Assuming everyone watched this or read the report, here goes...
Devolder's win was superb. He rode like an animal and his team displayed faultless tactics in getting him clear for the win.
Boonen and Pozzato cancelled each other out. With the form the two of them have, we should have seen them rip the field apart. Instead, we saw a few brief attacks followed by an unwillingness to cooperate and then they were caught. I would have liked to see these two lay a little more out there.
Chavannel rode a perfect team race.
Toward the end of the race, when Quick Step had three men in a six man break, they should have ridden to keep the gap to the pack. At this point they had dropped Haussler, Hincapie, all of Rabobank and Silence. Instead, they let Chavannel follow Quinziato and work with him, allowing a number of favorites back in the race. Pozzato may have been in the group, but with three men in the group, Quick Step could have made quick work of him and swept the podium. I see this as a mistake, but they won, so why get nit picky.
Haussler got second because of a seeming lack of interest from the pack. His face as he crossed the line staning up indicates he is not where he was two weeks agao, results notwithstanding. Regardless, excellent finish.
Why didn't Rabobank and Silence team up to organize some sort of chase rather than looking around for someone else to do it? Truly unprofessional. Still, kudos to Gilbert for cracking the podium.
It will be difficult for all the negative tactics to play out next week in Roubaix. so I look forward to a real battle of attrition. Bring it.
Finally, I'm not going out on a limb here, but I think it's going to be tough to
beat Cavendish at Ghent-Wevelgem tomorrow. Unless there's a bunch of wind, but I underestimated his ability at San Remo, so I won't do it again.
I love this week of racing. It's almost as good as cross...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Flanders Preview- My Thoughts
The first real cobbled classic of the year is on tap for Sunday and it seems as if this year is more up in the air than any edition in the previous years. Let's start with the favorites.
Tom Boonen- It is no secret that Boonen has continued to forgo a shot at San Remo so that he can be in peak form for his home races. He has proven that he is in imperious form, having been the most effective protagonist in the recent GP E3 and playing a key role in Kevin Van Impe's win at Dwaars Door Vlaandaren. The problem Boonen has had the last couple years is that he shows his hand too early. It's obviously important to be up front for the Koppenberg, but Boonen has ridden the field off his wheel on this climb multiple years running. This is far too early in the race for any kind of solo breakaway, so all Boonen is telling his competition is that no one should let him out of sight and no one should tow him to the line. His best hope is for a group of favorites to form under someone else's initiative somewhere in the last 25 km and wipe up the sprint.
Fillip Pozzato- Pozzato has added his name to the list of favorites through some very strong rides in the last week, most notably at the GP E3 where he played Boonen to perfection in forcing him to lead out the sprint. The issue that Pippo has is that he lacks initiative and rarely attacks on his own to force a selection. He is quite adept at following the right move and contibuting in the finale of a race, but he has yet to make an impact on his own. Additionally, with the loss of Gert Steegmans, Katusha is bringing a one man show to the race and Pozzato desperately needs a strong team to perform. His greatest win in 2006 at Milan San Remo was largely due to the strength of his then team and the aggression of Alessandro Ballan on the Pogio. However, he is in form and should not be given any leash by Quick Step.
Fabian Cancellara and Alessandro Ballan- Both of these highly skilled cobbled riders have had a very quiet season thus far. Ballan has helped his teammates to some early season wins in Italy and had a few respectable placings in his home races. Cancellara, on the other hand, showed he was coming along nicely by winning the Tour of California with a 103 degree fever. Unfortunately, a training crash at home has set him back quite a bit in his training and racing. It is likely that he will be far more of a factor next week in Paris-Roubaix. Missing Milan-San Remo was truly unfortunate for both of these riders.
George Hincapie- I have a hard time seeing Hincapie ever winning a major classic. He lacks the necessary aggression and luck. Perhaps he'll prove me wrong, but if he does, it will only be through following the right move.
