Omloop Het Nieuwsblad - Note - 1 day race, contains unmasked spoilers

sy

The real racing starts tomorrow with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad kicking off the Classics season. This is a really good race (semi-classic) and quite prestigious to have on your Palmares. At 200km and 15km of cobbles there should be fun. Looking at the start list there are quite a few contenders and difficult to know who is going well and who wants to show their form before next April. Looking at BMC start list :eek:
GILBERT Philippe Belgium
42 BALLAN Alessandro Italy
43 BURGHARDT Marcus Germany
44 HUSHOVD Thor Norway
45 PHINNEY Taylor United States
46 QUINZIATO Manuel Italy
47 SCHÄR Michael Switzerland
48 VAN AVERMAET Greg Belgium

You could pick quite a few possible winners from that list but Flecha and Stannard from Sky and of course Boonen will be up for it as will Langeveld who won last year (or was it the year before).

My pick is Matti Breschel riding for Rabobank and looking like he is back to his past form.

Caroline_ie

I reckon Boonen or Boasson Hagen or Thor as my favourite to win this. Boonen will win at least one of the two races this weekend.
/Off to Ladsbroke.

Dura Ace

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I reckon Boonen or Boasson Hagen or Thor as my favourite to win this. Boonen will win at least one of the two races this weekend.
/Off to Ladsbroke.

It won't be Boasson Hagen.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boasson-hagen-to-miss-omloop-het-nieuwsblad-through-illness

Chips Lovell

I love this race.

Boonen and Gilbert would be my picks, but it's Belgium so anything could happen.

Was looking at the BMC start list myself yesterday. They're really stacked for the classics and are now up there with Quick Step as the team to watch.

AstraMonti

Will eurosport show it?

Chips Lovell

AstraMonti wrote: »

Will eurosport show it?

No. You'd have to watch it online.

Rofo

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

No. You'd have to watch it online.

What site will have it live online?

RobFowl

Rofo wrote: »

What site will have it live online?

No legal ones.

Though if you are a member of the "cycling fans" and can add .com onto the end of a internet address then......

Rofo

RobFowl wrote: »

No legal ones.

Though if you are a member of the "cycling fans" and can add .com onto the end of a internet address then......

I'm not sure I follow you

Chips Lovell

Rofo wrote: »

What site will have it live online?

Cyclingfans.com will list a number of streams on race day.

I used to subscribe to cycling.tv for races Eurosport don't carry, but won't be renewing my subscription this year because the service has just become woeful.

morana

I have to get my subscription to TV Vlaanderren sorted!

TheNah

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

No. You'd have to watch it online.

do you know where we can watch this online?

RobFowl

TheNah wrote: »

do you know where we can watch this online?

Rofo

TheNah wrote: »

do you know where we can watch this online?

Scroll up

ROK ON

Why is no one looking at Cancellara, or is he not racing this or KBK.

I would like to see Bonen back to his best to upset the Gilbert/Cancellara dominance in each of the past two years.

If BMC plan on doing something at MSR, RVV and PR I guess we will begin to see in next few weeks.

Awesome team, but will it work.

Garmin look to have a reasonable team out for the weekend also.
Haussler anyone?

Chips Lovell

ROK ON wrote: »

Why is no one looking at Cancellara, or is he not racing this or KBK.

Radioshack weren't invited to either race.

The Crunch

Michelle Geoghegan is riding the women's race, I believe.

TheNah

Rofo wrote: »

Scroll up

yeah yeah yeah i get it!! dunno how i missed that:rolleyes:

Chips Lovell

The Crunch wrote: »

Michelle Geoghegan is riding the women's race, I believe.

Yep, she's on the start list, number 202.

sy

The dilemma with this race is that it is still a long time to Flanders and Roubaix and trying to hold form for that length of time is not easy. Past records show that if you win here its unlikely that you will win the big ones so might just be training ground for the big guns.

Boonen seems to be more focused this year. I hope for his sake that he can put it up to Gilbert Cancellara and Hushovd in April as having won Roubaix 3 times he would love to join De Vlaemick with a record 4 wins. (Caroline will agree of course!)
Its such a shame that its not covered by Eurosport.
@ Vlad hadn't realised Radioshack didn't get invite. Cancellara will be disappointed. BMC look an awesome bunch on paper. I think Van Avermaet will be their man on the day.

