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Double Feature | THE END
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| Daggen |
Posted on 16-01-2013 19:12
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Sprinter
Posts: 1849
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Oh my god I haven't noticed you're back. Welcome back Ian  |
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| Jesleyh |
Posted on 16-01-2013 19:14
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15274
Joined: 21-07-2012
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Nice cliffhanger. He outsprinted Bak, but who knows if it was for the 6th place or the 121th? 
And chance of rain is always 100% at Roubaix in-game I guess 
Feyenoord(football) and Kelderman fanboy
PCMdaily Awards: 12x nomination, 9x runner-up, 0x win.
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| Daggen |
Posted on 16-01-2013 19:21
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Sprinter
Posts: 1849
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I think it's 80. I've had some sunny Roubaix's |
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| PCM rulezz |
Posted on 16-01-2013 19:50
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1467
Joined: 21-05-2011
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Nice podium for Jelle
Good luck in Paris - Roubaix
Winners never quit, quitters never win.
It's difficult not to be happy when you're surrounded by Belgians. - Mark Cavendish
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| Stromeon |
Posted on 16-01-2013 20:12
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3507
Joined: 06-10-2012
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Nice to see the story back up and running - great going for Stijn in the Ronde! And good luck in Paris-Roubaix 
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 16-01-2013 20:22
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Team Leader
Posts: 7295
Joined: 11-04-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Nice to see you back Ian.
Great Ronde. Stijn does an amazing job again
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 17-01-2013 08:53
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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Daggen: Thanks took you long enough! (joking )
Jesleyh: I must've said it wrong, he outsprinted Bak on a recon, not in the real race. The race is yet to be played
I sure hope for rain, but I've had it dry before
PCM rulezz: Thanks! Jelle is doing his job well, building up from Catalunya to Basque to the Ardennes. He seems ready!
Stromeon: Thank you, it's good to run the story again, too.
Jakstar22: Thanks Stijn is holding a great shape, let's hope he can continue his top20 streak in Roubaix!
Not sure when the next race is, today is a busy day, and Roubaix is a long race. Will try, otherwise another day, obviously |
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| Jesleyh |
Posted on 17-01-2013 15:09
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15274
Joined: 21-07-2012
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My fault, I read it as: I've had a one-on-one(conversation) with Bak in the last 150km(like they were in the same group (somewhere)in the last 150km )
Never mind.
Can't wait to see how Stijn will achieve at Roubaix...
Feyenoord(football) and Kelderman fanboy
PCMdaily Awards: 12x nomination, 9x runner-up, 0x win.
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 17-01-2013 15:10
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
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PCM$: 400.00
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Understandable mistake
Roubaix has just been raced, so report will be up later today! |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 23-11-2024 20:22
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 17-01-2013 15:30
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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Paris - Roubaix :: Spartacus Unleashed
Well, I can't believe the cobbled classic is over already. Here's what happened on the climax: Paris - Roubaix. Right before the start, the team leader reminded me once more of my place: domestique.
Well, a lot of cobbles, that's one. What I wanted most for today was a bit of rain. Preferably a lot.
I couldn't believe it. Dry as a dead dingo's donger!
The first major competitor to bite the dust, literally, was the Italian Ballan.
As the peloton thinned out, Roelandts came to me. "I'm feeling good", he said. So I took initiative and attacked out of the front group.
I didn't get far away but what I had intended with the attack was achieved: Cancellara himself worked on the chase. As soon as they came near, I let myself get caught, hoping to regain some energy before the next cobbled section!
And then, a few kilometers later, Spartacus himself went on the attack. Only Boonen was able to keep his pace, sort of.
The pace upped with 5km/h in a second and my former attack took its toll. I dropped out of the group with Thomas.
Another dropped duo were Chavanel and a surprisingly strong Eisel.
We caught up with them and formed a group of four. But Chavanel didn't see eye to eye with the two sky's and attacked himself. I tried to counter his attack.
A mistake, I realized soon enough. I wasted my remaining energy and the Sky duo caught up with me 500m later.
At the front of the race, Cancellara had left everyone and everything behind with a formidable solo effort. He took the double, Ronde and Roubaix!
A couple minutes later, I entered the Velodrome with Eisel and Thomas on my wheel.
Thomas surprised me with an early sprint/late attack. I took the bait and depleted all energy left. Eisel had the 18th place for the taking.
I resisted as hard as I could. But there was no way. I've never felt emptier. I finish a 19th place, sucked dry by the 150km of intensive riding.