Stijn Devolder- Devolder will be a factor in the race, he may not defend his title, but his fearsome pulls and boundless aggression will certainly serve to make the race extremely difficult for Quick Step's rivals.
I have left out a few riders that will definitely factor in the results for Sunday and I would like to address those riders in the context of their teams.
Silence-Lotto- Having their usual slow start to the season, Silence is once again the red head step child of Belgian cycling. They have a number of strong riders, but their collective ability falls short of rivals Quick Step. The trio of Phillipe Gilbert, Leif Hoste and Greg Van Aversment is a strong one, but it remains to be seen to what effect. Gilbert will likely go early, as is his way and Hoste will most likely try to stay with the group of favorites when the thick of the race gets going. He is an aggresive rider and has been known to take control of a race, but his string of second places in De Ronde has to be getting to his head. What will he do when he attacks and takes Boonen with him again? One thing is cetain, Quick Step cannot let Gilbert get in an early move because he has the strength and tenacity to attack from said group and make it stick. One needs only to look at his ride in last year's Het Volk for proof.
Rabobank- This team also has a trio of strong candidates in the form of Nick Nuyens, Juan Antonio Flecha and Sebastian Langeveld. The former two hace proven classics pedigree while the latter is often the sacrificial lamb who still manages to impress when given the chance. Despite their collective quality, one has to question their tactics as their lack of faith in Langeveld led to a team pursuit of his two man breakaway with Heinrich Haussler in this year's Het Nieusbald. Flecha always seems to attack too early and I believe Nuyen's best chance at this race would have been to remain with Quick Step and hope for some luck. Nonetheless, they will influence the race results.
Quick Step- By far the strongest team headining into the race, demonstrated to perfection with their ride at Dwaars Door Vlandarren. For me, it seems that Devolder should cover Hoste, Chavannel should cover Gilbert and Boonen should keep his eye on Rabobank. What seems to be the most likely situation would be a repeat of last year where a dummy attack from Devolder, Chavannel or Van Impe is used to take pressure off Boonen. This is, of course, in case there has been no real selection towards the finale, if there has been, Boonen has the form to win.
Final note- I can't believe Heinrich Haussler will still have his San Remo form. It just seems like he's been flying for way too long. I'm willing to be proven wrong, but it seems as if he peaked for the beginning of the year to get Cervelo off on a good foot. We'll see.
Ultimately, I'll pick Boonen. Honestly, I think someone from Quick Step will win and I hope it's Boonen. Whichever way the race shakes out, it's going to be one hell of a show.
Tom Boonen- It is no secret that Boonen has continued to forgo a shot at San Remo so that he can be in peak form for his home races. He has proven that he is in imperious form, having been the most effective protagonist in the recent GP E3 and playing a key role in Kevin Van Impe's win at Dwaars Door Vlaandaren. The problem Boonen has had the last couple years is that he shows his hand too early. It's obviously important to be up front for the Koppenberg, but Boonen has ridden the field off his wheel on this climb multiple years running. This is far too early in the race for any kind of solo breakaway, so all Boonen is telling his competition is that no one should let him out of sight and no one should tow him to the line. His best hope is for a group of favorites to form under someone else's initiative somewhere in the last 25 km and wipe up the sprint.
Fillip Pozzato- Pozzato has added his name to the list of favorites through some very strong rides in the last week, most notably at the GP E3 where he played Boonen to perfection in forcing him to lead out the sprint. The issue that Pippo has is that he lacks initiative and rarely attacks on his own to force a selection. He is quite adept at following the right move and contibuting in the finale of a race, but he has yet to make an impact on his own. Additionally, with the loss of Gert Steegmans, Katusha is bringing a one man show to the race and Pozzato desperately needs a strong team to perform. His greatest win in 2006 at Milan San Remo was largely due to the strength of his then team and the aggression of Alessandro Ballan on the Pogio. However, he is in form and should not be given any leash by Quick Step.
