Here we go, the Monuments, part two and three. Sadly, we are too late for the first of the two cobbled monuments, the Ronde van Vlaandern, because we had never expected it to come around just so quickly. This also puts us in a tricky position for the monuments prediction game, but that will be solved by Paris-Roubaix being counted double. Anyway, this is a tiny bit shorter, so that we don't get Zabel'd by the report of the Hell of the North too, so here we go:



Michael Schröder:



Francesco Moser:



Leyhinho (Mr. Europe):






Paris - Roubaix, or The Hell of the North, or Le Pascale, saw the light of the world on the 19th of April 1896, as a preparation race for Bordeaux-Paris a month later. It quickly grew in popularity, and legends started to grow. It's other name, Le Pascale, comes from the second time the race was raced, in 1897, when it clashed with Easter Sunday and the Pascale feast.
Even more so than other races of the era did Paris-Roubaix's winners experience the first World War, with the winners of 1909, 10, 11 and 13 being killed, and the winner of 1912 and 14 ending as a disgraced hero, for smuggling rationed goods, and was banned from racing after. What it makes it unique from other races of the time that all suffered similar fates, is the close associaton between the race and the region, the region in which big parts of the war were fought. This is also where another one of it's names, the hell of the north, comes from. In a report by scouts sent out to find a new and passable route for the race in 1919, Eugène Christophe said at the sight of the destruction of roads, houses and villages: "Here, this is the Hell of the North!".
The race finally overcame that, and the 1919 edition could be held without too many big problems. The growth in popularity kept going, even the second World War couldn't stop that, with the race only stopping between 1940 and 1942. The race has since been won by some of cyclings biggest legends, like Sean Kelly, Roger de Vlaeminck, the record holder with four wins, Francesco Moser, Fausto Coppi, who famously threatened a strike if his brother Serse didn't get awarded the win in 1949 (it ended up being shared between him and Frenchman André Mahé), Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Johann Museeuw with his famous celebration, Peter van Petegem and a few riders that will be here for this year, like Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara and our very own Johann Vansummeren. This also brings us right to the next category, the favourites.




Of course there are only two men you can really talk about here: Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara, who should both be about equal. Cancellara has been very succesful so far, winning both Milano-San Remo and the European Continental Championships. Tom Boonen however seems to have been slightly more succesful in the previous cobbled classics, and he also has the sprint necessary to beat his Swiss nemesis should they reach the Velodrome together. In terms of support it's easy to see why Tom Boonen is seen as the man to beat, since he's got Zdenek Stybar, Sylvain Chavanel, Niki Terpstra, Stijn Vandenbergh and Jaxton McNutt with him, making them the dominant force.
The one we have to talk of next is of course the winner of the Ronde van Vlaandern, Greg van Avermaet, riding for BMC. Nobody really believes they'll let him go that easily again, but you never know. In terms of support, he has Oldie Alessandro Ballan and young gun Taylor Phinney with him, which should be an okay match up, though not very great compared to the likes of OPQS.
The next rider that needs to get mentioned is Laotian Lue Khamsé Khamphan of Europcar. He has been a consisten performer in the earlier cobbles thanks to his sprinting ability, though he failed to perform very well in the Ronde, due to bad positioning on one of the key ascents. Many reckon however that the completely flat Hell of the North should suit him much better, especially if a group reaches the Velodrome. If he should fail, Europcar still have riders like Sebastian Turgot or Damien Gaudin to fall back on, so they are set to put in a good showing in their home country.
Next up is another young rider, this time from Denmark, it's Erik McDermott. The Saxo-Tinkoff rider has had a succesful campain as well, like finishing second in the cobbles opener at the Omloop het Nieuwsblad. In terms of support, he has fellow Danes Matti Breschel, Michael Morkov and Anders Lund, as well as Italian Matteo Tosatto and Dutchman Karsten Kroon.
Then we have our first Frenchman, Peter Pal, fittingly a native of Roubaix, riding in the colours of FDJ.fr. He may not have the best team with him, but he should still have a shot at a good performance, especially as riding in front of home crowds will give him that little bit of extra motivation.
Then comes Belkin rider Sep Vanmarcke, from Vlaanderen, who was one of the biggest surprises of last year, and is looking to do well this year too, though his early season was a tiny bit disappointing. In support he will have Lars Boom, Maarten Wynants and Maarten Tjalingli, so not a bad team either.
Other riders that could be looking for a Top 10 on their day are Peter Sagan, Sebastian Langeveld, Heinrich Haussler, Jürgen Roelandts, Juan Antonio Flecha, Jakub Krizan and our own, so far very disappointing, Robbie Andrews.



