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Showing posts with label depanne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depanne. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
3-Days of DePanne Preview
The 3-Days of DePanne begins today, offering procrastinators one last chance to cram before Sunday’s major exam—the Tour of Flanders. This 3-day, 4-stage event offers something for everyone: a long, hilly pre-Ronde reconnaissance stage; two stages for sprinters; and the traditional short, time trial finale.
Before Milan-San Remo, I spoke about certain races following scripts; here’s the script for DePanne:
(Cobbled climbs.)
--Breakaway or small group (possibly containing one or more contenders for the Ronde) wins hilly first stage, creating GC time-gaps.
(Rain.)
--Despite several riders’ best efforts, Stage 2 ends in a field sprint.
(Crash.)
--Stage 3a ends in another field sprint, after which the majority of riders not inside the top-20 head home early.
(Wind.)
--Stage 3b time trial is won by a specialist, and the race overall goes to the best time trialist from Stage 1’s breakaway or small group.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s contenders.
Liquigas returns to the race with last year’s winner, Frederik Willems, supported by a strong cast including sprinters Daniele Bennati and Francesco Chicchi and all-rounders Manuel Quinziato and Daniele Oss. I could easily see Bennati and Chicchi taking a stage or two and Quinziato possibly going for the overall win should he make the break in Stage 1. Oss rode a superb Ghent-Wevelgem Sunday—he’s one to watch as well.
Omega Pharma-Lotto enters DePanne with both Phillippe Gilbert and Leif Hoste hoping to cram a bit more form into their legs before Flanders and Roubaix. For Gilbert, the race is little more than a tune-up, one final chance to test himself on terrain similar to Sunday’s. As for Hoste, he seriously needs some training, and perhaps a result to ease some of the pressure his team currently faces. He won this race in 2006—a repeat performance would certainly be a welcome sight for one of few teams not to have won a race yet this year.
HTC-Columbia is leaving Ghent-Wevelgem winner Bernhard Eisel home this week, bringing a young, but talented squad to DePanne. Marcel Sieberg and Peter Velits should continue to impress, while Bert Grabsch has the talent to win Thursday’s ITT. I’ll have my eye on Jan Ghyselinck, a talented young Belgian who might put on a show for the home fans.
Quick Step’s bringing a team comprised largely of domestiques and rouleurs, inevitably hoping one or two will rise to the challenge of getting Boonen a win on Sunday. All eyes will be on Stijn Devolder as he makes one final attempt to find the form that saw him win the last two editions of the Ronde. He’s faced consistent criticism in the press, especially from his own boss, Patrick Lefevere—today begins his last chance for redemption. He’s won this race before though—he at least has that going for him.
As for Astana, they bring the bulk of their classics team to the race including former stage winner Enrico Gasparotto. With Maxim Iglinsky and Allan Davis, there’s the potential for multiple stage wins and possibly the overall title for the aggressive Kazakh squad.
Katusha’s another team not leaving anything to chance, bringing Filippo Pozzato, Sergei Ivanov, and Robbie McEwan. Pozzato won a difficult Stage1 last year and almost took home the overall title—he always deserves mention. McEwen could take a victory on Stages 2 and 3a if things go well. This team’s biggest goal: keep Pozzato out of trouble. DePanne’s notorious for crashes; a fall for Pippo would be disastrous.
As for Garmin, they’re a team that might be looking for the overall win. Tyler Farrar’s well-suited to each of the three mass-start stages, and can certainly hold his own well enough in a time trial to win the overall title. With Johan Vansummeren, Martijn Maaskant, and Robbie Hunter riding in support, Farrar has to be considered a top favorite. And don’t forget David Millar. Fresh from his ITT win in the Criterium International, Thursday’s race against the clock certainly suits him.
Poor Lampre—we haven’t mentioned them once this classics season. That said, this is a race where they could grab a win. Danilo Hondo and Angelo Furlan are candidates for a field sprint, while Simon Spilak is always a threat from a breakaway.
On to BMC and another rider hoping DePanne will provide a glimpse of the winning form he’s displayed in the past: Alessandro Ballan. BMC’s beginning to reveal it’s potential with both Marcus Burghardt and George Hincapie delivering impressive performances over the weekend—now it’s Ballan’s turn to add a piece to the puzzle. If he can hit his peak in time for the following two Sunday’s, thus joining his two teammates at a high level, this will be a tough team to overlook. Ballan won DePanne in 2007 then won Flanders 3 days later. If he shows himself to be among the best between now and Thursday, we’ll have to take him seriously.
As for the rest of the teams taking the start, there are several highlights worth mentioning:
1. Skil-Shimano is hoping Kenny Van Hummel can send a message to the ASO with a stage win or two, while Dominique Cornu is an outside threat for the ITT.
