Boonen vs. Petacchi

Let us see if there is anyone else in the group who is beat for sure in a sprint and who wants to risk it on the Poggio.

How about Di Luca? Quiet early season so far...

Powerful Pete said:

Let us see if there is anyone else in the group who is beat for sure in a sprint and who wants to risk it on the Poggio.

How about Di Luca? Quiet early season so far...

Off course, but Petacchi - Boonen (Milram - Quick Step) is (by far) the duel to watch. It is announced long time ago and it's building up. It's like Chelsea - Barcelona, everyone expect a lot of them.
I think Di Luca has other races in his mind, something like last season, but with the focus on Giro.

Andrija said:

Off course, but Petacchi - Boonen (Milram - Quick Step) is (by far) the duel to watch. It is announced long time ago and it's building up. It's like Chelsea - Barcelona, everyone expect a lot of them.
I think Di Luca has other races in his mind, something like last season, but with the focus on Giro.

I also think Di Luca has other races in his mind, i don't know though if it's gonna be between Petacchi and Boonen.... There are a few riders who will try to attack... Bettini is only one of them.

cyclingheroes said:

I also think Di Luca has other races in his mind, i don't know though if it's gonna be between Petacchi and Boonen.... There are a few riders who will try to attack... Bettini is only one of them.

Yes Bettini is just one of them who could try to use Poggio as a spring board, it was scenario lots of times. I talk about Bettini as a part of Quick Step tactics, they have a man for bunch sprint and they have a men for escape on Poggio, very promising line up.

I think Boonen has got an amazing engine and is tactically very shrewd. He proved last year that he can join a break and win, and, of course, win from a sprint -- any kind, short, long.

Petacchi really needs to wind it up over a long distance and have his train. If he has that, he will beat Boonen.

But I think, if Petacchi can't get the precise organization at the finish that he needs, Boonen will pip him.

I just don't see a break taking it anymore at MSR. Could be wrong, in fact, I would be delighted to see a break make it.

We'll see!

I think, if he could, Boonen would outsprint Petacchi in MSR. He didn't let him go 'cause Pozzato was already winning, he just wasn't fast enough.
It's going to be interesting in Belgium... As far as I know, their new encounter will be as soon as next Wednesday in Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Good overture for De Ronde which will be ultimate battle.

Yup, Ale-Jet won that one, but not the big prize! 🙂

As someone has stated on another thread, I wonder if Milram will continue to keep Petacchi as captain for the Northern classics. Wonder if, in his present state of form (if he can maintain it) he would be a force to be reckoned with at the Ronde?

Powerful Pete said:

Yup, Ale-Jet won that one, but not the big prize! 🙂

As someone has stated on another thread, I wonder if Milram will continue to keep Petacchi as captain for the Northern classics. Wonder if, in his present state of form (if he can maintain it) he would be a force to be reckoned with at the Ronde?

In the Tour of Flanders Zabel will be the captain (this was said by a Milram spokesman)....

cyclingheroes said:

In the Tour of Flanders Zabel will be the captain (this was said by a Milram spokesman)....

Zabel if one follows his below the radar performances in the Northern classics save Amstel, is ALWAYS there when it counts. In Flanders he rode extremely well. If you go to the line with him he will beat you, except if you're Boonen.

Fun to see Hincapie and Boonen go for it.
OK its been fun seeing QuickStep bring it to the table.
But now Bettini will be recovered and HE wants to win and Boonen wants to win.
AND they have Nuyens and Pozato,,,this team is now just like freekin Mapei they have so many cards to play it is ridiculous.

Boooobkuh

The Mapei comparison is a good one. QS might not have a three man break rolling onto the velodrome deciding the podium on the team radios but they are the closest thing we have to that right now.

As for the Milram team leadership, regardless of who they dub as leader, Zabel will be there when the Flanders climbs are over and Pettacchi will not. There is no way ALe Jet hauls himself over those crazy rockpiles with the likes of Zabel, Bettini, and Boonen.

barnstorm said:

As for the Milram team leadership, regardless of who they dub as leader, Zabel will be there when the Flanders climbs are over and Pettacchi will not. There is no way ALe Jet hauls himself over those crazy rockpiles with the likes of Zabel, Bettini, and Boonen.

Fair enough. But two years ago we all laughed about Ale-Jet making it over the Poggio...

Powerful Pete said:

Fair enough. But two years ago we all laughed about Ale-Jet making it over the Poggio...

touche. and he did that pretty well last year and quite well again this year.

hombredesubaru said:

Zabel if one follows his below the radar performances in the Northern classics save Amstel, is ALWAYS there when it counts. In Flanders he rode extremely well. If you go to the line with him he will beat you, except if you're Boonen.

Fun to see Hincapie and Boonen go for it.
OK its been fun seeing QuickStep bring it to the table.
But now Bettini will be recovered and HE wants to win and Boonen wants to win.
AND they have Nuyens and Pozato,,,this team is now just like freekin Mapei they have so many cards to play it is ridiculous.

Tremendous work by Pozzato and Quick-step. Pettachi's team was worn out trying to bring back the breaks (Including a very generous Zabel). Pozzato owes a lot to Ballan, who is certainly one to watch out for in the future. But Pozzato did not have to give exchanges because his main man was still in the group. So he still had something left to hold off Pettachi at the end. Pettachi perhaps needed to jump 100 meters sooner.

barnstorm said:

As for the Milram team leadership, regardless of who they dub as leader, Zabel will be there when the Flanders climbs are over and Pettacchi will not. There is no way ALe Jet hauls himself over those crazy rockpiles with the likes of Zabel, Bettini, and Boonen.

Peta didn't even start last year - no reason to think he will this year either.

DiabloScott said:

Peta didn't even start last year - no reason to think he will this year either.

He will.
He announced De Ronde is one of his main goals this year long time ago.

Andrija said:

He will.
He announced De Ronde is one of his main goals this year long time ago.

Well I must say he has one of the worst websites I've seen - his calendar is totally outdated and his news is boring.

http://www.alessandropetacchi.com

My prediction for AleJet: DNF.

DiabloScott said:

My prediction for AleJet: DNF.

I truly hope you're wrong.
[font=Arial][font=Verdana]I want to see some historic racing[/font].[/font]

Andrija said:

I truly hope you're wrong.
[font=Arial][font=Verdana]I want to see some historic racing[/font].[/font]

Oh, we will see historic racing without Ale Jet in the mix. the list of young talented Classics studs seems to be growing by the minute. Add that to the proven talents like Zabel, Boonen (wasn't he still considered young like a week ago?) Bettini, and so forth... the racing will be superb. I just don't see the cobbled classics at Pettacchi's thing... yet. He just hasn't really done big things when truly separated from his team like will inevitably happen in the classics.

barnstorm said:

Oh, we will see historic racing without Ale Jet in the mix. the list of young talented Classics studs seems to be growing by the minute. Add that to the proven talents like Zabel, Boonen (wasn't he still considered young like a week ago?) Bettini, and so forth... the racing will be superb. I just don't see the cobbled classics at Pettacchi's thing... yet. He just hasn't really done big things when truly separated from his team like will inevitably happen in the classics.

Right - no disrespect intended but Petacchi's not one for a race with dozens and dozens of selections. Slippery narrow farm roads, windy coastal sections, flat cobbles, steep cobbled climbs that see riders WALKING and falling over. The last third of the race is a bunch of zig-zagging done so near the finish line that quitting is just too easy if you're behind.

You must win alone in Flanders.

Fair enough. Ok, my long shot for the Ronde is now officially Ballan. 😄