So with the 2012 edition of Liege- Bastogne- Liege the classics season has to an end. That is pretty much it for the one day races, apart from San Sebastian in august, the World’s in September and the Giro d’Lombardia. It has been an interesting and entertaining classics season, which has seen a dominant performance from Omega-Pharma-Quickstep (OPQS) in the cobbled classic’s and an impressive/unpredicted run by Astana in the hilly classics.
Apart from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, in which Sep Vanmarcke
stunned a lot of people by beating Tom Boonen, OPQS dominated the cobbled
classics. The main rider in this domination was Tom Boonen who has had a
brilliant season with his second Tour of Flanders- Paris Roubaix double, which
put him up to 3 wins in the Tour of Flanders and a record equalling 4th
win in Paris Roubaix, matching the record of the legendry Roger De Vlaeminck. It
was clear to see early in the season that Boonen had good form, winning the Tour
of Qatar and scoring stage wins in Paris-Nice and the Tour de San Luis. The
start of the classics season held the only surprise win in the cobbled classics
this year with Sep Vanmarcke having a
breakthrough performance in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad to pip Boonen at the line
surprising everyone including Boonen and Vanmarcke! Apart from this lap, in
which Boonen went to early and didn’t anticipate Vanmarcke, his season was flawless.
Wins in Paris–Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, Gent–Wevelgem and E3 Harelbeke have
given him surely one fo the best seasons any classics rider has had. Aiding him
in this achievement were his superlative team. With both Sylvain Chavanel and Niki
Terpstra as potential co leaders alongside a number of other strong domestiques
(Gert Steegmans etc), the OPQS team were at least a level above every other
team. Indeed, Chavanel took victory at Three Days of De Panne, second in Dwars
door Vlaanderen and 10th in Flanders, whilst Terpstra took an
impressive win from a long range (over 20 km) attack in Dwars door Vlaanderen,
alongside 5th and 6th at Paris-Roubaix and Tour of
Flanders respectively.
This all said even Boonen’s win in Paris-Roubaix would have
made his and OPQS’s season. It was one of those legendry moments in cycling, a
superhuman effort that will stand out in the history of this grand race. To
attack from 53 km out is either a very stupid or brave thing to do, and to hold
off the pursuit of the strong Team Sky was certainly impressive to watch. It
was a good attack to win a record equalling 4th victory.
One sourer note of this classics season was the absence of
Cancellara from Paris-Roubaix, due to the quadruple fracture of his right
collarbone sustained in the Tour of Flanders. He was having a strong season,
with second in Milan-Sanremo, and impressive (and unlucky) performances in E3
Harelbeke, Gent–Wevelgem and Strade Bianche and was in good form. It would have
been a good spectacle to see Cancellara and Boonen duelling whilst both were at
their best.
Now, to the hilly classics, in which I am including
Milan-Sanremo for ease, although is chronologically before most of the cobbled
classics. These saw a number of surprise winners, which made for good watching!
The relatively poor form of Philippe Gilbert made these races wide open.
Nibali's decisive attack
Milan-Sanremo, which is typically a sprinters race, was made
much more interesting by Nibali and the Liquigas team who made the race extra
hard to drop most of the sprinters on the mid stage climbs, including the
strong favourite Mark Cavendish. When the race came to the Poggio, Nibali once
again animated the race by putting in a strong acceleration. It was the
decisive move of the race, but alas for Nibali he took Cancellara and Simon
Gerrans with him. There has been some
debate as to whether Cancellara’s tactics were wrong. From my point of view I
am not sure what else he could have done. Had he let up the riders behind would
have caught up to the leading trio and he would have not won the sprint from
that group. He, like Nibali, needed to get rid of them on the Poggio. Once he
made his move he was somewhat stuck. There has also been debate about the
perceived negative tactics of Simon Gerrans. The fact is that Gerrans did take
a turn on the front, but was simply not strong enough to work with Cancellara,
and he would have been surely dropped had he contributed much more. Gerrans won
the sprint from the leading trio after the tricky descent and last couple of
flat km, with Cancellara talking second and Nibali third. Gerrans was a
surprise winner of this race (a theme of the classics season) and won it with
his tactical ability. He spotted the decisive move by Nibali and indeed had
been marking Nibali up the Poggio, he saved his energy and managed held onto
Cancellara’s wheel for dear life (not an easy task!) until the end, where his
explosive acceleration won him the race. This was an important victory for
GreenEdge and Gerrans.
Gerrans winning
The other performances of note in this race were those
of Peter Sagan and John Degenkolb, 4th and 5th respectively. Given the age of these riders
and the difficulty of this edition, it bodes well for their future careers, I
am certain they will come back to be on the podium and win this race in the
future.
