Minor Races Thread 2015 - [SPOILERS]

[rich p]

Wiggins on great form after his win...

Brilliant!

 

[huwsparky]

@iLB thanks for posting that.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Good result for young, Stefan Küng (BMC), following up his impressive TT in Panne with a breakaway win in the Limburg classic today.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I have the 3 days of de Panne on telly at the moment, but I've only been half following it. Anyway, one of the commentators just said of one of the riders "his compact physiognomy is suited to the bike"

His what? compact physiognomy? He has a small face?

 

[rich p]

Vicioso wins the GP Indurain - old dopers never die, they simply get better with age.

 

[BSRU]

Tour of Flanders incidents involving Shimano neutral service cars.

http://road.cc/content/news/147635-videos-neutral-service-car-knocks-two-cyclists-out-tour-flanders

 

[The Couch]

Tomorrow Scheldeprijs, a race which has ended almost exclusively in a mass sprint the last decade(s). This combined with very interesting winners (Kittel, Cav, Petacchi, Boonen, McEwen, Zabel,..) in the past has lead to this race attracting almost all big sprinters normally.
However this year it seems that the field will be less impressive.

No Kittel (after his illness earlier), no Cav (not sure why), no Greipel (doctor's orders after RvV) or even Bouhani or Demare.

If the race will be as controlled as previous years (without any of the above names, it could be the year for a successful escape though), it should be a sprint between
Kristoff (if he is interested/recovered) , Guardini, Viviani and Sagan
With as outsiders: Bennett, Farrar, Van Asbroeck, Van Poppel, Arndt, Renshaw, Theuns, Chicchi, Ahlstrandt

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I think this could be an opportunity for the top of the second division of sprinters. Kristoff and Sagan might still be knackered. Viviani was also putting in a fair few turns on the front at the RvV, but unlike the first two, he eased off later on and does look strong right now... I'm going for him.

 

[The Couch]

I think this could be an opportunity for the top of the second division of sprinters. Kristoff and Sagan might still be knackered. Viviani ...does look strong right now... I'm going for him.

If indeed Sagan and Kristoff aren't recovered (or don't wanna take a risk with PR so close), I'd be looking at Guardini to take the win
(and don't count out Farrar, he hasn't shown much anything in the last year(s), but he does seem to always perform in this one)

 

[The Couch]

After that Bouhanni took yesterday's bunch sprint (and his first victory of this season), Anthony Roux won the stage this morning (in an escape with Voeckler and Jauregui).

Roux starts (this afternoon) the closing short TT with a couple of seconds ahead.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Kristoff wins again today at Scheldeprijs after a big crash in the final 1km

 

[raindog]

bloody hell, the bloke's unstoppable

 

[Dayvo]

bloody hell, the bloke's unstoppable

Going out on a limb here, but he has such physical and mental strength, he reminds me of The Cannibal, especially with his all round cycling.

 

[raindog]

I tend to think of Kwiatkowski a bit like that as well. I admire that kind of all round rider.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

He's on amazing form right now, but this one was much more down to luck, with that enormous crash taking out almost all the other serious contenders.