2/28/15 8:41 PM

Well, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was a pretty good start to the season, and with a pretty unexpected result given the composition of the final break - three against one and the one wins...

2/28/15 9:34 PM

No excuse for those lack of tactics me tinks. 3 shoulda been working one over instead of what they did or didn't do...


Watched it after just reading about it. Not lack of tactics, the tactics just did not work, Even that last crappy one just at the line.

Great last kilos


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQRSisiaC9A&feature=youtu.be

3/1/15 1:41 PM

Never overestimate the intelligence of a professional bike rider.

Boonen went for a solo move (and the win) at 4.4km to go.

But Stannard slowly pulled him back at 3.6 km to go with the others drafting off his wheel. (Means Stannard is probably the strongest rider of the 4.)

Pretty much as soon as Boonen was caught, Tepstra went. This is correct tactics. About 3km to go. So far so good.

Perhaps the first tactical mistake was that Vandenbergh decided to immediately chase down his teammate Tepstra. One might argue he effectively dragged Stannard back up but there's another important effect. (We can forget Boonen as he is done at this point.)

So we have Tepstra, Stannard and a cooked Vandenbergh.

Stannard goes at 2.4 km. (This move basically confirms he was the strongest rider anyway.) Even if Vandenbergh didn't chase down Tepstra, Stannard might have reeled in Tepstra by himself anyway.

However, Vandenbergh is immediately gapped and never manages to catch back on. He should not have spent his strength chasing down Tepstra earlier. He should have been sitting on Stannard's wheel.

Only Tepstra is left is with Stannard all the way to the finish line. Tepstra sucks wheel all the way. Correct tactics. He is hoping Vandenbergh regains contact. But it never happens.

I don't know who is the sprinter amongst Tepstra and Stannard. But Tepstra leads out unconvincingly. And Stannard (deservedly) wins.

3/1/15 3:22 PM

...Stannard revealed that the three Quick Step riders had been hammering at the front for a long time while he had been sitting on their wheels. When crunch time came, he knew that he was the strongest of the four and played it accordingly. It worked to perfection!

Last edited by Brian Nystrom on 3/2/15 6:15 AM; edited 1 time in total

3/1/15 5:04 PM

Yeah, he was sitting on. And Lefevere basically called him a bum for doing that. Ha ha ha...He was 3 to one and supposed to do work? C'mon.

3/1/15 5:07 PM

Boonens move with 4.5 was nothing short of stupid.
He was by far the best sprinter of the 4, he gets paid to win races and all he had to do was sit on till 200 meters to go and he wins, game over.
His ego got the best of him and he wanted to win solo. mistake 1
Mistake 2, Vandenbergh chasing Terpstra and giving Stannerd a ride...
Mistake 3, Terpstra leading out the sprint with Boonen 2 feet behind them.
I am sorry but there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for QS losing the race besides individual ego.

3/1/15 6:53 PM

"Lefevere basically called him a bum for doing that."


To much of a pro to bite on that BS. I laughed at that myself.

Like; As if?

3/1/15 8:14 PM

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne final 10k

There IS a spoiler at the finish/end of the VID. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg6jwiuTZvU

3/2/15 12:13 AM

quote:

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Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne final 10k

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