Has anyone succeeded in winning a big one day race (MSR, LBL, Amstel, PR etc) from the morning break? Kind of assumed it was nearly impossible so I never bother try but if anyone's done it, please do share how!
I think you're right, it's very unlikely, but I got a similar thing. In the Ronde I made a move with Gallopin and a scouted rider, both 74 cobble but between 76-83 flat. I pushed up the tempo on the first cobble section and broke away. I used Gallopin to push at about 50-55 effort, even on the cobbles so he held up on the flat and pushed on the cobbles, I slowly increased the tempo to saunter the peleton. With about 30k left Gallopin was spent and I let the scout rider, his name was Luis Mosquera (Columbia) take over. Most of the cobbles were gone so his strong flat stat was all that mattered. I pushed really hard and wasn't caught, but it was pretty close, no gap at all! In case he is caught always have a few decent people left.
Not first. I got second with my guy from the early break at Lomardia. Put Costa in morning break, Quintana jumped over at the end and Costa led him out for a 1-2. Pretty damn close to winning from morning break (and probably would have if Quintana hadn't jumped in hindsight.)
Edited by BritPCMFan on 15-10-2013 19:15
One example was Paris-Roubaix with Stannard. First 3-4 break was brought back then tried with Stannard. Pack didn't bother to chase so he built up 8 minutes before the first cobbled section, I used free effort 40 during the flat part. He hit the first cobbled section, that's where effort went up to 50.
Time difference was stable 8~ minutes for some time, then attacks started to happen inside the peloton my team didn't react yet. gap started to come down so effort up to 60 (that's around the point where you don't lose yellow/red on flat/cobble). Around 60 km to go, gap is 6 minutes, cancellara starts to work effort up to 65. 50 km to go some favourite attacks, my team chases them down over and over and stops right after they're caught to buy time for Stannard, his effort is 70 gap is around 4 minutes at 40km to go. Bonnen and Cancellara attacks so I cover it with the team leader Kristoff and sit on their wheels, Stannard effort 80-85 for the last 20-25km. Cancellara and Bonnen tries to relay but they're tired and can't go closer than 2 minutes while Kristoff sits on their wheels. At the end Stannard wins by 2 minutes, Kristoff 2nd beating Bonnen during the sprint. (Stannard had 74 cobble, Kristoff 78, happened on hard, made me go extreme after that race)
Kaimelar wrote:
One example was Paris-Roubaix with Stannard. First 3-4 break was brought back then tried with Stannard. Pack didn't bother to chase so he built up 8 minutes before the first cobbled section, I used free effort 40 during the flat part. He hit the first cobbled section, that's where effort went up to 50.
Time difference was stable 8~ minutes for some time, then attacks started to happen inside the peloton my team didn't react yet. gap started to come down so effort up to 60 (that's around the point where you don't lose yellow/red on flat/cobble). Around 60 km to go, gap is 6 minutes, cancellara starts to work effort up to 65. 50 km to go some favourite attacks, my team chases them down over and over and stops right after they're caught to buy time for Stannard, his effort is 70 gap is around 4 minutes at 40km to go. Bonnen and Cancellara attacks so I cover it with the team leader Kristoff and sit on their wheels, Stannard effort 80-85 for the last 20-25km. Cancellara and Bonnen tries to relay but they're tired and can't go closer than 2 minutes while Kristoff sits on their wheels. At the end Stannard wins by 2 minutes, Kristoff 2nd beating Bonnen during the sprint. (Stannard had 74 cobble, Kristoff 78, happened on hard, made me go extreme after that race)
Stannard in dot or just maintain position the whole time in breakaway?
Edited by fronaldo on 16-10-2013 06:02
The Ardennes and cobbled classics are broken in a way as mid-stage breaks often containing lower favourites (74-76 in HIL/COB) get too much leeway by the peloton - often in the range of the widely known '1 minute per 10k'-rule.
This obviously doesn't apply for such breaks though, which gives them a much larger chance of stsying away.
Therefore, it's not a huge accomplishment in my view to win those with semi-favourites. I won E3, G-W, RVV and PR in the same year with Degenkolb that way, extreme difficulty.
Pure morning breaks as mentioned in the OP (as in ~ <72 in the important stat) are a different deal and I'm yet to manage such indeed.
