On the Rivet

A look at who’s racing hard this week…

The coolest trophy in cycling?

Tirreno - Adriatico began this week as the peloton began to work its way across Italy, from sea to shining sea.  The field is full of WFL riders, GC hopefuls and sprinters alike.  Here’s a quick run down of who to watch.  For a full listing check the startlists link on the right.

FroomeDogg, Nibbles, JRod, Cuddles and Pistelero continue what they started in Oman.  These men will be the GC favorites throughout the year and Tirreno is no exception. Other GC hopefuls of note include Sammy Sanch and an on form Nocentini.

Many fans look to Tirreno as a preview of the sprint teams of the Tour later in the season.  And so of course the favorites are Cav and Greips.  Other sprinters of note, Goss and Degenkolb. 

Predictions:

WFL Podium

Cadel, Froome, Nibali

Don’t forget Paris Nice wraps up this weekend.  The big mountain top finish is on Friday and the final TT in Nice will decide it all.  I’m looking to avoid all cycling media on Friday and to watch the Queen stage on NBC Sports at 11 pm.  Here’s the course profile.  Wiskota!

Broom Wagon

Cleaning up after the weekend's events...  

Grandissimo!

Moser wins with panache'

The much anticipated Strade Bianche did not disappoint. Taco scored big in Siena taking his first victory of the season.  Moreno "Machismo" Moser made the finish look easy leading many to wonder just how good this kid could be.  Taco has shot up the leader board by placing three riders in the top 15.  The Dirty Sanchez's are on the move.  Gregario continues to get sneaky points from Nocentini, but not enough to avoid falling to the bottom of the standings.  The leader board saw a shake up with Team Dynamic making a triumphant return to the top, surpassing Volpe and Cancellera through the strong second place finish of Peter Sagan.  All in all, this was a very cool race, action, scenery, machismo, all washed down with a couple early morning espresso's.  La Dolce Vita.

On the Rivet

A look at who’s racing hard this week…

Alright, here we go.  A race on gravel, a race on ancient Roman cobbles, a race on TV!  We got some good racing this weekend and it just keeps rolling all week.  Let’s get into it.

Strade Bianche

The Wiskota league includes world tour races, Euro tour races rated HC and the two big American races.  So, what’s up with this 1.1 rated race coming up this Saturday?  The Strade Bianche made it onto the WFL schedule through a special last minute dispensation from the outgoing Pope.  So, let’s take advantage of this small popeless window we are experiencing with some top notch Italian cycling. 

The white roads of Tuscany call to the riders of the Strade Bianche, which is quickly becoming a favorite race of both fans and riders alike.  Italy’s answer to the northern classics this race features 8 sections of white gravel roads.  When it’s dry, it’s very dry, when its wet it’s very wet.  Just ask Cadel.  Punchy climbs, long climbs, rolling terrain and dangerous descents make the Strade a unique race.  A quick look at past winners suggests this is a stongman’s race, but upon closer inspection it is really quite open.  In the past some classics riders that we would consider more Ardennesey than Flandersey have placed high.  Fortunately, the WFL is sending all types of riders to this race.  Will it come down to early season form or will it be a more technical race, tune in Saturday to find out.  Side note: the steam should be better, the Strade actually streams from their own site, check Cyclingfans as usual. 

Volpe: Cancellera, Phinney, Sep, Iglinsky

Taco: Van Avermaet, Moser, Farrar, Valverde

Dynamic: Cunego, Pozzato, Sagan

Gregario: Nocentini, Flecha

Fujarky: Gasparatto, Boom, Danny Boy

Guillaume: Sorry

WFL Podium: Sagan, Cancellera, Van Avermaet

How it could go down:

It’s a fast day as the anticipation for this race has been high.  A breakaway doesn’t get away for quite a while.  But when it does everyone is already too tired to chase it down.  Phinney finds himself the strongest guy in the bunch and gets the green light to push on.  He makes his move before the final climb into Siena, but he doesn’t gain quite enough time as the rest of his group swallows him up with a K to go.   “The Cat” pounces and Oscar Gatto takes the biggest win of his career.

