2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

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Thoglette
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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby Thoglette » Mon Apr 16, 2018 1:00 pm

find_bruce wrote:Yep Sagan, Valverde and Alaphilippe looked at each other waiting for 1 to respond, but none did
I watched the last hour (got woken up) and my impression was that Sagan had a vibe of "I've already done the hard work and won one, what about you guys?" He was working pretty hard over the last half hour compared to the rest of that bunch but was also doing so very strategically. It looked like he felt he could beat anyone in that group in the sprint if he didn't burn himself out.

So he let Valgren et al. go and chose fourth over chasing and ending up tenth.

YMMV.
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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby Derny Driver » Mon Apr 16, 2018 5:34 pm

find_bruce wrote: Yep Sagan, Valverde and Alaphilippe looked at each other waiting for 1 to respond, but none did
Unbelievable.
During the final couple of hours Sagan was playing dice and seemed like he had made up his mind he would not be forced to chase every attack. It was risky but seemed to pay dividends. But in the final 5 to 10km of a race, if you are the best sprinter in the group, you need to cover EVERY attack. Its basic under 15 stuff. You dont let people sneak away and steal the race. With 2.5 km to go Valgren went, then Kreuzinger, then Gasparotto. Each time Sagan just dropped his head as if he was too tired. He was either faking tiredness to make the others chase, or he actually was too tired. The 3 just rode away and won it and Sagan and the others fluffed around and raced for 4th. Sagan had enough energy to win the sprint easily.
I think he just threw the race. It was there for the taking. It looked like he was more intent on making some sort of statement to the others than winning the race. He could have gone with any of them. He could have got a free tow across on Gasparotto's wheel. But he did nothing.
That was the weirdest thing Ive ever seen in the finale of a Spring Classic.

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby AUbicycles » Tue Apr 17, 2018 4:13 pm

Maybe Derny Driver, but maybe he has a good poker face and was at the end. As a crowd favourite, it would have been nice to see Sagan contend a sprint but it looked like he didn’t have much more in the tank.
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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby RonK » Tue Apr 17, 2018 4:20 pm

Derny Driver wrote:
find_bruce wrote: Yep Sagan, Valverde and Alaphilippe looked at each other waiting for 1 to respond, but none did
Unbelievable.
During the final couple of hours Sagan was playing dice and seemed like he had made up his mind he would not be forced to chase every attack. It was risky but seemed to pay dividends. But in the final 5 to 10km of a race, if you are the best sprinter in the group, you need to cover EVERY attack. Its basic under 15 stuff. You dont let people sneak away and steal the race. With 2.5 km to go Valgren went, then Kreuzinger, then Gasparotto. Each time Sagan just dropped his head as if he was too tired. He was either faking tiredness to make the others chase, or he actually was too tired. The 3 just rode away and won it and Sagan and the others fluffed around and raced for 4th. Sagan had enough energy to win the sprint easily.
I think he just threw the race. It was there for the taking. It looked like he was more intent on making some sort of statement to the others than winning the race. He could have gone with any of them. He could have got a free tow across on Gasparotto's wheel. But he did nothing.
That was the weirdest thing Ive ever seen in the finale of a Spring Classic.
Why didn't Valverde or Alaphilippe chase then? Were they also too tired? Making a statement? Throwing the race?

If Sagan had given chase, would Valverde and Alaphilippe just let him go? Or would Valverde have let Sagan do the work and then out sprint him in the finale?

Perhaps they just reached a stalemate.
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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby Thoglette » Tue Apr 17, 2018 5:05 pm

RonK wrote:Or would Valverde have let Sagan do the work and then out sprint him in the finale?
I think that's what Sagan thought (and felt, in his legs).

And so, as you put it, stalemate.
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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby Derny Driver » Tue Apr 17, 2018 8:01 pm

RonK wrote: Why didn't Valverde or Alaphilippe chase then? .....
Valverde is a schniveller. His front wheel was never going to hit the wind. He went to the same school of bike racing as Simon Gerrans. He was waiting for Sagan to go.
Sagan is one of the highest paid cyclists in the world earning around 6 million euros a year (AU$10,000,000) plus probably the same amount again in endorsements. He can afford to not win every race he rides. I am not sure, but part of me thinks maybe he threw it.
Heck, Ive seen it done and Ive done it myself on rare occasions. Ive walked up to other teams before the start of a race and told them that if they attack, my riders wont respond, because we are only marking our rival teams. If the small team then attacks we can sit back - the rival teams either chase it or they lose the race. And Im prepared to lose races in order to settle a score or to send a message for future races. I havent done that often, but I have done it. Very successfully.

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby MichaelB » Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:11 am

RonK wrote: ...
Perhaps they just reached a stalemate.
After watching it the other night, this is what I think happened. Neither of the big guns wanted to tow any of the others across. Some made efforts to break away, but they were all nullified, except when Valgren went, and then Kreuziger responded.

It's a pity Impey didn't get across, but at least he tried.

Hope FW tonight is a cracker, and the Piti doesn't win. He's a bloody good rider, but like Froome, just can't warm to him. Aside from whether they are racing fully honest or not.

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby Uncle Just » Wed Apr 18, 2018 11:33 am

^ +1 anyone but Valverde tonight!

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby find_bruce » Thu Apr 19, 2018 7:21 am

And you got your wish. Seemed like a cracker of a race, shame I didn't stay up to watch it

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby MichaelB » Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:19 am

find_bruce wrote:And you got your wish. Seemed like a cracker of a race, shame I didn't stay up to watch it
Sort of. He was still on the podium.

Cracker of a ride by Haig though, you could see the pain in his face when the peloton passed him in the final throes of the Huy !! Can hold his head high with that ride, and Rob Power as well.

Kreuziger did well to finish in 4th and Matthews - 5th. Can only wonder what could have been at Amstel if it wasn't for the puncture.

Rock on LBL !!!

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby march83 » Thu Apr 19, 2018 1:12 pm

What a disappointment we didn't get to see the women's race as well. That was also a cracking finale.

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby fat and old » Thu Apr 19, 2018 1:56 pm

MichaelB wrote:and Matthews - 5th. Can only wonder what could have been at Amstel if it wasn't for the puncture.

Rock on LBL !!!
Did he cry again?

I was on the Matthews side when he was at Orica....but these days I wonder.....

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby Thoglette » Thu Apr 19, 2018 9:24 pm

Have to say the commentary was quiet dull. Long periods of silence. 'Fraid I failed on the first climb of the Mur de Huy
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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby Derny Driver » Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:00 am

Quickstep too good again, using their numbers to win L-B-L.
Great ride by Bob Jungels.
Alaphillipe disrupted the chase beautifully for him.
27 victories this season - wow.

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Re: 2018 Classics - what's being shown on SBS ?

Postby MichaelB » Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:31 am

Haven't watched it yet, but great to see a very different podium.

Feel for Dan M though. But, that's life ...

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