Paris Roubaix 2013 - **contains unmasked spoilers**

pprendeville

All my money is on Cancellara in this. Is there anyone who can match him? Great pic here from Cyclingnews.com of Fausto Coppi back in 1949. He looks about 60 in it yet surprisingly he's only 30.

bazermc

My money is on Sagan finishing second again! and pinching..............

07Lapierre

PR is the Aintree Grand National of cycling. The rider who avoids crashing will win.

unichall

With spartacus falling yesterday and again today his prep wont have been exactly what he wanted but he will still be the one to beat.

A rider I think can spring a surprise is Taylor Phinney, he has made no secret that he is targeting this race all year, he sat out RVV in order to make sure he is tip top for this and if spartacus tries to ride away from everyone I think phinney should have the power to stay with him. He comes into this with some decent form having almost bridged the gap to the sprint in MSR finishing 7th and he has won the junior Paris Roubaix twice

Esroh

bazermc wrote: »

My money is on Sagan finishing second again! and pinching..............

Hope you have non-runner no bet.

Taylor Phinney is also my outsider. Would also not be surprised to see Heinrich Haussler in the thick of it

couerdelion

Team Sky to finally deliver from their focused classics squad with Eisel taking the win.

ednwireland

07Lapierre wrote: »

PR is the Aintree Grand National of cycling. The rider who avoids crashing will win.

and puncturing

and any other mechanicals

oh and i guess it will still be dry on sunday- if that rain came in it would be carnage

happytramp

unichall wrote: »

With spartacus falling yesterday and again today his prep wont have been exactly what he wanted but he will still be the one to beat.

A rider I think can spring a surprise is Taylor Phinney, he has made no secret that he is targeting this race all year, he sat out RVV in order to make sure he is tip top for this and if spartacus tries to ride away from everyone I think phinney should have the power to stay with him. He comes into this with some decent form having almost bridged the gap to the sprint in MSR finishing 7th and he has won the junior Paris Roubaix twice

You forgot to mention he is also awesome!! I've a new found respect for him after his 130K solo effort in the misery of Tirreno-Adriatico in order to finish dead last, 20min behind second last place.

Flandria

Offredo each way

Konkers

is there any hope of rain????

Know its evil but my fingers are crossed despite the forcast to the contrary.

Brad768

Route-254.4km

Profile

It's forcasted to be sunny in Paris and Roubaix.

Rastadoyle

Chavanel at 22-1 looks good. also no Boonen so he be OPQ main man

Wishbone Ash

Brad768 wrote: »

It's forcasted to be sunny in Paris and Roubaix.

:mad:

manafana

Right Cancellera had two crashes this week, the second was just a slide out but as we all know it can leave you bit stiff.

I think Paolini could spring a surprise here but also Boom has been talked up long enough he needs to deliver in Paris Roubaix

Phinney should also have his say he is so though he just never gives up its not how he rides.

velopeloton

Favourites
Cancellera, Phinney and Chavanel

Second tier.
Geraint Thomas
Ian Stannard
Boasson Hagen
Thor Hushovd
Greg Van Avermaet
Alexander Kristoff
Heinrich Haussler
Lars Boom

Outsiders
Jugen Roelandts
Juan Antonio Flecha
Sébastien Turgot
Damien Gaudin
Yoann Offredo
Nicki Terpstra
Sep Vanmarcke

My pick for the day is an outsider: Matthieu Ladagnous of FDJ, he is in great form and was 5th in Flanders last week. If it comes down to the velodrome he has the experience and the power.

petethedrummer

I will be shouting for Boasson Hagen or Terpstra. Wouldn't mind seeing Phinney win either.

