Sometimes even with the best kit, even a Pro can have a bad day.
Sometimes even with the best kit, even a Pro can have a bad day.
Liège Bastogne Liège - Preview
Liège is affectionately known as the ‘La Doyenne’, the Oldest or sometimes the Old Lady. It predates Paris Roubaix by four years, but unlike Roubaix it has never risen to the iconic heights that the ’Queen of the Classics’ has. Started as a way to promote a newspaper, L’Expresse. You can see a theme here with many of the old races on the calendar and it makes us wonder when we may see a Race sponsored by one of the bug internet news providers to promote their business, just a thought.
With any race it is the quality of the parcour and that of the riders that have won it over the years and Liège is littered with names that jump out at you from every decade in history. For the first 50 years of the race it has been Belgium that has dominated the nation standings on wins. What is amazing is that the first three editions where won by the same rider, Léon Houa, a feat which makes this Monument stand alone (as well as it being the hiliest of all Five Monuments).
Philippe Gilbert ended a drought for Belgium which dated back to 1999 when a young Frank Vandenbroucke tore the peloton apart with a triumphant win. We know the history from Frank’s story, but the way in which he won it was the thing we will all remember, because we need to be honest and realise that he wasn’t the only rider to be using at the race. The real glory days of Belgium dominating this race ended in 1976 with Joseph Bruyère closing off a chapter, and his two wins in the race being the crowning glory of his career. After the ‘76 race, winners started to flow in from other nations with Bernard Hinault taking the win in ‘77 and also in ‘80 with the legendary win in possibly one of the most epic days of bike racing in modern times.
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These Ardenne Races (really only the Flèche and Liège) are very hard with the list of multiple winners being small. At the top of the tree stands the lonely figure of Eddy Merckx, a record which I think will stand for a long time as his Five wins look a way off for the modern crop of riders.
Although the form guide is much harder to predict than in the Northern (Pavé) Classics I think that the races that have surrounded it both in Belgium and Italy have clear pointers towards a possible victor. So to the ones to watch.
Philippe Gilbert - he’s had a slow start based on last year but watching him in the last two races it is clear that he’s been using these races to fine tune himself for today. The BMC Team looks to be fully behind him in support.
Damiano Cunego has been cursed in many ways since he on the Giro as a young man as every DS and Team Manager has looked for him to repeat that form and win again in his national tour. This for me is his natural and right enviroment and he will provide the biggest challenge to Gilbert.
The Schlecks need this win, for confidence and to build towards the ultimate goal of the Tour. I think though we will see Andy rise to the top and challenge for the top step on the podium today, especially if it stays dry, if it’s wet you can rule him out.
And finally I’d like to through in the wildcard of Ryder Hesjedal who showed he had really good legs at the Flèche but was only smarted by going a little too early on the Mur de Huy. I think again he’ll have the full team at his disposal and I would expect him to be very active today as winning a Monument must feel within his grasp.
So I think it’ll be a Gilbert win, with Cunego making the second spot and third is up for grabs.
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Tractor dodging on the Paris Roubaix recon ride (2012).
One day we hope Visconti decides to concentrate on the hilly Classics of the Ardennes & races like the Monuments. He should be Bettini successor. We at the Monuments are waiting …
La Flèche Wallonne - The Original Wednesday Worlds
As we saw in Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race the dorway to the ‘Ardennes’ Races has been opened and the transition from the rolling lanes and roads, short steep climbs has seen these lengthen in preparation for the first of the Belgian Ardennes races. Being relatively young with the first edition being run in 1936 with this years being the 76th edition of the runing of the race.
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Last year we saw Philippe Gilbert complete a historic four wins which started at Brabantse Pijl (or in French “Fleche Branconne”) which sits on the edge of the edge of the Flemish and Walloon areas and then finishing the series off with a win at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. If he can win one of these this year it will be a triumph as hes been suffering from a teeth problem which has affected his performance. Completing these four races has really only been possible as the race was moved in 2010, which now allows there to be a succession of races which flow much better than before and really allows the riders to have a better run of races that they are able to perform better at. We’ve seen these date switches benefit the Pavé Classics as the build up makes more sense rather than chopping and changing the types of parcours as it was the case pre 2010.
This map may be a little out of date as it dates back a few years.
The distance the race had been raced over during it’s history has changed lots over the years, topping out at 300km (for the 1938 edition) and seems to have settled on a distance around the 190-200km in length, with this years being run at a shorter distance 194km. The race itself starts out from Belgiums third largest city, Charleroi, and nestled in the Pays Noir (‘black country’) so called due to the coal mining that provided wealth to the area up until the mines started to close down in the mid 50’s. But the real jewel in the crown of the race is the climb of the Mur de Huy which the riders have to climb three times. Although the length at 1300 metres and the average percentage ratio of 9.3% don’t seem to give clues to the fearsome nature, it is only when you see that it pitches up to 26% in one of the bends that it really tells the full tale of the torture and the strength required to overcome the Wall.
