So, Roubaix....

[Avispa]

So, is Georgy finally going to win this thing?

Me thinks Cancellara is riding like a bull... But for some reason, I don't see him winning this thing again tomorrow.

What's your pick?

..A..

[shinomaster]

I finally thing G_H will pull his head out of his ass and with this thing.

[BdaGhisallo]

I think we are more likely to see Boonen sh*t himself for a second year running than we are to see a Hincapie victory. I like George. He was very gracious when he came to Bermuda to race some years back. However, he just doesn't seem to have that final half of a tenth that gets you to ten tenths.

He's got the physical talent. 'Tis a shame.

geoff

[Avispa]

But, no pick boys? I somehow see an Italian winning.... and no, I am not smoking crack!

..A..

[davidlee]

Seems like Quick Steps got the good stufff right now...
Tomke?
Devolder double? Devolder seems to be riding like Cancellara was two weeks back.

[giordana93]

well of course the beauty of the race is that it is such a crap shoot, so hard on the machine and body (then finishing on the smooth track, wow) Boonen looked awfully strong at Flanders and will have his teammates behind him after sitting back with the team last week. I like George too and would love to see him pull it off (like Bauer, NObody got any closer), but even if he's having a geat day, he's likely to be sandwiched between some teams like csc with stuey and fabian, quick step.... would love to see a 3 up sprint on the drome

[J.Greene]

So, is Georgy finally going to win this thing?

Me thinks Cancellara is riding like a bull... But for some reason, I don't see him winning this thing again tomorrow.

What's your pick?

..A..

Cancelarra's is on the way down.

Boonen is gonna take it. He is fit and very motivated. And he didn't have to dig extra extra deep last Sunday.

JG

[brians647]

+1. Boonen's my pick as well. I'd like to see Hincapie win it, but it's a long shot.

[Elefantino]

Unibet.com odds

.................... Win .... (1-3)
Boonen, T ...... 4.50 .... 1.80
Freire, O ........ 8.00 .... 2.50
McEwen, R ..... 10.00 .... 3.25
Cavendish, M . 10.00 .... 3.25
Hushovd, T .... 12.00 .... 4.00
Flecha, J-A ..... 15.00 .... 4.75
Napolitano, D . 15.00 .... 4.75
Pozzato, F ...... 15.00 .... 4.75
Ballan, A ....... 16.00 .... 5.00

[BdaGhisallo]

1. Boonen
2. Ballan
3. Backstedt

If your name doesn't start with a 'B', you won't be getting on the podium this year!!

[jmewkill]

1. O'Grady
2. Baldato
3. Flecha.

And - for the hell of it: a top favorite takes a big fall and loses the rest of the season.

[soulspinner]

Flecha is ready.

[merckx]

I have to go with Merckx.

What did you expect?

[musgravecycles]

I was surprised that Fabian picked GH as his fav.

I've gotta go with Boonen...

[stevep]

boonen
nuyens
gilbert

[Fixed]

pozzato long shot
cheers

[Fat Robert]

boonen wins

hincapie beats flecha for second

with

devolder or some other quickstep goon sitting on their wheels, celebrating, after policing them for 20k.

[jerk]

Gilbert gets away. boonen hushovd and fabian fight it out in the velodrome.

nuyens is my dark horse along with some sketchball from topspirt- vlaanderen.

jerk

ps I finish second to last in 30+ at battenkill next week.

[stevep]

hincapie solos alone into the velodrome... on his second lap of the track a giant bird comes down and picks him up and drops him at 20k to go.
he finishes 89th.
im serious...could happen to hincapie

[AgilisMerlin]

Alright,

i am going way out on a limb here, and type - duclos lassalle is going to make it number three.......................he deserves it, yo

http://www.nordpasdecalais.fr/PHOTOS/0000001/SCR/duclos-lassalle.jpg

[harlond]

Unibet.com odds

.................... Win .... (1-3)
Boonen, T ...... 4.50 .... 1.80
Freire, O ........ 8.00 .... 2.50
McEwen, R ..... 10.00 .... 3.25
Cavendish, M . 10.00 .... 3.25
Hushovd, T .... 12.00 .... 4.00
Flecha, J-A ..... 15.00 .... 4.75
Napolitano, D . 15.00 .... 4.75
Pozzato, F ...... 15.00 .... 4.75
Ballan, A ....... 16.00 .... 5.00Those are strange odds. McEwen and Cavendish aren't on the start list and Napolitano is probably riding for Ballan. Hushovd at least has shown good form recently, but he has stepped off already.

[flux]

Hoste was my pick as of yesterday. I should have posted it then as he is now in the lead group with a teammate.

[musgravecycles]

Oh man this is great!!

Ballan is so beautiful on the bike, probably my favorite rider in the peleton. I'd love to see him take Boonen/Cancellara, but I doubt he can time trial away from Fabian and won't beat Boonen in the sprint...

