Boonen wins Paris-Roubaix
- Thread starter Chris_E
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He can never win one of the big tours but he has the potential to win a lot of classic racesChris_E said:
Boonen is going to win buckets of classics and stage victories but never a GT.Chris_E said:
He is simply class though.
I have to question why you think George showed tactical nous today.He was hanging on most of the day yet didnt even do anything to shake Boonen before the Velodrome.
Hincapie wouldnt beat Boonen in the velodrome in 100 attempts , so why did he just sit there - he should have gone with Flecha a few KM out , almost flat out.Couldnt have finished any worse and might have shaken Boonen.
Belgian TV had a short interview with George just after the race and his answer to that question was that he couldn't do better and he didn't have the power to shake Boonen and FlechaRoadrash Dunc said:
Yeah that was what i figured - shows how awesome Boonen is then , because his pulls on the front were twice as long as Hincapies and Flechas.BelgianDude said:
Really happy for Tom , he seems like a nice bloke with it.
Boonen was clearly on a higher level than Hincapie and Flecha at the end. The only way to beat him would have been for Flecha to attack and for Hincapie to force Boonen to respond. Then the Hincapie would counter and Flecha would force Boonen to respond. That might have taken the stuffing out of him.
Nah, that wouldn't have worked either, he was too damn strong.
Nah, that wouldn't have worked either, he was too damn strong.
Boonen indicates one of his goals is the TdF green jersey. I DON'T THINK SO. We'll see DC put Boonen into this place at the TdF.
The guy should be paid back for his disloyalty to USPS/Demol when he jumped ship to Quick Step, and the TdF is the best place for that to happen. I am not saying that was not a best step from his selfish perspective, but that it was sitll a betrayal of USPS/Demol.
The guy should be paid back for his disloyalty to USPS/Demol when he jumped ship to Quick Step, and the TdF is the best place for that to happen. I am not saying that was not a best step from his selfish perspective, but that it was sitll a betrayal of USPS/Demol.
musette said:
Umm, so was it a betrayal for Landis to leave? What about Kevin Livingston and Tyler? People switch teams all the time. It's no big deal and hardly a betrayal. Boonen wanted to learn from his idol and with a local team. Fine with me.
I can guarantee the Discovery will pay absolutely no attention to Boonen or anyone else going for the green jersey at the Tour. The idea that they would is nothing short of ridiculous.
I just rewatched the tape and man, there can be no doubt that Boonen deserved this race. Great tactics, huge pulls on the pave, and a great sprint. The man is just so, so good for his age.
Flecha was marvelous as well. Lots of big pulls, especially early in the break. And I'm very glad for Hincapie to get a podium.
Flecha was marvelous as well. Lots of big pulls, especially early in the break. And I'm very glad for Hincapie to get a podium.
I don't see why Boonen couldn't do well in the tour. People forget that Armstrong was a once a one day specialist untill he dicided to focus on the bigger races. Of course that was in the day back before the protour when the grand tours were the big time and the classics were second tier. Now of course with the pro tour giving meaning to all the small races perhaps some of the strong classics riders won't worry about the Grand tours. But still I don't see any reason why a pettachi or boonen type rider couldn't shine at the Grand tours if they trained for it.
Watched the 45 minute ration of P-Roubaix on Eurosport.
Boonen had to be clear favourite on entering the velodrome at Roubaix against
Flecha and Hincapie.
I thought Hincapie should have tried to get away before arriving in the velodrome given that Boonen is a better sprinter.
I expect that Hincapie is disappointed - P:R is the one he always wants to win
and he must have thought that he was in with a chance.
Poor old Van Petegem had a nightmare with his crash.
Boonen is doing a "Rebellin" this year - roll on the Amstel.
Boonen had to be clear favourite on entering the velodrome at Roubaix against
Flecha and Hincapie.
I thought Hincapie should have tried to get away before arriving in the velodrome given that Boonen is a better sprinter.
I expect that Hincapie is disappointed - P:R is the one he always wants to win
and he must have thought that he was in with a chance.
Poor old Van Petegem had a nightmare with his crash.
Boonen is doing a "Rebellin" this year - roll on the Amstel.
musette said:
Oh come on now. Loyalty? A rider of his caliber needs to do what is best for him. You expect him to stay and work his ass off for Lance, all to maintain some type of "loyalty?" Riders leave teams all the time for a number of reasons. Are they all being unloyal? Or is it different because it's Lance's team?
Discovery's not going to put anyone in the green. How in the world would they "put Boonen into this [sic] place?"
hilljunkie said:
First, I don't think that Lance's transformation as a rider is comparable to anyone else. Lance lost all his muscle and fat from chemo. In my view it was chemo that ultimately made Lance so good. Eventually, he was able to make himself a new bike rider from scratch. He has no muscle or fat not suited for GC riding.
Second, Boonen might be able to do well in the tour, if he trained for it. By this I mean a total commitment that would change his body shape and risk his dominant PR, Fleche Wallone type of riding. I think that he has the cardiovascular ability to do it. I do think that he could become a very good Time Trialist and ok climber, which you can win GT with. On the other hand I don't think he will ever train to be a gc rider. Especially with the pro tour, but also with general pressure. He will stick to classics and stage wins.
Third, I don;t think that Petachi could be a gc threat. He does not show any cardiovascular abilty. He is a track rider, with a bit more endurance, who is an awesome sprinter. Don't get me wrong he is amazing, but its like saying that Carl Lewis could have been a great 1500 meter runner if he had only trained for it.
At http://users.telenet.be/wilfriedsohier/paris-roubaix/ you can see som clips(with non-professional digital camera) my son and me took yesterday between Paris and Roubaix. Let me hear your comments!!!!!!
Wilfried
Wilfried
I love watching Boonen ride, he is so powerfull and he can win in a sprint or just ride everyone off his wheel. That being said i am not a big fan of him personally because of his jumping ship. Now I realise many riders change teams, but he did it in the middle of a contract (I believe) and the biggest point, he had one good pro race and started whining about wanting to leave. That's no class. At least guys like Floyd and Tyler (two names mentioned here) had proven they could ride with the big time guys over and over. It's kind of like a running back rusing for 100 yards and then demanding a trade.
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