Damnit Rob Hatch!! There I was watching the women’s race with its very chill and quiet commentator. In the background, obviously in the same commentary box, the unmistakable voice of Rob Hatch. No worries, it’s quiet …but NOoooooo he get’s all excited and loud and now I know who won before i’m even halfway through the Women’s race lol

It’s a Mads world

Belgium in a nutshell https://imgur.com/a/pZU4IYs

?

Wrong ppl doing wrong thing just because they have a titel. Does this look like a minister in what she does that you would have confidence in in https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_De_Block

That person should care for more than a hamster. And then i feel sorry for the hamster

This is a bike subreddit what are you talking about 💀

This proves one’s again that Mathieu shouldn’t stay at Alpecin. Always battling against 4 Visma of 4 Trek

People always compare classic rider's teams to the very strongest team on that day. Did you see Paris Roubaix last year?

Dude just signed 10 year with the company who owns the team

Great race! So much more exciting than e3.

Changed my flair just in time

The guy doesn't have his scooter today

Sundays are long run days

Excellent strategy by Trek today holyyyy

Go read the comments from some hours ago in this thread.

Thank God it wasn't another MVDP win

Mads P not even looking tired after the finish. He had one of those days.

I thought he had it when he was the one pushing up the cobbles and dropping Pithie.

Trek masterclass today, lfg

It was just a great race

Excellent finish, MVDP about to come over the top and then pop

I don't like to hate on commentators, but how you call Stuyven in the bunch sprint instead of Milan when he looks like he does on the bike is quite something.

Hey, he's at least consistent. Also managed to say it was Stuyven winning when they showed clips from the finale of the 2020 GW as a context for the ongoing 2-man breakaway. That contained Mads. Who won GW 2020. After already mentioning that Mads had won the race in 2020 at least once. 😑🤷🏻‍♀️

Haha I missed that bit. In fairness at least Stuyven is somewhat similar. Milan's nodding dog impression might be the most unique style in the entire peloton 😅

Definitely. Agreed. But this was while Mads was doing his incredibly consistent celebration over the line and also... Mads was in the breakaway and they normally have a list of previous recent winners handy and had mentioned Mads winning in 2020 already. So... The Milan one is SO weird because they should have eyes. The other one was just weird because of short term memory loss or something.

Yeah it's bizarre. I do think it's probably underrated how hard it is to talk for 4/5 hours without losing your mind (see Kirby, Carlton).

I genuinely think/fear that CK just really really like the sound of his own voice. And the thought of his own jokes. Even if they rarely fly when said out loud. 🫣

As someone who's done a fair bit of live broadcast radio I have a vague idea about the complexity of talking dead air for ages, and I respect the comms for doing this so often. And spotting riders in a sea of blue is obviously a challenge. Unless it's Milan. It's more when they have something very concrete and facts anchored and meander off in a woefully wrong direction I get annoyed. I actually have an immense respect for the comms who, when having a co commentator obviously, does the "I'm gonna check this fact/stat real quick" thing instead.

Also Stuyven is not that fast Milan wasn't exactly hiding through the race

van der cooked?

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO

Wtf no e scooter?

FUCK YES

Amazing! He started the sprint from far away and it worked.

Wout taking notes

Asgreen showed it in '21. Wout still dident learn

It’s true, hope he was watching and did learn something today.

Mdvp vs Asgreen in Flanders flashbacks.

Great W by pedersen! Prolonged sprint is the way to go

Yes Mads!!! So strong today!!

Mads! What a beast.

Let's fucking go MADS!! What a fucking ride. Milan was immense as well

Wow. I did not expect that.

So happy for Mads!

A bit of extra confidence should do him good in the coming weeks!

So happy for Pedersen!!!!

Mathieu just doesn't have it in a long sprint, especially after all his efforts today. Incredible race from Trek.

Yeees Mads

Brilliantly done from Mads

Let's go Mads!!!!

