Ronde Van Vlaanderen *spoilers*

[The Couch]

Wiggins also got Thomas back into it after his crash with 50km gone... he did his super-domestique job very well today. But for me, it really should be these kinds of races he should concentrate on, and should have last season too. He could win these things.

"he could win these things"
With all due respect to his performances in multiple-stage races, but these ("Flemish") races are different than the GT races (as is to be read in the Burghardt training article). Indeed Wiggo did have an excellent final result yesterday, but in my modest opinion, he rode a fairly anonymous race, never really showing himself at the front and he ended in the same group as other helpers who pulled at the front during the day did (Keisse, Gatto, Wynants).

Saying he could win these races means, you see him beating Cancellara and (an in-form) Boonen or even younger guys like Sagan, Vanmarcke, Kristoff, Degenkolb, Demare,.. in the next years?

That statement seems to me a bit too enthousiastic for this result . Currently I'd say he could perhaps grow into having some Leukemans-like finish places, but wins??
However, I am willing to wait and see what his result will be next Sunday to estimate his potential future chances .

 

[The Couch]

Right result, really.

I'm just glad Vandenbergh was the loser out of those four.

In Stijn's defence, apparently he took antibiotics this week, since he got a bit sick after spending the night in the hospital for the birth of his daughter.
He got already dropped a bit on the Taaienberg, so it was pretty amazing he already managed to keep VA's wheel so long
(He honestly said after the finish-line that he didn't have the legs to beat VA)

But - even more importantly - his team leader Peeters told him to just hold VA's wheel and not take the lead (the "dash-cam" in the cars showed him even saying that). You can hardly blame him for following orders and - in retrospect - I believe it actually killed his chance for a podium finish: if he would have worked together with VA they would have taken enough lead to probably stay ahead after the Paterberg. And since he actually is from Oudenaarde, I think it really hurts him to miss out the podium in his home-town.

Ok... I've got a bit of a soft-spot for him but I agree with the fact that the others were stronger, so they deserve the podium more.
(But I'd still find it great for him to podium this race or PR in the coming years)
I say podium, because realistically he probably even would loose a sprint against Frank Schleck

 

[jowwy]

I think wiggo rode a pretty damn good race yesterday to be fair to the guy - also how many other GC riders where there at flanders yesterday. i can't think of any of the top GC riders or would have entered flanders or paris roubaix

will he beat the like of spartacus, sagan, kristoff etc in a classic - maybe not, but he did a pretty damn fine job of getting gareth thomas back into the race and i big chapeua to the boss too (edvald bossan hagen), who also had a damn fine race and is learning how its done from the best in the business.......

 

[smutchin]

(He honestly said after the finish-line that he didn't have the legs to beat VA)...
I believe it actually killed his chance for a podium finish: if he would have worked together with VA they would have taken enough lead to probably stay ahead after the Paterberg.

I couldn't work out if he was sandbagging or genuinely struggling to stay on GVA's wheel, but I had the same thought - if he'd worked with GVA a bit, they could have stayed away. But yes, it did ultimately look like he was struggling, so fair play to him for hanging on as well as he did.

GVA might actually have had a better chance of staying away if he'd been on his own - having to constantly attack SVB in a bid to drop him must have disrupted his rhythm massively.

 

[smutchin]

I think wiggo rode a pretty damn good race yesterday

I agree. Was pleasantly surprised to see him so far forward towards the end. I don't think he'll win PR but he may yet prove us all wrong on that.

 

[Hont]

GVA might actually have had a better chance of staying away if he'd been on his own - having to constantly attack SVB in a bid to drop him must have disrupted his rhythm massively.

Unless I missed it I didn't notice him attack him once (excluding the finish) and having someone on your wheel actually helps with the aerodynamic flow so I don't think GVA would have been better on his own. If SVB had worked with him, however, it might have been a different story. I really don't know why he was not told to work once it became apparent that Boonen and Terpstra were not going to compete for the win.

Once again Quick Step held all the cards and made a mess of playing them - they had 3 riders in the top 7 whereas Trek had 1 in the top 60.

 

[Hont]

Oh... and I felt sorry for Kristoff. If just one person had been able to go with him he may have bridged to the lead group and then he would have been favourite for the sprint.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I loved this race, best I've seen. I've not watched a lot but are one-day races always so much peppier than tours?

 

[rich p]

I loved this race, best I've seen. I've not watched a lot but are one-day races always so much peppier than tours?

Not always no. Sometimes they're a cautious, long day of riding with a bunch sprint.
GTs aren't always full-on buzz every day but the best have a selection of sprint days, puncheur days and mountain days - plus TTTs and ITTs.
The attraction of stage races is the slow build up of tension through the complicated tactics from each team.

 

[thom]

Just saw the highlights having missed the race at a wedding.
Cancellara was just imperious at the end - got to be favourite for P-R now.

 

[thom]

Highlights of the women's race:

 

[Hont]

Nice to hear the correct pronunciation of the places/bergs.

 

[beastie]

I think wiggo rode a pretty damn good race yesterday to be fair to the guy - also how many other GC riders where there at flanders yesterday. i can't think of any of the top GC riders or would have entered flanders or paris roubaix

will he beat the like of spartacus, sagan, kristoff etc in a classic - maybe not, but he did a pretty damn fine job of getting gareth thomas back into the race and i big chapeua to the boss too (edvald bossan hagen), who also had a damn fine race and is learning how its done from the best in the business.......

Wiggins ain't a GC man no more.

Edit I know I know he won the TOB but he won't win again. I thought he rode alright, better than expected. EBH rode well, and was in top position at important points, but he is just one level down from the top guys. He's a bit of a Jack of all trades. Thomas was suffering from a crash, and was too far down the peloton on the Koppenberg. He finished strongly.

Paris Roubaix should be interesting for Sky. EBH is leader AFAIK. Wiggins could make top 10 if he rides a stormed and Thomas will be there or thereabouts if his back is better. It's a shame Stannard ain't there, he was Sky's best option.

 

[The Couch]

It's a shame Stannard ain't there, he was Sky's best option.

Agree

 

[User169]

Fab in Oudernaarde yesterday, having a few beers and pulling some pints..