<< WORLD CHAMPS ROAD RACE >>

whiteboytrash said:

Any tips ? Looking at the course with the massive hairpin 600 meters from the finish I have to say I'd put my money on McEwen who can win without a train or Bonnen.... Vino as an outsider similar to his win on the Champs-Elysee..... cant see Pettachi getting the train motoring in that short of a distance... discuss.

Pettachi won on the same finish last Sunday in the Vuelta. The last turn is kind of akward, but if he turns it close to the front of the bunch, then he should wrap it up. But it's a bit like a standing start. Lombardi has reccied the course and says its definitely for sprinters. Bettini should be working for P, seeing as he was gifted a stage win in the vuelta by him

McEwen is dogged. We'll see. He'll surely try to disrupt Pettachi's train like he did succesfully in the Giro a number of times.

Boonen seems out of sorts.

Zabel - hasn't done a lot this season. It would be a surprise to see him ahead of Boonen and Hushovd, nevermind Pettachi. Next best for him is a win for his future team mate Pettachi.

Lone break - Vino, one of the Spanish, a German?

Yeah some other discussions then doping (I know sounds weird from me😎 ).

Here's what I think:
IF nothing goes wrong and the italy-train is not derailed then Petacchi will win.......he's simply the best sprinter in the world!! Btw even without train you saw last sunday during the vuelta that petacchi still could win the stage......!!!!

However there are some outsiders: watch out for van heeswijk and van dijk, 2 very good sprinters who can, on there day, beat mcewen and boonen........

There will be of course some lonely attacks, but in the end those two hills won't create a selection and it will be a mass sprint......

It all depends if petacchi comes out of that 180 degree turn in a good position....

wicklow200 said:

Pettachi won on the same finish last Sunday in the Vuelta. The last turn is kind of akward, but if he turns it close to the front of the bunch, then he should wrap it up. But it's a bit like a standing start. Lombardi has reccied the course and says its definitely for sprinters. Bettini should be working for P, seeing as he was gifted a stage win in the vuelta by him

McEwen is dogged. We'll see. He'll surely try to disrupt Pettachi's train like he did succesfully in the Giro a number of times.

Boonen seems out of sorts.

Zabel - hasn't done a lot this season. It would be a surprise to see him ahead of Boonen and Hushovd, nevermind Pettachi. Next best for him is a win for his future team mate Pettachi.

Lone break - Vino, one of the Spanish, a German?

[font=Verdana]Stijn Devolder comments were interesting this morning:[/font]

"This is a circuit on which you'd better be alert all the time. The selection will be made via the back door on Sunday," Stijn Devolder told the Belgian press. "Those who are in the opinion that Madrid is a flat parcours will find they're wrong. This is a lot harder than expected. Last Sunday, in the closing stage of the Vuelta, we only did one of the two hills. The bump in the park is not a super-hard climb but it is good one and a half kilometres ling. In case we get a real race on this parcours, you'll surely get a serious selection. Vicioso tried it on Sunday on that, Ghesa de la Vila, on which I'll be expecting Bettini too. We won't finish with a group of sixty together. Riding towards that last turn of 180 degrees, first you have a light descent and then slightly uphill. From that U-turn onwards it will be every sprinter to himself, with still more than 500 metres to go."

With this is mind I reckon there could be a solo break or an unknown making a dash for it with 600m to go……..

MJtje said:

Yeah some other discussions then doping (I know sounds weird from me😎 ).

Here's what I think:
IF nothing goes wrong and the italy-train is not derailed then Petacchi will win.......he's simply the best sprinter in the world!! Btw even without train you saw last sunday during the vuelta that petacchi still could win the stage......!!!!

However there are some outsiders: watch out for van heeswijk and van dijk, 2 very good sprinters who can, on there day, beat mcewen and boonen........

There will be of course some lonely attacks, but in the end those two hills won't create a selection and it will be a mass sprint......

It all depends if petacchi comes out of that 180 degree turn in a good position....