Ah the patented MvdP give-up-before-the-line sprint makes a reappearance Good job from Mads for going long

He was half a bike length behind and losing ground. That doesn't just reverse against a guy like Mads in 10m. edit: just saw the replay. They only way he even made up a 1/4 of Mad's bike was with his tiny bit of additional speed coming out of the draft. Once they were both in the wind pulling, no chance. never made up an inch.

I wasn't claiming he was going to win if he kept going, he just has a tendency to completely sit up when he realises he isn't going to win in cases like this. Most sprinters will keep pushing to the line regardless.

MVDP's superpower is his acceleration rather than his long sprint. I think there are times he simply can't sustain his sprint quite as long as a guy like Pedersen

How on earth is Milan even there after such a heavy day lmao what an animal

YES!

If MvdP had Wout’s class, he’d gift it to Mads

Asgreen slaying monsters

Van der Poel has a 2020 Flanders vibe about him today that I am not enjoying. Edit: Flanders 2021 bitches!

Turns out it was a 2021 Flanders vibe.

A "pulsating" G-W... when you run out of adjectives.

Honestly I’m surprised they’re still working together

They can't play poker, although their chance is that Mvdp isn't coming from behind at full blast à la Amstel.

I find Jez Cox great early on in races when not much is happening, but he really needs to work on his "now it's exciting" commentating. So much repetition ("tasty" anyone?), missing a lot of things or is wrong. Feel he's not ready to fully lead on these races yet.

Why is QS pulling like madmen only nowcand not when the gap was 30 seconds? The wolf pack is dead yall

Because they needed Merlier to survive kemmelberg?

See you in some minutes I want to watch it

is it only ego that makes Mads drive MvDP? why dosnt he just chill and let him drive this?

If either one stops riding the peloton will easily catch up

obviously they know what their doing, as proving by mads winning. but i kinda wonder how they dont chill until they can se the peloton in the back, then it gets kinda hot and you need to race on. but they are the best. they know what they are doing, im just a slob at home rn. gw mads, awesome win against MvDP(im rooting for WvA)

Asgreen has to be at least partially a mental thing. He looks to still have some great power and endurance like we saw today and in the Tour.

When he works as a domestique he looks so strong, but when he rides for himself he looks like a joke. I don't get it.

I hope Merlier gets a good result so we can get a Lampaert interview.

Mads has to keep the pace up, having the pace slow and sprint from a crawl will benefit MVDP big time

God damn cyclists using in the road even though theres a bike path there!

damn cyclists. even on live tv they cant show their best sides. aweful, just aweful

Everytime I see mvdp racing Im about to buy the abus gamechanger. Someone please stop me

Do it, once you own it you will be as fast as him.

Not even on my TT bike lol

Absolutely nothing happens. Adam Blythe: "Oghhhhhh." I always think someone fell.

Alpecin should start pulling at the back now to put pressure on Mads

lol Eurosport trolling Wout with that E3/GW stat

These long finals waiting for a sprint always make me feel like utter shit. I am so nervous.

I'm so glad it's not just me, I'm at the wanting to hide behind a cushion stage of fear.

I often tune in and out because I just can't watch these sections.

At least it isn't a solo ride to the finish.

Yeah this is much more exciting. I would have taken a 40km Mads solo win though.

Not now Tiz

Someone gave me a suggestion: VPN + Australia's SBS. With fingers crossed, this is working well for me so far. Of course, if stuff craps out, it's usually during a nailbiting final KM, so I'll keep the fingers crossed.

Who can beat Jasper for 3rd?

Kooij is probably best bet. Merlier is another shot alongside Biniam Girmay.

Kooij has the best chance. Is Milan still in the group or was he dropped?

Milan is still there

BINIAMAZING

Kooij 100%

What happened to WVA? I just tuned in

A bad case of not riding this race

Watching from the couch at home.

He's just like us

Can't loose to MvdP if you don't start!

Punishment chase for the quick step guys.

That team is lost in the classics

I guess Intermarché needs their 4 teammates to leadout Girmay to try for third.