Roelandts landed just outside the top 10, finishing 11th. But what's really remarkable is that only 31 riders finished (within time limits). Despite the great weather conditions, the race was incredibly hard and fast paced. Hell, I'm glad to be part of those 31!
Result - All finishers
| 1 | Fabian Cancellara | Radioshack Nissan Trek | 7h26'34 | | | 2 | Tom Boonen | Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | + 47 | | | 3 | Matti Breschel | Rabobank Cycling Team | + 1'07 | | | 4 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | | 5 | Filippo Pozzato | Farnese Vini Selle Italia | s.t. | | | 6 | Sep Vanmarcke | Team Garmin-Barracuda | s.t. | | | 7 | Stuart O'Grady | Orica-GreenEDGE | s.t. | | | 8 | Niki Terpstra | Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | s.t. | | | 9 | Sebastian Langeveld | Orica-GreenEDGE | s.t. | | | 10 | Lars Boom | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | | 11 | Jürgen Roelandts | Lotto Belisol | s.t. | IanButler | | 12 | Nick Nuyens | Team Saxo Bank | s.t. | | | 13 | Leif Hoste | Accent.Jobs - Willems Veranda’s | s.t. | | | 14 | Johan Vansummeren | Team Garmin-Barracuda | s.t. | | | 15 | Björn Leukemans | Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | + 2'33 | | | 16 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas-Cannondale | + 3'29 | | | 17 | Sylvain Chavanel | Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | + 6'30 | | | 18 | Bernhard Eisel | Sky Pro Cycling | + 8'37 | | | 19 | Stijn Van Gent | Lotto Belisol | s.t. | IanButler | | 20 | Geraint Thomas | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | | 21 | Martijn Maaskant | Team Garmin-Barracuda | + 9'29 | | | 22 | Marcus Burghardt | BMC Racing Team | + 12'23 | | | 23 | Tom Leezer | Rabobank Cycling Team | + 14'34 | | | 24 | Gert Steegmans | Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team | s.t. | | | 25 | Daniele Bennati | Radioshack Nissan Trek | s.t. | | | 26 | Mathew Hayman | Sky Pro Cycling | s.t. | | | 27 | Manuel Quinziato | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | | 28 | Lloyd Mondory | Ag2r La Mondiale | s.t. | | | 29 | Stijn Devolder | Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | s.t. | | | 30 | Sébastien Turgot | Team Europcar | + 15'47 | | | 31 | Alexandre Pichot | Team Europcar | + 16'19 | |
It was a tough race, and I, for one, am glad to be back in good old Belgium. I'll take it easy for a few days and then it's time to build up for my first Grand Tour, another big event to look forward to.
I'll reflect upon my first cobbled season a bit later in the week! So until then,
Stijn! |
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| Jesleyh |
Posted on 17-01-2013 15:33
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15274
Joined: 21-07-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Wow, so not 100% chance on rain
Still, after that first attack of Stijn, a 19th place is really good. A shame that Roelandts missed the Top 10...
Feyenoord(football) and Kelderman fanboy
PCMdaily Awards: 12x nomination, 9x runner-up, 0x win.
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| fcancellara |
Posted on 17-01-2013 15:35
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 5194
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31 finishers? 
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| PCM rulezz |
Posted on 17-01-2013 15:49
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Protected Rider
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The results are better than in de ronde, but I'm sure you had hoped for a top 10 (with Roelandts) :s
Good luck in the Giro
Winners never quit, quitters never win.
It's difficult not to be happy when you're surrounded by Belgians. - Mark Cavendish
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 17-01-2013 16:03
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
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Cancellara is just a Beast 
But a nice display from Stijn |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 17-01-2013 16:52
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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Jesleyh: Too bad about the missing rain Thanks, 19th is great, considering! Roelandts came close to 10th, but he didn't have what it took...
fcancellara: I can't explain it, it's weird
PCM rulezz: Yeah, a top 10 was expected and hoped for. We don't know what's up, maybe he's missing a couple % of form. Thanks!
sutty68: Well, it's Spartacus. I don't mind losing to him Stijn did what he could |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 17-01-2013 16:52
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
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Season Part 1: Review
Hi everyone,
First of all, we would like to thank everyone out there. Our blogging project is already a major success, with over 5000 views. We only hope it'll get better and better. With Paris - Roubaix behind us and the Giro coming up, it's safe to say the first part of the season is over. A little review on the last months.
2012 will always be a special year for me. It's my first year as a professional cyclist, and I plan to make the most of it. A part of it's over already, but there's much to look forward to!
Individual Efforts
I started out with a surprising jersey, one I never thought I'd hold: a mountain jersey, in my very first professional tour, the tour of Argentina. It was a perfect way to start my season and career.
