OT - Tour of Flanders

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...s-preparations-for-Paris-Roubaix-ramp-up.html

Very bold decision of Sky to throw Wiggins in for the badly injured Stannard for this Sunday's Classic. Wiggins will be hard pushed to perform in Flanders and then Paris - Roubaix a week later. Personally I don't see Wiggins as a one day classics rider and Sagan will demolish him

Will make it a great race to watch (for those with Eurosport or a stream) , I can highly recommend the Tour of Flanders even if you're not really into cycling. The one day races and so much better than the Tour de France.

I'd better get some Leffe's in.

 

Can't see Wiggins doing much, has he ever done anything in the Classics?

Tour of Flanders most certainly worth watching. Plenty of streams should be available and is on RAI TV for anyone with a dish pointed at Hotbird satellite.

 

Well its his stated intent that he wants a win at Paris - Roubaix next week. No rider worth his salt can be considered a great unless he gets a Classic win under his belt. I can't see it either. Froome has more chance than Wiggins of pulling this off although Stannard was the right man for Sky. Word is he broke some vertebrae in last weeks crash into a ditch?

 

I thought this was going to be about a tour of Great War battlefields........

 

Worth watching Stan. The Spring Classics are the true mark of great cyclist. For me its head and shoulders above any of the grand Tours (well maybe not the Giro) and very unheralded to the general public. One day races of circa 200kms or more over terrible roads, cobbles and tracks in atrocious conditions.

The races flow almost weekly and are truly punishing. Cycling (quite rightly) gets a bad rep for drug use / cheating etc but watch this Sunday's race and compare it to 22 players prancing about for 90 mins on a football pitch. 99% of riders are not household names and many are pure 'domestiques', employed solely to support their one or two key teammates such as Cavendish and to position him at the end for a possible win

 

Phew......Glad to see it wasn't just me then

 

He will if he's caked up on Steroids

 

Lol at him winning the Robaix! If it rains even less on wet cobbles judging by his fear of falling off in the wet amply shown at last year's Giro.

Stannard posted a photo of himself in some kind of body brace, looks ok but probably won't be back for a couple of months at least I guess.

Froome don't think so, Geraint Thomas is a better one day rider but the Roubaix really favours heavyweight powerful riders like Cancellara or Boonen. Sagan would be a good shout for Flanders.

Never been a fan of Wiggins or those who specialise in the Grand Tours. As for Froome I'm saying nothing, it's all there in "The Clinic" on the Cyclingnews forum...

 

Steroids are so last century.

 

What is the cocktail of choice these days?

 

"Marginal Gains" according to Dave Brailsford of SKY.

God forbid any insinuation of doping.

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

 

Looks like a lot of people are calling Wiggins a dope head on there. I'd like to think its not true but the Sport is riddled.

Thankfully Pat McQuaid is gone now though so things might improve.

 

Imaz, quoted from the Torygraph -

'The addition of Wiggins to the Tour of Flanders team will come as a surprise for many – despite saying that Paris-Roubaix was one of his targets for the season – due to the increased risk of injury in the countdown to the Tour de France'

 

All I know about cycling is from the very interesting posts from you, Imaz and I think Sooper on here. I'm learning and I do recognise that its about the most physically demanding sport around.

 

Zamora and Johnson would probably disagree. 45 mins on the pitch is more taxing than 21 days in the saddle doing 200 plus kms a day.

 

TV links here (scroll down): http://www.steephill.tv/classics/tour-of-flanders/#tv-schedule

Streams will be here: http://www.vipboxuk.co/

 

Bit of a taste of my favourite, Paris - Roubaix which is a week Sunday

[video=youtube;UJkCFG-0z7s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJkCFG-0z7s[/video]

This weekends race is arguably the best but P-R is grindingly painful

 

Great video, WBA. Thanks

 

Altimetria and cobbles of TOF 2014: www.google.co.uk/search?q=giro dell...rcorso-altimetria-e-orario-diretta-tv;900;600

Cobbles sections P-R: http://www.letour.com/paris-roubaix/2014/us/race.html

 

Race underway. Conditions look good. 160km to go and about to tackle the Kwaremont for the first time. Break is at 5 mins 44

Imaz its on Sky Sports 4 too if you can pick that up?