Liege-Bastonge-Liege

Wish I could have seen it, we don't have a TV here but I went to cyclingnews.com for the live commentary. Good going from these two.

-Bikeguy

bikeguy said:

Wish I could have seen it, we don't have a TV here but I went to cyclingnews.com for the live commentary. Good going from these two.

-Bikeguy

Yes, it was a good race and the Eurosport coverage was very good.

Good result for Vino.

limerickman said:

Not one post about LBL ?
No one aware that LBL was on this weekend ?

In case you haven't seen/heard the result, Alexander Vinokourov won LBL in a
sprint finish fron CSC's Jens Voigt.

Superb race it was too.

Vono and Voigt got away from the field but were being chased by Bettini, Boogard and Evans for the last 10kms.

LBL is a classics race, by the way.

LOL, I'm too surprised by the lack of response. I'd been out for a ride early yesterday morning and dozed off for the first 30 minutes of OLN's coverage. The last 30 minutes were spectacular. I was hoping for Jens Voight to take it, but it was a great break-away and sprint finish. I really like how Jens goes for all or nothing everytime he races (didn't work out in Fleche Wallone, but I still admire the effort). Congrats to Vinokourov and T-Mobile on their first of the year. How do they manage a 25 mph average over a course of 162 miles on that sort of terrain? This was a very fast race, and the best classic of the season IMO.

OCRoadie said:

LOL, I'm too surprised by the lack of response. I'd been out for a ride early yesterday morning and dozed off for the first 30 minutes of OLN's coverage. The last 30 minutes were spectacular. I was hoping for Jens Voight to take it, but it was a great break-away and sprint finish. I really like how Jens goes for all or nothing everytime he races (didn't work out in Fleche Wallone, but I still admire the effort). Congrats to Vinokourov and T-Mobile on their first of the year. How do they manage a 25 mph average over a course of 162 miles on that sort of terrain? This was a very fast race, and the best classic of the season IMO.

Voigt is a bloody good cyclist.
I thought that he'd beat Vino - because I didn't think that Vino was a better sprinter than Voigt but there you go.

25mph average speed is very very fast.
I could put forward a theory but it's been covered on other more controversial threads !

Quoted post said:

I could put forward a theory but it's been covered on other more controversial threads

Agree- no need to go there in this thread. Do you think Voight would've won the sprint if Vino would have done more of his share in the break?

Voigt is going to be a co-commentator on DSF for Tour de Romandie! Strange that he has a time, it seems that he will take a rest..

Very fast but its been done before. If you remember Virenques breakaway in last years tour de france on the stage they opened up for the etape de tour, he averaged 25 mph over a 150 mile course and that had some really nasty hills in it.

I was glad to see some good racing, and for VIno to win. I was glad to see him produce, finally, this season. And what a breakaway it was! Props to Voigt as well!

it's such a shame really that cycling is like this. If Armstrong isn't taking part, then nobody cares. If he is taking part, then the media don't stop going on about it.

Dead Star said:

it's such a shame really that cycling is like this. If Armstrong isn't taking part, then nobody cares. If he is taking part, then the media don't stop going on about it.

That`s in USA..

OCRoadie said:

Agree- no need to go there in this thread. Do you think Voight would've won the sprint if Vino would have done more of his share in the break?

I thought that Voigt worked harder in the breakaway, I have to say, than Vino.

Both worked the same..there was nothing controversial!

OCRoadie said:

Agree- no need to go there in this thread. Do you think Voight would've won the sprint if Vino would have done more of his share in the break?

I was wondering the same but I find it hard to fault Vino for this because in this break as in most I have seen Voight in, he pulls through long before the guy on the front has pulled off! He is a one man freight train, truly inspiring to watch. You really can't take anything away from a guy like Vino, though. He is almost as aggressive and bold as Voight, though perhaps a bit cagier tactically. Voight has that Ludo Dierxcens-like (sp?) all or nothhing quality that is inspiring but he has more talent than old Ludo.

This was indeed a great race.

NW

Virenque said:

That`s in USA..

OLN coverage spent a lot more time on LBL thn they did covering the Redlands stage race which, though small by Euro standards, is really something of a big deal here in the states.

I am far from a flag-waving, Bush-loving all or nothing patriot, but for God's sake give us a bit more credit.Yes Lance is a huge phenomenon here in the states and that makes sense but there is really quite a large (and growing larger) fan base for cycling in general here in the states. And as far as team/rider hero-worship, I see more old ONCE jerseys and Fassa Bortolo Jerseys on club rides and at races than Postal kits, for what that's worth. You have to rememeber that one really beneficial aspect of the amount of media play that Armstrong has received here in the states is that US fans have also been introduced to ( or seen bettter coveragge of at any rate) Ullrich, Basso, Pantani, Kloden, Boogerd etc etc due to Lance's trading blows with them in the tour and, believe it or not, in other races, too. (Hence Boogerd's inclusion). This has served to develop a fan base for the sport that has becomee far more educated about the sport in general and I think that this will continue to be the case after Lance is gone. I meet older guys all the time who started racing when Greg Lemond was the big thing here in the states and 20 years later they are still here.

Just my ramblings this morning.

NW

Virenque said:

Both worked the same..there was nothing controversial!

I wasn't suggesting that there was any controversy, Vino deserved the win. I was more questioning if Jens would've had enough left in him to win the sprint if Vino would've shared the pulls equally. I think the answer is it probably wouldn't have mattered as Vino is a better sprinter. I like the no nonsense approach the Jens takes every time he goes out, I wish he would've countered Vino's attack on the last climb.

Dead Star said:

it's such a shame really that cycling is like this. If Armstrong isn't taking part, then nobody cares. If he is taking part, then the media don't stop going on about it.

Maybe in the US... but here in Europe we do get rather excited about the classics! 😉

I always get a bit depressed after LBL waiting for the Giro to start...

miss the classics, San Remo to LBL. Great time of the year! 😄

Powerful Pete said:

Maybe in the US... but here in Europe we do get rather excited about the classics! 😉

I always get a bit depressed after LBL waiting for the Giro to start...

miss the classics, San Remo to LBL. Great time of the year! 😄

Only two weeks to go to the Giro, PP.

I love the classics as well.
I was disappointed to see Ghent-Wevelgem not get protour recognition.

limerickman said:

I thought that Voigt worked harder in the breakaway, I have to say, than Vino.

It did look like Vino did a lot of wheel sucking, but Voigt didn't seem to mind. I thought Vino would try harder to get away on one of the final climbs, but Voigt was just so strong.

Really could have turned out different, it seems, if the chasing group could managed to get their act together.

This is my first full season watching cycling and I have to be honest that the spring classics have been great, some of the best races that I have witnessed. Having only seen the 2003/2004 tour and the olympics I really feel I have missed out until now.