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EPIC - World Championships 2013
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 27-11-2014 13:42
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Tour de France Champion
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sgdanny wrote:
Good  Now bring those Road Races ^^
Totally agree, looking forward to some good racing  |
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| Forever the Best |
Posted on 27-11-2014 17:26
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Classics Specialist
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A good training for Vincenzo before the RR
And,if Durbridge would not have participated;my team's rider Huffman would have finished 11th.I also have something with it with also Fuglsang's 11th place at Vuelta.
Oh,and can someone say Nibali's TT and REC stats.Because I upgraded them with 1 at the season break?
Edited by Forever the Best on 27-11-2014 17:28
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan'
Gracias Alberto.
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| Paul23 |
Posted on 27-11-2014 17:31
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I hope Kwiatek pulls this off...or if it's a flat race Cav should be great.
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| Shonak |
Posted on 27-11-2014 19:00
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Tour de France Champion
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Paul23 wrote:
I hope Kwiatek pulls this off...or if it's a flat race Cav should be great.
Huh, flat race? Why'd you even think that? It's Firenze 2013.
@Schleck Fan: Worlds are based on most recent EPIC DB so Nibali's stat is same to that DB.
Edited by Shonak on 27-11-2014 19:00
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| Forever the Best |
Posted on 27-11-2014 19:24
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Classics Specialist
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Shonak wrote:
Paul23 wrote:
I hope Kwiatek pulls this off...or if it's a flat race Cav should be great.
Huh, flat race? Why'd you even think that? It's Firenze 2013.
@Schleck Fan: Worlds are based on most recent EPIC DB so Nibali's stat is same to that DB.
Thanks for this
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan'
Gracias Alberto.
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| Shonak |
Posted on 27-11-2014 21:17
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Tour de France Champion
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World Championships Road Race
Preview
After the 3 out of 5 competitions, we put the clocks aside and the riders will get their elbows ready. The demanding Road Race is here and we’ll be ridden twice; once for the Elites and once for our dearest EPIC youngesters in the U23 competition. In the fight for the rainbow jersey and the gold medal, riders both need to the stomach for long distances and the punch on high gradient slopes. A fast finish will help you on the last few kilometers as well as some great downhill skills but first you’ll have to keep up with the many riders who’ll want to break free and for that there’s one thing you need to know: How to take climbs like a Puncheur.
The Route
The race starts in Lucca and ends in the Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence. The early part of the route is identified as particularly difficult, with climbs up the Montecatini Alto at 30 km and the San Baronto at 66 km, The final run-in of the race around Florence is also hilly, with the ride up to Fiesole and the via Bolognese in Florence being particularly steep. This run-in is similar to that of stage 9 of the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
Thank you Wikipedia!
Favourites Road Race
There’s hardly any arguing on who have been the two outstanding performers when it comes to hilly classics this year. Philippe Gilbert seems to be reliving some kind of 2011-renaissance whilst Sagan is profiting from being – quite frankly – horribly overpowered. With those two top dogs each being the leader of their nation, the race looks to come down to yet another duel between them. But Spain and home-nation Italy will want to see their guys taking it too and will look to make the race particularly hard.
The Slovakian multi-talent with way too much climbing in his sprinter legs, has won Fleche and Liege – Bastogne – Liege. Add to that Clasica San Sebastian, Strade Bianche and a ton of stages, and you get the current leader of the UCI ranking. Sagan has both the climbing and the downhill skills to be magnificent in this race; but what makes him even worse for his competitors: The fierceful sprint against which they’d stand little chance. Since Sagan is a proven northern specialist, he also has some candy stamina to keep him fresh until the decisive moments.
Current World Champion Gilbert will look to defend his title and looking at his recent wins at Eneco Tour and Il Lombardia (for the third time!), Gilbert’s form is certainly right to add yet another title to his Palmarès. Though Gilbert’s BMC manager is openly frustrated at times, Gilbert gave him little to be mad at. Though he may has lacked the win in the Ardennes, he still scored two podium spots there. He still must have come to hate that face of Sagan at times, recently at Clasica San Sebastian and will look to set the record straight for good.
Purito has enjoyed a season full of up and downs. Vuelta has seen him being the only contender to Chris Froome, just to see him pull out of stage 20 for some kind of injury. But Purito has also won Amstel Gold Race this season. Though he failed to win Il Lombardia once again, the Spanish fan-favourite will look to harvest his season in this road race – and one may argue, the route suits him for some devilish attacks, right into the guts of his competitors.
Next to Purito, Spain has yet another prime title contender. Valverde is probably the most allround rider you’ll currently meet, scoring his points all throughout regular season. Hardly any rider is so consistent from February to October and with Valverde’s form always being well enough, you can bet on him for a podium spot – or maybe even the win someday.
Some may argue this stage is perfect for the Portuguese rider, we will see how Valverde can mess up Purito this time… Certainly not being the fastest climber in the peloton, Rui Costa has some great raicng smarts that might grant him to win this race, for real this time.
Last rider to get a special mention is home-crowd favourite Vincenzo Nibali. The Shark of Messina comes here to win gold for Italy and the rainbow jersey for himself. Having enjoyed a stellar season of his long-wanted Giro triumph and a podium spot at le Tour, the Shark is ready to crown his season this time around and set yet another highlight to his Palmarès.
Other Riders
Of course, there are plenty of other riders you should keep your eye on during coverage. Australia heads with Simon Gerrans and Richie Porte into this race, whilst Colombia will hope for Rigoberto Uran and Carlos Betancur. Especially Betancur has enjoyed a stellar season with podium spots at the Ardennes races and a 2nd place at Giro d’Italia. Ireland then again has Daniel Martin, who’s always good enough for some surprise action on some slopes. Poland, Netherlands, India, Great Britain and USA are other nations with noteworthy chances for (at least) a podium spot.