That last bend on the final run in on the Vuelta final stage on Sunday looked
very dangerous and is part of the R/R parcours.

But on to the main event : Ballerini (Italian Manager) certainly seems to have got his team working as a unit in recent years and this must make Paolo Bettini
(a rider who I like) a favourite. Petacchi is another likely man too. DiLuca (if selected) is another threat.

Tom Boonen will be there or thereabouts.

I wouldn't write off a German winning it - Zabel finished second to Freire last year.
If the German team can work together Voigt could be a bet as could Jaksche and Zabel.
Ditto the Aussies - Brad McGee is my darkhorse Aussie bet.

EUROSPORT HAVE 7 HOURS OF UNINTERRUPTED COVERAGE OF THE MENS R/R
ON SUNDAY 25TH STARTING AT 10.15 (cet).

SUPERB !

(Eurosport's world championship coverage is very extensive, with the Womens,
U23, Junior titles coverage as well - well done ES !)

limerickman said:

Brad McGee is my darkhorse Aussie bet.

McGee injured so not riding.

600m to go hairpin: you can't get much benefit from a leadout train even if the Italians do keep it organised.

This is McEwen's race if it ends in a bunch sprint but I'd also put a small wager on Valverde too.

patch70 said:

McGee injured so not riding.

600m to go hairpin: you can't get much benefit from a leadout train even if the Italians do keep it organised.

This is McEwen's race if it ends in a bunch sprint but I'd also put a small wager on Valverde too.

Valverde is a good choice.

Certainly he is the next great rider (I rate him higher than Cunego and Boonen)
but will the Spaniards give him enough support ?
Sorry to hear about McGee - I think he's a classy rider.

limerickman said:

That last bend on the final run in on the Vuelta final stage on Sunday looked
very dangerous and is part of the R/R parcours.

But on to the main event : Ballerini (Italian Manager) certainly seems to have got his team working as a unit in recent years and this must make Paolo Bettini
(a rider who I like) a favourite. Petacchi is another likely man too. DiLuca (if selected) is another threat.

Tom Boonen will be there or thereabouts.

I wouldn't write off a German winning it - Zabel finished second to Freire last year.
If the German team can work together Voigt could be a bet as could Jaksche and Zabel.
Ditto the Aussies - Brad McGee is my darkhorse Aussie bet.

Di Luca wasn't in the start list that I saw.
This race is 273km long so that favors a different kind of rider than the short final stage of La Vuelta - but Petacchi's proven he can win the short ones AND the long ones. If it's a sprint, he'll get it right.

Freire's out... he knows the course very well and he thinks it'll be Petacchi, McEwen, Van Heesjwick, and Boonen in the end.

Rebellin's out too.

I just watched an interview with t. dekker and posthuma and t. dekker is going for a top10 placing during the TT and posthuma for top15.

DiabloScott said:

Di Luca wasn't in the start list that I saw.

This race is 273km long so that favors a different kind of rider than the short final stage of La Vuelta - but Petacchi's proven he can win the short ones AND the long ones. If it's a sprint, he'll get it right.

Freire's out... he knows the course very well and he thinks it'll be Petacchi, McEwen, Van Heesjwick, and Boonen in the end.

Rebellin's out too.

[font=Verdana]Most see it as a war of attrition... there is going to be a lot of DNF's..... I reckon the final group will come down to 30-40 riders... then it’s a lottery.... expect a crash or seven....... I saw the final bend on the Vuelta coverage and there was a lot of guys who overshot it and almost rode in the barriers….. it will take one rider to pull his put to bring the pack down…….. as they say “its takes 200 nuts to put a peleton together but only one to scatter them all over the road”
[/font]

limerickman said:

That last bend on the final run in on the Vuelta final stage on Sunday looked
very dangerous and is part of the R/R parcours.

But on to the main event : Ballerini (Italian Manager) certainly seems to have got his team working as a unit in recent years and this must make Paolo Bettini
(a rider who I like) a favourite. Petacchi is another likely man too. DiLuca (if selected) is another threat.