2. Vacansoleil, another team left-off the Tour’s invite list, brings Bobbie Traksel and Borut Borzic. Borzic could easily take Stages 2 and 3a.
3. Acqua & Sapone’s Luca Paolini has been riding at a high level since Milan-San Remo. Could DePanne give him the win he’s been seeking?
4. Landbouwkrediet’s Davey Commeyne has made an impressive switch from cyclocross to road—look for him to continue to make strides this week.
5. BBox’s William Bonnet and Steve Chainel have put in some impressive performances as of late—watch for them this week.
6. Jens Keukelaire and Cofidis are both hoping for a win in DePanne, thus proving the young Belgian has what it takes to win against top competition.
7. Italy’s best chance for a win or two in DePanne might actually come from Colnago and Sasha Modolo, the 4th-place finisher in Milan-San Remo. Several sprinters have used DePanne to take their first big wins against tough foreign competition—with Mattia Gavazzi providing lead-outs, I think Modolo’s coming-out party will continue here.
8. And last but not least, we cannot forget An Post’s Nico Eeckhout and Topsport Vlaanderen’s Sep Vanmarcke, two riders at the opposite ends of their careers. Vanmarcke’s ridden incredibly well over the past 10 days; I’m eager to see if he can continue to mix it up with the big boys in DePanne.
And my final prediction? I think Tyler Farrar will take the overall title over Quinziato with Gasparotto, Bennati, Modolo, and David Millar taking the stage wins—in that order.
What about you? Share your comments below.
Before Milan-San Remo, I spoke about certain races following scripts; here’s the script for DePanne:
Curtain
(Cobbled climbs.)
--Breakaway or small group (possibly containing one or more contenders for the Ronde) wins hilly first stage, creating GC time-gaps.
(Rain.)
--Despite several riders’ best efforts, Stage 2 ends in a field sprint.
(Crash.)
--Stage 3a ends in another field sprint, after which the majority of riders not inside the top-20 head home early.
(Wind.)
--Stage 3b time trial is won by a specialist, and the race overall goes to the best time trialist from Stage 1’s breakaway or small group.
Curtain
So without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s contenders.
Liquigas returns to the race with last year’s winner, Frederik Willems, supported by a strong cast including sprinters Daniele Bennati and Francesco Chicchi and all-rounders Manuel Quinziato and Daniele Oss. I could easily see Bennati and Chicchi taking a stage or two and Quinziato possibly going for the overall win should he make the break in Stage 1. Oss rode a superb Ghent-Wevelgem Sunday—he’s one to watch as well.
Omega Pharma-Lotto enters DePanne with both Phillippe Gilbert and Leif Hoste hoping to cram a bit more form into their legs before Flanders and Roubaix. For Gilbert, the race is little more than a tune-up, one final chance to test himself on terrain similar to Sunday’s. As for Hoste, he seriously needs some training, and perhaps a result to ease some of the pressure his team currently faces. He won this race in 2006—a repeat performance would certainly be a welcome sight for one of few teams not to have won a race yet this year.
HTC-Columbia is leaving Ghent-Wevelgem winner Bernhard Eisel home this week, bringing a young, but talented squad to DePanne. Marcel Sieberg and Peter Velits should continue to impress, while Bert Grabsch has the talent to win Thursday’s ITT. I’ll have my eye on Jan Ghyselinck, a talented young Belgian who might put on a show for the home fans.
Quick Step’s bringing a team comprised largely of domestiques and rouleurs, inevitably hoping one or two will rise to the challenge of getting Boonen a win on Sunday. All eyes will be on Stijn Devolder as he makes one final attempt to find the form that saw him win the last two editions of the Ronde. He’s faced consistent criticism in the press, especially from his own boss, Patrick Lefevere—today begins his last chance for redemption. He’s won this race before though—he at least has that going for him.
As for Astana, they bring the bulk of their classics team to the race including former stage winner Enrico Gasparotto. With Maxim Iglinsky and Allan Davis, there’s the potential for multiple stage wins and possibly the overall title for the aggressive Kazakh squad.
Katusha’s another team not leaving anything to chance, bringing Filippo Pozzato, Sergei Ivanov, and Robbie McEwan. Pozzato won a difficult Stage1 last year and almost took home the overall title—he always deserves mention. McEwen could take a victory on Stages 2 and 3a if things go well. This team’s biggest goal: keep Pozzato out of trouble. DePanne’s notorious for crashes; a fall for Pippo would be disastrous.