EPIC riders who made it into the Elites Road Race competition are Rajesh Kakhi, Po-Ding Kim, Christian Schröder & Josef Hintermüller, Tom O’Callaghan, Damian Owniak, Adrien Hanzen, Mitchell Birt, Rudy Verboven, Erik McDermott, Thomas Hinault and Jorge Cristobal Riquelme.
U23 Road Race
We saw a fairly dominant U23 Time Trial competition won by Po-Ding Kim ahead of Luke Durbridge and Jordan Birtles. This time around, the competition is much closer and equal. The U23 field features a large array of puncheurs and hilly sprinters. Some of the most recognized names include Delfi Cervero, Schröder and Kakhi. But also fast guys like Cristobal Riquelme or Hanzen are placed highly on the betting sides.
Delfi Cervero is listed as top-dog here but as Costa Rican, without any teammates, it will be hard for the smiter of all people to control the race. He will be depended on nations that field a large line-up. Oddly enough though, with his high endurance and hill-climbing, he really looks build for this race. Similar can be said about Kakhi, who had some great results throughout the season and may be considered the coming top puncheur by many. But just like with Cervero, his lack of teammates will make it hard to keep fresh for the intense finale.
Christian Schröder and Rudy Verboven both have the strong team one needs to control a race. If they decide to work together, they’ll certainly be a force to be reckoned with. Since they profit from a fast, hard race, their strategies could really make or break this race into one of the most exciting battles… or into a snorefest.
Hanzen and Riquelme are known throughout the season for their fast legs and ability to take climbs particularly well. They’ll look for a sprint and may do little of attacking by their own. However both are able to care for a decision earlier than a sprint. Especially Hanzen seems to be in some stellar form with a recent win count of 8 since August.
The french nations fields some pretty great riders in the form of Warren Barguil, Thomas Hinault, Peter Pal and Pierre De La Montagne. With changing attacks, they may make something happen for the Tricoloure. Owniak, Kim or Slagter are names further worth to be mentioned.
Until the races kick off, a special question for you guys: Who are your favourites for the Road Race and the U23 competition?
See you in Firenze once more!
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 27-11-2014 21:28
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World Champion
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Really looking forward to the race after this preview
Elite road race should be Gilbert, my entire team is built around him. Unfortunately Spain has an even better team.
The U23 race will be very open, I think. It might also be Cervero's best chance of winning a race this year, so I'm putting my money on him.
PS: Is that an actual race picture? Seems like Germany and Belgium are indeed trying to control the race, but failing horribly 
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| trekbmc |
Posted on 27-11-2014 21:30
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Great preview! 
"What done is, is one." - Benji Naesen
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 27-11-2014 21:33
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Tour de France Champion
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Just give us the damn races already!
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| Shonak |
Posted on 27-11-2014 21:36
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Tour de France Champion
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TheManxMissile wrote:
Just give us the damn races already!
TheManxMissile wrote:
Definately a preview needed for the worlds
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 22-11-2024 00:44
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| Shonak |
Posted on 27-11-2014 21:42
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Tour de France Champion
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Ollfardh wrote:
PS: Is that an actual race picture? Seems like Germany and Belgium are indeed trying to control the race, but failing horribly
Indeed it is but at what point in the race, you'll have to wait to find out.
Edited by Shonak on 27-11-2014 21:43
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| knockout |
Posted on 27-11-2014 21:50
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Grand Tour Champion
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Huge hopes for both races. Costa and Valverde for the Elites and Schröder for the Youngsters. And of course, also Mr.Awesome Thomas Schwabe!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| Bikex |
Posted on 27-11-2014 21:58
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Great preview (again)!
Looking forward to see what Kakhi and Purito can do. I hope for a medal for each of them. |
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 27-11-2014 22:12
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Shonak wrote:
TheManxMissile wrote:
Just give us the damn races already!
TheManxMissile wrote:
Definately a preview needed for the worlds
I'm a woman, i am allowed to change my mind at any moment!
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| SSJ2Luigi |
Posted on 27-11-2014 22:35
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World Champion
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I thought about posting this later (read: after the worlds ) but when I thought about the annoyance (read: how much I'm liking it) compared to the shit I would get from the rest. I can to the conclusion that it isn't worth it.
and because I'm lazy I'll just attach the comment I would have made after the worlds
also I'm not changing anything
edit: yay baby food ads 
Spoiler it either goes: no brouwer but slagter
brouwer and slagter
no brouwer and no slagter and only 7 riders
Edited by SSJ2Luigi on 27-11-2014 22:38
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 27-11-2014 22:54
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
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Great preview Shonak, hope the race was just as good |
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| nacho63 |
Posted on 27-11-2014 23:00
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Sprinter
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I'd like to think Muriel can do something in Italy for Colombia in the U23 RR
Can't wait for the racing! |
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| mvhoogdalem |
Posted on 27-11-2014 23:22
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2244
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How dare you Mr. Previewer. Accusing Sagan of being horribly overrated. See you in court.
Hopefully Sagan can do something, but without a lot of team-mates it will be hard. The Italians need to make it a hard race to have a chance at victory. |
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| The Hobbit |
Posted on 28-11-2014 06:46
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Delfi looks on maybe even for a top 50!
Seriously though, it looks like an interesting Worlds, and a wide open U23 champs, with no real big favourites. |
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| knockout |
Posted on 28-11-2014 13:03
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
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mvhoogdalem wrote:
How dare you Mr. Previewer. Accusing Sagan of being horribly overrated. See you in court.
In ICL Sagan got a -1HI stat decrease because he was so overpowered. Would not that be a possibility here, too?
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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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)