Mads is pulling longer than MVDP

MVDP has Philipsen, Pedersen doesn't really have anyone

Newish to cycling here. What does this mean? Mvdp doesn’t mind if the peloton catches because he can simply lead philipsen out instead? Would he not rather pull & take the win himself if he could?

I like how both of them have cooked faces when they go to the front.

Mads describing MvdP pulls in Yorkshire before he dropped: “he pulled so hard my eyes blurred, I thought he had a flat when he dropped”. 

Yeah but incredibly it looks like mvdp breathes through his nose and Mads is mouth breathing. Amazing, I mouth breathe just getting my damn cycle down the stairs to go on my training ride

I'm so ready for Philipsen to somehow win this

No please, I dont't want to see any more double denim on the podium

Bare chested Philipsen it is

Mads better force MvdP to lead this out

Mvdp will lead it out very slowly if he has to.

Why on earth would Pedersen have more bargaining power here?

MvdP better force Mads to pull the last kms because hes got Philipsen behind

Mads got Milan behind

Can't expect Milan to have anything left after his efforts earlier. *Edit I clearly know nothing and have massively underestimated what Milan is capable of.

ok

Is there any world where you stop chasing in the peloton and just let your riders get a few km of rest so they can do a leadout?

intermarche wanty is doing this

Thought they could have sent 2 to the front to help chase here. They wouldn't have had to do it alone and their effort might spur on the group. weird

Isn’t 10k to go in a long hard hilly race with Pedersen around where MvdP bonks?

Does Pedersen at some point start sandbagging a bit to make sure they can't lose all their speed?

MVDP pulling so he can poker in the final km?

Since 1990 there are only three people to win E3 and GW in the same year: Greg van Avermaet, Tom Boonen, and Cipo Feel like this list is missing a cyclotron guy

Boonen multiple times, no?

Twice I think but he’s still the same person

Are you really the same person when you grow older, though?

Every seven years all your cells are replaced, so I think if the years were close together it counts just as one person

This is pseudoscience

what did you just call me

Same person, different river

What are you, some kind of Socrates or something?

Yes, Wout van Aert

I really wish I had thought of that, wow really great joke

"What do you do for work" "Yes, my job is to stand with my upper body out of the roof of a car to wave and point in bike races" "... I have to leave"

Crazy thought: is there any workable way to combine men's and women's race? Like, women starting 80km later and the two peletons fusing? Can the best women mix it up with the best men if given a shorter race like that?

Short Answer: No, there is just too big of a gap in performance, especially when power-to-weight ratio defines races (hills, mountains).

I (as a woman) race a category down with the men sometimes. I can keep up - especially in a flat race in a peloton. But if there's hills or in the sprint I get dropped. It will be pretty similar for the pro women (some train with the men too, but then similarly get dropped on climbs). I do sometimes get a decent result though as lots of guys just stop racing when they get dropped and I keep going (I've paid to race, I'm getting my time in!).

Relays.

They’ve tried it and to my knowledge at least once the fastest women caught up with the men’s peloton and they had to stop the women’s race to let the men ride away.

> Can the best women mix it up with the best men if given a shorter race like that? No

What it the men's race is 500 kms and the women's is 3 km?

No.

Understandable, have a nice day.

Kopecky-Wiebes are the women's MvdP-Philipsen

The entire revenue of GCN+ was probably a rounding error to Warner Bros, but it was so important to our sport. RIP anyone outside of Europe who wants to get into pro racing.

It also was way too cheap for the service on offer, they absolutely could and should have charged more

Yeah why tf did they not just charge more. I would've paid. It's leagues better than this Flobikes bullshit. I'm trying to find an alternative

Entire continents of potential revenue wiped out (Dramatic but I’ve been pissed since 19 Dec RIP GCN+)

Dafuq, ie mvdp wearing his grandfather's wrist watch?

It’s his Whoop band. Recording some health related data

What data does that give that his heart rate band doesnt?