Fabian Cancellara and Alessandro Ballan- Both of these highly skilled cobbled riders have had a very quiet season thus far. Ballan has helped his teammates to some early season wins in Italy and had a few respectable placings in his home races. Cancellara, on the other hand, showed he was coming along nicely by winning the Tour of California with a 103 degree fever. Unfortunately, a training crash at home has set him back quite a bit in his training and racing. It is likely that he will be far more of a factor next week in Paris-Roubaix. Missing Milan-San Remo was truly unfortunate for both of these riders.
George Hincapie- I have a hard time seeing Hincapie ever winning a major classic. He lacks the necessary aggression and luck. Perhaps he'll prove me wrong, but if he does, it will only be through following the right move.
Stijn Devolder- Devolder will be a factor in the race, he may not defend his title, but his fearsome pulls and boundless aggression will certainly serve to make the race extremely difficult for Quick Step's rivals.
I have left out a few riders that will definitely factor in the results for Sunday and I would like to address those riders in the context of their teams.
Silence-Lotto- Having their usual slow start to the season, Silence is once again the red head step child of Belgian cycling. They have a number of strong riders, but their collective ability falls short of rivals Quick Step. The trio of Phillipe Gilbert, Leif Hoste and Greg Van Aversment is a strong one, but it remains to be seen to what effect. Gilbert will likely go early, as is his way and Hoste will most likely try to stay with the group of favorites when the thick of the race gets going. He is an aggresive rider and has been known to take control of a race, but his string of second places in De Ronde has to be getting to his head. What will he do when he attacks and takes Boonen with him again? One thing is cetain, Quick Step cannot let Gilbert get in an early move because he has the strength and tenacity to attack from said group and make it stick. One needs only to look at his ride in last year's Het Volk for proof.
Rabobank- This team also has a trio of strong candidates in the form of Nick Nuyens, Juan Antonio Flecha and Sebastian Langeveld. The former two hace proven classics pedigree while the latter is often the sacrificial lamb who still manages to impress when given the chance. Despite their collective quality, one has to question their tactics as their lack of faith in Langeveld led to a team pursuit of his two man breakaway with Heinrich Haussler in this year's Het Nieusbald. Flecha always seems to attack too early and I believe Nuyen's best chance at this race would have been to remain with Quick Step and hope for some luck. Nonetheless, they will influence the race results.
Quick Step- By far the strongest team headining into the race, demonstrated to perfection with their ride at Dwaars Door Vlandarren. For me, it seems that Devolder should cover Hoste, Chavannel should cover Gilbert and Boonen should keep his eye on Rabobank. What seems to be the most likely situation would be a repeat of last year where a dummy attack from Devolder, Chavannel or Van Impe is used to take pressure off Boonen. This is, of course, in case there has been no real selection towards the finale, if there has been, Boonen has the form to win.
Final note- I can't believe Heinrich Haussler will still have his San Remo form. It just seems like he's been flying for way too long. I'm willing to be proven wrong, but it seems as if he peaked for the beginning of the year to get Cervelo off on a good foot. We'll see.
Ultimately, I'll pick Boonen. Honestly, I think someone from Quick Step will win and I hope it's Boonen. Whichever way the race shakes out, it's going to be one hell of a show.
Friday, March 27, 2009
The first cut is the deepest...
First race of the year is over with and it's good to get things rolling again. I put this one on, leading to a bit of stress and sleeplessness in the nights before the race due to multiple surprise issues popping up last minute. Regardless, Lost Valley is a pure fitness course and I am never going to be super competitive at a place like this. I wonder why I decide to use this course for my race..
The race was a roaring success, 177 racers, which is a level not achieved locally in a very long time. I don't know if it was the merging of our state series, the pent up need for speed or the sweet spring weather, but it was really cool to see a legitimate turnout at a MTB race. I certainly hope this trend continues throughout the coming months.
