Minor Races Thread 2015 - [SPOILERS]

[Flying_Monkey]

"MINOR Races thread". How come Het Nieuwsblad and KBK are in this. On that basis, what constitutes a MOJOR race? It's not just about monuments and three week races. Most profis would be very happy to win any of what some posters think of as "minor" races!
Maybe there should be a simple "professional races" thread, they are all hard to win.

See my post #188 above.

Every year for the last however many years, I've started threads on races constantly to have only one or two posts in them. I've started a Minor Day Races thread every years except this one (for 1.1 and 1.2 races). This thread wasn't started for all of these races this year, but it means the few of us who do talk regularly here about the races are talking about all of them - and it's the first time you've bothered to post about any of them this year, and that's a shame BTW, because I enjoy your insight.

So maybe the title should be changed. But perhaps people could suggest that without casting aspersions on the good faith of these who are actually contributing regularly to discussions of racing here.

By the way, Samuel Dumoulin took La Drome classic today. Fabio Felline got his second podium place of the weekend, one better than yesterday, and Sébastien Delfousse was 3rd. Once again, the Yates brothers failed to show... hope they are building up slowly rather than not being in as good shape as they were claiming last week.

 

[The Couch]

My comments on Saturday:

• Nothing wrong with Stannard "dragging" along, that was the only logical strategy (with only 2 EQS rider - e.g. if Vandenbergh hadn't been there - he probably would have take the same amount of turns as the other 2 guys)
• The 3 EQS guys had to pull for about 40K (and Vdb couldn't take the lion share - as he is supposed to as the "helper" - since he was struggling most to keep up), so somewhat to be expected that the EQS rider didn't have much punch left. Still very nice and deserved win for Stannard
• With the 2nd group constantly so close, there wasn't really much tactics possible... actually I believe the best strategy probably would have been having Terpstra and Vdb pulling Boonen (having him rest the final 10K) and Stannard to the finish-line. A semi-rested Tom should have been able to beat Ian in a sprint, but in retrospect everything is easy (and if he would have lost the sprint, EQS would have gotten the comment 3 against 1... why not attack? )
• Probably the strongest (and most unlucky) guy in the race and not nearly enough mentions here: Vanmarcke ... damn, he was strong

 

[fimm]

The other nice thing about having all the races in one thread is it is easy to go back from talking about Sunday's race (which I get the impression wasn't as interesting?) and talk about Saturdays (which was). Or talk about both in the same post.
(I lurk round here a lot, but hardly ever post because I don't know much.)
(By the way, are Omloop and Nieuwsblad places, or does Omloop Het Nieuwsblad mean something?)

 

[smutchin]

(By the way, are Omloop and Nieuwsblad places, or does Omloop Het Nieuwsblad mean something?)

Het Nieuwsblad is a newspaper. There are quite a few races called Omloop so I'd guess it just means "race" or "course" or something like that.

 

[raindog]

(I lurk round here a lot, but hardly ever post because I don't know much.)

Don't let that stop you joining in - I don't know much either.

 

[Hont]

...actually I believe the best strategy probably would have been having Terpstra and Vdb pulling Boonen (having him rest the final 10K) and Stannard to the finish-line. A semi-rested Tom should have been able to beat Ian in a sprint

+1 and I think Boonen himself said that after the race. The problem with that tactic, though, is it eliminates the advantage of numbers, which is why - I think - they tried to attack Stannard before the sprint. The problem was that Boonen was the wrong man to do it. It should have been Terpstra, who appeared to be the strongest of the 3, but then if he had stayed away, Boonen would have missed out on OHN again.

So Stannard, as it turned out, benefited from a perfect storm of being 1 of 4 in the break (so didn't work), with a chasing group close enough to keep them pulling and the sprinter too desperate to add to his palmares to allow the right man to attack. Still had to be strong enough to finish it off (and be there in the first place), though.

 

[Hont]

There are quite a few races called Omloop so I'd guess it just means "race" or "course" or something like that.

My Belgian colleague informs me it means circle, circuit or lap. Although he says it's not a word that would get used much today.

 

[fimm]

Thank you.

 

[Hont]

Would have given that a like, if it wasn't for the irritating commentary. He's not as funny as he thinks he is.

 

[dragon72]

Is Paris-Nice major enough a race to merit its own thread? I've always thought of it as a major minor race, but I'm not sure if the emphasis is on major or minor.

 

[smutchin]

Is Paris-Nice major enough a race to merit its own thread? I've always thought of it as a major minor race, but I'm not sure if the emphasis is on major or minor.

It's the first World Tour event of the season in Europe, so I'd say the emphasis is on major.

 

[Apollonius]

A couple of points:
I really like the level of expertise on here. Not too high and not too low. I am pretty new to watching cycle racing, having only really had the time to follow it since retirement and love to be able to chat about races and learn something too. I would encourage anybody else with an interest to get involved and join the conversation.

I think EQS messed up as they wanted to set up Boonen for the win - one race he has never won, I believe. Stannard took advantage of their indecision. Well done to him.

Paris Nice is 8 days of delicious stage racing. Ad it is live on Eurosport. New thread please.

 

[thom]

(By the way, are Omloop and Nieuwsblad places, or does Omloop Het Nieuwsblad mean something?)

Curiously Het Nieuwsblad used to be Het Volk until 2008, a rival newspaper that set up the race in competition with the Tour of Flanders, which was run by Het Nieusblad. Many people still call it Het Volk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omloop_Het_Nieuwsblad

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Curiously Het Nieuwsblad used to be Het Volk until 2008, a rival newspaper that set up the race in competition with the Tour of Flanders, which was run by Het Nieusblad. Many people still call it Het Volk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omloop_Het_Nieuwsblad

Apparently Het Nieuwsblad didn't even used to report the results of the race such was the rivalry between the two papers - I'm one of those who still thinks of the race as Het Volk!

 

[oldroadman]

Curiously Het Nieuwsblad used to be Het Volk until 2008, a rival newspaper that set up the race in competition with the Tour of Flanders, which was run by Het Nieusblad. Many people still call it Het Volk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omloop_Het_Nieuwsblad

Then Nieuwsblad spoilt it by buying Volk, hence the title change. Still Het Volk to us oldies!