Tom Boonen will be there or thereabouts.

I wouldn't write off a German winning it - Zabel finished second to Freire last year.
If the German team can work together Voigt could be a bet as could Jaksche and Zabel.
Ditto the Aussies - Brad McGee is my darkhorse Aussie bet.

whiteboytrash said:

[font=Verdana]Most see it as a war of attrition... there is going to be a lot of DNF's..... I reckon the final group will come down to 30-40 riders... then it’s a lottery.... expect a crash or seven....... I saw the final bend on the Vuelta coverage and there was a lot of guys who overshot it and almost rode in the barriers….. it will take one rider to pull his put to bring the pack down…….. as they say “its takes 200 nuts to put a peleton together but only one to scatter them all over the road”
[/font]

Armstrong is going to make a last second sneak appearance and will win the road race and TT.

hombredesubaru said:

Armstrong is going to make a last second sneak appearance and will win the road race and TT.

[font=Verdana]I was going to say these thread is quite because the Lance fans have nothing to say as there are no decent Americans racing[/font][font=Verdana]...... then you post this dribble..... let go... he's gone.... [/font][font=Verdana][/font]

hombredesubaru said:

Armstrong is going to make a last second sneak appearance and will win the road race and TT.

Something more interesting along the lines of: (cyclingnews.comnews.phpOpen ↗)

Lance Armstrong's dog Rex has undergone a successful heart operation at Colorado State University in the USA. Rex, a nine month old yellow Labrador, had heart valve replacement surgery after being born with a defective heart valve. It's expected that he will be able to live a full dog's life, although he will have to remain on blood thinners for three months and have regular checkups.

- Blood thinners ! ? Doping ? EPO ? perhaps ?

If I had to make a prediction I'd say it'll be either Bettini or Petacchi. Those are boring choices though because everyone seems to be picking them! 🙂

I'd like to see McEwen win it. He definitely has a chance!

whiteboytrash said:

Something more interesting along the lines of: (cyclingnews.comnews.phpOpen ↗)

Lance Armstrong's dog Rex has undergone a successful heart operation at Colorado State University in the USA. Rex, a nine month old yellow Labrador, had heart valve replacement surgery after being born with a defective heart valve. It's expected that he will be able to live a full dog's life, although he will have to remain on blood thinners for three months and have regular checkups.

- Blood thinners ! ? Doping ? EPO ? perhaps ?

geez, bad enough the freekin velo news and cyclingnews have to comment on Armstrong's dog...I mean ARMSTRONG'S DOG PEOPLE!!!!!!! GIVE ME A FREEKIN BREAK> HE's GONE ITS OVER LET IT GO WHO CARES ABOUIT HIS DOG>

MAYBE HIS DOG WILL NOW MAKE A REMARKABLE COMEBACK AND STAR IN THOSE STUPID DOG OLYMPICS THAT OLN SHOW WHEN THE TOUR DE FRANCE IS NOT ON...

THEN THE DOG WILL WRITE A BOOK WITH SALLY JENKINS CALLED "ITS NOT ABOUT THE BONE"

THEN THE FRENCH WILL INVESTIGATE HOW LANCE'S POOR PUPPY IS ON UNCERTIFIED BLOOD THINNERS NOT ALLOWED IN THE DOGGIE PELOTON....

THE ARMSTRONG MEDIA FACTORY WILL RESPOND WITH LANCE'S DOG ON GUEST APPEARENCES WITH LARRY KING AND THE DOG WHISPERER SSHOW...

THEN A DOG PHSYIOLOGIST FROM AUSTIN WILL DO STUDIES ON REX AND DECLARE THAT HE IS ONE DOG IN A MILLION AND TRAINED HIS SLOW WAG TAIL FIBERS INTO FAST TAIL WAG FIBERS OVER YEARS OF TRAINING AND THATS WHY HE ALWAYS GETS THE DUCK...