How it might go down:

It’s a fast day, but a breakaway forms from the get go.   Phinney leads the charge over the white gravel roads and seems to have secured a victory for the group.  But not so fast.  Every Italian in the peloton takes a turn at the front and before you know it they are all back together.  A medium sized group makes it to Siena and the little guys look to rip it apart with blistering attacks.  Cunego and Nocentini lead the way but Visconti gets away.  The rest of the guys regroup and pull him back in.  Are there any strong men left to take this?  Just then a full krausened Kolobnev makes a move for victory.  Katusha is back! The sneaky Russian takes the win.

How it will go down:

It’s a fast day and all the big names send their top lieutenants up the road.  A few teams are left to pull (Garmin) but eventually they come back together.  The race breaks up going over the Monte Santa Maria as expected.  But it’s the descents that cause the real problems.  Sagan and Van Avermaet seem to get some room.  Do they ride together from here out?  No decision has to be made as Spartacus comes blowing by them.  Sagan and GVA hitch a ride to Siena and they begin there ascent.  As they approach the finish it’s pretty much a done deal.  Sagan takes another win for Team Dynamic.   

Paris – Nice

Yeah, I know the Tour Down Under was the first stage race of the season and I know I was all about it at the time, but everybody knows Paris – Nice is the real start to the stage race season.  The “race to the sun” is one of the cooler one week races on the calendar, tons of history and a very diverse course.  As the peloton travels south to the promise of sunny days they often encounter a wide range of weather, wind, rain even snow.  And of course, don’t forget about those mountains in the middle.  The Massif Central region of France holds a special place in my heart as this is where I caught a couple stages of Le Tour a few years back.  Having driven through several mountain passes to get there I can attest to the beauty and difficulty of these stages.  This year’s race ends with a 10 K time trial straight up a mountain.  Some TTs can be kind of boring to watch but the climb, the riders and the importance of the stage all set to the backdrop of the sparkling city of Nice this one promises to be a winner.  Lot’s of WFL riders here so set your DVRs to record NBC Sports, sit back and enjoy.

Volpe: Iglinsky, Basso, Boonen, Kittel, Roche

Taco: Fuglsang, DeGendt

Dynamic: Gesink, TVG, Talansky, Chavanel, Velits

Gregario: PhilGil, Costa, Albasini, Voekler, Westra

Fujarky: Nieve, Monfort, Porte

Guillaume: Haussler, Scarponi, Gerrans, Breschel

WFL Podium: TVG, Talansky, Gesink. That’s right a Dynamic sweep.  Don't just take my word for it.

How it could happen:

The weather is unpredictable and as the peloton roll into the mountains of stage 4 they are hit with a wicked storm.  The GC guys manage to stay afloat but the lumpy finish around Saint-Vallier is a perfect spring board for Gilbert.  In an epic attack PhilGil takes minutes out of the Peloton.  BMC rallies to protect him through the rest of the race with TVG shepherding him up the steeper climbs.  He limits his losses on the final TT and Gilbert wins Paris –Nice Sean Kelly style.

How it might happen:

The weather is unpredictable and a battered peloton rolls into the mountains of the Massif Central tired and cold.  The mountains prove to be too much for many of the GC hopefuls this early in the season.  A few of the meatier climbers, Costa, Westra and Fuglsang seem to manage the weather better.  The GC is wide open as they head to the TT.  Costa puts in the performance of a lifetime and secures his position as Movistar’s next great stage racer.

How it will go down:

The weather is unpredictable, but the riders are not.  The mountain top finish on stage 5 leaves the three pre-race favorites separated by a few seconds with Gesink in the lead.  It all comes down to the final TT.  TVG and Talanksy match efforts to surpass Gesink on the podium with Van Garderen taking his first of many stage race wins.

Chapeau!

A tip of the hat to this week's best performances...

The cobbles did not live up to opening weekend expectations. The Omloop was bogged down by bad streaming and boring racing and K-B-K was sacked by a snowstorm. At Het Volk, many of the classics specialists were keeping warm in the main peloton and failed to strike an attack to pull back the breakaway group. However, some of the Team Wiskota riders were present in the attacking group and a sneaky Italian grabbed the win.

