Mresuperstar wrote:
At first I didn't like the style of the reports but they are starting to grow on me, especially with the results lately Keep them coming, very curious on how many GT's Kyle Lewis will win in his career.
That is why I'm keeping the reports ultra-short, I'm trying not to take much time on them so I can chug through seasons as fast as possible...here we are 5 seasons in...and hes only 22. Should still have at least 15 more seasons to go.........
So I'm thinking of adding something this season... trying to still keep things short, perhaps I should join in on the Ardennes, so I can get some pictures and a good report? Also the Worlds! That will keep it to only 4 races that I check in on, so should still move quickly and now that we expect Kyle to be able to win all of those races there is some good tension I could try and build up...
Stats and such for the new season should be posted soon on the main page.
Mresuperstar wrote:
At first I didn't like the style of the reports but they are starting to grow on me, especially with the results lately Keep them coming, very curious on how many GT's Kyle Lewis will win in his career.
That is why I'm keeping the reports ultra-short, I'm trying not to take much time on them so I can chug through seasons as fast as possible...here we are 5 seasons in...and hes only 22. Should still have at least 15 more seasons to go.........
This good already at 22, the Major wins should be endless
Quick preseason guide since I'm looking around. Worlds should be good for Kyle, long hilly stage, actually the ITT might also be good for him as well.
TdF could be interesting, opening stage is a 12K time trial... IN ROUBAIX... Half the damn course is cobbles. Tour is on a Counter-Clockwise year, so Pyrenees first, also included will be the dreaded Alp d'Huez ITT! And a long ITT (36km) the day before Paris. Mountains include Col du Tourmalet, and Mont Ventoux.
In his first race of the season Kyle finds his legs about halfway through the tour. A second overall finish and easily taking the young rider classification which has essentially just be put on reserve for him in every event he goes to know is very solid and this late start to the season should help keep him fresh for the TdF and Worlds later in the year. Hopefully the lack of racing early doesn't hurt him in the Ardennes that are now just about 2 weeks away.
In his second and final tune up for the Ardennes Classics Kyle Lewis won the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco and its completely hilly course. The victory was not as neat as Kyle would have liked, needing to gain just over 40 seconds in the final time-trial from then leader Miguel Rubiano. Time-trialing which in the first years of his career was his downfall has become a strength of Kyle and should be incredibly helpful in the three time trials facing riders in the TdF this season. Kyle does look to be in good form and we should expect to see him on the podium in Holland at the Amstel Gold Race.
(Random question, I say Holland, and at least to my knowledge Holland and Netherlands are interchangeable, is one name actually proper? Do people living there get upset if the country as a whole is mentioned incorrectly?)
259km - Kyle Lewis in his United States Champion jersey, ready at the start. The favorite in the race also featuring Gilbert (Euskaltel), Schleck (Generali), Rubiano (Vacansoleil), Vanendert (E.ON), Gesink (RadioShack), Kreuziger (KazMunayGas), Antón (Movistar), Bakalants (Euphony), and Urán (Katusha).
244km - Kyle is protected early by teammate Arnold Jeannesson. The Frenchman is a good climber, finished 15th earlier in the season at Paris - Nice, and had a day in the leader's jersey.
138km - It takes awhile to get formed but near the halfway point in the race a strong breakaway of 9 has 4'20" on the peloton, and the favorites should be worried as Bakalants has managed to get himself into this break. Others in the break are Stetina (Generali), Merino (Movistar), Bos (Euskaltel), Ennekens (E.ON), King (Vodafone), George (Commonwealth Bank), Rostollan (Cofidis), Pichon (FDJ).
120km - The break continues to extend out gaining over 7' on the peloton, the teams that missed out send riders to keep the gap. Maryczynski and Valls lead for Vacansoleil, Kreder and Gerdemann for Garmin and Meersman, Maes and Soetens for Lotto.
88km - World Champion Roman Kreuziger along with Philippe Gilbert and Igor Antón (with British Champion Jonathon Tiernan-Locke) have fallen off the pace of the top leaders! They will have to dig deep if they want to catch up to the race favorites.
46km - All of the contenders have made it back into the main group. But with the lead still just around 3 minutes and Bakalants still leading the break in strong fashion, Garmin - Barracuda brings out their horse, sending Norwegian Champion (both Road and TT) Edvald Boasson Hagen to the front to bring the break back, and also possibly to put some hurt into the legs of every other contender.
44km - Bakalants attacks the breakaway! Looks like the field was getting too close for comfort and he split up the breakaway sharply in the process! Pichon and Rostollan hung on to his wheel as long as they could, but he now has a gap on them, the others are now over a minute behind and only a minute ahead of the peloton.
34km - Rostollan and Pichon are swept up by the peloton, KazMuneyGas, leading the way for Roman Kreuziger. But Bakalants still has 2'14" on everyone, and is fighting hard to hold them off!
20km - Miguel Rubiano attacks! Sergio Henao tries to counter but can't quite keep pace. Will they be able to separate themselves from the field and catch Bakalants still over a minute and a half ahead of them? And where is the reaction from the other contenders, they can't just let Rubiano go free.
19km - Philippe Gilbert leads the counter-attack, followed by Andy Schleck, Jarlinson Pantano (RusVelo) and Rigoberto Urán. Favorites Lewis and Kreuziger stay back with faith in the large number of teamates they have still around them, 4 for each team.