AND THEN THE DOG WILL RETIRE AFTER SIRING A LITTER OF BEAUTIFUL CHOCALTE LABS WITH A BLOND (YELLOW) [censored] NAMED CHERIE AND WILL LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER SWIMMING IN BARTON SPRINGS AND BITING THE POSTMAN EVERYDAY WHEN LANCES NOTICES FROM THE UCI ARRIVE...

I SWEAR THE ARMSTRONG FACTORY DOES THIS DOG STUFF JUST TO SHOW THEY CAN GET MEDIA COVERAGE IF LANCE AS MUCH AS FARTS...........

OK HE FARTED, LETS MOVE ON

Could be any of those sprinters but i reckon it'll come down to that last corner. Full u-bends are dangerous especially if its wet so an oppurtunist like Vino could take a risk of wiping out to get the win.

Very good ! 🙂 What about LA's dog romance with a rock star ? maybe Lassie ? or maybe the dog will claim that his meaty bites had marrow bone in it and thats why he tested positive for blood thinners ? or maybe the dog will freeze Lance's blood and then recieve a transfusion from his owner ? so much to talk about.........

hombredesubaru said:

geez, bad enough the freekin velo news and cyclingnews have to comment on Armstrong's dog...I mean ARMSTRONG'S DOG PEOPLE!!!!!!! GIVE ME A FREEKIN BREAK> HE's GONE ITS OVER LET IT GO WHO CARES ABOUIT HIS DOG>

MAYBE HIS DOG WILL NOW MAKE A REMARKABLE COMEBACK AND STAR IN THOSE STUPID DOG OLYMPICS THAT OLN SHOW WHEN THE TOUR DE FRANCE IS NOT ON...

THEN THE DOG WILL WRITE A BOOK WITH SALLY JENKINS CALLED "ITS NOT ABOUT THE BONE"

THEN THE FRENCH WILL INVESTIGATE HOW LANCE'S POOR PUPPY IS ON UNCERTIFIED BLOOD THINNERS NOT ALLOWED IN THE DOGGIE PELOTON....

THE ARMSTRONG MEDIA FACTORY WILL RESPOND WITH LANCE'S DOG ON GUEST APPEARENCES WITH LARRY KING AND THE DOG WHISPERER SSHOW...

THEN A DOG PHSYIOLOGIST FROM AUSTIN WILL DO STUDIES ON REX AND DECLARE THAT HE IS ONE DOG IN A MILLION AND TRAINED HIS SLOW WAG TAIL FIBERS INTO FAST TAIL WAG FIBERS OVER YEARS OF TRAINING AND THATS WHY HE ALWAYS GETS THE DUCK...

AND THEN THE DOG WILL RETIRE AFTER SIRING A LITTER OF BEAUTIFUL CHOCALTE LABS WITH A BLOND (YELLOW) [censored] NAMED CHERIE AND WILL LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER SWIMMING IN BARTON SPRINGS AND BITING THE POSTMAN EVERYDAY WHEN LANCES NOTICES FROM THE UCI ARRIVE...

I SWEAR THE ARMSTRONG FACTORY DOES THIS DOG STUFF JUST TO SHOW THEY CAN GET MEDIA COVERAGE IF LANCE AS MUCH AS FARTS...........

OK HE FARTED, LETS MOVE ON

I see Ekimov is riding the TT - what a comeback if he wins it, right? Especially in view of Lim's insider knowledge....

whiteboytrash said:

Something more interesting along the lines of: (cyclingnews.comnews.phpOpen ↗)

Lance Armstrong's dog Rex has undergone a successful heart operation at Colorado State University in the USA. Rex, a nine month old yellow Labrador, had heart valve replacement surgery after being born with a defective heart valve. It's expected that he will be able to live a full dog's life, although he will have to remain on blood thinners for three months and have regular checkups.

- Blood thinners ! ? Doping ? EPO ? perhaps ?

Reminds me of when Tyler's dog Tugboat died. What a sad sad day.😄