Cancellara's sprint win...a little too convenient and easy?

Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?

Yes, he's a specialist of the cobbles, but where there so many cobbles
that they would be a deciding factor in the sprint?
And, couldn't it be said that other folks (Boonen, Hincapie, et al)
are equally talented on cobbles and either have strong sprint support
or also really want a stage win?

Could there have been an peloton agreement that photogenic, popular
Cancellara wins on "home turf" and provides an uplifting story to
detract from all the negative press of the moment? Could money have
changed hands? I know nothing and am just thinking out lout, but as I
watched it yesterday I just though "huh...that's a little odd..."



- Corey

wrote in message
Could there have been an peloton agreement that photogenic, popular
Cancellara wins on "home turf" and provides an uplifting story to
detract from all the negative press of the moment? Could money have
changed hands? I know nothing and am just thinking out lout, but as I
watched it yesterday I just though "huh...that's a little odd..."



- Corey


Are suggesting that the group of pro cyclist that can't even get together
and agree to save their on asses from the UCI and WADA would agree to
something like letting Cancellara win? I don't see it. But then I don't
buy into any other conspiracy theories either.


Fred

On Jul 11, 11:56 am, wrote:
Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?

Yes, he's a specialist of the cobbles, but where there so many cobbles
that they would be a deciding factor in the sprint?
And, couldn't it be said that other folks (Boonen, Hincapie, et al)
are equally talented on cobbles and either have strong sprint support
or also really want a stage win?

Could there have been an peloton agreement that photogenic, popular
Cancellara wins on "home turf" and provides an uplifting story to
detract from all the negative press of the moment? Could money have
changed hands? I know nothing and am just thinking out lout, but as I
watched it yesterday I just though "huh...that's a little odd..."

You should never think out, lout.
Cancellara wasn't on his home turf.
Photogenic...? "Cancellara looks smashing in yellow. Let's let him
have it today!" Ummm...no.
It wasn't expected as it was highly unusual, so that does make it a
little odd.
Cancellara has a huge engine and, it seems, excellent timing.

A lot of things could have happened. Only one thing did.
Cancellara executed a beautiful smack down.

R

On Jul 11, 5:56 pm, wrote:
Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?

Yes, he's a specialist of the cobbles, but where there so many cobbles
that they would be a deciding factor in the sprint?
And, couldn't it be said that other folks (Boonen, Hincapie, et al)
are equally talented on cobbles and either have strong sprint support
or also really want a stage win?

Could there have been an peloton agreement that photogenic, popular
Cancellara wins on "home turf" and provides an uplifting story to
detract from all the negative press of the moment? Could money have
changed hands? I know nothing and am just thinking out lout, but as I
watched it yesterday I just though "huh...that's a little odd..."

- Corey

In my opinion, what looked "easy" was actually a subtle point made by
Cancellara, that is, by sprinting up to the remains of the breakaway,
he confused the sprinters teams who found it much harder to compute
Cancellara's speed when he was in the midst of these other riders, and
to adjust their speed accordingly. If the break hadn't been there,
then his move would have had much less chance of working.

Such moves work very rarely, Ekimov won this way in 1991 and failed in
dozens of subsequent attempts. Cancellara was not previously marked
for such attacks, I believe, but it will now be even harder for him to
win this way. He has had some good field sprint results, he finished
2nd in one in this year's Tour of Switzerland.

-ilan

On Jul 11, 9:19 am, wrote:
On Jul 11, 5:56 pm, wrote:





Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?

Yes, he's a specialist of the cobbles, but where there so many cobbles
that they would be a deciding factor in the sprint?
And, couldn't it be said that other folks (Boonen, Hincapie, et al)
are equally talented on cobbles and either have strong sprint support
or also really want a stage win?

Could there have been an peloton agreement that photogenic, popular
Cancellara wins on "home turf" and provides an uplifting story to
detract from all the negative press of the moment? Could money have
changed hands? I know nothing and am just thinking out lout, but as I
watched it yesterday I just though "huh...that's a little odd..."

- Corey

In my opinion, what looked "easy" was actually a subtle point made by
Cancellara, that is, by sprinting up to the remains of the breakaway,
he confused the sprinters teams who found it much harder to compute
Cancellara's speed when he was in the midst of these other riders, and
to adjust their speed accordingly. If the break hadn't been there,
then his move would have had much less chance of working.

Such moves work very rarely, Ekimov won this way in 1991 and failed in
dozens of subsequent attempts. Cancellara was not previously marked
for such attacks, I believe, but it will now be even harder for him to
win this way. He has had some good field sprint results, he finished
2nd in one in this year's Tour of Switzerland.



