Eric F 

Merckx, Boonen, and Museeuw all critical of WVA giving the win to Laporte...
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/edd...-have-done-it/

I thought it was a classy move, and put the camaraderie of the Jumbo team on vivid display. You can bet that sometime soon Laporte will completely gut himself to help WVA win a bigger prize. WVA didn't need this win to prove that he is the better rider.

EDIT: Counterpoint from Cancellara...
https://www.cyclingnews.com/features...-was-too-easy/

surak

As a fan, both women's and men's G-W winners were impressive but the chase, or lack thereof, not entertaining.

I recall that last year Laporte was getting plaudits as one of the best domestiques around (only bettered by WvA for Vinegaard, really). Having him in Wout's corner again can be nothing but a good thing, especially since it was decided on the road and not by the team car. Had they sprinted, would people be excoriating them like they were Vollering and Kopecky after Strade Bianche?

One thing from Cencellara's column that's ​​​​​​though was the implication that Soler would've worked his ass off for Almeida in future races had he not been chased down.

diphthong

Eric F agree with you and fabian. wout has won at the top of mont ventoux and sprint finishes and classics. there are times, in the service of primoz and jonas, that he seemed to be the strongest
despite destroying himself every stage in their service. have zero doubt that if wout was riding in any gt for either of them and they went down, he'd have an excellent shot at the podium. he's that good.
perhaps, some year, we'll see him as the protected rider in a gt just to do it once. riders like hinault and merckx will never understand and believe it's better to be feared than loved. maybe so but wout
is well on his way to being both.

GrainBrain

I don't think Wout could've soloed Gent-Wevelgem. That headwind and rain would've been brutal alone. Reminds me of MvdP doing that in Tirreno with no weather gear, looked spent. Great way to get sick. Bummer for Ganna hope his knee is better.

Eric F 

I continue to become a bigger fan of WVA, and his generosity with Laporte says a lot about his character that I really appreciate.

I tend to disagree that WVA could be a Tour winner (or even podium) if he was the protected team leader. He is a powerful force, but right now, he hasn’t shown that he has the day-after-day ability to climb with the elite mountain goats. (IMO).

GrainBrain

Dwars door Vlaanderen, gonna be good. EF have a strong team if Honore is in form. I'm thinking Wellens does well, I want to see Ewan climb like last weekend.

diphthong

honestly having difficulty getting up for these level 2 races this year. dunno y. really just looking forward to the classics and the gt's (well, 2 out of 3) and a handful of the miggylo/so long soler/team yatesie appropriate week-longs.

maan...wanna see roglic, remco, tgh, sivakov, kämna, cort, almeida, de lie, arensman, carapaz, tpiddy, girmay, brandon and ayuso hit the giro this gyro.

slcbob

I am enjoying the racing this spring. I'm doing more cooking and throw the race on while I toil in the kitchen.

The VG Spring Classics game is getting under my skin. Superclasico is an interminable slog but it is a quick, clean transaction. I've got enough baggage I'm dragging around in life without those limited transfers in Spring Classics slapping more on me.

If we're lucky, UAE will send Soler to the Giro to join Almeida and spice things up. Perhaps they can muster some Movistar-esque drama without Miggylo himself. I just checked his race schedule on PCS. He's doing the Vuelta Bantrab starting today, with Team Medellin EPM. Nothing else on the schedule. Oh well.

It was amusing watching Remco cajole/harass Roglic in Catalunya to work together on their many co-escapes. I expect there will be more of that in Italy. Though there will be many more story lines going.

Eric F 

Jumbo goes big again!! Whatever juice they're on, it's damn good stuff.

MinnMan

Baking Soda

GrainBrain

ooga-booga Dwars would be a good one to rewatch. That was some good racing! Kristoff is one wiley fox.

That Lazkano was a revelation, and great to see someone so happy with a podium. Gets me ready for the passion of Basque country.

GrainBrain

Plus a @#$! ton of cash. I wonder what would've been had he stayed with Cofidis?

Eric F 

At a minimum, he would not have gotten to stand on the top step of the podium at Gent-Wevelgem.

MinnMan

That was totally off-script. Remarkable.

Powless is looking good too.

MinnMan

(No place else to put this)

Can I just say that the podium tradition of spraying magnums of champagne all around is stupid?
I wish they'd retire this tired old trope.

GrainBrain

I want to see Kristoff or Ewan really perform. Too bad Kristoff is priced so high in velogames. He turned around after Dwars and did 120 miles the next day geeze ... I'm betting on Matteo and Powless getting a top ten. I think MvdP will sit in the pack and let Soren Kraugh up the road.

GrainBrain

Yes. Favorite podium celebration I saw was Sepp Kuss downing the bottle of beer served to him after his Vuelta win. Or the pig the top placed rider from Brittany get in tro bro Leon.

MinnMan

Alaphillipe rode two additional hours right after Dwars. Apparently, racing 180 km wasn't enough of a training day for him.

GrainBrain

Terrible.

MinnMan

Maybe the winner will be the last one not to have been involved in a crash (or caught behind one)

GrainBrain

Oh my goodness that Girmay crash! He was sitting up so that's a little better but geeze - that was brutal. Looked like him and Mojoric touched wheels or something? Was that Kristoff on the ground as well - Looked like he grabbed his radio as he rolled upright?

Welshboy

Best ToF for many years!

MinnMan

I"m disappointed. When the attackers merged with the original break, it was a big and incredibly strong group - Trentin, Pederson, Kung, Asgreen, van Hooydonk, Powless. And they were working together well. I was hoping that they'd stay away and that one of them would take it to the line.

diphthong

a buncha no-names, never-were and wanna-be's...even without küng's umlaut....

surak

I didn't watch the whole RvV, tuned in when that break of big hitters looked like they had a chance until Pog activated his jet engines. I think the pro peloton are past the point where they're surprised by that kind of domination. They had about as good of a chance against the big 3 as I've ever seen and yet had no answer. Is there nothing any others can do but be resigned to fight for scraps at lesser races for the foreseeable future when the Pog and Vans are in form?

At least Pog won't be able to gain weight and toughen his hands fast enough to win Paris Roubaix this year. Maybe MSR and PR are too easy/too random respectively for him to complete the inevitable Monuments sweep for a few years yet.