Paris-Roubaix **SPOILERS**

[thom]

Well played Terpstra & OPQS - they had enough numbers to roll the dice in the final kms and did so.
An unlikely winner but evidently the right card at the right time - one of the big favourites would have been chased down but none of the big favourites was prepared or able to make it to him in the end.

I take my hat off to Geraint Thomas & Bradley Wiggins - no cigar this time but they were close.

 

[Crackle]

Thomas and Wiggins seemed to have a conflab and looked like they both decided they couldn't win it and no one wanted to drag anyone else back, especially Degenkolb, who's having an impressive season.

Sagan showed well considering he was looking really cheesed off at the back at about 100k, fiddling with his gears and bar tape.

Great race. Had been looking forward to that all week.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I thoroughly enjoyed that. Great work from Wiggins and Thomas, for while I thought Wiggins was going to go for it off the front. Terpstra is a worthy winner, 5th 2 years ago, 3rd last year and winner this year - not too shabby!

 

[Globalti]

Roubaix wins Roubaix again!

 

[Peteaud]

Great race.

eurosport @ 2.99 a month is worth it for PR alone.

 

[400bhp]

Wow - edge of my seat for the last 20 or so km.

 

[ColinJ]

Great race.

eurosport @ 2.99 a month is worth it for PR alone.

Only in April!

(It is also worth it for other races in other months though ...)

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Wiggins, I expected to be up there, in fact I was hoping he would be on the podium, but for for me the two next most impressive rides, after Terpstra of course, were Thomas and Degnekolb. The German is supposed to be a sprinter but, having won Gent-Weveglem, which isn't too unexpected for a strongman sprinter, coming 2nd in P-R is a far more impressive result in my book. Thomas was dismissed by almost all the pundits as too lightweight for the cobbles before this race, but he proved them wrong - had he not had to pace EBH and Wiggins back on after punctures, he might have been able to go with Terpstra and have been in with a genuine chance of victory. But they are both really young to be competitive in the classics so I think we'll see them fighting it out for wins in the next few years.

 

[smutchin]

Don't forget G won the junior PR a few years ago. He's always had the ability.

 

[thom]

Luke Rowe did well coming 31'st too.

Come stage 5 of July's event, it is interesting to note that in dry conditions, SKY had 5 riders in the top 31, Taxoff-Sinko's top rider was 35'th, Movistar's top rider was 54'th, Katusha's was 57'th.
Chris Froome won't be feeling the cobbles are an area of weakness for his team; rather an opportunity to put concerted pressure on some of his main contenders.

 

[beastie]

Wiggins, I expected to be up there, in fact I was hoping he would be on the podium, but for for me the two next most impressive rides, after Terpstra of course, were Thomas and Degnekolb. The German is supposed to be a sprinter but, having won Gent-Weveglem, which isn't too unexpected for a strongman sprinter, coming 2nd in P-R is a far more impressive result in my book. Thomas was dismissed by almost all the pundits as too lightweight for the cobbles before this race, but he proved them wrong - had he not had to pace EBH and Wiggins back on after punctures, he might have been able to go with Terpstra and have been in with a genuine chance of victory. But they are both really young to be competitive in the classics so I think we'll see them fighting it out for wins in the next few years.

I am amazed that EBH was team leader. I don't think he will be again(At PR at least), failing once again to live up to the promise of his early years.

 

[thom]

I am amazed that EBH was team leader. I don't think he will be again(At PR at least), failing once again to live up to the promise of his early years.

Hmm - despite having a pretty heavy crash losing him over 30 seconds, EBH did manage to come 21'st and 1:05 off the winner:

 

[beastie]

Hmm - despite having a pretty heavy crash losing him over 30 seconds, EBH did manage to come 21'st and 1:05 off the winner:

Well that's a fair point I suppose. Even so do you think that he has not progressed as expected given the stellar start to his career?

 

[The Couch]

Maybe I am the only one (well, at least I am already supported in this opinion by the Misses)... however I didn't much enjoy this version.

• There was a high tempo of the peloton the full day, but the strong guys waited way too long to attack. The wind apparently was the biggest factor for this (as said by a lot of people in the interviews afterwards and highlighted by the commentary during the race)
• Boonen and GT(maybe perhaps he wasn't even team leader) were about the only who had the guts to go early for it, however half of the group didn't want to cooperate, basically nullifying their chances at getting much of an advantage (and largely choking Boonen and GTs legs already)
  
• When Vanmarcke and Cancellara (in a lesser extent) finally decided to put the pedal down (too late imo), it seemed that again not enough people were interested to cooperate/stay ahead (especially between the secteurs). And perhaps what was even more the problem, the were not strong enough to make the difference big enough (again I believe because of above reasons)
• When the group of 11 got together, it was predictable what the outcome would be:
  • either OPQS would jump away and stay away or it would chase down all other attempts
  • in the sprint Degenkolb would take it, since he clearly was the best and fittest sprinter still around (Sagan being visibly clearly knackered those last 10K)

Vanmarcke even said my thoughts during the finish in an interview after the finish "I didn't want to chase Terpstra, since I would be called the dumbass again who helped somebody else i.e Degenkolb win"


Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed Paris Roubaix because of the suspension between the secteurs (e.g. Vanmarck and Vandenbergh escaping, Cancellara needing to make up the difference with 2 groups,...) as well as on the cobblestones (e.g. Cancellara flooring it, Stybar holding on for dear live in the rear wheel of Cancellara). This year I felt it was only half the race.

 

[thom]

Well that's a fair point I suppose. Even so do you think that he has not progressed as expected given the stellar start to his career?

No you're right there I guess but I think these things can come in waves. Bad seasons follow good ones (e.g. Sagan is having it a bit tougher this year).
Luck can play a massive part and ultimately if he's doing his best to succeed yet not quite making it, I don't think that he deserves criticism necessarily but I guess you're just noting that an expected trajectory isn't being followed.
Perhaps the cobbles are part of the issue - he came second in the WC in Valkenberg so maybe he'd actually do better in the Ardennes.