Chapeau! to Luca Paolini. Little Luca rode a tactically smart race to bag his biggest result in the classics. Luca used his big Belgian breakaway partner to stay out of the wintery winds and timed his sprint to perfection.

Chapeau! to Stijn Vandenbergh. The Big Belgian showed why OPQS is such a strong team in the classics. At 6’6” Stijn looked like the stronger man in the break. However, strong he may be, sprinty he is not. He couldn’t win for Oudenarde in the season opener.

Chapeau! to Chavanel I guess. La Machine was a beast at the Omloop and I thought he had the race won with 40k to go. It was not made to be and with a teammate in the duo ahead he was able to sit on the breakaway. I thought Mimosa was finally going to bag his cobbled classic.

Chapeau! to The Penguin. Geraint Thomas is still looking strong and is forming a coup d’etat within the Sky cobbled classics squad. No longer is Eddy Boss the sole leader, G has thrown himself into the mix. It should be interesting to see what Sky will do come the Monuments. He was able to finish 4^th at Gent-Gent just missing out in the sprint for the podium.

Chapeau! to Greg Van Avermaet. GVA was the favorite going into Het Volk and showed that he may have been the strongest guy in the race despite missing out on the podium. Avi chased down Chavanel early on in the race when Chapeau seemed to be gone.

Chapeau! to Jurgen Roelandts. The former Belgian National Champion looks real strong this year. He also aided GVA in the capture of La Machine. It looks like Lotto has a card to play come Flanders and Roubaix.

The “Schleck of the Week” goes to the big guns of the cobbles. Boonen, Thor, BoHag, and Pozzatto were all left as spectators in the Omloop but all those guys had teammates up the road. Flecha and Vacansolei tried but did very little to chase down the breakaway, GreenEdge tried to help as well, but the biggest loser was Garmin. The American squad was absent from the break and from the front of the peloton. Jonathan should spend less time at Yale and more time on his tactics in the classics. 

Andy to Attempt to Ride a Bike

He's so wacky!

Little Andy Schleck is scheduled to try to ride a bicycle all by himself tomorrow.  "This is a big day for Andy" his Mother reportedly said, "his big Brother took off his training wheels and Andy couldn't sleep a wink last night."  No one knows how Andy will fare on the lumpy 180 K circuit of Citta di Camaiore.    Andy is confident that his plan to have his father hold on to the bike until he says let go will prove to be the edge he needs to compete in Italy this Thursday. "Some times I let go before he tells me to" his Father allegedly said, "when he figures out that he's riding all on his own he gets so excited".  Could this be the day we see a change to the Andy Schleck ticker?  He should finish. A win? Doubtful.     

The Broom Wagon

Cleaning up after the weekend's events...

It's Too Cold

Having races in February doesn't always work out

Carnage at the Omloop...oh wait, that was last year.

The cold weather and snowy Sunday made for a less then stellar start to the cobbles season.  At the Omloop about 75% of the Peloton, and 100% of Team Garmin, seemed to take the day off.  Team Dynamic rider Sylvain Chavanel looked like he had a real chance to solo to victory but Van Avermaet and Roelandts weren't having it.  It must be noted that GVA has looked extremly strong so far this season.  Taco's boy is due for a victory.  The Strade?  Although, Luca Paolini ended up taking the win and with it most of the available points, some WFL teams were able to score a few.  Geraint Thomas screwed up his sprint missing out on the podium but still managed 4th overall.  More importantly, he may have secured the leadership role at Sky.  Sorry BoHaug, save it for the Vattenfalls Classic I guess.  The previously mentioned GVA and Roelandts snuck in the top ten helping Taco start to climb out of the cellar and helping Volpe remain in the leaders jersey.  Not the best Omloop ever, but still happy to have the season rolling.

A snowy Sunday makes for the most epic KBK ever...oh wait, no, they just cancelled the race instead.