[paczki]

Now that was a race -- no spoilers. I'll start a new thread.

[stevep]

my picks

Results
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step
2 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC
3 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre
4 Martyn Maaskant (Ned) Slipstream Chipotle - H30
5 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC
6 Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence-Lotto
7 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick Step
8 Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence-Lotto
9 George Hincapie (USA) High Road
10 Fabio Baldato (Ita) Lampre

i had to think about it.

[paczki]

my picks

Results
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step
2 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC
3 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre
4 Martyn Maaskant (Ned) Slipstream Chipotle - H30
5 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC
6 Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence-Lotto
7 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick Step
8 Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence-Lotto
9 George Hincapie (USA) High Road
10 Fabio Baldato (Ita) Lampre

i had to think about it.


That's a sensible list. But Maaskant in 4th? That seems like going a bit out on a limb. In front of O'Grady and Hoste?

[davidlee]

thats the real results. He was 4th! Sweet ride..

[paczki]

thats the real results. He was 4th! Sweet ride..
Really :)

[stevep]

That's a sensible list. But Maaskant in 4th? That seems like going a bit out on a limb. In front of O'Grady and Hoste?

paczki,
i felt that his form was coming right on exactly at the right time. o'grady got lucky once and hoste always has something go wrong.

i had to think long and hard about these placings.
i am happy with the selections

[branman1986]

Hmmm, I've gotta disagree with your picks. I still think Hincapie somehow pulls it off.

:beer:

[capybaras]

Anyone care to place a wager? I can't wait to watch it on VS. next week!

[branman1986]

Ten :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: bananas on Hincapie!

[Avispa]

Hmmm, I've gotta disagree with your picks. I still think Hincapie somehow pulls it off.

Pulls what off? His bibs off his arse? LOL :D :D :D

..A..

[branman1986]

hahaha :D

perhaps if he invented a time machine...he's DUE!!!

[M.Sommers]

hahaha :D

perhaps if he invented a time machine...he's DUE!!!

Due to retire is more like it. Turns 35 this TdF. Domestique for LA 7x and when LA retired, it went from this for George, "I'm the leader now" to, "I believe I'm the leader now" to, "The think I'm the leader now" to, "What the **** I have nothing in me that says 'leader' I'm not the leader, the team just rides and we'll find a leader and play follow the leader."

GH is not what you want GH to be; George is George. You can't make the wag tail the dog. You can pump GH up will all the testosterone in Europe and he's still without a knife.

[stevep]

nothing bad about george*.
but you just witnessed his last shot at a classic.

it was like a lot of his prior shots.

* this from a guy who is happy to finish top 3 in the final uphill finish to the saturday ride.

[Fat Robert]

mike friedman is my new hero

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/apr08/roubaix08/tech.php?id=/photos/2008/tech/features/boonen_roubaix08/Slipstream_Friedman_Meatball

[Simon Q]

paczki,
i felt that his form was coming right on exactly at the right time. o'grady got lucky once and hoste always has something go wrong.

i had to think long and hard about these placings.
i am happy with the selections

You are joking about O'Grady being lucky, right?

[sailorboy]

good Mike Friedman article

http://www.velonews.com/article/74618

Another site has a bio of him and lists him at 5-9 and 170...so that makes me about 8 pounds from being mini-meatball?

sheesh, talk about a bunch of skanked out euro pros if those vital stats earn you the title of meatball.

+2 with Fat Robert, he is my new hero. It helps that he's a fellow yinzer.

[3chordwonder]

You are joking about O'Grady being lucky, right?

+ 1

O'Grady richly deserved that win, imho.

[Simon Q]

+ 1

O'Grady richly deserved that win, imho.

Do you think?

I don't know.

He was in an early break, crashed, flatted (I mean, how lucky can one guy get?), bridged to the favourites who he thought looked worse than he felt, checked with Canc, dropped the hammer, bridged to Flecha et al who said later they simply couldn't go with him, blew past and held the field at a minute for 20-25K to ride around velodrome alone.

And we're supposed to think that was an OK ride? Well, I'm not impressed.

Next you will be telling me he is a highly decorated track rider and Olympic gold medallist as well.

[stevep]

You are joking about O'Grady being lucky, right?

of course.
simon, you gotta read between the lines.
here are a bunch of asterisks...insert them into my further posts in places where you think i may be joking... you'll probably be right.
i like o'grady, he's one of the real guys.


***************

good o'grady story from years past.
im at the tour ( 98 i thk ) on top of the col d'aspin ... waiting for the boys to come by... next to me is an aussie... we get to chatting... i'm busting his balls about how bad o'grady sucks...in good nature of course... guy cant climb, guy cant sprint... etc, etc. we were having a good time... here comes the group..pantani, ullrich, etc...
next group...here is o'grady in the yellow jersey...
the aussie got the last laugh... he did lose it that day however...i thk to ullrich.. good laughs in good humor.