Dumbass -


There was some kilo specialist in 89(?) that attacked 800m from the
finish in 2 stages in the TdF and it worked for him both times. I
don't have the encyclopaedic memory like Benjo so . . .

As for Ekimov - I think he lacked the pure speed for that move to work
in his later years. He probably kept trying it because what else is he
going to do?


thanks,

K. Gringioni.

On Jul 11, 8:56 am, wrote:
Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?




Dear Newbie -


Please go away.


thanks,

K. Gringioni.

in message . com,
(' ') wrote:

Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?

Yes, he's a specialist of the cobbles, but where there so many cobbles
that they would be a deciding factor in the sprint?

So let's get this straight. He's a specialist on prologues, and he's a
specialist on classics, and he's a specialist on cobbles. What is this
paragon not a specialist on?

And, couldn't it be said that other folks (Boonen, Hincapie, et al)
are equally talented on cobbles and either have strong sprint support
or also really want a stage win?

Could there have been an peloton agreement that photogenic, popular
Cancellara wins on "home turf"

He wasn't on home turf, or even near it.

Boonen is a sprinter who was quite near home turf and familiar with
cobbles. And it popular, charismatic and photogenic.

and provides an uplifting story to
detract from all the negative press of the moment? Could money have
changed hands? I know nothing and am just thinking out lout, but as I
watched it yesterday I just though "huh...that's a little odd..."

Nothing odd about it. The only thing odd is that people keep looking at
Cancellara and saying 'oh, but he's just a specialist at insert whatever
the peloton is doing today'. Cancellara isn't a specialist. He isn't
necessarily the best all round cyclist in the peloton, either - his
weakness may show in the mountains. But he is one of the best all round
cyclists in the peloton. What we say yesterday is that, as a strong man
which excellent bike handling skills, he's capable of being an opportunist
on an uphill finish on cobbles.

We've also seen, over the past three days, that the big sprint teams aren't
very flexible and are vulnerable to opportunists.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Q: Whats a webmaster?
A: Like a spider, but nowhere near as intelligent.

wrote in message
ups.com...

Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?

first this is the beginning of TdF, second he's not a thread for GC,
thus he's not the most marked man.

Yes, he's a specialist of the cobbles, but where there so many cobbles
that they would be a deciding factor in the sprint?

he seized the moment, sometimes it's all they need win.

"Kurgan Gringioni" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jul 11, 9:19 am, wrote:
On Jul 11, 5:56 pm, wrote:





Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?

Yes, he's a specialist of the cobbles, but where there so many cobbles
that they would be a deciding factor in the sprint?
And, couldn't it be said that other folks (Boonen, Hincapie, et al)
are equally talented on cobbles and either have strong sprint support
or also really want a stage win?

Could there have been an peloton agreement that photogenic, popular
Cancellara wins on "home turf" and provides an uplifting story to
detract from all the negative press of the moment? Could money have
changed hands? I know nothing and am just thinking out lout, but as I
watched it yesterday I just though "huh...that's a little odd..."

- Corey

In my opinion, what looked "easy" was actually a subtle point made by
Cancellara, that is, by sprinting up to the remains of the breakaway,
he confused the sprinters teams who found it much harder to compute
Cancellara's speed when he was in the midst of these other riders, and
to adjust their speed accordingly. If the break hadn't been there,
then his move would have had much less chance of working.

Such moves work very rarely, Ekimov won this way in 1991 and failed in
dozens of subsequent attempts. Cancellara was not previously marked
for such attacks, I believe, but it will now be even harder for him to
win this way. He has had some good field sprint results, he finished
2nd in one in this year's Tour of Switzerland.



Dumbass -


There was some kilo specialist in 89(?) that attacked 800m from the
finish in 2 stages in the TdF and it worked for him both times. I
don't have the encyclopaedic memory like Benjo so . . .


It was my fellow-countryman Jelle Nijdam. I didn't need a memory for that:
the Dutch commentator on TV screamed: "But he is doing a Jelle Nijdam!"

Benjo

On Jul 11, 12:53 pm, Kurgan Gringioni wrote:
On Jul 11, 8:56 am, wrote:

Was there anyone else who thought it was strangely straightforward and
too "good a story" that the most marked man in the pack soloed to a
win ahead of the sprinters?

Dear Newbie -

Please go away.

thanks,

K. Gringioni.

C'mon with Lance gone all we've got left is the racing, pretty much. A
few came back for Flandis last year. This year it's a slim crop at
best. Luckily we've had good stages so far.
Have to wonder how McEwan is doing physically and how the hell Boonen
managed to miss todays sprint so badly?
Bill C