Friday Group Ride #17
Roubaix! Roubaix! Allez! Roubaix!
I don’t know. It just came out. So … here we are. For some of us, the biggest weekend of the cyclo-spectator year. The Queen of the Classics. The Hell of the North. A Sunday in Hell. Other, clever monikers incorporating the word ‘hell.’ Go on. Make up some of your own. It’s fun.
Paris-Roubaix, which actually starts in Compiégne, north of the French capital, and ends in the velodrome at Roubaix, consists of 28 cobbled sections (see the RKP Roubaix t-shirt here for the full list of cobbled stretches) connected by bits of proper pavement. The pavement serves as respite from the suffering, and allows the riders who have been dropped, crushed, crashed, mechanicalled or otherwise beaten by the cobbles, to regain their senses and climb into a team car or the broom wagon.
I could go on and on (ask my wife), but my hyperbole would be as a smear of embrocation against the elements. Not up to the task.
Here is a list of favorites (some more favorite than others, obviously): Cancellara, Boonen, Hushovd, Flecha, Farrar, Eisel, Maaskant, Pozzato, Breschel, Hincapie, Hoste. The dark horses: Everyone else.
Paris-Roubaix sometimes yields to the strongest rider, but other times bestows its glory on the luckiest. If you’re both strong and lucky, you’ll win. Maybe.
Anyway, let’s do something special for this most special of Group Rides. Let’s say, the first person to name the podium finishers correctly (and in correct order) wins the aforementioned Roubaix t-shirt. We will have one winner, the first up with the right answers. So name your podium … now.
Image: John Pierce, Photosport International
When Cancellara attacks in does so in a resounding manner that produces huge gaps in moments. He also has the most dominant results this spring and it suggests he could easily back up his aggression. Toss in the notion that he is fine time trailer that can go out on a limb for long stretch. Combine these elements with the extreme physicality that PR demands from the body, and it was psychologically easy for his fellow competitors to resign themselves to racing for second place against Boonen.
Cancellara is clearly in the form of his life, but his consistent results this spring speak volumes about mental discipline. He never let mechanicals get to him. He never let the tactics of others dictate his tactics. He never appeared anxious when his team plans are falling by the way side. He was focused and pounced on the opportunity when the circumstances presented themselves. Granted it is probably a fair amount easier when you know your form is at least as good as your best foe (and likely far better), but his string of victories this spring suggest to me he is not only physically superior this spring, but also mentally on another level.
In this interview: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riis-reveals-the-secret-of-cancellaras-roubaix-attack?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=news_headlines
Bjarne Riis says he told Cancellara when to attack. Does that diminish the brilliance of the move, knowing the DS commanded it rather than the rider thinking of it?
They diminish it a tad Robot… but just a tad. Arguably it is not quite heroic to act on the bequest of the DS, but a rider responding to an observation his DS makes during a race still requires the rider to have the attentitiveness to be in the right position at all times to execute that moment when it arises. All the events leading up to and after seemed to be motivated by Cancellara making few mistakes and biding his time to make a definitive attack in comparison to the seemingly more responsive approach favored by Boonen.
In the same cyclingnews interview Riis seems to acknowledge as much when he said: “Boonen made mistakes during the race. How many? Two can be too many. I think if you want to win this race you have to stay calm, relaxed and not stressed. Then go when you have to go.” I think Hincapie in RDV was another example of a rider’s inattentativeness costing him position. Cancellara seemed to have few of these instances during his spring campaign whereas other riders seemed more prone to them.
I for one don’t think it really diminishes the attack any. Afterall, he held it for himself.
In regard to Cancellera’s final move in Roubaix yesterday I am still in shock in regard to what seemed or looked like a lack of effort put forth by Tomke and the other 8 riders? This group consisted of the best classics riders in the world. I don’t want to to take anything away from Cancellera’s super effort but that shouldn’t happen right?
The fact that Riis told Cancellara when to attack doesn’t diminish the victory or the move itself. However, if you’re a fan of race radios, it is Exhibit A for why they should be used. If you don’t like race radios, that detail is sand in your eye. I’m not a fan of race radios for the most part, and so I’m a little frustrated, but I would like to think that if they were eliminated, the great riders would go back to thinking for themselves.
Without the radios, how would that episode have played differently? It’s an interesting question. While all answers are suppositions, it’s fair to think that Cancellara would have been looking around a bit more, looking for Boonen to slip back. But perhaps Boonen wouldn’t have slipped so far back if he’d seen Cancellara looking around. Maybe there would have been more attacks overall. Or maybe, some nobody would have gotten away in a suicide move and stuck it to the finish.
Yep, I tend to think that being told by you director via radio that Boonen is at the back is not really so different to being given the tap on the shoulder by a team mate or seeing it for yourself. It’s still the same mistake by Boonen and capitalisation by saxo/Cancellara.
It has always been a team sport for individuals after all : o )
Gotta disagree with you guys. Reading a race is a huge part of being a champion cyclist. We don’t really know if Fabian would have bolted on his own at that exact time without the help of Riis? And if Tommeke would have re-placed himself again at 2nd wheel we may have had a different race outcome. This doesnt diminish Cancellera’s effort at all but there was no shoulder tap or teammate placed at that time I believe…peace.
Mj
Personally, I would like to see racing without radio’s.
And with that, who is to say that Boonen’s DS wasn’t yelling in his ear to grab position? I can imagine how many ways that Boonen was getting the same from both his DS and belgian fans on the roadside encouraging him (only as belgians can) to get to the front. And, either way, to see Cancellara at that stage of the race respond with the vigor he did stated without doubt he deservingly won it and on that we all agree:-)
Cancellara = Beast or is he half man half beast?