As for my race, I had a better start than last year and stayed locked onto the train as it raged down the Hamburg onto Lost Valley. Halfway up the initial climb, a group detached off the front and I found myself in a chase of three for the first half a lap. Through the glorious new singletrack and onto the snaking climb, I held on. Toward the end of this section, I let a little gap open and before I knew it, the 35+ experts slotted into said gap and I began losing ground. For the rest of the race, I slowed, unable to push the required heartrates on the flats. I yo-yo'ed back and forth with some people, but ultimately faded throughout the race. I ended up ninth, which I was happy with. I came to the race hoping to improve my result from last year and finish top ten. Job done. It's true that several people in front of me had mechanicals or DNF'ed, but that's part of the game. I am satisfied as my finishing time was five minutes slower than last year, but when factoring in the additional two miles of singletrack per lap, I actually rode a fair amount faster. Additionally, I feel good about the 37 minute first lap. Not so bad for my first effort of the year. Hopefully, there's no where to go but up and I'm certainly looking forward to this weekend's Rim Wrecker. There's more to come...
The race was a roaring success, 177 racers, which is a level not achieved locally in a very long time. I don't know if it was the merging of our state series, the pent up need for speed or the sweet spring weather, but it was really cool to see a legitimate turnout at a MTB race. I certainly hope this trend continues throughout the coming months.
As for my race, I had a better start than last year and stayed locked onto the train as it raged down the Hamburg onto Lost Valley. Halfway up the initial climb, a group detached off the front and I found myself in a chase of three for the first half a lap. Through the glorious new singletrack and onto the snaking climb, I held on. Toward the end of this section, I let a little gap open and before I knew it, the 35+ experts slotted into said gap and I began losing ground. For the rest of the race, I slowed, unable to push the required heartrates on the flats. I yo-yo'ed back and forth with some people, but ultimately faded throughout the race. I ended up ninth, which I was happy with. I came to the race hoping to improve my result from last year and finish top ten. Job done. It's true that several people in front of me had mechanicals or DNF'ed, but that's part of the game. I am satisfied as my finishing time was five minutes slower than last year, but when factoring in the additional two miles of singletrack per lap, I actually rode a fair amount faster. Additionally, I feel good about the 37 minute first lap. Not so bad for my first effort of the year. Hopefully, there's no where to go but up and I'm certainly looking forward to this weekend's Rim Wrecker. There's more to come...
Friday, March 20, 2009
It begins...
March has been good to me on the mileage end of things. I feel as if I'm making up for lost time, or maybe just building on the last two months. Either way, I feel that the base will be better than expected and I'm looking forward to opening it at Lost Valley on Sunday. There is mild trepidation as I am the race promoter and thus subjecting myself to more stress than is healthy in the lead up to the season opener. Cliche though it may be, this race and the Rim Wrecker are primarily training events so I shouldn't fret too much over my performance. It is difficult, though , not to hope for good results after the successes during cyclocross. Worse comes to worse, it's another long day on the mountain bike and, results aside, there's no other way I'd like to spend a Sunday... Here we go.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Team Camp 2009
This past weekend marked our team camp for the senior men segment of the Mesa Cycles Racing team. The plan was for the team to meet a the shop and proceed out to Klondike park for an evening of cabin camping and revelry before an in depth firearm session at Busch Wildlife the following day. After gun play, the weekend would be capped off with an extended freeroad throwdown on the Katy trail, the best option since the saturation of the area singletrack.
Unfortunately, there was a sale at the Dress Barn that seemed to span the entirety of Saturday night as our group numbered only six. Nonetheless, we proceeded to our destination with much beer and food in tow and set about preparing ourselves for the merriment that was to follow. After a delicious meal of Boca fajitas prepared by resident Mesa chef Christopher Connolly, we set out for a pseudo hike around the park.