What do we know about this race then, well it’s very tough as only four riders have ever won it three times. Marcel Kint (BEL), Eddy Merckx (BEL), Moreno Argentin (ITA) and David Rebellin (ITA) although the two Italians have more than a cloud hanging onver them. These races really suit the puncheur riders who can excel on the rolling parcour with the steep short climbs, it’s rare that a rouleur wins this race with maybe Rik Verbrugghe (2001) and Lance Armstrong (1996, pre-cancer).
This race produces more surprises than it does favourites who win, so it’ll be very difficult to predict a winner. But who is on form, if we take everyones last race of a real guide to where they are at we will look at the top 30 from Amstel Gold.
| Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Pro Team Astana |
| Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team |
| Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar |
| Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team |
| Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi |
| Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin-Barracuda |
| Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale |
| Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz) Pro Team Astana |
| Frank Schleck (Lux) Radioshack-Nissan |
| Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Barracuda |
| Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank |
| Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team |
| Thomas Dekker (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda |
| Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team |
| Simon Gerrans (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team |
| Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling |
| Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team |
| Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo Bank |
| Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team |
| Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team We expect the above riders to be within contention, with the riders in red most likely to place in the top ten. Sorry we are pinning the tale on the donkey today, but the Flèche is a bit of a lottery. But what we do know is, that this is the most important Wednesday race in the calendar, the original Wednesday World’s. [[posterous-content:pid___3]] |
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As a race it’s young, a baby compared to the two giants of the previous weekends, with it’s first edition taking place in 1966. Not really being part of the ‘Ardennes Week’ as it lies across the border in the Netherlands. Although the race is in the Netherlands it nests in the hilly part around Maastrict area and uses a circuit type structure which a few riders have dubbed it ‘the race of a thousand turns’. Being in the Netherlands the street furniture plays a part as the drama unfolds in the race as it can leave moments when you can be left with your heart in youe mouth.
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[[posterous-content:pid___0]]Much like the Ronde in Belgium the series of climbs helps shape the race as it unfolds. Also in the same vein as the Ronde, the climbs come in different flavours and there is a lot of them, totalling 25 with some of the names being very familiar with the Cauberg (avg 5.8%), Kruisberg (avg 7.5%) and the Vrakelberg (avg 7.9%). There’s an interesting bridge between the Tour of Flanders and it’s southern Belgian cousin in Liége Bastogne Liége in fact some of the climbs are undertaken on tight narrow lanes, some of which are tree covered for an extra element, while others are fought out on wider roads leading into the major population centres, not disimilar to the climbs in the Belgian Ardennes.
[[posterous-content:pid___1]]As the race is a crossroads between the Northern Classic specialists and the Classic’s specialists the potential winners list is much wider than in many of the other one day races that take place prior to the first Grand Tour. If you look at thelast ten years it shows the different styles of riders that have won it, which just adds to the excitement of watching the race. (Although history now throws a cloud over many of these results due to some riders being involved in various drug scandals over the years)
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With last years winner Philippe Gilbert not showing the form that he had in the last two previous editions it leaves the race with no obvious outright favourite. So who has this race within their sights. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) is probably the best able, not only because of his own natural ability, but as the Katusha Team has been riding very strongly and with a real sense of purpose. Oscar Freire, in his swansong season, is riding with such passion that he could be a great foil and will provide another set of wheels for the other teams to watch. Cunego (Lampre ISD), Evans (BMC), Horner (Radioshack), Breschel (Rabobank) and with a couple of potential outsiders that may just upset the apple cart. These nods go to a series of double acts Sagan and Nibali (Liquigas Cannondale), Gerrans and Albasini (GreenEdge), Valverde and Visconti (Movistar) closing out the list. The reason the Movistar pairing aren’t in the obvious favourites for the win is that Valverde is lacking 200km plus race legs and Visconti has spent the lat couple of seasons racing at the Pro Continental level.
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We have to go back to 2001 to see a Dutchman’s name taking the overall win with Dekker beating Lance Armstrong. So who are the top Dutch riders to keep an eye out for on Sunday, as these will be highly motivated for the win.
51 Thomas Dekker 53 Michel Kreder (Garmin)
66 Jens Mouris (GreenEdge)
101 Brian Bulgac (Lotto)
127 Niki Terpstra (Quickstep)
131 Lars Boom 133 Robert Gesink 134 Steven Kruijswijk 136 Bauke Mollema
137 Bram Tankink 138 Maarten Tjallingii (Rabobank)
146 Joost Posthuma (Radioshack)
162 Karston Kroon (Saxo Bank)
172 Wout Poels 173 Johnny Hoogerland 174 Bertjan Lindeman 175 Pim Ligthart 177 Rob Ruijgh
178 Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil)
185 Stefan Van Dijck 187 Arnoud van Groen (Accent Jobs)
201 Dirk Bellemakers 202 Reinier Honig (Landbowcredit)
211 Roy Curvers 213 Tom Dumoulin 218 Albert Timmer (Argos Shimano)
Those riders in bold are probably the best bet for Sunday.
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Great shot from this years Paris Roubaix (2012) taken by James. Follow him on twitter @BrakeThrough
It says it all.
The rollout Paris Roubaix 2011
If Boonen is not the Lion of Flanders now I don’t understand what he needs to do to be given that title.