In the Ronde van West-Vlaanderen, I managed a 5th place overall, which helped me to build a name. In Tirreno I had some ups and downs. I did some fairly promising sprints, but in the mountains I cracked up entirely.
Then the cobbled season was upon us, let's take a look at the figures:
| Omloop | K-B-K | DDV | E3 | GW | RvV | PR | | 2012 | 21th | 28th | 3th | 17th | 19th | 15th | 19th |
Judging those, I did well. Better than I would've expected starting my career, especially the podium in Dwars Door Vlaanderen! I just hope there's a lot of room for improvement. My general idea was that I can follow the pace fairly well, but as soon as the big guns bring on the war, I get dropped within seconds. My final sprint was not as it usually is, I may have to change my training a bit, I'll have to speak to the management to that.
Team Efforts
The team was off to a mediocre start. Greipel impressed the world by winning several stage wins everywhere he started, but in terms of World Tour Points, we didn't take a flying start.
Jurgen Van Den Broeck and Jelle Vanendert did a lot to this extent and at the moment we are placed in the middle, so far it's going good! Jurgen Roelandts didn't have the cobbled season he expected, I hope he takes it easy on himself, I know he'll beat himself up about it...
Personal Thoughts
I'm starting to think I might've made a mistake, creating the calendar. Lotto Belisol's youth program is great for experience, but some boys lose morale in the big-boys' races. I know I would've preferred racing in a lesser stage race than Tirreno Adriatico, that way I might've been able to sprint for a victory, maybe?
Anyway, I'll talk to the team about it. Overall I can't complain. I did my best everywhere I went, and I've already had a good run. I know what to improve for next year, and I'm definitely looking forward to sprinting in the Giro!
The Future
The rest of the season is more or less about sprinting. Too bad I'll be entering WT races mostly. Though I might be able to be of assistance for Roelandts or Greipel in those races. The only cobbles I'll encounter, will be in the Eneco Tour, maybe I can have a free role there. We'll see!
Riding for a professional cycling team is hard, that's for sure. The job is all consuming and my social life has been set back dramatically. But that's okay, I love my job!
Individual Efforts
I started the season extremely well, I think. Hopefully I haven't wasted too much energy already, peaked too early, but the fact is I finished on the podium in Argentina, and that's a nice thing for a rider's resume.
In the first World Tour race I participated, Tirreno Adriatico, I finished 14th, which is considered more than respectable from a neopro. I owe it to my consistency, and my time trialing ability, I believe. The profiles resemble the Giro, which gives me hope, but one week and three weeks is quite the difference.
Team Efforts
I've been training so hard, I don't know much about what's going on. Jurgen Van Den Broeck had a rough time in Paris - Nice, but he made up for it in Catalunya. Vanendert is getting ready for the Ardennes Classics, and I've no doubt he'll get some great results there.
Greipel's sprinting abilities are impressive, let's hope Stijn can learn something from them!
Personal Thoughts
I share Stijn's vision on the youth program. It's an amazing initiative, but like everything it has its cons as well as its pros. Being able to race the Giro as a neopro without any pressure and without having to work for a leader is amazing, but maybe it would be better for young rider's confidence to finish high up in a lesser race than ending up way down the charts in the Giro. Anyway, we'll have to see about that.
The Future
My season is really just starting. I'm definitely looking forward to the Giro. I guess I'll try to follow the pace in the first week, and see where I end up, before deciding what I'll do for the remaining two weeks. A stage win, I can only dream of, but I may have what it takes. Where I lack experience and absolute strength, I have consistency and youth. So we'll see!
Thanks for reading once again!
Stijn & Willy
Edited by Ian Butler on 17-01-2013 18:06
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| Daggen |
Posted on 17-01-2013 17:04
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Sprinter
Posts: 1849
Joined: 08-07-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Goat! Goat! Goat! |
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| lokytrew |
Posted on 17-01-2013 17:52
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Domestique
Posts: 573
Joined: 03-08-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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Ian, you're doing a great job.
In the last line it says Stijn & Eric... Might wanna fix that
Domenico Pozzovivo |
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| Jesleyh |
Posted on 17-01-2013 17:52
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15274
Joined: 21-07-2012
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I guess that's an old habit
Feyenoord(football) and Kelderman fanboy
PCMdaily Awards: 12x nomination, 9x runner-up, 0x win.
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| PCM rulezz |
Posted on 17-01-2013 18:03
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1467
Joined: 21-05-2011
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Nice review
Winners never quit, quitters never win.
It's difficult not to be happy when you're surrounded by Belgians. - Mark Cavendish
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