2015 'PRO' cycling discussion

[martinko]

Tactics is one thing, but to beat someone majestically, or as a gentleman, is something different.

I don't favor watching someone sitting at the back of a group and then acting like a boss punching few kms (or even meters) before finish line. Even Sagan's first ever stage win of TdF was like that and Cancellara was clearly upset. Yes, you can sit at the back near the end and save your energy for the last attack. But I would appreciate to show your dominance before as well, pull the group sometimes, keep track of anything going on, and not sit at the back for the whole time rinding in that group and waiting.

Disclaimer: I have watched only last few kms, don't know how Stannard acted for the whole race. And I agree that Etixx clearly failed not winning it, but at the same time I don't praise Stannard that much.

[guyc]

Panache. Generally = not winning.

Cancellara was rightly pissed off at Sagan as that was a one on one. There's not a rider in the world who, faced with 3 from another team, would pull, work, show your hand early. To do so is weak tactics and a sure fire way to lose. It baffles me how you don't credit Stannard with an incredible ride that no-one watching gave him a chance of winning once it was 3 vs 1.

Races are there to be won, not raced in some sort of romantic ideal that never actually existed.

[djm]

martinko, Stannard should've stopped and let Terpstra go first? Ok.

[spud]

If Vandenburgh wasn't in the bag he should have been the first to attack the group, followed by Terpstra. Boonen should not have attacked, rather he should have marked Stannard only.

I suspect Etixx lost because they were trying to orchestrate a win for Boonen, rather than a win for the team. You can't play that game against Stannard with that kind of form.

[martinko]

djm, no, surely not. I just want to balance a bias around Stannard a little bit. I agree that Etixx failed and that Stannard managed to win was superb, but I also remember other similar wins when riders had done it even more better (can't find the right word).

[gravity]

Watching KBK now. If SKY dont do any sort of pulling im gonna call them classless.

Edit: Christian Knees rode upfront and did a little of pace making.

[djm]

Interesting words from Fredrik Kessiakoff: http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/02/ ... ort_361792

When athletes are exposed to this type of pressure from their employer one can perhaps understand why some "buckle" and make the choice of doping.. Fortunately Kessiakoff probably didn't and made the sane decision to quit.. Sad for him though.

[gravity]

Nice sprint by CAV. Kristoff started too early methinks.

[stella-azzurra]

The way I see the whole Stannard win is that there were 3 pros from the same team against 1 pro from another team and in those odds the 3 on the same team almost always win. That's the way 95% of the times it always goes down. Stannard was smart, he hit early to see what happens and got to a sprint with one. The odds are are a lot better then.

[guyc]

No chapeau for Cav. Just sat on all day didn't he

[stella-azzurra]

"Cavendish was everywhere he needed to be during the race – first making contact with a dangerous break that formed on the slopes of the Côte de Trieu and then, more crucially, on Kristoff’s wheel with 200 metres to go. Even when Etixx did falter – eventually running out of gas in the last kilometre – Cavendish swooped to edge out Kristoff.

Pride for Cavendish but relief for Patrick Lefevere who had found himself on the defence last night after Ian Stannard had singlehandedly taken about his team in Omloop, a feeling that Cavendish will not doubt remind his boss of when the pair sit down for contract negotiations later this year. Next stop, as Cavendish confirmed is Milan-San Remo and another shoot out with the defending champion, Kristoff." --cyclingnews

[guyc]

Cav commenting that Wifried Peeters didn't think he had it in him to win today at the team briefing this morning.

Not a great weekend for that DS.

[wingguy]

Tactics is one thing, but to beat someone majestically, or as a gentleman, is something different.

It's 3 against 1. Any win in that situation is majestic. Ettix-Quickstep had managed to orchestrate a better situation in the race than even they could have expected - to then expect the 1 opposing rider in a 4 man break to work for you as well is to be completely out of touch with reality. The tables were already massively tipped in their favour - for Stannard to then willingly tip it even further by taking pulls on the front would have been far, far beyond any reasonable notion of fair play.

[Kjetil]

Nice sprint by CAV. Kristoff started too early methinks.

Classic Kristoff. Not many others than Cav and Kittel who can get around him when he goes like that, and KBK is so short...

[LouisN]

It's 3 against 1. Any win in that situation is majestic. Ettix-Quickstep had managed to orchestrate a better situation in the race than even they could have expected - to then expect the 1 opposing rider in a 4 man break to work for you as well is to be completely out of touch with reality. The tables were already massively tipped in their favour - for Stannard to then willingly tip it even further by taking pulls on the front would have been far, far beyond any reasonable notion of fair play.

I agree. If I had the DS mike in hand, I would've told my rider not to take a turn in front in that situation.

I also agree that all 3 Ettix-Quickstep riders applied poor tactics, or wrong ones.

Louis:)