The next and indeed last big classics where the Ardennes
classics, which saw a surprisingly strong performance from Astana. I say
surprising but, with hindsight they had a strong squad, albeit without any top
tier favourites. Riders like Gasparotto, Iglinskiy , Kišerlovski and Fofonov
are all talented riders and indeed between them had a few one day wins before. I
think one of the reasons Astana were so successful in the Ardennes classics
this year was there strength in numbers. They may have not had the top
favourites and riders with a number of big classics wins under their belt but
they had 3-4 riders in the business end of the peloton in the closing km of all
the Ardennes classics. This meant they could mark every move and put the other
teams on the defensive. This was shown by the number of riders they had in the
top 15 of each of the Ardennes races, 2 in AMG, 3 in LFW and 3 in L-B-L (taking
the 1st and 3rd places on the podium!). Now to look at
each of the races in turn...
Astana had a good season
AMG followed the familiar cycling formula of the early breakaway
reeled in within the last 10 km. We saw a
brave attack from Oscar Freire which was ultimately futile, but entering none
the less, I suspect the motive for it was as a recon for the worlds which will
be held near this region. A large group came to the final climb, and Freire’s
move made Gilbert’s situation much more difficult, with him having almost the
sole responsibility (with Greg Van Avermaet helping for first part of climb) of
chasing down Freire. This more than Gilberts form, was responsible for his poor
placing, with Gilbert having to make a move from a long way out. Gasparotto
timed his effort perfectly as he got the jump on Sagan who went too early. This
was the end of Sagan’s classics season this year, but he can take a lot from
it, he will certainly win many in the future and showed strong performances in
MSR, AMG and the Tour of Flanders.
Onto La Flèche Wallonne, the only Ardennes classic that was
won by a big favourite this year, with Joaquim Rodríguez at last taking a very
well deserved classic’s win after so many podiums. It was nice to see Rodríguez
rewarded at last and for the Katusha team to get the win after all the work
that they contributed to Rodríguez’s classic’s ambitions. Ryder Hesjedal and
Lars Petter Nordhaug made a brave effort to attack from 7 km out on the decent
of the Côte de Villers-le-Bouillet (the penultimate climb). They gained a good
gap, but they were kept in check by the Katusha team, the gap they gained just wasn’t
big enough to survive the Mur de Huy. Rodiguez, as he has so many times before,
just flew away on the steep gradients of the Mur de Huy to easily win this
edition of LFW. Albasini impressed with his strong rider to gain second marking
him as a man for the future in the Ardennes classic’s with the man of last
year, Philippe Gilbert showing that he is still strong even when he isn’t at
his best with a third place.
Nibali going it alone
Last but not least was an entertaining 98th edition
of Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The hero of the show in this case was Vincenzo Nibali,
who made the race with his solo attack from ~20 km out on the Côte de la Roche
aux Faucons. Before this point it was looking like the favourites where going
to spend the last 20 km looking at each other waiting for the others to make a
move. Alas for Nibali, it was not to be thanks to a strong effort from Maxim
Iglinsky to catch and pass Nibali to take a deserved win. There has been talk
about Nibali’s tactics here but I think that he did the best he could given the
race situation. The race wasn’t hard enough to drop a lot of key riders,
meaning that there was a (relatively) big group of 10-20 riders approaching the
final kilometres. In addition Nibali’s natural allies in such a move were the Schleck’s,
who, quite frankly, rode a poor race. Nibali doesn’t have the explosive acceleration
of many of the other favourites therefore needed to go from a way out. He
almost succeeded as well, and indeed gained second place which is a big achievement
in a race such as L-B-L. He failed
for a couple of reasons, he had a large group chasing, he seemed to have a
hunger “bonk” and he was riding into a headwind. He built up a decent
advantage, but with all the energy he used driving away into a head wind he
left himself little for the final kilometres. Iglinsky and Astana, on the other
hand rode a tactically perfect race, and in combination with his talent, this
lead to Iglinsky’s (and Astana’s) victory. In the select group that had formed
at the front of the race, there were 3 strong Astana riders, who could very conceivably
win. They used their numbers to advantage, sending riders off the front to make
the other riders work and dig into Nibali’s lead. The decisive move was by
Rodriguez and Iglinsky, this combination of two riders management to bridge 20
or so seconds to Nibali, whilst using ½ the effort, and from only ~ 10 km out. Iglinsky
surprisingly dropped Rodriguez on the Cote de Saint-Nicolas, which is prime Rodriguez
territory. Using his talent and fresher legs, Iglinsky used a strong performance
on the Cote de Saint-Nicolas to close the gap to Nibali to 7 seconds. Given the
relative freshness of Iglinsky and Nibali’s crack the now inevitable catch
happened at 1.3 km from the finish. Nibali valiantly pushed on to get second, whilst
Iglinsky’s teammate Gasparotto, finished off a well timed effort to gain 3rd
place giving the Astana team 2 podium spots, rounding off a very good classic’s
season for Astana.
