Yep, cyclocross power! How many great guys are former CX riders anyway? I know about Stybar, Kreuziger, Sagan, Boom, Gadret, Dupont (everyone of them to different extent of course, some left it at late teen ages).
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
No stage victory for Lars Boom, but gaining time on Arnaud Demare to claim the white Leader's Jersey in his, reported, home town must be a sweet moment regardless.
I totally forgot to watch! Great to see Boom as the new leader. Why isn't he training as a sprinter? He has already beaten Cavendish once and he did very well here with a third place, so why not improving his sprint?
Spilak23 wrote:
You can't compare this to a normal sprint with leadouts. Roelandts was going at 40 km/h maybe. It's way faster with good leadouts.
And he beated Cav on a hill finish.
I really don't understand the lack of proper sprint train leadouts though, the race is perfect for it. Especially Argos being a Dutch-based sprint team should have been here with a working train.
With the UCI Road World Championships in Tuscany looming on the horizon, today's 13.2km individual time trial offers hopefuls another opportunity to gauge their form and fitness ahead of the event. The parcours are almost pancake flat, with the elevation locked at between 50 to 100m above sea level.
The General Classification will once again be fiercely contested, as the strong time-trialists of the peloton seek to gain time on their rivals. With Lars Boom currently wearing the white Leader's Jersey, the Belkin rider has the potential to extend his lead at the summit of the standings. The parcours is suited to pure power and maintaining a superior aerodynamic position, however there are still some technical corners to negotiate along the route.
With the individual time trial only 13.2km in length, the time gaps established should not be enormous. So with Bradley Wiggins over nine minutes down on current race leader Lars Boom, do not expect the stage winner to also claim the Leader's Jersey, unless an upset occurs. However, thanks to his current position as race leader, and his strong time trial skills, Lars Boom would appear set to extend his lead in the General Classification.
With such a strong time trialist currently leading the 2013 Eneco Tour, we should not expect to see a new race leader. However, there is the potential for some changes in the classification standings below Lars Boom. With strong time trialists, like Taylor Phinney and Sylvain Chavanel, lurking up to just 24 seconds behind current race leader Lars Boom.
Stage Favourite & Outsiders
There is one outstanding favourite for today's fifth stage, with Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) arguably head and shoulders above the rest of the competition in the individual time trial. However, there are several dark horses who could upset the odds to snatch an unlikely stage victory should the planets align.
There are several potential outsiders for today's stage victory. With the 2012 individual time trial of the Eneco Tour a close affair between Svein Tuft (Orica-GreenEDGE), Taylor Phinney (BMC) and Lars Boom (Belkin). These three riders could once again contest for at least a podium position, if not the stage victory should something unlikely occur. Other strong time trialists lurking among the peloton include Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEDGE), and Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM).
Epilogue
With two difficult days among the hills still to come. Today will be an opportunity for those less comfortable in the hills to try and establish a sufficient time buffer in the General Classification. Whilst Bradley Wiggins would appear on paper to be the outright favourite, could we potentially have an upset on the cards?
Nice win from Greipel, how much he has already this year?
I hope Styby will not loose much today on likes of Phinney,Boom or Gilbert, to still have shot on top5 GC in the end, he should be great in final day. He said he worked on his TT a bit, so lets see how it worked out.
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 16-08-2013 07:32
Avin Wargunnson wrote:
Nice win from Greipel, how much he has already this year?
13. Mostly stages of small races.
Edited by issoisso on 16-08-2013 08:13
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
So not one of his best seasons up to date. Only Down Under3x and now Eneco as WT wins and those two races are not really stuffed with sprint superstars.
Cav, Kittel and Sagan all with much better sprint and classics results in 2013.
Great to see Boom as the new leader. Why isn't he training as a sprinter? He has already beaten Cavendish once and he did very well here with a third place, so why not improving his sprint?
