Like a cat 5 crit, just carnage everywhere.
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Thought I was watching NASCAR there, yikes!!!
I donât think Iâve ever seen such a messy finale in a pro race.
I wonât spoil it, but the Catalunya finale was incredible for a mountain stage.
Smart decision by Ineos to take Ewan to Coppi e Bartoli instead.
I could have won a sprint in that field. 
That said, its nice to see signs of life from Ewan.
That looked like a mosh pit at a Slayer show in Germany. Must have been a waiting line for an ambulance ride.
More class and skill on display Catalunyaâheâs quick too.
Hope Ganna gets one.
I canât see how Pogacar beats vdP at Roubaix unless something goes really wrong for latter.
Itâs hard to envision a scenario where Pog drops vdP, other than a flat. Could see Pog in an elite breakaway a la MSR but winning it?
Ganna is such a beast, he deserves a big win in the spring classics. Iâm routing for the rouleurs this weekend⌠Ganna, Kung, Tarling, Foss, Lazkano, Pollitt etc.
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What in the world was going on at DePanne today?
Any crash reports? hopefully no damage for the big classics.
Havenât caught up with the overnight racing news yet - sounds like itâs been chaos!
Picks for E3: MVDP, Matteo Jorgensen, Mads Pederson.
Wild cards: Van Aert, Jasper Stuyven
One of the crashes looked to be caused by Milan giving a headbutt and he was apparently given a yellow card but not relegated. Thatâs is dumb IMO.
Merlier apparently needed stitches in his leg for a bad cut. Lionel Taminiaux has a collapsed lung and some ribs broken.
@ClayDavis Iâd love for any of those big unit rouleurs to bag a win this spring. Especially Kung and Oier Como Va.
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I think one of the things about the carnage at DePanne was what we knew going in: literally every top sprinter and their team was there, and plenty of other second and third tier sprinters who felt like they were in with a shot. So thatâs literally 20+ full-on leadout trains fighting for position in the final kilometres. There were some bottlenecks and turns in there and there was just no room for everyone when itâs such a dogfight for the front.
E3: MvdP, Wout, Ganna
MattyJo, Mads
He has to go insanely early, I would think? Like, attacking through Arenberg early.
Just having him there makes PR really interesting this year. Everyone has to be assuming heâs going to go crazy early, which should make the fight for the breakaway pretty bonkers. Can his team get someone in it? Do they let something go if they arenât in it? Does Alpecin take responsibility to police the break like they did at MSR?
Might be a good year for a darkhorse to steal one.
Yeah, I think thatâs the only way. He has to have a teammate or two up the road, go way early like Worlds, and hope the big guns keep their powder dry. But, Worlds.
Dark horse taking it is an interesting thought. There could be negative racing that allows a break to go all the way. Otoh, like with Strade and MSR, when things go nuclear, the top guys seem willing to push all the chips in. Frankly, a repeat of how MSR went down only seems to favor vdP even more. Though if Ganna makes it to finale I wonder if his track pedigree could swing things.
One thing seems likely: itâll be more than vdP vs Wout this time.
Didnât watch yet. But from what I read, with several sprinters saying same, is the lack of any wind today (which is basically standard fare for De Panne) prevented any splits, so absolutely everyone was there fighting for position.
I remember last year the Womenâs race was carnage. But that was rain.
Remind me, how did DvB get away a few years back?
I remember Ineos drilling it right from the jump. Cam Ward pulling hard early, then Ganna. Canât recall how he escaped. Wout was just back from Covid. MvdP was there, but not a factor. His back?
That might be the only template. UAE bring the heavies and just Go!
If memory serves he was in front group and got away later, while Wout had multiple punctures. Donât recall what vdPâs deal was but seems around the time of his back issues.
To fredlyâs point, could see a scenario where if there was a selection, someone like Wellens could ride away. Just doesnât seem like the typical UAE gameplan of putting Pogi in position to demolish everyone will play out here, as it might at Flanders. So perhaps it will be more tactical and less of another display of brute strength.
Yeah no wind to break things up is a deviation from the De Panne script. Hopefully the ladies can keep the rubber side down tomorrow.
Are we doing E3 picks for the tally?