So now after coming to late for the Ronde, we need to make up for it by giving double points for this. Rules are the same as always, three points for naming a rider correctly, two more for giving the correct placing. As always, i need the podium. Whatever points you have scored at the end will then be doubled. Simples!

So, only a short edition here. This hs various reasons: For one, i don't have much time atm, and the time i have i focus on the MG transfers. Though it also has to be said that Selwink said all i would be saying here in his brilliant preview, so i don't think there's any need to do more. So this edition only has the pundits thoughts, with BMC's Peter Griffin the guest man this time, given his teams favourite role. And lastly, don't forget to send in your predictions!



Michael Schröder:



Francesco Moser:



Peter Griffin:

Dippofix wrote:
Goals:
Easy: Top 20 Vuelta
Medium: Top 5 Pologne
Hard: Stage win Vuelta

(It's all right to have two goals at the same race, right?)

Ollfardh wrote:


Countered goals:
Easy goal: Top 5 GC Britain
Medium goal: Top 5 Japan Cup
Hard goal: 3 Stage Win Tour

Tracker is back! We return with a nice edition concerning the futures of five of the most interesting riders.


Last years cobbled season has been one of missed opportunities for you, really. What do you have to say about it?

Yes, I agree. It started off very well with a podium at the Omloop, but it was downhill from there, really. I got very unlucky in De Ronde, as I was a little off concentration as the decisive split happened, and then in Paris-Roubaix I was made to work for the local riders, even though I was clearly better than them.

Especially Paris-Roubaix must have hurt; how did team management explain it to you?

Well, they were really just giving me a few half hearted explanations, saying that they had promised the Frenchies a leading role there before I came.

So are there any bad feelings between you and the team?

Not between me and the riders, it's not them who told me to get to the front and work. With the team management it's a bit different, but in the end we still get along fine.

And? Is anything decided about your team for next year yet? With a cobbled stage in Le Tour coming up, you'll surely want maximum support.

Yes, I've been training a lot on cobbles lately, so it's no secret that I want to go out and not just be competitive, but actually get a win. Of course Europcar looking set for World Tour is good for me, if I do stay. The team have already told me how I could be an absolute leader, with everyone working for me. If they get in one or two new support guys, I could be a leader at one of the top cobbles teams in the world, so I'm inclined to stay. Should a team like OPQS want me to replace Boonen however, or anything along those lines, it'd be hard to resist.

Thanks for the interview Lue!

No, thank you for the opportunity.

Lation cobbles sensation Lue Khamsé Khamphan is managed by Dippofix.


The team set him to work as domestique in the 2013 edition of Paris-Roubaix. That shouldn't happen again.


You've been the most successful neopro in a long time. Surely Belkin must be very pleased to have someone like you on board?

I don't know, I think they are pretty pleased indeed. I exceeded my expectations and I suppose I exceeded Belkin's expectations too.

How is your future going to look like. Are you tempted by the big money offers you're surely going to get by some of the more wealthy teams?

I have not decided yet. Of course money is a factor, but it's the feeling that's important too. And I feel pretty good at Belkin, at the moment. I'm not sure if I can get the same good feeling at another team. If so, there's definitely a opportunity for a big team to pick me up.

What will your goals for the next season be?

My goals for the next season are not defined yet. It depends of the team that I end up with too. What I didn't get this year, is a big classic win. Not up to now, at least. That could be a nice goal. I'm definitely going to show my face in GTs again too. Picking up a leader's jersey won't be easy, but I'll try. Definitely going to have some nice goals next season, just not perfectly sure yet

Dutch top sprinter Willem Brouwers is currently managed by Jesleyh


Brouwer got his first pro win in his first pro race at Tropicale Amissa Bongo.


Your season was full of ups and downs, what were your best and worst memories?

For me, it has been a difficult season, with a lot of troubles on the bike, but a lot of change off of it! I'll start with my worst moment, and there's been a lot to choose from! For me the season kicked off on the wrong foot in Gabon. There were high exoectations to maybe even win, which sadly didn't happen. From there on I didn't exactly excel in Milan - San Remo or the Tour of the Basque Country either. The worst part though was the beginning of the Ardennes season. After those early disappointments, the manager wanted a top 10. All things considered this wasn't such a great call from my perspective. I'm really not a pressure rider, and somehting like that just made things worse, knowing my career would be decided in three days.

