Paris-Nice

Bobby J had a fantastic prologue! A lot of guys looked to be struggling at the end and weren’t able to post the top time, Bobby made it look like another training day!!

On the other hand Floyd looked like Shaggy off the old Scooby-Doo cartoon, and looked porky and slow.

HR

Hookyrider said:

Bobby J had a fantastic prologue! A lot of guys looked to be struggling at the end and weren’t able to post the top time, Bobby made it look like another training day!!

On the other hand Floyd looked like Shaggy off the old Scooby-Doo cartoon, and looked porky and slow.

HR

Yes that's correct but Boone really suprised me... I wonder how he will do at friday. There where discussions about making him a more complete rider, his trainer said that these where just runours but somehow they must have worked on ITT's (even if this was a very short one). Has somebody some data about Boonen's ITT's in 2005?

cyclingheroes said:

Yes that's correct but Boone really suprised me... I wonder how he will do at friday. There where discussions about making him a more complete rider, his trainer said that these where just runours but somehow they must have worked on ITT's (even if this was a very short one). Has somebody some data about Boonen's ITT's in 2005?

I think Boonen could win this.
Are the bonuses for stage wins?
He'll see how he goes up hills but he is shooting for LBL.

Boonen says he wants 3 stage wins - but no word about the GC. Great prologue ride - and from Contador, too, Liberty had a couple of riders in the top ten.

Julich looked silky smooth - nice ride by him.

I watched it on EuroSport and thought Landis looked great, if he didn't overshoot the last corner he would of won.... he has an interesting new time trial position... very hutched over.....

The commentators also revelaed that Popovitch has been sick all winter and has only just started training again... his performance looked like it....

Kashechkin rode very well.... will be great for vino this year.....

Hookyrider said:

Bobby J had a fantastic prologue! A lot of guys looked to be struggling at the end and weren’t able to post the top time, Bobby made it look like another training day!!

On the other hand Floyd looked like Shaggy off the old Scooby-Doo cartoon, and looked porky and slow.

HR

I caught it on EuroSport as well... saw Floyd's wobble there on the exit of that odd-ball turn. Maybe it's just those Phonak shorts that make the dude look like a lady with a big butt. The Scooby-Doo look is laughable though.

Boonen will be a force to recon with this year, no matter the race!

HR

I watched it again he did look like he had a big [censored].... but he looks fit and in good condition... I think we should expect big things from Landis this year.... although he has to shave off the porno tache.... very 70's......

Hookyrider said:

I caught it on EuroSport as well... saw Floyd's wobble there on the exit of that odd-ball turn. Maybe it's just those Phonak shorts that make the dude look like a lady with a big butt. The Scooby-Doo look is laughable though.

Boonen will be a force to recon with this year, no matter the race!

HR

Julich was very impressive today - great ride.
Amazing how he has rediscovered his form since joining CSC.

McGee looked good : as did Kashechkin.

Great to see live cycling again on ES!

limerickman said:

Julich was very impressive today - great ride.
Amazing how he has rediscovered his form since joining CSC.

McGee looked good : as did Kashechkin.

Great to see live cycling again on ES!

Landis ALWAYS looks that way its funny.
The Eurosport guys were not exactly making fun of it but trying to get Sean Kelly to say something, but anyway.

Here is the quote of the day (think VENGA VENGA VENGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!):

Andrey Kashechkin (Liberty Seguros-Würth Team), 2nd

"I had good sensations today. It was my first experience of riding a time trial with Manolo Saiz behind me. It's the first time a coach kept talking to me constantly during the race. I enjoyed it."

Yeah right, the way you might enjoy an oatmeal enema, a paper cut in the eye, or a angry wasp stuck in your ear canal.

bobke said:

Andrey Kashechkin (Liberty Seguros-Würth Team), 2nd

"I had good sensations today. It was my first experience of riding a time trial with Manolo Saiz behind me. It's the first time a coach kept talking to me constantly during the race. I enjoyed it."

