Gilbert is in a contract year, and his current deal has a bunch of bonus escalation clauses from what I've read. Overall a great day for Belgian fans...GVA coming through for BMC, unfortunately Tejay couldn't do the same in Catalunya :-(

Tejay is 100% out of his leauge and a mental soup sandwich. Gilbert had a great race today thanks to some hard work by boonen. Overall kind of a weird race, a lot going on very early, too many crashes, and rather boring finish. This is the only way QS can win, they have to cause an unexpected split and catch others out. Sadly the crashes ensures the break would stay away, but then again gilbert is on my velogames team so i am happy.

Not sure what martin was doing so early? Why not save him for the end to close gaps?

That whining over nothing is going to hunt him for longggg time... (TJ)

as of right now the teams that look lost are Katusha and Trek.

Let see how Flanders and PRBX play out but hard to bet against Sagan, GVP and prob Sep/KW

---

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

Agree with you re: Tejay. Movistar must be thinkin' "como te gusto ahora"
I know BMC takes tremendous pride in their TTT, but if JJ rojas touching two butts is the difference, seems kinda soft to be screaming about it on twitter.

You are spot on with your disappointments. I expected Tony Martin/Kristoff to be a formidable team, and what happened to Stuyven today? Such a bummer for Dege...Goes to show you how guys like Drucker and Oss don't get nearly the respect they deserve on these races.

tbf, Drucker and Oss haven't consistently shown that they can be effective at the ending stages of a classic. The former has won a one-day (that race in London), and the latter has a Giro stage, but I recall how Oss blew up on the Kemmelberg in 2015 or how Sagan rode him off the wheel in 2016 Het Nieuwsblad (without attacking, just by going hard).

What i saw today from BMC's policing work is something altogether different as they were very efficient in discouraging attacks. Textbook stuff, almost

Think Trek and Katusha fell into the trap of thinking that they could reel back the break when the break contains the big hitters. Thinking goes that 60km out is too far for a successful attack, so they don't immediately shut it down. And for a while, the break dangles by maybe 10 seconds, but all the sudden, the presence of a hill causes the gap to increase; now some of the domestiques are tired from the chasing and climbing, and the big hitters would need to pull their weight to maintain the gap. Except that's not what happens, and the gap grows, all the while the big hitters in the break keep on working.

That's like me in most of my own bike races.

"That's not The Break."

[5 minutes]

"Shit."

Oss did a great job of setting picks but I'd like to see the non poursuivants get the hell out of the way.
Fun seeing Gilbert race.

Fun Strava file to look through from Postlberger-

https://www.strava.com/activities/912890745

Here is one from Naesen-

https://www.strava.com/activities/912755203

Not gonna trash Tejay. Name another (clean) American besides LeMond who has even been in contention at this level. I'd say he's about maybe 50% out of his league. The league in question being populated with convicted dopers.

Movistar and Sky both had 4, 5 guys until about 8 k. Hermanns and Dennis DNS for BMC. Tejay had the ride he almost always has on climbs like this one and gets what he can from his ability. Eff Valverde. At 35 or whatever he seems to still be reaping the previous doping benefits. Same with AC.

Of course this argument assumes Tejay is and has been clean. I do believe this.

I don't know why Tejay has become such a popular Internet punching bag. No, he's not a top-5-in-the-world GC guy....but:

2016:

2nd GC Vuelta a Andalucia
5th Volta a Catalynya
6th Tour de Suisse

2015:

2nd Criterium du Dauphina
2nd Tour of Oman

2014:

5th Tour de France
3rd Volta a Catalunya
2nd Tour of OMan
1st USA Pro Challenge

2013:

1st USA Pro Challenge
1st Tour of California
3rd Criterium International
4th Paris-Nice.

2012:

5th Tour de France
2nd USA Pro Challenge
4th Road Worlds TT
5th Paris-Nice
4th Tour of California.

Out of his league and "mental sandwich?" Please. That's a really, really solid career, and shows incredible mental strength. He wipes up against all USA competition and struggles against about 10 of the world's best GC guys. If he's clean that's fucking unbelievably strong. We should be putting this guy on a pedestal, not tearing him down.

He brings it upon himself, he regularly talks himself up as a serious world tour GC contender, yet regularly comes up short. No problem with that if you work hard and come up short, but he constantly complains and has excuses, that is why i never have enjoyed him as a rider. Just say you worked hard, gave it your all, but came up short. Regular complaining and pointing towards excuses demonstrates you are mentally struggling.

I must have missed all that talk.

He has had a tremendous amount of success at a young age (and remember, he's still only 28). His team and TJ himself had made it clear that he was their TDF overall contender and heir apparent to Cadel Evans. In the years since he came in 5th at the tour, the field around him has clearly elevated beyond his ceiling - and it's disappointing. As American fans hungry for the next great American GC guy, on the heels of the Lance debacle, TJ has definitely been forced to carry a heavy burden.. It is unfair but that's the nature of the business. But BMC has picked up Porte and is coming to terms that TJ is a fantastic rider but not the future tour winner we all had hoped for.. I don't think it's a knock on Tejay's career- but you can't help but see it has clearly effected him mentally.

what's all this talk about stage racing when we have another classic coming up

for E3

Stybar, Vanmarcke, Sagan
Kristoff, Gougeard

Boy did you blow that one?;)

Everyone watching? The gravel sections definitely feel weird in this race. I can see how they could decide the whole thing. Could have already cost Kristoff

hehe :) i don't have a crystal ball

this is getting interesting. People are putzing, and though there's firepower to have a break stay away, doubt people want to have Degenkolb along for the ride

cross headwind finish; should be fireworks on the exposed roads into Wevelgem

though both Sagan and GvA should skip turns as Qucikstep and Sunweb have representation

edit: these five should be able to stay away

Beautiful finish here coming up. Front 5 split up. Dang this is going to be close. 10k to go.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Nice pace work photobike!

Sagan group has to be able to catch?

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Nope. Amazing ride at front.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Sagan racing for 3rd. Bummer

Quickstep was too smart for their own good and messed things up on the front of the race before it was certain that the peloton could latch back on. It's unfortunate that Sagan was the victim of this bs. Though to be fair, he should have never let a gap appear to GvA in the first place. Would have loved to see him dueling it out with GvA and Kekueliere (who's a pretty good sprint)

I sorta am unclear why gaped formed? They were worried about too many passengers? 13k out? Sagan didn't want to work to pull everyone back up?


Kinda lost why they sat up for that brief instance and actually never even got close after that. 8' gap was as close as they could get.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I got gassed just watching Sagan and Terpstra chase. Props to GvA.