As for Garmin, they’re a team that might be looking for the overall win. Tyler Farrar’s well-suited to each of the three mass-start stages, and can certainly hold his own well enough in a time trial to win the overall title. With Johan Vansummeren, Martijn Maaskant, and Robbie Hunter riding in support, Farrar has to be considered a top favorite. And don’t forget David Millar. Fresh from his ITT win in the Criterium International, Thursday’s race against the clock certainly suits him.
Poor Lampre—we haven’t mentioned them once this classics season. That said, this is a race where they could grab a win. Danilo Hondo and Angelo Furlan are candidates for a field sprint, while Simon Spilak is always a threat from a breakaway.
On to BMC and another rider hoping DePanne will provide a glimpse of the winning form he’s displayed in the past: Alessandro Ballan. BMC’s beginning to reveal it’s potential with both Marcus Burghardt and George Hincapie delivering impressive performances over the weekend—now it’s Ballan’s turn to add a piece to the puzzle. If he can hit his peak in time for the following two Sunday’s, thus joining his two teammates at a high level, this will be a tough team to overlook. Ballan won DePanne in 2007 then won Flanders 3 days later. If he shows himself to be among the best between now and Thursday, we’ll have to take him seriously.
As for the rest of the teams taking the start, there are several highlights worth mentioning:
1. Skil-Shimano is hoping Kenny Van Hummel can send a message to the ASO with a stage win or two, while Dominique Cornu is an outside threat for the ITT.
2. Vacansoleil, another team left-off the Tour’s invite list, brings Bobbie Traksel and Borut Borzic. Borzic could easily take Stages 2 and 3a.
3. Acqua & Sapone’s Luca Paolini has been riding at a high level since Milan-San Remo. Could DePanne give him the win he’s been seeking?
4. Landbouwkrediet’s Davey Commeyne has made an impressive switch from cyclocross to road—look for him to continue to make strides this week.
5. BBox’s William Bonnet and Steve Chainel have put in some impressive performances as of late—watch for them this week.
6. Jens Keukelaire and Cofidis are both hoping for a win in DePanne, thus proving the young Belgian has what it takes to win against top competition.
7. Italy’s best chance for a win or two in DePanne might actually come from Colnago and Sasha Modolo, the 4th-place finisher in Milan-San Remo. Several sprinters have used DePanne to take their first big wins against tough foreign competition—with Mattia Gavazzi providing lead-outs, I think Modolo’s coming-out party will continue here.
8. And last but not least, we cannot forget An Post’s Nico Eeckhout and Topsport Vlaanderen’s Sep Vanmarcke, two riders at the opposite ends of their careers. Vanmarcke’s ridden incredibly well over the past 10 days; I’m eager to see if he can continue to mix it up with the big boys in DePanne.
And my final prediction? I think Tyler Farrar will take the overall title over Quinziato with Gasparotto, Bennati, Modolo, and David Millar taking the stage wins—in that order.
What about you? Share your comments below.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
KBC-Driedaagse/3 Days of De Panne – What did we learn?
The 2009 3 Days of De Panne is in the books and what did we learn?
Filippo Pozzatto is enjoying incredible form. He looked too good to be true on Tuesday. Too bad he crashed 4km from the line today . I wonder if Hincapie was sitting in front of a TV somewhere muttering “I told you so…” under his breath. It will remain to be seen how Pippo feels for Sunday; but if you’ve ever crashed, you’ve got to be thinking his chances took a major hit today—no matter what his team will say. Didn’t someone say there would be at least one major favorite affected by a crash?
Silence-Lotto is getting desperate. Not only could they not pull off a win, but they seem to be quite adept at excuse-making and wishful thinking. All will be forgotten with a win Sunday; but that’s looking to be more and more of an order too tall for them right now. Here’s my question: if things are so good, then why did you completely miss the winning move when you had 3 of your top riders (plus a pretty good domestique) in the first group? Do you really think Pozzato and Willems would have ridden away sans Quick Step if Boonen, Devolder, Chavanel, and Van Impe were present?
Mark Cavendish might actually be the best sprinter in the world. I hate to say it, but it’s true.
For the record, I’m pleased to have called most of the winners (although it’s pretty easy when you mention a fifth of the start list as a possible favorite).
I was sad to see Tuft crash in 3a; I was hoping to see him pull a shocker in 3b.
I'll post my preview tomorrow for all of our "at work" readers. I'm hoping there will be no significant developments between then and Sunday.
KBC-Driedaagse/3 Days of De Panne – Stage 3b Live Stream?
Good morning! Sporza began its feed at 8:25EST, but it's not working.
Try this link instead.
It's streaming tennis right now, but cycling is listed next. There might be a delay, but it's certainly better than nothing.
Enjoy!
Update #1: The link listed above is scheduled to begin streaming cycling at 10:00EST.