With a freakish heatwave in the mid 60's, our walk up the crushed limestone ridge was as pleasant as was imaginable on an early February evening. The trek was capped off with Giovanni's descent of a near vertical cliff face on his GT Team Trials rig. Visibility was an issue and the DH run was interupted by a few large rocks hiding in the shadows, resulting in a broken brake and a bruised thigh.
After limping back to the cabin, we continued to work our way through several imperial ipa's before retiring to the bunk beds.
The next day was greeted by pleasant temperatures and a health packed breakfast before we headed north to Busch for the first annual Mesa firearm bonanza.
Evidently, the Dress Barn sale was a two day event as only a handful of additional parties had arrived for the days festivities. After an hour with various assault rifles and hand cannons, the group disbanded and DB and I were the only ones left for the days ride. No matter as we had a blissful three hours on dirt with 50 degree temperatures. Forty five miles later, team camp was over and I headed home, extremely pleased with the weekend. The turnout could certainly have been better, but the group that showed up either day was quality and we had some good time.
I look forward to the coming season of racing with these guys and this weekend set a positive tone for the coming months. I'm itching to get racing again even though the first few events will only be for training. Regardless, the winter had dragged on long enough and the past week of balmy temperatures has me ready for spring. Bring it, I'm ready.
Unfortunately, there was a sale at the Dress Barn that seemed to span the entirety of Saturday night as our group numbered only six. Nonetheless, we proceeded to our destination with much beer and food in tow and set about preparing ourselves for the merriment that was to follow. After a delicious meal of Boca fajitas prepared by resident Mesa chef Christopher Connolly, we set out for a pseudo hike around the park.
With a freakish heatwave in the mid 60's, our walk up the crushed limestone ridge was as pleasant as was imaginable on an early February evening. The trek was capped off with Giovanni's descent of a near vertical cliff face on his GT Team Trials rig. Visibility was an issue and the DH run was interupted by a few large rocks hiding in the shadows, resulting in a broken brake and a bruised thigh.
After limping back to the cabin, we continued to work our way through several imperial ipa's before retiring to the bunk beds.The next day was greeted by pleasant temperatures and a health packed breakfast before we headed north to Busch for the first annual Mesa firearm bonanza.
Evidently, the Dress Barn sale was a two day event as only a handful of additional parties had arrived for the days festivities. After an hour with various assault rifles and hand cannons, the group disbanded and DB and I were the only ones left for the days ride. No matter as we had a blissful three hours on dirt with 50 degree temperatures. Forty five miles later, team camp was over and I headed home, extremely pleased with the weekend. The turnout could certainly have been better, but the group that showed up either day was quality and we had some good time.
I look forward to the coming season of racing with these guys and this weekend set a positive tone for the coming months. I'm itching to get racing again even though the first few events will only be for training. Regardless, the winter had dragged on long enough and the past week of balmy temperatures has me ready for spring. Bring it, I'm ready.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Winter
This winter's been rough so far. Not Wisconsin or Minnesota rough, but more than I care for. Anyhow, between roller sessions, yoga and a bit of weight training, I've been keeping busy. Truthfully, not as busy as I'd hoped to be in order to bring myself up a level for '09, but better than what was going on in the last half of December. It's alright, I get worked up a bit this time every year when I'm behind the ball, but it's important to note that it is still only January and I have a good few months before the serious MTB objectives. More and more, it seems that CX is all I should focus on, but the rest of it is so much fun, I can't help but want to bump it up a notch every year. Hopefully, I reached a new level this past season, but even if I'm wrong, I will still have a blast with the expanded Midwest Fat Tire Series this year, so it's all positive. I also have sick new bike,which is bringing me no end of joy and inspiring me to ride off road more than any time in the last several years, so all that's good stuff. Ultimately, I'm happy and excited for the coming year, I just need to get through the next couple months and I'm gold. Team camp this weekend, complete with firearms, and a late season big money CX race the week after so there's a bit to keep me occupied for now. Bring on the OZ epic!
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