It was a good classic’s season for ...
Omega-Pharma-Quickstep – I’m not sure whether a team has ever
dominated the cobbled classic’s like OPQS have this year. Boonen alone has had
an awe inspiring season, and with his super-domestiques, Sylvain Chavanel and Niki
Terpstra, almost won every race they entered. Boonen set two records, becoming
the first man to win both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the same
season more than once and to equal the record for most Paris-Roubaix wins. Given
Boonen’s form is this part of the season he could very well put in strong performances
in the Olympic road race and World championships. Sylvain Chavanel’s only win
was the Three Days of De Panne, but given that he was working for his team
leader, this was understandable, he was also once again unlucky in Paris-Roubaix,
with a puncture at an inopportune moment. However he showed that he has the
talent to be considered a contender for these races. OPQS also showed that they
have a classic’s man for the future, when Boonen is too old, with Niki Terpstra.
OPQS season has already been amazing, which should help them in other races,
with the pressure removed. In particular, they look like a very strong team for
a Tour de France contender, which given that they have three riders who fall
into this character is a very good thing. It also justifies there title as a super
team .
Greenedge – This has been a very good first season for this
new team. Firstly, was Simon Gerrans win at Milan-Sanremo, which was very
impressive given that he wasn’t even the top favourite from that team to win
MSR (that was Matt Goss last year’s winner). He rode a tactically brilliant race
and had the legs to finish it off. For a brand new team, winning a monument of
cycling is impressive and encouraging. A lot of new teams have to wait a number
of years to achieve such as feat. What was somewhat strange was Gerrans lack of
form at the Ardennes classics, managing only two top twenty performances. However
Gerran’s wasn’t the only rider in Greenedge who performed well, let’s not
forget Michael Albasini, who after a number of top 10’s, managed to carry his
good form from the Tour of the Basque country to gain 2nd place in La
Flèche Wallonne. Greenedge’s strong performance
in there maiden season will have certainly boosted the morale of the squad and
seems to have gained them a title sponsor...
Astana – This team had a brilliant classics season, with a
very strong performance in the Ardennes classics. They weren’t particularly notable
in the cobbled classics, with only Iglinsky’s attacks of real note. However it
was a completely different story in the Ardennes classics. Despite having no
top level favourites for these races, Astana managed to do very well, using their
numbers, tactics and talent to achieve. In Gasparotto, Iglinsky and Kišerlovski
they had three riders who could conceivably win, but weren’t favourites. In all
the races they used their numbers to good advantage forcing the other teams to
chase and out numbering the other teams in the final kilometres. In addition
they got their tactics right, with Gasparotto and Iglinsky timing there effort
perfectly in AGR and L-B-L respectively. They have gained some valuable world
tour points and have taken some pressure off other riders in the squad which
will help there year.
It was a mixed classic’s season for ...
Katshua/Rodriguez – They both got there win, at La Fleche Wallonne,
but I can’t help thinking, given their strength and Gilbert’s weakness that
they could have taken L-B-L as well.
Nibali/ Liquigas –
Liquigas didn’t get a win in this classics season but that misses the point (I
think). They posted some very strong results, with 3 in the top 10 of
Milan-Sanremo, including 3rd and 4th (Nibali, Sagan), a 5th
in the Tour of Flanders, a 3rd a LFW and 2nd at L-B-L. Sagan
has showed that his prestigious talent can translate straight into the highest
levels of cycling. He managed 4th in his first edition of MSR and 3rd
in LFW, an impressive result. With the form he showed he could have won, alas
his inexperience showed with a miss timed effort. Another impressive
performance from Sagan was in the Tour of Flanders, where his 5th
place doesn’t tell the whole story, he alone of that group actually tried to
hunt down the leading trio, and he made a good effort of it. Nibali, showed his
class as a rider with his performances in MSR and L-B-L, in both cases he came
close. Nevertheless he can take heart from his performances, which have won him
many new fans, and show that he is that rarest of things these days, a GC rider
who races from February to October. He attempts to win every race he enters and
will risk everything for 1st. I am sure that one day Nibali will win
L-B-L.
BMC – It is tempting
to say that BMC had a poor classics season, but I don’t think that is fair. What
is certainly true is that there big two classics signings, Thor Hushovd and Philippe
Gilbert didn’t perform as well as might have been expected. Hushovd has been
having a very poor season, with no results of note. Gilbert has had a mixed
season thus far with crashes and health problems marring his season. He was
unlucky in MSR with an inopportune crash, and his form wasn’t present for the
cobbled classics. He put in decent performances in the Ardennes, resulting in a
3rd place at LFW. In addition BMC showed the breadth of talent they
have with Greg Van Avermaet and Ballan getting good results, indeed Ballan got
3rd in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. So I think it is
fair to say that BMC got a reasonable set of results from the classics, with a
good haul of WT points, despite the lack of form of their big classic stars,
but with no wins.