The worst moment by far though happened in Amstel Gold Race. It is the race which I love best, something I always look out for on the calendar. It was going well, probably shaping up for one of my best results, when I crashed. It was really nasty, and although I finished, I was in pretty bad shape for the next few days. I still managed to start in Fleche Wallone, but the pain was pretty bad, and I didn't make the top ten. To know from then on, that even though it wasn't my fault, I had one race, when I was in pretty bad shape where I needed to pull off a great result without fail or lose my job was a nightmare.

That brings me nicely on to the best moment so far. This one is pretty easy to choose from too, and it also takes place in the Ardennes, but the one I haven't mentioned yet. Liege Bastogne Liege was not so much a happy moment, more one of relief, even so it is the best. The surprising thing is, I did not really do much in the race, I raced conservatively, there was no point taking risks when all I needed was top 10. That said, the competition was fierce, and even though I was only 12th before the sprint, I pushed really hard to make sure I got there, and I just about did, in 10th. I wasn't happy at the time, but I am now, as its a nice result which should help me get a contract somewhere for next year.

Surely you were hoping for more in the Ardennes, do you think FDJ is the best team for you to try and improve on that next season?

To be honest, considering all the pressure that went with it, I was content with one tenth place. I think without my crash, and without the ultimatum from the team, it could have been more. In terms of teammates, they didn't make all that much difference in the Ardennes, since other teams, with bigger names, also had strong teams. Unless I go to a team which thinks I can do well, they will not put a team around me to succeed. At FDJ it is not a team for the Ardennes, and I was not all that pleased with the support around me, but considering my earlier performances that is understandable.

How angry were you not to make the Tour de France team?

Although every cyclist wants to ride the Tour de France, I understood the decision. As a French team, they wanted to send all French riders, and all French leaders, to the Tour. I do not think there was a place for me, when they would be looking to protect Thibaut Pinot every time the gradient went above 2%. I think if I want to ride a Grand Tour, it has to be at a team which isn't trying to win it, so I get a free role.

Costa Rican surprise package Delfi Cervero is managed by the mysterious businessman only known as The Hobbit


His season was very mediocre so far, but he hopes to pick himself up in part three.


Hello Mister Kim, you've been one of the most successful neo-pros this year. In what way do you think that's connected to being in the PCT?

Thank you for the kind words. I think the Continental Tour was perfect to start for me. I learned a lot in my first race in San Luis, and immediatly won my second race in Algarvia. Later, I went on to win Bayern, so i think it was really good Continental Tour season for me. World Tour was more disappointing. I still do good on time trials, but I struggle on the mountains. I realise I need more training for the World Tour.

Do you feel ready to take the step to WT level with Europcar, or do you think you'll move to a team more fitted to you?

A lot of teams have shown interest in me, but it comes down to two choices for me. Either I stay with Europcar and promote to the World Tour, either I go to a yet unnamed Continental Tour team. One part of me does not want to disappoint mr. Europe and mr. Car, but one the other hand, I think I'll feel more at home in the other team.

What will your big goals for next season be?

I hope to ride Tour de France and Tour de Beijing, which were denied to me this year. I will definitely defend my title at the Continental Championship as well. I would also like to defend my Algarvia title, as I was really proud of that win. And I want to win a World Tour race as well.

Role model communist Kim is managed by Ollfardh


Winning Volta ao Algarve was his one of his biggest successes so far.


Hi Erik, how happy are you with your season so far? You started off well on the cobbles, and kept it up, without ever really excelling. What could that be down to, and what are you planning on doing in order to reach the next level in 2014?

First of all a 2nd in Omloop and 6th in Paris - Roubaix isn't so bad for a neopro I think. I did however often find myself a bit alone when the race got really hard so apart from training to get stronger in general I'm looking for some more support next year.

Of course a Dane at Saxo-Tinkoff is a good combination, we can assume you were happy with your surroundings. The question is though, can they offer you enough support on the cobbles?

The team could use another strong cobbler to be a real powerhouse. No offense to Breschel and Tossato, but they are not really strong enough to be there in the finale.

If you do consider moving on, has any team shown interest yet, and if so, how many?

Currently it's a three-horse race. Or perhaps one is more like a sheep currently, but then again I do like sheep due to growing up on a sheep farm so I'm doing some serious thinking at the moment.

The hottest Danish talent around is managed by Atlantius


The cobbles are Erik's big season goal once again.