dastardly00

The 27 cobbled sectors of Paris–Roubaix
27: Troisvilles - km 98.5, (2,200 m) ***
26: Viesly - km 105, (1,800 m) ***
25: Quiévy - km 107.5, (3,700 m) ****
24: Saint-Python - km 112.5, (1,500 m) **
23: Vertain - km 120, (2,300 m) ***
22: Verchain-Maugré - km 130, (1,600 m) ***
21: Quérénaing - Maing - km 133, (2,500 m) ***
20: Monchaux-sur-Ecaillon - km 136.5, (1,600 m) ***
19: Haveluy - km 149.5, (2,500 m) ****
18: Trouée d'Arenberg - km 158, (2,400 m) *****
17: Wallers - Hélesmes, aka "Pont Gibus" - km 164, (1,600 m) ***
16: Hornaing - km 170.5, (3,700 m) ****
15: Warlaing - Brillon - km 178, (2,400 m) ***
14: Tilloy - Sars-et-Rosières - km 181.5, (2,400 m) ****
13: Beuvry-la-Forêt - Orchies - km 188, (1,400 m) ***
12: Orchies - km 193, (1,700 m) ***
11: Auchy-lez-Orchies - Bersée - km 199, (2,600 m) ****
10: Mons-en-Pévèle - km 205, (3,000 m) *****
9: Mérignies - Avelin - km 211, (700 m) **
8: Pont-Thibaut - km 214.5, (1,400 m) ***
7: Templeuve - Moulin de Vertain - km 220.5, (500 m) **
6a: Cysoing - Bourghelles - km 227, (1,300 m) ****
6b: Bourghelles - Wannehain - km 229.5, (1,100 m) ***
5: Camphin-en-Pévèle - km 234, (1,800 m) ****
4: Le Carrefour de l'Arbre - km 236.5, (2,100 m) *****
3: Gruson - km 239, (1,100 m) **
2: Hem - km 246, (1,400 m) **
1: Roubaix - km 256.5, (300 m) *

funnights74

IMO The best bike race of the year. Here's a terrific short given the day that's in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cNmQQuHfRHg#!

Ole Rodrigo

Is it on the web ?

Darkglasses

Thomas has hit the deck for the second time today. Also involved were Pozzato and Ladagnous.

Koretzky has punctured and returned from the breakaway to the main peloton.

72km to go, Steegmans and Hayman have a good gap.

Beasty

ror_74 wrote: »

Is it on the web ?

Do not post links to streams unless you are 100% certain they are legal and have rights to broadcast into Ireland

ednwireland

really hotting up now cancellara pushing the pace

Darkglasses

I no longer have a clue whats happening :rolleyes:

letape

ednwireland wrote: »

really hotting up now cancellara pushing the pace

Not pushing the pace anymore. In third group on the road and hard to know how good he is going.

ednwireland

letape wrote: »

Not pushing the pace anymore. In third group on the road and hard to know how good he is going.

think he's trying to make you eat your words now !

letape

ednwireland wrote: »

think he's trying to make you eat your words now !

He's doing a good job of that all right!

ednwireland

cancellara and stybar bridge to the 2 leaders. great riding from cancellara (and stybar)

homer simpson

Really feel sorry for Stybar there, that fecking fan needs a good slap!

Darkglasses

B***ox

letape

What a fantastic race and win for Cancellera. Tough on Vanmarcke. Might have been different if Stybar hadn't had that problem with the spectator.

Darkglasses

Having kicked something hard - gutted for Sepp van Marcke. Great ride by him.

Also horrible luck for Stijn and Stybar. Hope the morons who clipped them go home and clatter themselves.

Man of the match for me though was Damien Gaudin, what a monster ride by him. Tactics could have been described as naive, but sheer toughness won him a well-earned top ten.

Where was Greipel in all this?

Holyboy

Awesome, fantastic track sprint finish, definitely worth Holygirl being miffed with me for not going into town with her.

velopeloton

Darkglasses wrote: »

Man of the match for me though was Damien Gaudin, what a monster ride by him. Tactics could have been described as naive, but sheer toughness won him a well-earned top ten.

He is a savage, never stopped trying.

dastardly00

That was epic.

TheBlaaMan

Cancellara showed another side to his game today - perhaps through necessity and not having the sheer power of other wins. He didn't look nearly as sure of his own ability to ride Vanmarcke off his wheel and staked everything on the last 100m. Apart from that, he had earlier shown that he was prepared to forego the chance of the win if guys were simply going to suck his wheel and get him to do all the work. I lost count of the times he held back and called other guys through. So he boxed clever and still won, though he looked totally spent at the end and in the interview. At least he has shown that he is no one-trick pony. I was sorry for Vanmarcke and particularly for Stybar, but with so many strong young guys coming up, I wonder will Cancellara ever have the same chance to dominate a spring campaign as he has this year.

MPFG

Love this Cancellera impersonation ......'you know for me its in the moment !'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J52hxcyUSv8

happytramp

Spectacular crash by Yohan Offredo. Luckily he was alright.

veetwin

No highlights programme on Eurosport or anywhere else? Avoided tv, radio and this thread all day in the hope of watching the highlights. Mightily peed off now!

Razleavy

ITV 4 have the highlights tonight 21-22:00 I think.

mp31

happytramp wrote: »

Spectacular crash by Yohan Offredo. Luckily he was alright.

Jaypers ... he hit it the sign so hard that it's bent out of shape.. ouch!

Colonialboy

great race.
Great performance by Cancellara, the way he faked being off form with 50k by dropping back to the car and then rode to the win.

