admirschleck wrote:
I think the reason why no one followed Terpstra was more that no one wanted to work for others, than that Terpstra was stronger than others. I am pretty sure at least Vanmarcke and Fabian had legs to follow that, but they were gambling once again and lost the race this time.
Of course, being strong(est) isn't all in cycling and Terpstra showed it today. Well played, i'd say.
If cance and Vanmarcke worked Degenkolb, Boonen or Sagan would win the sprint...
Vanmarcke and Cancellara shouldve done what Niki did. Just attack and go like hell
admirschleck wrote:
I think the reason why no one followed Terpstra was more that no one wanted to work for others, than that Terpstra was stronger than others. I am pretty sure at least Vanmarcke and Fabian had legs to follow that, but they were gambling once again and lost the race this time.
Of course, being strong(est) isn't all in cycling and Terpstra showed it today. Well played, i'd say.
If cance and Vanmarcke worked Degenkolb, Boonen or Sagan would win the sprint...
Vanmarcke and Cancellara shouldve done what Niki did. Just attack and go like hell
It was easier for Terpstra to put all his eggs in one basket considering he had 2 team - mates in the front group, while Vanmarcke and Cancellara had none
fickman wrote:
This must be the most boring final ever I almost fell sleep the last 15 km
This has to be the most interesting and dynamic Paris-Roubaix I have ever seen. If you think it's more interesting to watch Boonen take it home from 60 km out then that's up to you.
So u found really exiting how Terpstra soft pedaled in the Velodrome??? Comon!!! Or how the other 10 soft pedaled the last 10 km??? I didnt said the whole race but the Final and the last 10 km. But if thats the kind of Finish u like, im sure u would find a race beetween 2 grandpas in wheelchair as exiting as Formula 1
The last 10k are flat road, no cobbles, not a lot can really happen. Terpstra made the right move at the right time, his team had the upper hand in the group the favourites failed to realise that and failed to follow him. It was the tactics that made this finish interesting, not the power. Maybe you can't appreciate that, even if you can it's up to you what you find interesting.
Maybe I had to big expectations about this race and a clash of Titans and a furious battle since i heard a lot about this race and its the second Year i watch it.
Well, I found the finale rather anti-climatic too. Paris-Roubaix was great to watch until Terpstra attacked. If one or two riders would have followed, the finale would have been great though. The race was decided the moment when nobody followed his move, and than there wasn't even any tension in the group itself. Nobody attacked out of it. There should have been way more action. Ronde van Vlaanderen this year, now that was a perfect, heart-wrenching finale (therefir for me definitely Ronde 2014 > Paris-Roubaix 2014)
Well played by Niki, but I would have preferred Boonen, GVA, Vanmarcke or Degenkolb on top.
It was nice seeing Juan Antonio Flecha next to Greg Lemond, however ES are always rather awkward when it comes to pre & after-race stuff.
Edited by Shonak on 13-04-2014 16:19
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
admirschleck wrote:
I think the reason why no one followed Terpstra was more that no one wanted to work for others, than that Terpstra was stronger than others. I am pretty sure at least Vanmarcke and Fabian had legs to follow that, but they were gambling once again and lost the race this time.
Of course, being strong(est) isn't all in cycling and Terpstra showed it today. Well played, i'd say.
If cance and Vanmarcke worked Degenkolb, Boonen or Sagan would win the sprint...
Vanmarcke and Cancellara shouldve done what Niki did. Just attack and go like hell
It was easier for Terpstra to put all his eggs in one basket considering he had 2 team - mates in the front group, while Vanmarcke and Cancellara had none
fickman wrote:
Maybe I had to big expectations about this race and a clash of Titans and a furious battle since i heard a lot about this race and its the second Year i watch it.
Again, it's a 250 km race, not a velodome sprint. They did clash. Boonen attacked early and went on pretty much every cobbled section he could find. Vanmarcke and Cancellare went against each other several times to close Boonen down and inbetween that Sagan made some huge digs even though he didn't look like it was his day at all before that.
I don't have the statistics, but I would say Paris-Roubaix is decided before the velodrome more than half the time.
Apparently Boonen had bike problems at the last 40 kms. Oh, what could have been, but a great, ambitious race from him today. Well, he will hopefully take #5 next year then.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
cactus-jack wrote:
Where the hell was the 2nd group?! How is it possible that the producer missed them?!
IT'S A FREAKING VELODROME, HOW DO YOU LOSE 10 RIDERS!?
If you are french you can lose it.
Nationality. I can't see any other explanation.
baseballlover312 wrote:
Even more fascinating is that Sagan got 6th without a team!
Not really. To win without a team is complicated, but but to end in a good position not so much. The race unfold so that he never really had to or could chase on his own, so it didn't matter that much.
maxime86 wrote:
what the hell wiggins?
when he talked about doing well in roubaix I was think "Oh what a top 30 finish?"
and then he finishes 9th
Well done sky
Not that shocking. Winning one TDF or climbing moutains with the best is incredibly more shocking by him...
baseballlover312 wrote:
Even more fascinating is that Sagan got 6th without a team!
Not really. To win without a team is complicated, but but to end in a good position not so much. The race unfold so that he never really had to or could chase on his own, so it didn't matter that much.
He replied to my post. He literally meant without a team.
The race was too tactical for my liking too. It's not how Roubaix supposed to be, but this is what happens when you have strong headwind.
Nevertheless, I think many people here, and also on cyclingnews btw, are really doing Terpstra too little honour.
He's been the most consistent and strongest OPQS rider this spring. Nobody can deny that.
When Boom fell, that decided part of Carrefour L'Arbre. It meant that Terpstra and Boonen were held up, and they lost some seconds there. On the last part of Carrefour, Boonen couldn't hold the wheel of Terpstra, already indicating Terpstra's strength.
After the carrefour, it was mainly Terpstra that dragged the group Sky/Boonen back to the front.
When Terpstra attacked, De Backer/THomas kept riding 100%, most of the others were cooked I think..
Wether he was the strongest, I don't think so, i think that's still Vanmarcke/Cancellara. But he was definately one of the strongest and FULLY deserved the win. Not only on the basis of today, but on his entire spring period.
As for the GVA lovers, seriously, even without fall he wouldn't have done much better, you could see it when Cancellara counter attacked with Boom (when Vanmarcke went). He went waaay faster than GVA on cobbled, he was dropped instantly.
GVA can only win this race if he anticipates and has a big enough lead (which he never had today). So much less of a cobbler and more of a puncher to me.
Same goes for Sagan (please go for ardennes next time).
if gva would been in first group he would attacked first or trying following tepstra,for me he seems a kamikaze rider
i realy believe that he had a spot in top 3
Oh, what could have been, but a great, ambitious race from him today. Well, he will hopefully take #5 next year then.
