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E3 Prijs - Harelbeke Discussion
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 15-06-2014 10:44
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Tour de France Champion
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Joined: 01-05-2012
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It's time for one of the most beautiful races on the calendar. E3 Prijs - Harelbeke is sometimes called a mini Ronde van Vlaanderen. The road to the finish is filled with cobblestones, steep climbs and narrow roads. Winning here is a question of guts, race instinct, strength and your share of luck. Flat tires are lurking around every bend. This is a race for true riders, may the best man win!
Most analysts expect a wide open race here. However, we can mark some favorites, like  Baugnies,  Maes and  Franzoi. Others to watch include  Nuyens,  Breschel,  Thomas and many more.
So what can we expect for this year's edition of E3 Prijs - Harelbeke? Simply put: war. Every team will be hunting for points and glory on these typical roads of Flanders.
The highlight of the race is definitely the incredibly steep climb of the Paterberg. This will separate the boys from the men.
The finale will be raced on wider roads of tarmac. Anyone who still has any punch left in their legs will either aim for the final sprint or launch into a last attack. Either way, we're in for a beautiful day of racing!
We will see you at the finish line! |
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| DubbelDekker |
Posted on 15-06-2014 12:28
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That's a big peloton! Looking forward to this race. Hilly cobble races suit the in-form Nuyens. Top 5 should be a realistic aim.
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| jph27 |
Posted on 15-06-2014 12:40
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Team Leader
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It would be nice if Turgot could continue his run of Top 10s here, but as the Cobbles are just filler races for us I'm not too concerned. Great to see a new reporter as well, top preview Ian  |
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| Mhaley45 |
Posted on 15-06-2014 13:31
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Another cobble race so AMEXpc is looking to do well. Eisel and Breschel should be solid contenders and young Marko Kump should fair well on this course.
Last season Bernhard Eisel won here in a sprint finish and Matti Breschler finished 12th. With Eisel aging decline and Breschel's off-season training they leadership for this race will probably fall to whoever feels the strongest when we hit the final 20% of the race.
Marko Kump is not as good on the cobbles but he is a solid punchuer who should handle the hills with ease and he is also a strong sprinter.
We expect one of the three to be on the podium.
=========================================
Team Manager of AMEX - Navigon
Editor of the Cobbler
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 15-06-2014 13:43
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
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Hard to look beyond Baugniers here. Great rider and great support makes for a dangerous set-up. Expect the usual contenders upfront as is normal on cobbles. Thomas will be looking yo go for top15 or top10 finish, slightly lower than normal due to the sharp hills on the route. Bring on a good race Ian!
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 15-06-2014 14:10
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With every team in this HC band having to bring a squad, I requested a wildcard. Who knows, a mid stage attack could get Ostergaard a good placing!
Not gonna lie, the preview could probably use a little more than a sentence about the favorites. 
Edited by baseballlover312 on 15-06-2014 14:11
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| 547984 |
Posted on 15-06-2014 16:29
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baseballlover312 wrote:
Not gonna lie, the preview could probably use a little more than a sentence about the favorites.
Give him a break, from what I know he's very busy atm.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 15-06-2014 16:31
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547984 wrote:
baseballlover312 wrote:
Not gonna lie, the preview could probably use a little more than a sentence about the favorites.
Give him a break, from what I know he's very busy atm.
I know, but still, I just think that was a little bit skimpy for a big race like this, no offense to him.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 15-06-2014 18:04
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Posts: 18187
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baseballlover312 wrote:
547984 wrote:
baseballlover312 wrote:
Not gonna lie, the preview could probably use a little more than a sentence about the favorites.
Give him a break, from what I know he's very busy atm.
I know, but still, I just think that was a little bit skimpy for a big race like this, no offense to him.
If yours busy don't post the preview, wait a few days and do a full and proper job. That said its a cobbles race, the preview can be copied word for word from every other cobbles race because the startlist barely changes.
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 15-06-2014 18:10
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World Champion
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TheManxMissile wrote:
baseballlover312 wrote:
547984 wrote:
baseballlover312 wrote:
Not gonna lie, the preview could probably use a little more than a sentence about the favorites.
Give him a break, from what I know he's very busy atm.
I know, but still, I just think that was a little bit skimpy for a big race like this, no offense to him.
If yours busy don't post the preview, wait a few days and do a full and proper job. That said its a cobbles race, the preview can be copied word for word from every other cobbles race because the startlist barely changes.
Ian isn't even in the Man Game though. I think its great of him just to be reporting this, as he's one of the best story writers on the site and helping the game move along during a bit of a slower point in the season.
Glad to see Meiji in a race again, its been a while  No hope here, but maybe a breakaway win? 
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| jt1109 |
Posted on 15-06-2014 19:42
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Hoping for miracles from Machado but expecting nothing and agree with Valv it's great for Ian to help out and we should be very thankful he has. |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 16-06-2014 06:37
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valverde321 wrote:
Ian isn't even in the Man Game though. I think its great of him just to be reporting this, as he's one of the best story writers on the site and helping the game move along during a bit of a slower point in the season.
Glad to see Meiji in a race again, its been a while No hope here, but maybe a breakaway win?
Not sure what this reasoning actually has to do with MG preview quality, but hey, good to see Ian here reporting. Welcome
We are here in Belgium only because of HC band choice, break is our only hope, or maybe non-selctive race where Hoffman or Grosu can surprise. But top 20 would be miracle already.
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 16-06-2014 10:45
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
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I'm happy to report on this race. Do go easy on me since it's my first report for the ManGame
I agree that the preview didn't go into depth, but you have to understand I'm new to the ManGame. I don't really know the teams nor the riders, so it's hard for me to make an in-depth analysis.
Hope you enjoy the report and the result! |
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| DubbelDekker |
Posted on 16-06-2014 12:01
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Great sprint by Steegmans! This is exactly the kind of cobble race scenario for which we signed him and he delivers.
Congrats to Mhaley! 1 and 3 is a huge result.
Also to Alakagom. There are only 2 riders in the top 8 that are not AMEX or Quickstep.
And good job on the report Ian!
Edited by DubbelDekker on 16-06-2014 12:01
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| Alakagom |
Posted on 16-06-2014 12:08
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Not ideal with missing the podium, but with almost 350 points gained I can't be unhappy Back on track for promotion finally
Great debut report Ian, enjoyed it a lot. Great ride by Amex duo and Silvio. Steegmans proving a shrewd purchase too.
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 16-06-2014 13:39
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I enjoyed seeing Thomas attacking, always a good thing to see your riders looking for results. Unfortunately he should not be attacking in such a situation and instead be waiting to use his sprint capabilities. Top15 is ok, it's what i was expecting, but in such a finish he should be challenging for a Top5 as he has done a few times this season. Rest of the team really quiet which i don't like to see. Not the best race for B3B really, but points are points
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| jph27 |
Posted on 16-06-2014 15:02
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Turgot 29th from a sprint? Errr... 
I blame Alakagom tipping us to promote |
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| cio93 |
Posted on 16-06-2014 15:07
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*clapping*
I hope you know Silvio now, Ian
Congrats to Gazelle, who obviously don't need Nuyens (), and to QS for a great team result.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 16-06-2014 17:07
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Tour de France Champion
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Can't say I'm unhappy getting a 12th place in the biggest PCT cobbles race with Ostergaard.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 16-06-2014 17:35
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Bad race for us, but as expected. Atleast we had Kinoshita in the break.
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![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
