What The Hell Has Gotten Into Classics Course Planners!?
by Chris Fontecchio on Jan 30, 2010 2:33 AM EST
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PrintI know we've been rolling out the details of the bigger races of 2010 as they've been released. And there has been much to discuss. But sometime in the last ten days or so, a number of the demi-classics published their course information... and if you're one of the masochists who has to race over the cobbles in spring, you are in for one extended beat-down after another.
Now, I know that whether or not this year's edition of E3 Prijs Harelbeke is considered a tough one has more to do with the weather and how hard the peloton decides to stomp on the pedals, but consider this:
* Gent-Wevelgem has moved into the pre-monument pole position, and in order to justify its place they added a good 50km to the route. Part of that will come from a romp all the way to the coast, but the remainder of the extra km comes from a detour into France. Oh, and instead of four categorized climbs (two romps over the Kemmelberg and Montenberg), they've nudged the total up to... 16.
* The day before is E3 Prijs Harelbeke, which from a cursory glance isn't changing much. Might be one extra climb -- this isn't the official, detailed, obsessive preview, after all. But considering they lost their ticket as THE Flanders dress rehearsal, it's notable that they haven't shrunk the course at all. Same old hammerfest.
* Next up, it's Driedaagse de Panne, which usually starts with a Flemish Ardennes stage, a flat romp to the coast, and two short concluding stages in De Panne. Stage 1, Middlekerke to Oudenaarde (!), isn't remarkably harder than last year's opening festivity, traditionally a very hard stage, with 12 climbs concluding a few km from the line. And stage 2 had the Kemmelberg last year too. No great change.
Still, taken together that's four straight hard days in the Flemish Ardennes and... whatever they call the area around Kemmel, Ypres, and Poperinge. Twelve climbs on Saturday, 16 on Sunday, 12 more on Monday, and a romp over the Kemmelberg into a probable headwind Tuesday. This is a bit beyond the usual runup to de Ronde.
Oh, and is it me, or do all these races suddenly have pretty nice looking websites (links above)? E3 Prijs Harelbeke is particularly heavy on cool graphics. It's like this is the year the spotlight shines brightest on the Classics... and they know it.
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I am curious to what the big guns will chose leading up into the big week...
Since San Remo is the week before Gent, that would be 2 250+k races in 8 days and then having to be fresh for the Ronde and Roubaix. I am still thinking that Boonen and other big names will skip Wevelgem or pull out early because it will be hard to show up for 4 weekends in a row.
I like the new loop for Gent and it will change it up a bit and it should be an attacker’s paradise.
I think more of the big guns will duck E3 than GW
Your point about the number and length of the races is spot on, but most of these guys really want that mileage at that time of year. Consider that for all intents and purposes they can sit in at MSR for 270K, and really only go hard for in the last 20. GW is going to be the wake up call they’ll want for Flanders, and depending on how that goes, they can always conserve a little something for PR.
"Woof, woof, woof! That's my other dog imitation."
Yeah but they would all ready have miles in there legs from a pre-classics stage race, P-N or T-A...
I just think that guys like Boonen and Cancellara are not going to kill themselves over G-W when they could win a monument. They will probably start the race but not have 1 single goal in mind and maybe just go hard on a few climbs and do the same thing the next day at E3. All I am saying is that they aren’t going to ruin their spring over trying to win G-W.
by Vlaanderen90 on Jan 30, 2010 11:22 AM EST up reply actions
We're on the same wave length
I agree they ride it but don’t ride to win. I thought you were saying they;d skip it entirely, which I don’t think they will.
"Woof, woof, woof! That's my other dog imitation."
Just looked at the E-3 website and concur
It’s pretty sweet. I also like the price list for VIP Arrangements. Chris, it’s only 1000 euro to get up in a helicopter ;-)
Oh sure
Like I have $350,000 lying around.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Jan 30, 2010 11:27 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Whew!
I was thinking I’d have to brew them myself
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris Fontecchio on Jan 30, 2010 3:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
We will get six nice weeks of cycling ...
… with a start in Milan and a finish in Liège.
And as far as the flemish races are concerned there are also the Vlaamse Pijl and Dwars Door Vlaanderen.
It must be good to live in that area :-)
The best thing about that area?
No matter where you ride you can find climbs out the wazoo. You don’t even have to follow any particular race route, just plunk yourself in some town in Flanders and start riding. Soon enough you’ll hit bergs.
"Woof, woof, woof! That's my other dog imitation."
What's gotten into them? Simple solution: Beer!
Wigglypuff Cav Crunch, Breakfast of Madison Champions!
Gent wevelgem
I think the big cobbles favourites won’t be deterred by trying to be competitive for a few weekends in a row. Just look at some of the recent winners of the race when it’s been a midweeker between PR and RvV, cobbles heavyweights Hincapie, Boonen and Hushovd have all won it. I think having it the week before will make the perennial favourites even more competitive in GW despite the extra mileage.
http://www.irishpeloton.com/
by irishpeloton on Feb 1, 2010 12:36 AM EST via mobile reply actions
+1
A look at how Gilbert finished last season would be in order. Take the win if it’s there.
He who is, is. He who is not, seeks.
Thumbs up to the new G-W course
The new climbs give G-W an even more specific identity. Much as we all like the Kapelmuur, Molenberg, Paterberg, etc., they get used to death in other Flemish races. Those races become too inbred me to care about them except as a sign of spring and a preview to the Ronde.
I really like the idea of going into French Flanders for a couple bergs. Does anyone know if these new climbs are cobbled…or if they added other cobbles? The website doesn’t say.
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