning for the Fleche Wallone on Wednesday and then Liege Sunday. My favourite week of the year, the Ardennes week.
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Yes, great attack at exactly the right time by Gilbert today, getting his form of a few years ago back. Can't see him winning the 3 again. Kiatkowski has looked strong.
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So Sky have got their GC team out tomorrow. Kennaugh is protected man. No chance tomorrow but if they ride well on sunday they might be in with a shout. The Liege is basically a nails mountain stage so GC riders do well.
Still can't see beyond Valverde. Sadly...
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Valvarde wins Flèche Wallonne ---boooooo hissss. I do not like Valvarde.
Dan Martin second, Michal Kwiatkowski third.
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I agree. The cheating so and so.
Our own Brummie Dan looked good though. He must be in with a really good shout for Sunday.
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LBL on sunday. Dan Martin vs Valverde. Get the panda out for Dan!
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Valverde is a teat cyclist but a shit human being.
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Poor old Dan Martin, 290kms to fall at the last corner.
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Not exactly a Spring Classic but have watched the final kilometres of stages 1 & 2 of the Tour of Turkey. No Kittel but Cavendish looked pretty impressive winning both by a bike length.
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Yes, Cavendish looks right back on form after his illness.
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Are many of the other top sprinters there?
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No Kittel, Greipel or Sagan.
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I think Cav is just looking for time with his sprint train. Hope he gets it sorted for Harrogate.
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No Kittel, Greipel or Sagan.
Greipel is there and Sagan is no real threat in a drag race. The OPQS lead out looked good with Trentin Renshaw and Pettachi.
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You're right Greipel is there, just anonymous.
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Stage 4 win today for Cav. Text book lead out well worth a look on You Tube.
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Is he doing the Giro this year?
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Is he doing the Giro this year?
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No. Kittel's is though so interesting to see how that impacts on him in the Tour if he completes the Giro.
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It says on BBC that Yorkshire is hosting the start of the Tour de France... how does that work do they have to cycle down the Channel Tunnel to get back to France?
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It says on BBC that Yorkshire is hosting the start of the Tour de France... how does that work do they have to cycle down the Channel Tunnel to get back to France?
They have to get on ferries but ride on those bikes from the gym all the way over.
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Even farther to pedal if you're doing the Giro this year, starting in Ireland, is there a ferry from Rosslare to Rimini?
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Dan Martin looks like he's run pure out of luck. I blame the lead rider, straight over 2 wet drain covers.
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Riders who fall off are generally pushing the button too much. Even if he hadn't fallen at liege Bastogne liege he would never have won.
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I am pretty sure that he would have won LBL had he stayed upright. Really bad luck for him. His team-mate Fernández also broke his collar bone in the same crash. I think there will be lots of crashes over the next two days, today especially.
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Not a Spring Classic but have you seen the finish of the Eneco Tour today? The crash at the end, poor old Zdenek Stybar of OPQ, that is going to hurt. A lot.
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Just what is going on here on the Eneco Tour?
http://sporza.be/permalink/1.2062826
http://sporza.be/permalink/1.2062810