15km - Bakalants is caught and passed by Gilbert! Not far behind though is the field of contenders once again being driven forward by the power of Edvald Boasson Hagen. Sitting on his wheel is Luis León Sánchez and 16 other riders now very close to victory.
12km - Rubiano and Henao attack again, this time taking the lead as they pass right by Gilbert and Bakalants. The field will again have to chase them down, and they still need to catch Bakalants who hasn't seen many of these other contenders for most of the day.
7km - With Rubiano still out ahead Kyle Lewis surges to the front and brings the field of the elite bearing down on Rubiano. Teammates are now a thing of the past as the last few friends of Kreuziger are dropping off the back of the leaders. Champions are plenty though as Lewis (USA), L.L. Sanchez (Spain), Tiernan-Locke (Britain), and Kreuziger (Czech Republic and World) are all together at the front.
5km - Just under the 5k banner, and Lewis has brought Rubiano back to the pack. Only a bit of downhill left before one final steep climb to the finish. After 254 kilometers everyone has to be tired, and if somehow you haven't noticed yet these riders have been in the rain for the last 20 kilometers.
1km - They go under the red 1KM banner the finish literally just up ahead, as in uphill. From left to right (facing the riders) we see Rubiano with Sanchez behind him, Lewis has Tiernan-Locke on his wheel, Gilbert and Kreuziger with the teal arm warmers behind him. Schleck to Gilbert's right, Urán in red with Henao on his wheel and Vanendert on his own to the far side.
500m - Lewis bursts out to open a gap! Kreuziger is out of the saddle cranking hard to close in on him. Gilbert and Schleck seem to be unable to respond and Vanendert is giving everything to stay in contact.
0m - Kyle Lewis Wins! The American champion was the strongest in the finish, Kreuziger finishes 2nd with Vanendert in 3rd.
Fin - After over six hours on the bike Kyle Lewis has won the first of the Ardennes Classics, and now has only a few days to recover and get to Belgium for the start of the 200km La Flèche Wallonne. These same riders that fought all the way to the end will all likely be there again and wanting revenge.
Edited by Kentaurus on 10-05-2012 14:57
Wow, really thinking about just leaving this post at 1km for a day or so, letting all of you sit at the picture of all the contenders. Enough suspense to drown in. But I'm not that cruel, so in a few minutes I will have the last kilometer up for everyone to see.
Blame Canada!
Kyle will win it, i am sure he will fly up the Cauberg.
Great story btw. i like the format + screens from key races are something extra added, which makes it even better.
Good morning everyone, not nice Fernando (I had the 3rd to last picture up for about a minute last night before I changed my mind) but you didn't see any of the final two pictures.
Okay so I'm running into some issues on La Flèche Wallonne, doesn't look like we will get any pictures. For some reason the race doesn't end up being much of a race, I've now run the race in 3d around 20 times, and the closest any of the contenders have come to winning was +30" ... Every time it's run the breakaway stays away, and the teams (in my case particularly Garmin) is at the front of the peloton, but just holding the gap at around 2'15" with less than 15K to go. The only reason the gap ever gets closer is because the favorites can close down 1'30" or so in the final sprint. The breakaway is basically getting to the 1.5k (sprint point) while the favorites are still 2.5-3k away. It's very frustrating that none of the big names will ever win this race without user control.
Kentaurus wrote:
Okay so I'm running into some issues on La Flèche Wallonne, doesn't look like we will get any pictures. For some reason the race doesn't end up being much of a race, I've now run the race in 3d around 20 times, and the closest any of the contenders have come to winning was +30" ... Every time it's run the breakaway stays away, and the teams (in my case particularly Garmin) is at the front of the peloton, but just holding the gap at around 2'15" with less than 15K to go. The only reason the gap ever gets closer is because the favorites can close down 1'30" or so in the final sprint. The breakaway is basically getting to the 1.5k (sprint point) while the favorites are still 2.5-3k away. It's very frustrating that none of the big names will ever win this race without user control.
F-W is bugged. Even when you are controling someone, in 70% the break wins, only chance is to chase like a mad, but you cant do that in you case
After winning 2 of the 3 Ardennes Classics, Kyle Lewis gets one of his favorite tours of the season, and a chance to return home. It was the Tour of California where he got his first win 2 years ago, last year he finished 3rd and the best young rider, this year again he returns to the top of the Podium to claim his home race.
Edited by Kentaurus on 11-05-2012 18:30
Kyle continues his great season following a win in California with a win in Switzerland. Both tours have been clearly dominated by his riding and his team. If ever there looked to be a chance for any rider to break out and get their first Grand Tour win this season looks to be the chance.
A unique start with stage one being cancelled due to intense weather the race directors decided in favor of rider safety instead of sending them out on the cobbles during an intense storm. From there the yellow jersey would be handed over to the sprinters in the next week of riding before finding its way to the contenders in the Pyrenees.
Kyle would quickly take control of the Yellow jersey, only to accidentally lose it a few days later when a breakaway was given 3" too much time. This mistake would not stop Lewis for long though as would reclaim yellow on the first day in the Alps and would keep it all the way to Paris.
Edited by Kentaurus on 11-05-2012 21:12
Keep them coming, very curious on how many GT's Kyle Lewis will win in his career.
