2014 Il Lombardia (Final 4.5K)...Spoilers

[firerescuefin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juDZcyAkLS8

I won't give it away...enjoy :cool:

[FlashUNC]

Two monuments to his name, probably should be three after this year's mishap in the last corner of LBL.

Dan Martin is the man.

[thirdgenbird]

Well played

[firerescuefin]

I am always amazed how guys can watch an attack like that go completely unchecked so close to the finish. As others have noted...well timed/well played!

[FlashUNC]

Was from a bit further out, but Terpstra's move in P-R was pretty similar this year. Nobody wanted to be the guy to do the work to bridge up and leave themselves vulnerable to the immediate counter that close to the line.

[nooneline]

I am always amazed how guys can watch an attack like that go completely unchecked so close to the finish. As others have noted...well timed/well played!

Ever race for 250km? How do your legs feel toward the end?

Plus, tactics 101. Small group, inside the final km, and somebody gets a gap? The first guy to respond will finish last in that group.

[firerescuefin]

Ever race for 250km? How do your legs feel toward the end?[/B]
Plus, tactics 101. Small group, inside the final km, and somebody gets a gap? The first guy to respond will finish last in that group.

No...have you?

Tactics 102. If you don't anticipate and respond to that attack, you have no chance of winning. You're right when you infer that your much less wanting/have the ability to respond after such a long hard race. But, it wouldn't have been the first time someone jumped onto a passing wheel and pipped the guy at the line. Does it really matter whether you finish 2nd or 7th. What do you think Valverde or Gilbert would say. Those guys are ruing that they didn't win, not patting themselves on the back for sitting back, not going with Martin and finishing with the group.

It was a great attack that caught the other guys off guard at exactly the right time. Kudos to DM.

[bcroslin]

Amazing that the group would sit up and look at each other like "who's going to chase him down?" with 500k left. I bet their team managers heads exploded when they saw the replay.

[Climb01742]

Thanks a lot for sharing. The last few kms were tricky with narrow passages and traffic furniture. To be able to carry that speed through that maze is skill indeed.

[gianni]

BMC messed it up. Although both Gilbert and Sanchez featured in the k's leading to the finale. With two riders in an 8 rider group they made a mess of it.

Thanks for posting and great ride by the Irishman.

[MattTuck]

Dan martin is a beast.

[thwart]

Great way to end the season, I'd say. At least from a spectator standpoint.

[Idris Icabod]

Dan Martin is the man.

Here I am back in '08 suggesting tactics, seems like he owes me!

[harlond]

Amazing that the group would sit up and look at each other like "who's going to chase him down?" with 500k left. I bet their team managers heads exploded when they saw the replay.It's not as obvious from the front view, but from the overhead you can see that Martin was shot out of a cannon when he went. I don't think they sat up, he was just flying. I think this was not a case of tactics, but a case of brute strength.

[54ny77]

at 13:50. he launched like a cannon alright!

man, between that attack and the second or two of hesitation from his fellow breakaway companions, and he was GONE.

look at the lead he has within 20 seconds. buh-bye!

the front-facing camera view (from other race video highlights)was very deceptive on the gap, but the overhead tells the story.

what an awesome finish. thanks for the reminder of this race, i had forgotten about it today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg0nrEClWPg

and check out this youtube link (it was adjacent to the above link) from the race from 30 years ago! hinault wins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyRY7eSxkEk





It's not as obvious from the front view, but from the overhead you can see that Martin was shot out of a cannon when he went. I don't think they sat up, he was just flying. I think this was not a case of tactics, but a case of brute strength.

[Dr Luxurious]

Sweet!!
I love that race.

[nooneline]

It's not as obvious from the front view, but from the overhead you can see that Martin was shot out of a cannon when he went. I don't think they sat up, he was just flying. I think this was not a case of tactics, but a case of brute strength.

one of the first lessons i learned about attacking was, go so hard that people don't even THINK about trying to follow you.

it was a pretty amazing move. BMC just got off the front - PG and SS both burned a couple major matches - and Valverde & Rui Costa were both on the front, and the two of them were obviously going to wait for the sprint, and... nobody knew Martin was there!

Just perfect, really.

[rain dogs]

Martin did it perfect, he's the guy they were going to neglect to pay attention to and he exploited that. He's not going to be ignored much longer or again with two monuments to his name.

Everyone is always looking at Valverde. You see this with Sagan as well. Those guys are so consistent they don't get an inch, and like with Sagan, if they are alone they don't win nearly what they could. If they had a teammate....

and then BMC, how they eff things up is beyond me. Gilbert and VanAvermaet at the worlds (2 of 7) and 5th they best they get. :confused: Gilbert and Sanchez at Lombardia (2 of 9) and 5th the best they get. :confused: It's mind boggling how poor that is.

[BSUdude]

Martin did it perfect, he's the guy they were going to neglect to pay attention to and he exploited that. He's not going to be ignored much longer or again with two monuments to his name.

Perfect positioning...kind of back and to the side of the group. So when Martin comes by them he's already going full tilt and has several bike lengths before the group even realizes he's gone. React immediately and you might catch him--delay long enough to think and it's over.

[Waldo]

They were semi-coasting and looking at each other before Martin went, and they just continued to look at each other as Martin went away. It was "Huh, we are supposed to chase...?"