Kuurne Brussels Kuurne wasn't part of the WFL season (it's only a 1.1 race) yet I couldn't help but be disappointed with the race cancellation.  Cav vs. Greips, straight up.  It'll have to wait until Tirreno.  Don't worry sprint fans, we'll include this race next year.

Well at least we had the Clasica de Almeria.  Oh wait, we didn't send any sprinters. D'oh.  Mark Renshaw, I mean come on.  Farrar should have signed up for this one, he would have had a much better chance to lose a sprint to a bunch of second tier (uhumm, 3rd tier, paging Hivert...) sprinters in Spain.    

Ty Ty, Wah

On The Rivet

A look at who’s racing hard this week…

Gent-Gent! 

The Omloop is here.  It’s a big weekend for the WFL as the allure of the cobbles promises to bring Team Volpe director sportif Patrick out of hiding.  Lots of WFL riders and lots of opportunity for points.  Here’s our line up and a few predictions.

Fujarky: BOOM Lars

Volpe: BOONEN Tom

         PHINNEY Taylor

        ROELANDTS Jurgen

Dynamic: CHAVANEL Sylvain

              POZZATO Filippo

              THOMAS Geraint

Guillaume: TERPSTRA Niki

           HAUSSLER Heinrich

            DEGENKOLB John

Taco:  HUSHOVD Thor
         VAN AVERMAET Greg

Forza:  BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
         FLECHA Juan Antonio

Wiskota Podium:

Pozzato, GVA, Flecha

Spoilers:

Vanmarch, Langeveld, Leukamans

How it could go down:

It’s cold and all the riders from south of Brussels puss out early.  It’s a Belgian affair as Van Avermaet, Van Summeren and VanMarcke form an unholy Belgian alliance and roll off to victory.

How it might happen:

It’s cold but some of these guys are real tough SOBs so it turns into a fast race.  With protected riders clearly identified a small group of support guys get off the front.  The Peloton forgets that this race isn’t quite as long as most of the other classics.  By the time Taylor Phinney is put at the front to pull Thor and company back into the race it’s too late.  Well let’s take a closer look at that break group, who’s that riding off the front to victory?  Chapeau to Chavanel!

How it will happen:

It’s cold, so what.  As expected the peloton breaks up going over some of the final bergs.  On the last berg this group splits into an elite group with Boonen, Boom and Pozzato.  GVA, Terpstra and Flecha scramble to bridge across and get in comfortably.  GVA catches the group sleeping and gets away.  Flecha takes up chase with Pozzato his constant shadow.  Boonen works with Terpstra and Boom to get back on but as the finish approaches only one man is left fresh.  Pozzato the Playboy takes the sprint victory.

Not enough WFL action on Saturday?  Don’t forget the Clasica Almeria is on Sunday.  A few of our GC riders are there.  Three climbs but the last is like 40K from the finish so it may end up a sprint.  Too bad we haven’t sent any sprinters.  A few of our hopefuls include: Gesink, Mollema, Valverde, Samu, Anton, Jerkin’, PBandJelle, Fuglsang and Janez.  May have missed some, but I think that’s it.  Race on Wiskota!

Panache

The Harvester takes the sprint vs. Tommeke and Flecha

Pt. 1

Omloop Het Volk/ Het Niuewsblad Edition

Cobbles, hellingens and muirs, oh my! It’s Classics Season and some would argue it’s the best part of the whole year. From Flanders to Wallone, France to the Netherlands, these are the races for hard men, for men who know tomorrow does not bring another chance, for those who know how to finish. Gone away are the glorified training camps of Down Under, Qatar, and Oman (you know, the races I’ve been raving about for weeks). Now the real season begins.

The Wiskota Fantasy League is well represented in the Belgian season opener.  Gent-Gent, Het Volk or Het Niuewsblad is a terrific race with great history. Although shorter than the Ronde and Roubaix, this race has all the goods; cobbles, climbs and cobbled climbs. Let’s take a look at some of the favorites for this year’s edition of Het Volk.

Four Star Favorites

Tom Boonen- Tommeke had the unbelievable Classics season of 2012. He has also had the elbow infection that delayed his start. I don’t expect Tommeke to be at his best but he may not need to be. If Boonen showed up with a tricycle he would be a favorite for this race.