Garmin-Barracuda
They got a win in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, with Sep Vanmarcke
showing he is a man for the future. But otherwise a mixed bag, with no other
wins, and whilst Dan Martin put in some decent performances in the Ardennes
classics, didn’t manage to crack the podium.
It was a poor classic’s season for ...
Radioshack-Nissan-Trek – Part of this was of their making,
part was bad luck. This team’s big man for the classics and indeed the only
rider who had any success at all, was Fabian Cancellara, who crashed in the
Tour of Flanders, leading to a quadruple fracture of his collarbone. Cancellara
seemed to be in good form and it was a real shame that he was ruled out of many
of the classics, for himself, for the team, and for the fans. That said before
the unfortunate incident he managed to get a couple of results with a win at Strade
Bianche, and a second place at MSR, with strong performances at E3 Harelbeke
and Gent–Wevelgem. With there big favourite ruled out R-N-T, were in disarray,
with no other riders to fill Cancellara’s shoes. This lead to poor results in
the cobbled classics. However, given the strength of the team they should have
bounced back in the Ardennes classics, but they depended on the Schleck’s whose
form just wasn’t present. In fact the Schleck’s performances were a major
disappoint for fans who wanted to see good racing. In addtion R-N-T were not
able to bring any of the other talent in there rooster to the fore. Where was Oliver
Zaugg, who showed he can win these sort of races with his performance in the
tour of Lombardy last year or Chris Horner who had decent form in Tirreno–Adriatico
or Jakob Fuglsang (although to be fair maybe they were saving him for the Giro)
who has done well in the Ardennes in the past. It would seem that Zaugg wasn’t at
the Ardennes (why ?) and Horner’s legs seemed to be missing throughout. With such
abundant talent they should have made a bigger impact and questions have to be
asked of the riders and of the management who should be building the riders
form for such races. This doesn’t bode well for the Tour de France.
Team Sky – Maybe a bit harsh, but they only managed a couple
of low level wins despite having a very strong squad. It is the case that Team
Sky have built a strong squad for stage races and grand tours, but they haven’t
managed to translate that into the classics. They were unfortunate in MSR,
where Cavendish was the favourite due to his strong form in the early part of
the year and his previous form in the race. Alas for Cav and Sky he had a bad
day. In the other races they weren’t able
to finish off strong team performances with a win. In fact I would strongly
question their tactics in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, in which
there weren’t able to bring any advantage to their big numbers. In the Tour of Flanders
they stupidly chased down a leading group containing one of their best riders
(Flecha) for what would seem like the benefit of Boasson-Hagen. Then when the
course became difficult another lead group formed without ANY sky riders ! In
fact the only people who benifited where Vacansoleil-DCM who didn’t have a
rider in the first group beforehand but did in the second lead group! It was
from this second lead group that the winners came. In Paris-Roubaix they had 4
riders in the select group of favourites and they didn’t manage to catch Boonen
despite having 53 km to do so. Given their strength it would be reasonable
expect at least a podium. In the Ardennes classics, they didn’t have any top
level favourites and they seemed to used the races as preparation for the
future. They developed the talent of their developing riders such as Uran,
Henao and Nordhaug, so they got something from these races.
Team Saxo Bank – Not many top 20 results, let alone top 10’s
and podiums. They will need to do better if they are to stay in world tour.
Riders who impressed,
Diego Ulissi – He hasn’t been mentioned that much in this
article or in the press so far which is a shame I think. He managed a decent
result at LFW with 9th place. Given his tender age of 22 and the
fact he already has a Giro Giro d'Italia win, he could be a man for the future
for these races.
Peter Sagan – To be fair this is hardly a revelation, he has
been touted as a major talent for a few years now despite his very young age
(22), but he has converted the hype into real results at cycling’s highest level.
He is certain to win a number of classics in the future and may be one of the
greatest classics riders of all time by the end of his career.
Jelle Vanedert – Not a young rider I admit, but he is still developing
(cyclist don’t tend to hit physical peak until 28/29 and performance peak until
30). He showed strong form as a climber in last year’s Tour de France and he
converted his previous decent results in AGR into a string of good results
across the Ardennes, with 2nd, 4th and 10th in
AGR, LFW and L-B-L respectively.
Michael Albasini – Has had a good season and has capped good
performances in the Ardennes classics with a breakthrough performance this year
to gain 2nd in LFW.
Thomas Voeckler – Performed decently in AGR and L-B-L (his
team weren’t in LFW) showing that his form in 2011 that took him to 4th
in the Tour de France was no fluke. With two near podiums (4th and 5th
in L-B-L and AGR) and bad luck it was a very strong week for him.
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