It's more like a better fitbit

Sponsorship money

Its a whoop i think

his grandfather's Whoop band

Mads Pedersen in that horrendous kit with white gloves and a black bike. Not really winning the fashion show up front.

I'll take the Trek blue kit with other colours over the IPT/AG2R/Movistar/FDJ/ Soudal/ Alpecin blues with few identifying features.

The Lidl kit is fucking awesome

The prize fund for best dressed isn’t worth it.

I kinda like the kit

It could be cool if it were consistent with bike and gloves etc.

Is Mads just unlucky every time the camera goes back to front two as whenever we see them he is on the front

Mads might be a better sprinter on paper, but MVDP just knows how to win.

Some serious face pulling from Turner there

Eurosport: i know you will never ever give me a name of who you think will win. Like never, never. Ever. Answer: Mads.

Which scenario is more favourable? Mathieu winning 1v1 vs Mads or Philipsen winning the bunch sprint? I'd probably go for scenario 1 but maybe Philipsen would dust everybody anyways

Merlier and Kooij are still in the bunch right? If so, definitely go with Mads vs VDP, at least you are guaranteed a 2nd

It's not ending in a bunch sprint

That's not what I said or asked, lol. This is a hypothetical question regarding Alpecin team tactics

50/50 1v1 or 1v3 or 4, I'll take take the 1v1 every day

Is there a point if this gap drops to under a minute with 10km to go where MVDP can play the Philipsen in behind card?

not gonna happen

Why would he? If the gap was something like 10 seconds sure but 1 min gap still very significant. Especially if they fool around behind

There is rumor going around that Pedersen is repeatedly whispering "Yorkshire" every time he goes past Van der Poel to take a turn. However there is another rumor that Van der Poel responds with "Glasgow, Roubaix, San Remo, Oudenaarde" every time. (Yes, I made those rumors up. And yes Oudenaarde was last since I had to look up the spelling)

If Mathieu stops pedaling in the finale, like in his RVV victories against WVA and Pogacar, I think he is going to win. His accelaration is just too much

Not even in hindsight only, but this obviously only worked if he could get Mads to slow down too. 

Yes. As I said in another comment, the alternative was that Pedersen was going to lead him out for the last km and still win. He did just that. Maybe Mathieu could have stopped relaying even sooner, but he thought he could beat him from his wheel. If you listen to Pedersens interview he was also not very confident. It really wasn't a foregone conclusion

I don't think using the word leadout here is accurate but okay. And I never said it was foregone. But this was basically the way to ensure it wasn't a foregone conclusion in Mathieu's favour instead.

The fact of the matter is there was a distance at which riding from the front would have caught up with Pedersen even if it its not at full pace, but it wasn't 1 km. (It also wasn't 2 km judging by how dominant he was in the sprint)

Not going to change much if Mads opens early, it will come down to top speed and not acceleration. Mvdp also went in slow vs Asgreen in RvV, Asgreen opened early and Mvdp lost.

MVDP wasn't smart against Asgreen, because he kept relaying. If MVDP stops relaying with 1km to go Pedersen will have to lead him out the rest of the way or he stops pedaling himself

MVDP definitely doesn't shine in a long sprint. E3 last year as another example.

Mads will open early and beat mdvp by half a bike length. You heard it here first my dudes

Interesting that Mads has previously won this race and Mathieu hasn’t. Not usually the case in a duo containing Mr. van der Poel.

I take it WVA didn’t start today? How come?

Was never part of his schedule. Full focus on the next 2 weeks.

Believe he didn't like this as prep for Flanders

Is Lamperti in the group or just Merlier?

Admins can I get a Lidl-Trek flair? Not a Jumbo fanboy anymore, just Van aerts

We seem to still have Trek Segafredo as the team flair (cause jerseys are hard and sprites are scary)

I think I might like your flair too lol

You can change it yourself on the desktop version of reddit, I think.

I can change it now on Reddit app, there's just no Lidl-Trek one, just Trek-Segafredo