Thor Hushovd- the God of Thunder has already stormed into 2013 with a win and his usual brash demeanor. Thor has felt good this year and he may be ready to embark on a wicked classics campaign. With a loaded team at his disposal, he will be able to mark his rivals, and attack at his convenience. Fear Thunderous Thor in 2013!

Juan Antonio Flecha- the Spanish Flanderen isn’t getting any younger but the cobbles don’t care. Closers win classics and Flecha knows how to finish. This year he comes rolling in to the North Country with Vacansolei. This team races hard and is looking to make their mark on the 2013 season. I like Flecha to be on the top step of the podium at the Omloop. Forza!

Fillippo Pozzatto- the Shadow got a win last week and seems to be harnessing some good form. I could see him sucking wheels until the finish and making a brilliant move to win the sprint. The Shadow looks like watermelon bubble yum but he is strong and aggressive.

Three Star Favorites

Edvald Boassen Hagen- EBH is a hard rider to predict. On one hand I feel like he is perfect for the cobbled classics. Then, it seems, that he is not. He can sprint, he is punchy at times, and he seems strong. Shit, he spent the entire TdF on the front of the race. However, outside winning Gent-Wevelgem, he lacks the results to show that he is a man for the cobbles.  My worst nightmare is Eddy Boss leading out the Penguin for a win and precious WFL points.

Greg Van Avermaet- Avi is Belgian, he likes cobbled classics, and he has finished as high as 4^th here at Het Volk. GVA has the benefit of having probably the most loaded team in Het Volk history at his disposal (preposterous? Probably, I have no idea actually). He will be given a free ride and if he has cojones made of cobbles, he will attack.

Sylvain Chavanel- La Machine is such a classy rider. He has won at Brabantse Pijl and Dwars door Vlaanderen; however, Het Volk would look awfully nice on his palmares. Mimosa has ridden on the Belgian Quickstep squad since 2009 and he has always had a special place for the Northern classics. Although I hate when a Wiskota Dynamic rider wins a race, I will always cheer for Chavanel. Chapeau! I guess…….

Jurgen Roelandts- Jurgen fancies himself as the Hulk, and since Sagan is not lining up in Gent, we’ll let him have it. The man from Asse has already bagged a win this year at the Tour of Med and I feel like this will be a breakout year. He has had some high placing’s but a win at the Omloop would be the biggest in his career, outside the Belgium National Championships (sort of a big deal).  

Taylor Phinney- I hate to jinx the Mako but I am really excited to see what he can do on the pave. As part of BMC, he may be given free rein to TT to victory. Or, he is certainly strong enough to win a sprint out of a select group. America finally has a cobbled specialist and I can’t wait to get all patriotic this spring. After the last 6 months or so, we need it!

Two Star Favorites

Sebastien Turgot- Turbo for Turgot finished 2^nd last year at Paris-Roubaix. He has also been on the podium at Paris-Tours. At 28, he is hardly an up and comer but he may be a late bloomer. Europcar brings a fairly strong squad to the cobbles. Does Turgot have enough of a Turbo to go for his first big win?

Nick Nuyens- The former Het Volk and Ronde winner had an atrocious 2012 which was lost to injury and has switched teams to the Argyle nation. Now, “Nick Nuy the Science Guy” will answer to Jonathon, “were racing for 3^rd, Vaughters. Nuyens is a classics specialist and has had some huge results in his career. Hard to predict when he’ll strike but I’m sure he is hungry.

Sebastian Langveld- Langer has taken 1^st at Kurne-Brussels-Kurne, 5^th at the Ronde, and won Het Volk in 2011. He seemed to be on a gradual climb to classics specialist until joining the Orica ranks in 2012. It will be interesting to see what type of form the “Flying Dutchman” can bring to the 2013 season.

Lars Boom- “goes the dynamite” is not just a cyclo-cross champion.  He was 6^th at Roubaix last year and has won a stage at the Vuelta. However, I’ve been hearing about Lars Anthonius Johannes Boom for some time now. He has some serious value at the FSA DS league over at Podium Café. Is this the year he takes some cobbled classics to add to his already rich cyclo-cross palmares?

Sep Vanmarcke- the young Belgian took his biggest win of his career last year at the Omloop. Not only was he strong, he made the two decisive moves, and beat Tommeke in a sprint. I don’t expect him to win it this year; however, I like the “Harvester” to be in the mix at Roubaix and the Ronde this year.

One Star Favorites

Nikki Terpstra- I could justify the Terpinator being a four star favorite for the Omloop but this field is just so deep and although he has been given team leadership on OPQS, he still is on a team with Chavanel and Boonen.  The Terrapin finished 3^rd, 5^th, and 6^th at Paris-Tours, Paris-Roubaix, and the Ronde just last year. Definitely poised for a big season, Maillot Jaune Guillaume should be licking his chops!

Heinrich Haussler- Beans is always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Now Barbie is looking hot in his Team IAM kit and may try to be a bit sneaky during the 2013 cobbled campaign. Heinie is yet to bag a big win in the classics and although IAM isn’t a super-strong team, they will be aggressive. Look out if Beans can get to the Red Kite with the favorites, he’s sprinty.

Geraint Thomas- the Penguin is set to concentrate on the road this season and has started his assault Down Under by finishing on the podium. G was once the junior Roubaix champion and a gold medal pursuitist.  He now looks to return to his cobbled roots. Team Sky has a wicked, good classics squad with Bo Hag, Stannard, Swift, Eisel and G. I think they will work for Eddy Boss. But what do I know? Beware of the penguin. Doo bee doobie doo!

Honorable Mention

Gerald Ciolek- Ciolek joined the African MTN-Quebeka for the 2013 campaign. He has rode well to start the season and seems to be on some good form. MTN will certainly like to animate any race that they enter. So, look for Gerry to try to do something at Het Volk.

Jonathon Hivert- This guy beat Farrar twice at Andalucia and won the overall in the Etoille de Besseges. He probably won’t win the Omloop but he is certainly worth mentioning due to his recent results.

Zdenek Stybar- Tommeke has tipped the former cyclo-cross world champion as a possible winner. Damn, OPQS is stacked!

Thomas Lofkvist- Team IAM has a second card to play in the Gotlander. Lofkvist just took the overall at the Tour of the Med and has had somed good results in the semi-classics of past.

Oscar Gatto- Meow!

How will it Go Down

Look for the decisive moves to come on the Molenberg climb and the Paddestraat section of the cobbles. I like Flecha, Bo Hag, Thor, Pozzatto, Terpstra and Phinney to be in the group. Look for an even more select group on the final set of cobbles and for Flecha to draw his arrow en route to victory.

Podium- Flecha, Phinney, Pozzatto

Forza!

The Cobbles Are Coming!

The Arenberg Forest of Paris-Roubaix

Classics season starts with the Omloop this Saturday

Broom Wagon

Cleaning up after the week's events...

Volpe Remains in First

Wiskota’s GC riders didn’t disapoint in Oman

Three of these things belong together...
Nibali fails to keep up with the best GC men in the peloton.
It should be noted that JRod had already ridden away from all of them.

Points, points points!  Everybody scored in Oman as the WFL swept the podium.  Maillot Jaune Guillaume’s Tour hopeful Chris Froome took home first overall and even won a stage with a little panache.  Steven the Neo-Pro made a splash with his top two picks as Contador and Evans rounded out the podium.  Volpe managed to maintain his lead with an opening stage win by Marcel “Ivan Drago” Kittel.  Dynamic’s top two picks flexed their muscle  winning three stages while cutting into Volpe’s league lead.  Taco ‘s strong man Greg Van Avermaet picked up a few points and looks poised to make a run at the cobbles.  The biggest disapointment of Oman was Nibali’s inability to match the other big names on Green Mountain.  Luckily for Forza, Nocentini rode a sneakily good race.  In the end Oman was what we wanted it to be, a preview of future GC battles.  In this prize fight it’s all about building and maintaining form.  There is still a lot of season to go, but in Oman, round one goes to Froome Dogg.