2010 Tour of Flanders

[Andrija]

And this is what Cancellara said:

"We had the plan this morning. I knew there was a lot of talking about whether Matti was going to go in the front and it would be like Boonen and Devolder [last year]," he said. "But we knew what we wanted to do and I think that's the good thing about our team, the big strength of our team – that we don’t have problems between us. I need Matti and he needs me."

Cancellara Dreams Of All Winning All Five Of Cycling Monuments | Cyclingnews.com

Before the race Matti was talking something about changing team?
Breschel Waiting On Contract For Next Year | Cyclingnews.com

Cancellara explained him.

 

[Maxiton]

Since we explained them.

I think Breschel, Cancellara and Riis explained them. And it was probably pretty ugly to see.

 

[Chavez]

This was brutal. Demonstration of power.
Cancellara just sat and spun, while Boonen was labouring on Kapelmuur. And off he went.
.

Good lord. That's ******* unreal, Cancellara is a machine. (watching it on DVR)

 

[Maxiton]

Good lord. That's ******* unreal, Cancellara is a machine. (watching it on DVR)

I don't know what gears they were in but Cancellara was totally on top of his sitting down, while Boonen could barely turn the pedals standing up . . . .

 

[Maxiton]

And this is what Cancellara said:


Cancellara Dreams Of All Winning All Five Of Cycling Monuments | Cyclingnews.com

Before the race Matti was talking something about changing team?
Breschel Waiting On Contract For Next Year | Cyclingnews.com

Thanks for those links. Breschel is better off inside the tent with Cance than outside it. Hope for his sake he's smart enough to know that now.

So tell me, do you think it likely that Cancellara could get small enough, and yet stay powerful enough, to win a grand tour?

 

[Chavez]

I don't know what gears they were in but Cancellara was totally on top of his sitting down, while Boonen could barely turn the pedals standing up . . . .

Boonen looked fine but Cancellara just upped the cadence and when he did that, ****** Boonen just couldn't match it. At all. I think Boonen went pretty hard into the red trying to match Cancellara because he didn't look comfortable the rest of the day.

Edit - cripes, on the last few Km, Spartacus looked like he should've been swigging a Chimay and smoking a cigarette.

 

[Chavez]

So tell me, do you think it likely that Cancellara could get small enough, and yet stay powerful enough, to win a grand tour?

He's my favorite rider, but I don't think so.

He's just never going to be an elite climber. I've thought he might be able to figure it out like Indurain did, but there was only one Big Mig.

 

[Andrija]

So tell me, do you think it likely that Cancellara could get small enough, and yet stay powerful enough, to win a grand tour?

No, I don't think so. We've, already, discussed somewhere about his TDF potential.
Too much weight to loose without loosing power. He could probably stay with climbers on some "power" climb, but stage with successive, long and steep, climbs would be too much for him. It could be huge task to accommodate on new role and goals in the race, in my opinion.
He does well when he knows how long and how hard he has to pull uphill, but to try to follow climbers' attacks would be totally different.

 

[Bro Deal]

No, I don't think so. We've, already, discussed somewhere about his TDF potential.
Too much weight to loose without loosing power. He could probably stay with climbers on some "power" climb, but stage with successive, long and steep, climbs would be too much for him. It could be huge task to accommodate on new role and goals in the race, in my opinion.
He does well when he knows how long and how hard he has to pull uphill, but to try to follow climbers' attacks would be totally different.

He would need the perfect route and a lot of luck. He would also need to lose quite a bit of weight, which would rob him of some power. His best chance was last year's Tour, the lamest GT route in recent memory. Before that the 2007 Vuelta route that Menchov won would have been another candidate.

 

[Maxiton]

He would need the perfect route and a lot of luck. He would also need to lose quite a bit of weight, which would rob him of some power. His best chance was last year's Tour, the lamest GT route in recent memory. Before that the 2007 Vuelta route that Menchov won would have been another candidate.

In other words he would need the Tour of Switzerland.

 

[Maxiton]

Interesting stats. Just saw the following on podiumcafe.com:

"Tony's max power? 1450 watts on the Muur. Max HR, 190 bpm. Max speed, 80kph. Boonen (or at least Lefevre) blames cramping in Tommeke's godlike limbs at that moment, but a number like 1450 watts is enough to cramp a rational person's brain."

 

[limerickman]

What were the measures of Cancellara's and Breschel's bike on which they've finished the race?
And what are the measures of bikes on which they've started the race?
I'll try to find sizes.

Edit:
It's just five centimeters difference between Breschel and O'grady in height.
The same difference between Cancellara and Breschel.
I don't think it could effect racing that much. Cancellara rides smaller TT bike than road bike, so if he too got smaller bike in change, he wouldn't be disadvantaged, since he time trialed to victory...
Maybe it was Breschel's bike on which Cancellara ended. Maybe that's what Breshel wants to say.

Everything happened in 10 minutes. Mechanics could have been confused.

Cancellara refused first bike that mechanic offered him.
For who that mechanic works? Is he a Belgian?

I can't understand this mixup.

I've been to several races where SAXO have raced and I watched their mechanics set up the bikes before the race.
Each bike has their riders names : so the dimensions/sizes/setups are labelled before this race.

Unless someone put the wrong name label on the wrong SAXO bike..........................

 

[swampy1970]

That Lion of Flanders helmet Ignatiev was wearing was pretty sweet.

Lazer Helmets To Debut Snap-on Aero Shell Cover | Cyclingnews.com

Limited edition... you'll probably only see the clear variants of them in stores.

 

[swampy1970]

What were the measures of Cancellara's and Breschel's bike on which they've finished the race?
And what are the measures of bikes on which they've started the race?
I'll try to find sizes.

Edit:
It's just five centimeters difference between Breschel and O'grady in height.
The same difference between Cancellara and Breschel.
I don't think it could effect racing that much. Cancellara rides smaller TT bike than road bike, so if he too got smaller bike in change, he wouldn't be disadvantaged, since he time trialed to victory...
Maybe it was Breschel's bike on which Cancellara ended. Maybe that's what Breshel wants to say.

Everything happened in 10 minutes. Mechanics could have been confused.

Cancellara refused first bike that mechanic offered him.
For who that mechanic works? Is he a Belgian?

How many bike changes did Cancellara have? The one change before the first big split was absolute perfection - less that 10 seconds from stepping off the first bike and on his way on the new one.

 

[Andrija]

How many bike changes did Cancellara have? The one change before the first big split was absolute perfection - less that 10 seconds from stepping off the first bike and on his way on the new one.

Two.
Second just before Molenberg.

 

[Andrija]

I can't understand this mixup.

I've been to several races where SAXO have raced and I watched their mechanics set up the bikes before the race.
Each bike has their riders names : so the dimensions/sizes/setups are labelled before this race.

Unless someone put the wrong name label on the wrong SAXO bike..........................

Or they didn't label spare bikes. Just starting ones.

 

[limerickman]

Or they didn't label spare bikes. Just starting ones.

possibly