Roger PR

[jpw]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/de-vlaeminck-boonens-paris-roubaix-rivals-were-third-rate

It will be interesting if FC has by this time next year wiped the floor with Tom to think again about his 3rd Ronde and 4th Roubaix. Truly one of the greats? He's going to have to have an even better winter and recruit another stormtrooper or two to hold off Fab. I can't wait.

P.S. Why are Belgians so abnormally tall?

[MattTuck]

De Vlaeminck is a douche bag for those comments. True though they may be, with regard to FC being out of the race.

Tom is the preeminent one day classics rider of his generation. You race the race you're in. It's like comparing Havlicek to Kobe Bryant. It's a different time today.

[firerescuefin]

De Vlaeminck is a douche bag for those comments. True though they may be, with regard to FC being out of the race.

Tom is the preeminent one day classics rider of his generation. You race the race you're in. It's like comparing Havlicek to Kobe Bryant. It's a different time today.

Couldn't have said it any better myself. RdV sounds like a complete tool in that article. Boonen schooled a world class field. Yeah, FC would have made it a good race, but there's no doubt in my mind he wouldn't have ridden TB off his wheel...but like most, would have loved to see them go head to head.

[azrider]

De Vlaeminck is a douche bag for those comments

+10

One would think/hope that ego subsides with old age/wisdom but certainly not case here. He just sounds like a washed up turd trying to shift focus back to himself and his glory days.

[54ny77]

"Back in our day it was raining, the cobbles were always muddy and by golly it was uphill BOTH ways!"

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6tMg9wn8ng/TXD14W5PgFI/AAAAAAAAAbI/vaVJZYYaq9o/s1600/muppets.jpg

[tiretrax]

.

[tiretrax]

It's a shame he couldn't be more gracious. Reminds me of the ongoing Cioppolini train wreck.

Lance made the same mistake in '08 criticizing Sastre. He apologized shortly thereafter, then ate his words over the next two years.

P.S. +1,000 on the muppets - uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow!

[MattTuck]

"Back in our day it was raining, the cobbles were always muddy and by golly it was uphill BOTH ways!"

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6tMg9wn8ng/TXD14W5PgFI/AAAAAAAAAbI/vaVJZYYaq9o/s1600/muppets.jpg

We didn't have pumps, when we got a flat, we had blow it back up with our mouths....

[jlwdm]

Not much tact but true, just like Lance's comments about Sastre.

Too many people seem to think FC is going to win every race. Not true.

Not a Boonen fan, but I have to give him a lot of credit. His best days seemed to be way behind him, and he has come back and had a spectacular year so far.

You can talk all you want that some other rider should have done this or done that and he would have won or that if FC was there Boonen would not have ridden away. The fact is he rode away and won! And he rode away from the field from a distance that most people thought was too early.

He flat out made the race happen and embarrassed the field.

Jeff

[BumbleBeeDave]

What about all the other riders he called "third-rate?"

RdV said a whole lot more about himself in this story than he did about Boonen--and it wasn't flattering.

BBD

[tannhauser]

Rozhay has some pretty big cobbles.

[FlashUNC]

Watching the race, I tend to side with RdV.

Who in their right mind let's Boonen and a teammate escape? Sure, it at 50k to go and the furthest winning move since Tchmil in 1994. But you let the strongest guy in the race slip away like that?

Credit to Boonen for a dramatic move, but it was totally amateur hour among the other riders in that group.

Not to mention Team Sky's post race remarks that no one seemed eager to join in their chase.

[MattTuck]

Flash,

They pegged the move at ~30 seconds for a while, maybe 10-20km. There's no reason to think, at 55km left, that the peloton wouldn't be able to close down a small gap...

why not let Tom and Co. burn themselves out just up the road? I don't think it was so much amateur hour as the other names in that group just didn't want to make a heroic, possibly foolish effort to close down a solo attack with so far to go.

When I watched the race live, I was thinking, "Tom! What are you doing??? are you crazy?" I have to imagine that atleast some of guys were thinking the same thing. And I know Flanders wasn't his best day, but a lot of people felt Boonen was right on the edge in the climbs, and only won because his sprint was solid. Not sure if that played into people's tactics...

I understand what you're saying, but I think it is slight hindsight bias. I mean, Tom isn't exactly known to do the FC solo break-away as his raison d'etre.

[gone]

All props to Boonen, seriously. It was a gutsy move to go when he did and he certainly deserved his win.

Having said that, I think it'd been a different kettle of fish if Cancellara had been there.

You can speculate from now 'til doomsday on what might have been and PR is full of "could have beens" who flatted at the wrong time, had a mechanical, weren't in the race for one reason or another, etc.

