I wonder who is the lightest rider to win?

That's a good question. In recent years, I'd guess either Knaven or Van Petegem. Most winners are well over 6 feet tall.

BOLD!

Everybody is lovin' on Degenkolb but I'm not seeing it. Prodigious talent for sure, but tons of pressure on him right now. I think Durbridge is going to have a good day. Terpstra. Boonen. Stybar can ride the bumps. You're not going to be able to swing a hoody without hitting a Quick Step rider. Rooting for Sep, van Baarle, Phinney. What about T. Martin if he can handle the cobbles? Kristoff if he can hold his wheel. So many questions.....

What about T. Martin if he can handle the cobbles?

Time-trialers tend to do well at PR. Reason - the race can get really strung out and you often have to do a lot of solo bridging from group to group.

I believe I've seen Martin employed as an Early-Break rider in the past for his teams.

Teams are keen to get riders in this early break, and keep them there for a few reasons. For teams with fancied riders, the riders in the break ounce caught by chasing groups with the main race favourites, can serve as more immediate mechanical help - wheels, or even whole bikes for the race favourite. On some of the cobbled sections they don't allow the team cars and as previously noted, this race get's REALLY strung out from the front of the race to the very back. If you flat or get a mechanical at PR, depending on where it happens, it may be a long wait for help.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

too good to not acknowledge. hilarious.

and I would love to see T. Martin throw down.

Orica should be able to podium if they play their cards right.

Still not sure about Kristoff

Good points. This is a race where the lead group sometimes doesn't know it's the lead group.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.......so messed up. Steve Tilford was killed in an auto accident. That guy was my cycling hero. RIP.

Just saw that on my feed. May he rest in peace.

1. GVA
2. a nobody...
3. Niki or Stybar

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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

all this, just after he recovered from brain injury. tragic

RIP Steve Tilford. I never met him, but he was in my age cohort so I've been hearing Tilford stories for 30 years.

With that ... WTF are we doing letting this thread drop to the 3rd page!

PR is coming up, and Rouleur has an excellent article (https://rouleur.cc/...al/a-sunday-in-hell/) on an old movie that bears re-watching sometime before Sunday.

As far as picks:

1) Tommeke
2) Boonen
3) Tornado Tom.

My only wish for Sunday is to see Boonen go out on a true high note. It's going to be tough because he will be marked like never before. He has been showing good form and being the perfect team-mate (as ever in his career). Hopefully Sunday will be his day.

Degenkolb, GvA, Naesen
Durbridge and Boonen

Uh-oh, you better look out. Cache toi, vite! The wild-card police have a warrant for your arrest. :-)

Jesus Christ, Boonen as a wildcard?

Boonen hasn't convinced me at all this season - he seems to be good but not at the level needed to win. I'm thinking more of an outsider like a Luke Rowe.

Yes, I think he has an outside chance of winning or podium. Also, do please give your self-appointed wildcard police gig a rest; it is getting a bit trite and is past the sell-by date. Perhaps you forgot how the whole prediction format (podium + 2 WC) got started: I suggested it for the spring classic prediction tallying, and no-one has complained about it until you decided to do so two years afterwards...

So serious! But it's your thread, so fine. Though I don't understand why you don't just make a 5-person podium and bother with "wild card."

Also classifying Boonen as some kind of outsider is insane. He's still a firm podium threat in any flattish one-day race, particularly with unambiguous support from his Classic superpower team. I think he was 2nd last year, and 3rd at Worlds not that long ago.

Chill, mon freres! This is a fun, congenial, and knowledgeable cycling thread. Keeps me off Tinder.

Boonen- Gotta be a top 5. He has an army ready to die for him and a roaring adoring crowd for 260k. I'd love to see him go out on top especially after getting nipped last year.. Class guy, much respect for his career from party boy to total pro and new dad. Chapeau.

If GvA stay out of trouble, no one can stop him. But.....I'm taking

Boonen (heart not head pick)
Sagan- gets tag teamed by QS and comes in on fumes but rides loose with no expectations and ends well.
Terpstra- beast.
WC: Durbridge, Rowe (did the best endo I've ever seen last year)

I think he was 2nd last year, and 3rd at Worlds not that long ago.

Boonen has to be considered one of the main favorites for PR. He can an still race with the best in the world on a flatish classics style course, and will no doubt have the support of one of the strongest teams, front to back, in the race.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I just got back from Belgium on Thursday. I won't recap, I can't. Just wouldn't do it justice - if you have not experienced De Ronde and also ridden those cobbles - just book the trip now for next year. Just do it. Probably the most memorable cycling trip of my life. Wish I could have stayed for P-R. But RL calls...

PR:
I really do believe Tommeke will win, both brain and heart picks. He is fit, has the best team. His body was built for this race.

My other heart pick is Hayman repeat... who can forget that unforgettable "holy shit is this real?" moment last year right after the race. Would love to see that again.

so...

Tommeke
Hayman
Stannard

EBH, Terpstra are wc (arrest me if you must)


PR is the most unpredictable race of the year so eff it, I'm staying away from Peto and GVA...

Tom should be peaking. I really think he can do it. but I think Hayman could too. both have been pointing at it for so long.

I've been stripped of police powers. EBH is legit wildcard, though. Terpstra, like my Stybar pick, is maybe a genuine wildcard too. Anyone who's not at least a co-team-leader is kind of a wildcard because a number of things have to happen before they emerge as de fact team leaders. Normally Terp would be granted sort of co-leadership. Free reign to go. I think this one is different. Everyone's lined up for Boonen. It Terp dropped Boonen while Boonen was still in contention Terp might never be able to step foot in Belgium again.

Agreed - Terpstra's only shot is if something goes drastically wrong for TB. I also expect Van Baarle to be in the mix again... That 4th at De Ronde was no fluke.. He's an absolute machine. Can this race start already!!! I cannot wait...

Also I noticed the complete "A Sunday in Hell" doc about 1976 PR is available on YouTube for free! A fantastic way to spend PR-eve...

i agree. and not starting Phil Gil was a good call. he's not one for team orders and this is Tom's show. Nicki could get a tactical win, but that's part of the game.

Yes - I have friends who went over a few years ago and did the double - both the Ronde & PR Sportifs and watched both races. They said the sportifs were the hardest thing they have ever done on a bike - and these were very fit guys!

I like the Stannard call - Everyone forgets that he was on the podium last year, and Sky always seems to have numbers in the finale at PR. They certainly did last year, and if not for some bad luck (a normal thing at PR) with a crash that took 3 of their guys out temporarily, they might have had two on the podium! Stannard has had a low-key classics campaign to date. Could be his time! He's perfect for this race - big strong guy who can push the big gear all day long!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog