I'll take a pull for the group. LaPorte is sick.

  

e3

mvdp/wout/mads

de gendt (aime) / van poppel

MvDP, Wout, Wellens

Matty Jorgo,
Mads

Thomas De Gendt in the breakaway down in Catalunya. Feels like it's been a while, but great to see him in his natural habitat.

Jeez, was it really 2019 when he won stage 1 of Catalunya?

Have a hard time seeing how MvdP and Wout dial anything
back, and Mads will be right with them.

MvdP, Wout, Mads
Kung, Van Poppel

DvP earned a spot. He is a hell of a lead out, and has a darn fast finish himself. For a guy that has been around, he still looks great. He was 9th at Gent last year, nice podium yesterday.

Van Pop's move back up to the front yesterday after running off the road was pro bargy. Looked like Coakley moving through the night club. (Obscure movie reference)

Thanks for the heads up. Updated:
MvP, Mads, Wout
Bettiol, De Lie

Surrounded by Stood-Fish

I went with a Van podium (aert/derpoel/baarle) but left off van poppel (is there a 3 van limit?)
too bad we can't add 2 recently retired vans (sep and nathan).

on the de gendt side - his breakaways are so incredible (ben king/de marchi/boassen hagen at the tour (2019?) when he won in front of pinot and alaphil). my question is: has the level become higher such that he isnt the class of every break he starts and/or the level of the chasers for sprint glory are even higher?
When riding in Andorra last summer he had a $hit ton of koms from trying hard to break away from the gun in late stage in the vuelta (2018?) on a short-ish stage. i can't really think of an updated version of TDG in recent years - just classics ballers imitating him in grand tour stages (Asgreen/Bling/Kwia).

my obscure movie reference fu is weak. mea culpa.

I feel like maybe he got such a strong reputation as a breakaway savant that he got deemed too dangerous to let go and started having a tougher and tougher time being allowed into a break to begin with. Could also be that the level has gotten higher, though it's also possible his own level has fallen off (as a legendary aficionado of strong Belgian ales, there is a point where that could compromise your level vs. guys who live like monks, of which there seem to be more and more these days).

Finish in Catalunya will be interesting as it seems headed for a bunch sprint in a peloton with a complete absence of sprinters.

@Wannabe jumped all over the movie reference. Shut down the move.

In one days last year, Taco seemed to be out there an awful lot.

Charlottesville's own Ben King is the closest recent TDG type I can think of. Got a great Vuelta stage TDG style 3? years ago.

Though he had a short year last year. He hasn't raced since Flanders. At this point I'm starting to get worried about his career - concussion issues.

Vandenberg? I haven't heard that name since the days of Whitesnake & Cinderella

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

WvA, MvdP, Mohoric
Jorgensen Bettiol

E3
MvdP, Mads, Wout
Bettiol, Jorgensen

Won't be able to watch the finale live tomorrow so will save the race til after work (praying I can avoid getting Flo'd), which, on the plus side, means beer.

E3
Van Aert, van der Poel, Bettiol
Pedersen, Mohoric

 

i did a van swap just before the start. seems van gestel was taken out of the lineup last minute, so i subbed in van poppel.

but now i aspire to the all van- pick, maybe for gent wevelgem :)

It looks like Bettiol and van Baarle were involved in the early crash. Both appear to be still going. Per Strand Hagenes is on his way to hospital.

Power guy weather. Vans should do well. I left off King Kung but he ought to fair well if he stays out of trouble.

Stand by your van.

 


new van also out dammit

i forgot pollitt had changed teams and didn't think he was starting. might have been a good darkhorse.

'stand by your van' - nice one - loyalty is key.
i was going to use - my moon my van (feist) - for when your van (inevitably) disappoints you.
weather just makes me like the Mads pick even more.

That is golden!

I'm loving this weather so far. It's a shame that Bettiol seems the worse for wear after his crash; he has looked excellent lately.

One of my vans - Baarle - not looking great with a crash then a mechanical at a bad time.