@ Rok On Haussler has promised much but not sure if he is a cobbles man. Hope he is up for it at San Remo

Chips Lovell

Actually I should clarify that by saying I'm unsure whether it was a case of them not being invited or them declining an invite.

RobFowl

The Crunch wrote: »

Michelle Geoghegan is riding the women's race, I believe.

Siobhan Dervan as well (no 124)

morana

The mens race is on Rai Sport Due at 13.20

This is on Hotbird satellite

Chips Lovell

morana wrote: »

The mens race is on Rai Sport Due at 13.20

This is on Hotbird satellite

Tell me that satellite is owned by Berlusconi.

morana

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Tell me that satellite is owned by Berlusconi.

I will tell you it is!

bcmf

morana wrote: »

The mens race is on Rai Sport Due at 13.20

This is on Hotbird satellite

Excellent. I think the kids tv set up has that

pantani

id love to know how to get rai sport,any way my fancy's for tomoro are beirne eisel ,maarten tjallingi and greg van avaer mat.what time do they roll out?

TheBlaaMan

No live coverage for a further hour or so, but here's the current state of play (from the ticker on Sporza.be, and Google Translate!)


Seven are gone The leading group has the magical milestone of the minute and rounded like a long road for business. The peloton seems to get some of the sunshine to enjoy before it is engaged with the breakaway.

Six riders have joined Marco Haller. David Boucher, Andy Cappelle, Davide Ricci Bitti, Florian Vachon, Sven Vandousselaere and Lieuwe Westra.

alexanderomahon

wiziwig.eu has interesting info starting at 1

Fr D Maugire

I tipped Mattie Breschel yesterday but it didnt post so I am still sticking with Breschel.

bcmf

http://sports-livez.com/channel/ch-6.php
Live feed here

Beasty

1 day specific race thread - no spoiler tags are required (title amended)

Thanks

Beasty

TheBlaaMan

Its turning into a crashfest in the past few minutes:eek:

bcmf

Gilbert puncture and did he get a spectators wheel?

Miklos

BOOM!

That crash was insane.

TheBlaaMan

Still a long enough way to go, but the lead group has a lot of stars. Boonen doing a lot of work to cause the selection

Tom Boonen
Matti Breschel (Den)
Dries Devenyns
Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa)
Matthew Hayman (Aus)
Thor Hushovd (Noo)
Sep Vanmarcke

2 minutes on the peleton, 36k to go. Last major climb over with

Miklos

I feel tired just watching these cobbled climbs.

crumliniano

Was watching this live Text feed on Google translate http://sport.be.msn.com/fr/cyclisme/competition/overview/index.html?Competition_ID=1510
At 20k to go it says "Vanmarke really hurt Boonen and Flecha on the Lange Munt! But both men are well hung"
Brilliant!

Chips Lovell

Boonen was awesome, but over-confident perhaps. He went far too early for the line.

pantani

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Boonen was awesome, but over-confident perhaps. He went far too early for the line.

he probably was after his good form in the middle east!but classics are a whole different ball game (really delighted for vanmarke a young lad).i see on cyclingnews that boonen said he misjudged the finish line,but i reckon he got out done by an upcoming classics rider!

Morrisseeee

Taylor Phinney's ride yesterday, 203km @ 39.8km/h, 5min behind winner.

sy

Boonen's attack on the Taaienberg oozes power and style (see below). He looked so strong but then the strongest doesn't always win as Fabian Cancellara has discovered on a few occassions! Well done to young Vanmarke. A great talent on the rise. Looks like Flanders and Roubaix will be great races again this year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnCEU9OGR4Q

ednwireland

sy wrote: »

Boonen's attack on the Taaienberg oozes power and style (see below). He looked so strong but then the strongest doesn't always win as Fabian Cancellara has discovered on a few occassions! Well done to young Vanmarke. A great talent on the rise. Looks like Flanders and Roubaix will be great races again this year

+1 great finish, rabobank rider needs to watch the edge of the road

final kilometre http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/MG_sportnieuws/MG_wielrennen/1.1230149