But Cancellara healthy and Boonen healthy with no race day mishaps would be something I would very much love to see. If I were betting on the outcome, my money would be on Fabian.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . RdV could have said what he said far more diplomatically than he did. His breath smells of sour grapes.

Cheap shots and badly said.

BBD

[gavingould]

i didn't think Boonen would try to go at 50+ km out, but then again i was also fairly sure a decent chase would be organized.
if any team had more than one in the chase other than Sky and Rabo (for a little bit anyway) things might've gotten going.
all in all, i thought it was a pretty incredibly gutsy win. i've cheered more for Fabien over Tom the last couple years, but Boonen is looking really sharp on the cobbles this year - i think he'd still have taken it, though not in the same way. who knows if FC would've been up there when Boonen and Terpstra applied pressure anyway...

i do agree with Roger that I'd like to see Boonen win MSR and/or Lombardia, but to say "he's no good until he does what i did" is a bit ridiculous, atmo.

[azrider]

Bruyneel says it best:

[FlashUNC]

Flash,

They pegged the move at ~30 seconds for a while, maybe 10-20km. There's no reason to think, at 55km left, that the peloton wouldn't be able to close down a small gap...

why not let Tom and Co. burn themselves out just up the road? I don't think it was so much amateur hour as the other names in that group just didn't want to make a heroic, possibly foolish effort to close down a solo attack with so far to go.

When I watched the race live, I was thinking, "Tom! What are you doing??? are you crazy?" I have to imagine that atleast some of guys were thinking the same thing. And I know Flanders wasn't his best day, but a lot of people felt Boonen was right on the edge in the climbs, and only won because his sprint was solid. Not sure if that played into people's tactics...

I understand what you're saying, but I think it is slight hindsight bias. I mean, Tom isn't exactly known to do the FC solo break-away as his raison d'etre.

Totally fair to let him dangle once he's away, but once the gap started widening to 35-40-50 seconds, nobody responded other than Sky. I saw it as a lot of negative racing by some other teams waiting for Sky to drag everyone back up to Boonen.

Never mind the fact that the guy who has been on surreal form for the last week is probably the one guy you shouldn't let get away with a teammate.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . since it's been running through my mind and I'm trying to figure out how to say it diplomatically.

I'm totally impressed by Boonen's performance this spring. It's a really amazing string of victories. Maybe a bit too amazing? Unfortunately, as a cycling fan these days, that's what comes into my mind as much as being impressed.

BBD

[firerescuefin]

. . . since it's been running through my mind and I'm trying to figure out how to say it diplomatically.

I'm totally impressed by Boonen's performance this spring. It's a really amazing string of victories. Maybe a bit too amazing? Unfortunately, as a cycling fan these days, that's what comes into my mind as much as being impressed.

BBD

Doesn't really answer your question, but he was a Roubaix prodigy as a 21 year old....is a physiological testing freak, has done this before (the double with dominant performances)....and came into this seas in perhaps the best shape phsysically and mentally of his career. He essentially called his shot before the season started. Horses for courses

[rain dogs]

. . . since it's been running through my mind and I'm trying to figure out how to say it diplomatically.

I'm totally impressed by Boonen's performance this spring. It's a really amazing string of victories. Maybe a bit too amazing? Unfortunately, as a cycling fan these days, that's what comes into my mind as much as being impressed.

BBD

I don't see how this question is any different regardless of who won. Tom is the most dominant cobbles rider of this decade, and he's got the palmares to backup his position of "favourite".

The favourite won. Does that constitute questioning the performance? How does career differ from one event?

Is it the same with Gilbert last year?
Fabian the year before?

Tying performance to doping is specious without more to go on. And I hear you, cause I'm a sceptic myself often, but it's a slippery slope.

*Oh, not picking on you btw, just rebutting.

Regarding MR.PARIS ROUBAIX, c'mon.... serious? C'mon. I am impressed with how Roger's 4 wins coincided with the undoubtedly hardest 4 Roubaix's of all time, that will never again be replicated, with the strongest field in history. Oh, and now Tom needs to win Lombardia!

The competition never stops.

[FlashUNC]

I posted this to the race thread, but figured I'd drop it here as well. Great video from inside Omega-Pharma about the race. Loved seeing Wilifred Peeters -- who put in his own crazy rides in the race -- react to Boonen's ride.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ZXSjDNpBE&feature=youtu.be

[MattTuck]

I posted this to the race thread, but figured I'd drop it here as well. Great video from inside Omega-Pharma about the race. Loved seeing Wilifred Peeters -- who put in his own crazy rides in the race -- react to Boonen's ride.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ZXSjDNpBE&feature=youtu.be

That was a good video. Thanks for posting. "Unbelievable! He's still riding 52 kph!"