Monday, April 13, 2015

The Broom Wagon

...cleaning up after the week of racing


Roubaix
Deger goes hard for his second monument of the season.
The Last German Guy to win Roubaix



Pais Vasco
Those separatists love their cycling

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It's called a txapela
JRod was impressive all week, with 2 stage wins.  But it was his second place finish in the final TT that secured his overall victory and made GoGo eat crow.

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"Massive"

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Forza's Fury



Flanders
Chapeau to Alexander Kristoff, insert nickname here, for winning the 2015 edition of the Ronde. He was clearly the best and strongest rider in Flanders. Terpstra could not drop the big Norwegian on the Kwaremont and even followed the wheels of Kristoff on the Paterberg. The two entered Oudenarde together and the Terpinator knew he had no chance in the sprint. The victors and spoils going to the man from Stavanger.


The Ronde was spoiled for me as I had Easter activities in the morning. This is the problem when 2 holy weeks collide. Religion/Family vs. Cycling. Oh well. I tried to watch the race via youtube in the afternoon, but in my search a spoiler ruined the day, thanks Bein sports. I ended up watching the finale, highlights, and now the final 60km which included the decisive move of the day. I certainly respect the strength of the Norwegian and commend him on his brilliant win. Maybe it was the spoiler, maybe its my disdain for Wiskota Dynamic, but I thought this years edition was good, not great, and not epic. Chapeau to Kristoff and the Commish. Good for you. To quote INRNG “a good race with a worthy winner”.


Basque
Pais Vasco or the Tour of the Basque Country started Monday. This race is generally a good one. The Basque country is super hilly and the leader gets to wear a really cool hat. This years edition should be a battle between Kwiatkowski and Quintana( update: and Purito of course). This should be an excellent duel as the parcours don't seem to benefit Quintana with a super long and steep climb rather a series of sharp, short climbs. Michael Mathews should win anything that ends in a sprint. Also look for Gorka Izagirre, a Wiskota favorite, also known as the Lammergeier, to win a stage in his home region.


Paris Roubaix
The Hell of the North is the greatest one day race in the world. Flanders seems to get the nod these days but the 27 sectors totalling almost 53 km of cobblestones make Roubaix the baddest race of the season. Once known as the Queen of the Classics, or la Pascale for the Easter race, this years edition should be wide open due to the absence of Fabian Cancellara and Tommeke Boonen. So who are the favorites to raise the cobble at the end of the day.


Favorites
Stybar- My pick to win
Terpstra- Tactixx-Misstep, former winner
Kristoff- Epic classics campaign
Wiggins- His best chance to take victory on the cobbles before becoming a track legend
Geraint Thomas- Doobie Doobie Doo, beware of the Penguin


Vanmarcke- MIA
Degenkolb- tiniest moustache
Sagan- last time he’s on this list without results
Van Avermaet- Get it right Greg, we’re all cheering for you.
Boom- here comes the.. ready or not
Johan Van Summeren- the camel is a former winner
Arnaud Demare- can the Frenchman save team Forza’s season? No


I predict a wide open race will produce lots of attacks from the start. 6 men will enter Roubaix together and the strongest rider (Stybar) will ride away into the velodrome.


Potpourri
Group ride on Saturday. I am looking forward to taking a flyer early in the ride only to be caught 10 km from the end, finishing in the Taco Gruppetto, 30 minutes down on the Volpe/Pac de loupes group. I feel like I have a chance if I just wheel suck and don't drink too much pre ride. But lets be honest, I look much better in spandex when I have been drinking.


Also looking forward to french pressed coffee, ham and cheese croissants and frites on Sunday morning. I’ll bring the enthusiasm.


Forza 

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

The Broom Wagon

...cleaning up after the week of racing. 



RONDE!
Crushing the Paterberg
Kristoff wins big in Flanders with an impressive performance.  After winning the Dwars stage race earlier in the week, the "sprinter" showed that he is the strongest rider in the world by dominating the Ronde.
As Kristoff is my rider, I'll defer to Forza or the comments section when it comes to breaking down the race.

Up Next: Scheldeprijs
                Paris-Roubaix

Reminder: Team ride on Saturday afternoon
                  Paris-Roubaix brunch @The Schmidt Haus Sunday morning