Yeah right, the way you might enjoy an oatmeal enema, a paper cut in the eye, or a angry wasp stuck in your ear canal.

Siaz tends to bellow his instructions : before the days of earpieces, he used use a megaphone (I kid you not).

I was at the 1995 TDF and Saiz was literally screaming at Jalabert on tha
in the ITT that year.
It was obviously fairly colourful language because the Indurain fan club (who were beside me) were roaring laughing as he poured what sounded like vitriol all over JaJa for not going fast enough!

[font=Arial]For me Boonen was hero of the day, great improvement. It seems he's planning to make attacks and time trial some wins in Classics.[/font]
[font=Arial]Great to see cycling on Eurosport again and even better to listen Sean Kelly knowing he has lots of business with his team (I was afraid he won't be able to commentate on Eurosport because of that, but everything is as usual on Eurosport).[/font]
[font=Arial]Julich is again man to beat (did you know his grandfather is (was) from around here?)[/font]

Andrija said:

[font=Arial]For me Boonen was hero of the day, great improvement. It seems he's planning to make attacks and time trial some wins in Classics.[/font]
[font=Arial]Great to see cycling on Eurosport again and even better to listen Sean Kelly knowing he has lots of business with his team (I was afraid he won't be able to commentate on Eurosport because of that, but everything is as usual on Eurosport).[/font]
[font=Arial]Julich is again man to beat (did you know his grandfather is (was) from around here?)[/font]

Tom Boonen said in an Belgium newspaper this morning that he wants to have a stage win but isn't intrested in the overall, if his shape is good enough for Milano-San Remo he will abandon Paria-Nice after a few days. Today could be Tom Boonen day (stage 1)

cyclingheroes said:

Tom Boonen said in an Belgium newspaper this morning that he wants to have a stage win but isn't intrested in the overall, if his shape is good enough for Milano-San Remo he will abandon Paria-Nice after a few days. Today could be Tom Boonen day (stage 1)

Boonen will win the stages at will.
We'll see if he bothers to win the overall. If his team can deal with CSC because the gaps will be close even more so without uphill finish or repeated climbs of Mt Faron.

Well Boonon won the day after a breakaway got 12 mins on the bunch and were reeled in at the end... Boonon takes yellow... impressive performance by Allan Davies in 2nd..... DaveZ also had a long breakaway but was foiled because he needed to go to the toilet about 17 times ! But the day was Boonon... incredible... no one can beat him.... the quick-step boys rode well..... they chased all day....

bobke said:

Boonen will win the stages at will.
We'll see if he bothers to win the overall. If his team can deal with CSC because the gaps will be close even more so without uphill finish or repeated climbs of Mt Faron.

Boonen looks strong this year, as strong as ever. But he's no climber and even without an uphill finish, Stage 3 will be brutal for him. The Cat 1 climb is close to the end and a lot more punishing than the Poggio.

tcklyde said:

Boonen looks strong this year, as strong as ever. But he's no climber and even without an uphill finish, Stage 3 will be brutal for him. The Cat 1 climb is close to the end and a lot more punishing than the Poggio.

Some news agency was quoting him as saying he may leave before the end...that would be weird, but we'll see.
Is he hiding form by leaving?
We'll see but he looks very lean and right now nothing would surprise me from him.
Hills or not.
He is targetting LBL so he may have been working on climbing, granted a Cat 1 climb is different...

They ought to punish idiots like Trenti for blocking other sprinters after leading Tommeke out.

Boonen said on Eurosport today that he wanted to ride to Nice as he lives down there and it gives him time to rest before MSR.....

whiteboytrash said:

Boonen said on Eurosport today that he wanted to ride to Nice as he lives down there and it gives him time to rest before MSR.....

I thought he lived in Monaco, well I guess thats close.
Bobby J lives in Nice, must be nice.
🙂