Delighted to see stylar wiped out, felt no sympathy for him.. wheel suckers , maybe if he had taken a pull on the front he wouldnt have been in that position. I think he showed no respect for the great man and road racing thinking he could wheel suck to the velodrome and then pull out the track expertise .

homer simpson

Colonialboy wrote: »

great race.
Great performance by Cancellara, the way he faked being off form with 50k by dropping back to the car and then rode to the win.

Delighted to see stylar wiped out, felt no sympathy for him.. wheel suckers , maybe if he had taken a pull on the front he wouldnt have been in that position. I think he showed no respect for the great man and road racing thinking he could wheel suck to the velodrome and then pull out the track expertise .

Ehhh Stylar was out front a good few times, infact just before the crash when Cancellara tried a wee break from behind him, he passed him again and was on the other side of the road, shortly after that the fan clobbered him...

He isn't a true road racer I thought he was excellent today, he looked the strongest too IMO. If your delighted to see that I think you're watching the wrong sport, lol.

Flandria

Colonialboy wrote: »

great race.
Great performance by Cancellara, the way he faked being off form with 50k by dropping back to the car and then rode to the win.

Delighted to see stylar wiped out, felt no sympathy for him.. wheel suckers , maybe if he had taken a pull on the front he wouldnt have been in that position. I think he showed no respect for the great man and road racing thinking he could wheel suck to the velodrome and then pull out the track expertise .

???? FFS man!:mad:

DirkVoodoo

I see that Vanmarcke has come out and said he will be "kicking himself" over how he timed his sprint.

Was it just me or did he get his tactics all wrong today? He seemed to be fearing a late surge by Cancellara, but rather than just hang on for dear life, he went to the front on each of the few remaining cobbled sections and started drilling it hard. He looked wrecked on the way in and tried a fairly half-hearted jump before the game of poker at the velodrome.

Why did he not do what most people would have done (much to the annoyance of Fabian) and simply sit on his wheel until the final sprint? You're not going to beat him in a drag race to the finish line and any attempt to get away would probably have been reeled back in by the big Swiss diesel engine. It's those last few metres where he should have had more in reserve, and even then it looked like he went to early or couldn't give a big enough kick.

Great win for Cancellara though.

TheBlaaMan

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I see that Vanmarcke has come out and said he will be "kicking himself" over how he timed his sprint.

Was it just me or did he get his tactics all wrong today? He seemed to be fearing a late surge by Cancellara, but rather than just hang on for dear life, he went to the front on each of the few remaining cobbled sections and started drilling it hard. He looked wrecked on the way in and tried a fairly half-hearted jump before the game of poker at the velodrome.

Why did he not do what most people would have done (much to the annoyance of Fabian) and simply sit on his wheel until the final sprint? You're not going to beat him in a drag race to the finish line and any attempt to get away would probably have been reeled back in by the big Swiss diesel engine. It's those last few metres where he should have had more in reserve, and even then it looked like he went to early or couldn't give a big enough kick.

Great win for Cancellara though.

Well, he clearly wanted to lead in each of the final cobble sections - its not as if Cancellara dragged his heels to force Vanmarcke take the lead at those points. VM most likely fancied his chances in the final sprint too...........remember he beat Boonen and Flecha in the sprint for the Omloop last spring, so he may well have thought he had the edge over the big fella if/when it came to that.

Flandria

I get the impression that Cancellara made it clear that he wasn't going to tow him to the line and that Vanmarcke realised that he might not get another chance at second (or first) at P-R. He lost the poker game;)

De Bhál

Where can I watch highlights of this tonight?

funnights74

Pretty late on eurosport 2 @1 am,UPC Channel 425. :eek:

De Bhál

funnights74 wrote: »

Pretty late on eurosport 2 @1 am,UPC Channel 425. :eek:

Thanks, bloody ridiculous time to have it on. Just have to record it.

Rastadoyle

glad an Omega rider got on the podium considering their bad luck in the finale with vandenbergh and stybar

letape

Colonialboy wrote: »

great race.
Great performance by Cancellara, the way he faked being off form with 50k by dropping back to the car and then rode to the win.

Delighted to see stylar wiped out, felt no sympathy for him.. wheel suckers , maybe if he had taken a pull on the front he wouldnt have been in that position. I think he showed no respect for the great man and road racing thinking he could wheel suck to the velodrome and then pull out the track expertise .

Can't believe you could be happy to see someone "wiped out", as you put it.

I thought Stybar rode really well, and was definitely not a wheel sucker. He is a fabously strong rider and could have contested for the win, only for the crash.