De Ronde

• Fourth youngest rider in cycling history to finish all seven one-day Spring Classics

thunder said:

• Fourth youngest rider in cycling history to finish all seven one-day Spring Classics

Where did you find that. Merckx had finished all the monuments before he turned 22 from what I can find.

classic1 said:

Where did you find that. Merckx had finished all the monuments before he turned 22 from what I can find.

it was wrong. Thus my links. It was my memory mate.

First time I heard it, I immediately thought, cant be right. I may have just misheard it.

Check the link, it is on his website.

thunder said:

it was wrong. Thus my links. It was my memory mate.

First time I heard it, I immediately thought, cant be right. I may have just misheard it.

Check the link, it is on his website.

Nah. I tried, really I did, but his website is spastic.

classic1 said:

I'll tell you what, the last two monuments have been among the worst classics I have ever seen. Negative boring racing. The racing has missed the likes of Cancellara, O'Grady and Ballan IMO. Hopefully they attack the [censored] out of one another at Wevelgem, Roubaix and in the Ardennes classics but I'm not holding my breath. Pray for wind and rain or even better snow.

You know why ? Drugs. Flanders was 29 minutes faster than last year ! They were going to fast to attack.......

classic1 said:

That was one of the most boring negative RVV's I have ever seen. Stop start stop start. Attack, sit up, let fat dropped cnuts get back on.

WTF was Pozzato doing? I've decided Pozzato is a [censored]. Pose-ato. Pooftah. I think he was just perving on Boonens [censored]. Then Devolder slaughtered the big gheybo when he went.

Silence-Lotto rode like [censored] letting Chavanel and Devolder get up the road like that. Hoste will never win the Ronde. He should set his sites lower. I suggest the Knokke-Heist kermesse in August. Pose-ato rode like a [censored]. Quinziato is a [censored]. What was he yelling about at Chavanel? No way was Chavanel going to chase with Devolder up the road and Boonen behind. Rabowank, Cervelo Test Tubes and Saxospank all had numbers in the finale and did fark all. No use attacking you [censored] when the race is a friggin minute up the road with 15km to go.

Kudos to Devolder and Van Hecke though. They took the race by the scruff of the neck. Honorable mention to Chavanel and Quinziato even though he is a [censored].

I'll tell you what, the last two monuments have been among the worst classics I have ever seen. Negative boring racing. The racing has missed the likes of Cancellara, O'Grady and Ballan IMO. Hopefully they attack the [censored] out of one another at Wevelgem, Roubaix and in the Ardennes classics but I'm not holding my breath. Pray for wind and rain or even better snow.

I agree and disagree.

Van hecke did a great ride and did very well to be up there with pros from the bigger teams.
I agree with your view re Quinziato - it was stupid of him to expect Chavanel to chase down Devolder.

I thought that this years De Ronde made good viewing though.
Flecha was at least willing to try.
OK it wasn't edge of the seat stuff - but I like watching the classics regardless.

classic1 said:

That was one of the most boring negative RVV's I have ever seen. Stop start stop start. Attack, sit up, let fat dropped cnuts get back on.

WTF was Pozzato doing? I've decided Pozzato is a [censored]. Pose-ato. Pooftah. I think he was just perving on Boonens [censored]. Then Devolder slaughtered the big gheybo when he went.

Silence-Lotto rode like [censored] letting Chavanel and Devolder get up the road like that. Hoste will never win the Ronde. He should set his sites lower. I suggest the Knokke-Heist kermesse in August. Pose-ato rode like a [censored]. Quinziato is a [censored]. What was he yelling about at Chavanel? No way was Chavanel going to chase with Devolder up the road and Boonen behind. Rabowank, Cervelo Test Tubes and Saxospank all had numbers in the finale and did fark all. No use attacking you [censored] when the race is a friggin minute up the road with 15km to go.

Kudos to Devolder and Van Hecke though. They took the race by the scruff of the neck. Honorable mention to Chavanel and Quinziato even though he is a [censored].

I'll tell you what, the last two monuments have been among the worst classics I have ever seen. Negative boring racing. The racing has missed the likes of Cancellara, O'Grady and Ballan IMO. Hopefully they attack the [censored] out of one another at Wevelgem, Roubaix and in the Ardennes classics but I'm not holding my breath. Pray for wind and rain or even better snow.

Nicely summed up. But think you haven't been hard enough on MSR - jeebus is that one long borefest....every year. This time it would have been the same if they ran it on two laps of a track.

whiteboytrash said:

You know why ? Drugs. Flanders was 29 minutes faster than last year ! They were going to fast to attack.......

Conditions were fantastic this year though - probably a big factor.

wicklow200 said:

Nicely summed up. But think you haven't been hard enough on MSR - jeebus is that one long borefest....every year. This time it would have been the same if they ran it on two laps of a track.

I've been hard on MSR elsewhere. Worst MSR ever. I have never seen one raced so negatively. Great final 500m, that is about it.

whiteboytrash said:

You know why ? Drugs. Flanders was 29 minutes faster than last year ! They were going to fast to attack.......

No, that's not it. The riders are gheyer this year. Except for Devolder. Ghey riders = ghey racing.

I'll have to dig out a copy of the anti ghey Rondes from 85-88 to remind myself of how good the Ronde can be.