Pro-cycling thread

Nice ride from PG though, something like 55kms? Out the front solo. Let's see if he can keep it for the win. Shame about the crash could of made a very interesting last 3 kms

uh oh.

Come on Phil.

Great way to cross the line. Well done

Yeh nice finish

Some ride that. I suspect he'd have still won but that might have been closer had Sagan not crashed.

Solo from 55k out, when he went on the Kwaremont I thought what is he doing, esp since he had Boonen and Trentin with him, but it proved to be the winning move. The crashes certainly were a big factor too, but he certainly owned that. Gilbert, back to 2011 form

no idea how GVA pulled 2nd place out of the bag

you had one job terpstra etc

His job was to ensure the win. Anything else was a bonus.

Amazing performance, almost Merckx-esque in execution. I thought the racing would start early but going alone that far out was very brave. He was in his knees in the last 5k though, unsurprisingly.

Other than the world champs that's his biggest result right?

It's really a proper monument and in his back yard. Great to see.

A Belgian in Belgian champ kit on a Belgian team in need of a Belgian sponsor as it's greatest Belgian star retires wins RVV? What are the chances!

He's won LBL. But it doesn't get any bigger than de Ronde for a Belgian, including the WC.

He's a Walloon, who grew up in Remouchamps, at the foot of La Redoute. I think the LBL win means more to him than this.

But I imagine it's like being asked to pick your favourite child.

I wonder what odds you would've got on Scott Thwaites being the best British finisher this morning. Rowe gets a pass, but what happened to Stannard? It does not bode well for next Sunday.

Well a deserved winner it was.

Yeah Stannard was disappointing. Sky massed ahead of the Muur and did get two riders into the decisive break, but Stannard missed it.

That said the weather was far too nice for Stannard. Also he's not best suited to the Ronde, his climbing lets him down. Paris-Roubaix is a different beast.

Yeah I know. Guess it seems like he's super hungry for this cobbled season because it wasn't on his programme at BMC. And I think he'd like to be popular in the whole country not just Wallonia and this Spring campaign really ought to make him a nationwide hero :) I'm chuffed for the guy

If he only rides well In the cold and wet he's fucked at PR.

Edit: ah i see. The climbing.

I was being a lil facetious about Stannard. He's been pretty anonymous throughout the cobbles, he doesn't have the form of previous seasons. That said Sky raced this well, went to the front ahead of the Muur, along with Quickstep forced the move that Sagan and GVA missed. Got Moscon and Rowe into the front group where they did a lot of work alongside Quickstep. But Belgian concrete saw the end of that.

@Grand-Wizard-Goma-Sauce

Betancur's tyre pressure:

'however you like'

or

'medium rare please, with extra churros'

Anyone spot him at any point?

I don't recall seeing any Movistar riders today. A bit like Lotto NL Jumbo