The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
Padded shorts are the go. The bike I am borrowing has probably the hardest seat in the history of humanity, so the padded shorts have made a huge difference.
Cycling
- Thread starter Gagger
- Start date
Cutter
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
That is epic. He/they must have no fear. All the things they could hit the whole way down. Unbelievable.
Ash
Michael Lynagh (62)
Paris Roubaix on tonight for any interested. Some coverage starts on eurosport channel 511 at 8:30 pm and is due to finish about 20 to 1 in the morning. Free to air coverage starts at 10:20pm on SBS.
It is about 260 kms long and dead flat but known for over 50 km of cobbles littered through he course. The very hard sections of cobes makes it one of the hardest one day races in the world.
It is about 260 kms long and dead flat but known for over 50 km of cobbles littered through he course. The very hard sections of cobes makes it one of the hardest one day races in the world.
The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
Indeed it is. I've been watching Paris - Roubaix for as long as the TdF, around 20 years now. Bone rattling doesn't begin to do it justice.
I like to watch
David Codey (61)
Are you playing @ Terrey Hills tomorrow?
sevenpointdropgoal
Larry Dwyer (12)
Another fantastic race unfolding. No wonder they call it the queen of the classics.
Ash
Michael Lynagh (62)
Wasn't a bad race at all in the end. Van Summeren from the break away held off after Cancellara (pre-race favourite, with Tom Boonen) refused to tow Ballan and Hushovd (two of the other pre-race favourites) up to the breakaway, from which one of those three would've been the likely winner.
It sounds fair enough that Cancellara refused to tow them up to the breakaway, until you remember that cycling is a team sport, and that both Ballan and Hushovd had team mates in the breakaway and one of the unwritten laws is that you don't chase down your own team mate who is in a break up the road (unless you're on your own and not towing people with you), especially if that man you're bringing up is Cancellara. So Cancellara was understandable in his refusal to tow them up, and Ballan and Hushovd were even more justified in not working.
In the end Cancellara waited too late to attack (after previously attacking so hard he ran into a motobike carrying a camera man!) and couldn't catch Van Summeren, who held on for a gutsy win (and in a damn fast time too). Cancellara had to settle for second after catching the remaining breakaway ground and out sprinting them, and Ballan couldn't go with Cancellara and had to settle for 6th. Hushovd, team mate of the winner Van Summeren, lost the sprint for 7th just behind and finished 8th.
The real reason that Cancellara lost was because his team was weak. Had he gone to BMC instead of Leopard-Trek (who are all about building a GT winning team for the Schleck brothers) you'd think he would've won all three monuments so far this year: Milan San Remo, Ronde van Vlandren, and Paris Roubaix. Instead Cancellara has a 2nd, 3rd, and 2nd respectively, and BMC have had a 4th, 6th and 6th - a disappointing result for both.
One of the other pre-race favourites Boonen had bike issues in Arenberg forrest, and was stranded without team mates - after an epic ride nearly catch the peloton, the rider in front of him crashed and his day way done.
It sounds fair enough that Cancellara refused to tow them up to the breakaway, until you remember that cycling is a team sport, and that both Ballan and Hushovd had team mates in the breakaway and one of the unwritten laws is that you don't chase down your own team mate who is in a break up the road (unless you're on your own and not towing people with you), especially if that man you're bringing up is Cancellara. So Cancellara was understandable in his refusal to tow them up, and Ballan and Hushovd were even more justified in not working.
In the end Cancellara waited too late to attack (after previously attacking so hard he ran into a motobike carrying a camera man!) and couldn't catch Van Summeren, who held on for a gutsy win (and in a damn fast time too). Cancellara had to settle for second after catching the remaining breakaway ground and out sprinting them, and Ballan couldn't go with Cancellara and had to settle for 6th. Hushovd, team mate of the winner Van Summeren, lost the sprint for 7th just behind and finished 8th.
The real reason that Cancellara lost was because his team was weak. Had he gone to BMC instead of Leopard-Trek (who are all about building a GT winning team for the Schleck brothers) you'd think he would've won all three monuments so far this year: Milan San Remo, Ronde van Vlandren, and Paris Roubaix. Instead Cancellara has a 2nd, 3rd, and 2nd respectively, and BMC have had a 4th, 6th and 6th - a disappointing result for both.
One of the other pre-race favourites Boonen had bike issues in Arenberg forrest, and was stranded without team mates - after an epic ride nearly catch the peloton, the rider in front of him crashed and his day way done.
sevenpointdropgoal
Larry Dwyer (12)
I don't think it was the weakness of Cancellara's team that was the problem. He isn't that kind of rider who uses team protection, and even if he'd had teammates in the group ahead, they'd not have been able to do anything. He was simply marked out of the race. Neither Cervelo nor BMC rode good races, and it was luck more than tactics that had Van Summeren in the right position at the end of the race (not to take anything away from Van Summeren's individual victory, which I thought was absolutely awesome). It's clear that a number of teams have been entirely focused on countering Cancellara to the detriment of their own results this season.
The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
As does a mate of mine. It's his most treasured possession.