Update #2: The link above works. Coverage is up and running.
Try this link instead.
It's streaming tennis right now, but cycling is listed next. There might be a delay, but it's certainly better than nothing.
Enjoy!
Update #1: The link listed above is scheduled to begin streaming cycling at 10:00EST.
Update #2: The link above works. Coverage is up and running.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
KBC-Driedaagse/3 Days of De Panne – Stage 2 Live Stream
Never really figured-out why the original link to today's De Panne stream won't work. Methinks CTV has blocked the feed in certain countries.
But, here's a new link. It's on a delay of about 20km or so, but is certainly better than nothing.
Enjoy!
But, here's a new link. It's on a delay of about 20km or so, but is certainly better than nothing.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
KBC-Driedaagse/3 Days of De Panne – Stage 1 Live Stream
Live coverage of today’s race has started!
Just click here.
Just click here.
Monday, March 30, 2009
KBC-Driedaagse/3 Days of De Panne - Preview
Six days left to Flanders—that means one thing: time for a trip to the Belgian coastal town of De Panne for a lovely three days of sun and fun by the North Sea.
Obviously you’ve never been to De Panne in April.
The 3 Days of De Panne is the final chance for riders seeking to fine-tune their form for Sunday’s Ronde. With 4 stages over 3 days the race does not disappoint—unless you’re one of the many who will crash on these windswept coastal plains. De Panne is race that will literally make or break a rider’s form. For some, it gives one last chance to grow accustomed to the roads and the weather; for others, it can turn that sniffle into the flu or that shiny new frame into a twisted piece of post-modern sculpture.
This year’s race covers more than 500km and follows the traditional formula. The first stage covers 199km and tackles the most climbs of the race (many from Sunday). Expect a break to get away that will produce the first race leader (who will most likely hold the jersey until the last stage). The following stage is longer, but contains less hills (although the Kemmelberg is nothing to sneeze at). This will probably end in a bunch sprint—unless the wind breaks the race into groups. The Kemmelberg’s presence (or should I say it’s descent) also means a higher chance for a race-ending crash for at least one unlucky soul. Thursday morning brings a 112km jaunt around De Panne (almost certain to end in a bunch sprint), followed by a 15km time trial in the afternoon (in which most riders probably won’t even start).
Looking over the preliminary start list, the riders can be sorted into three groups of favorites: one-day men for Stage 1, sprinters for Stages 2 and 3a, and all-rounders who can time trial for Stage 3b and the overall win.
So here you go:
Stage 1
Hoste, Gilbert, Van Impe, Ivanov, Frishkorn, Maaskant, Willems, Bozic, Eisel
Stages 2 and 3a
Cavendish, Brown, Boonen, Roelants, Dominguez, Henderson, Bennati, Hunter
Stage 3b and Overall
Devolder, Sutton, Wiggins, Tuft, Hoste, Poosthuma, Van Impe
A few interesting notes on this race—things to keep an eye on:
1. George Hincapie has decided to leave this race off his program. Frankly, I couldn’t agree more with this decision. Hincapie has more than enough kilometers in his legs and he knows these roads better anyone without “Van-something” as a last name. Sitting this one out might be enough to keep him sharp for the week to come. If he wins Flanders or Roubaix, you can officially say it’s because he missed De Panne (and that you read it here first).
2. De Panne also marks the appearance of Garmin-Chipotle. I’m excited to see what the Argyle boys will do. Maaskant used this race as a launch pad last year—will he do it again? What about Tuft? I think he’s a rider particularly suited to races of this type—it will be interesting to see what he does on a stage this large.
3. Boonen is starting, but will not finish—barring something completely unforeseen.
My pick for the win? Devolder.
And you?
Obviously you’ve never been to De Panne in April.
The 3 Days of De Panne is the final chance for riders seeking to fine-tune their form for Sunday’s Ronde. With 4 stages over 3 days the race does not disappoint—unless you’re one of the many who will crash on these windswept coastal plains. De Panne is race that will literally make or break a rider’s form. For some, it gives one last chance to grow accustomed to the roads and the weather; for others, it can turn that sniffle into the flu or that shiny new frame into a twisted piece of post-modern sculpture.
This year’s race covers more than 500km and follows the traditional formula. The first stage covers 199km and tackles the most climbs of the race (many from Sunday). Expect a break to get away that will produce the first race leader (who will most likely hold the jersey until the last stage). The following stage is longer, but contains less hills (although the Kemmelberg is nothing to sneeze at). This will probably end in a bunch sprint—unless the wind breaks the race into groups. The Kemmelberg’s presence (or should I say it’s descent) also means a higher chance for a race-ending crash for at least one unlucky soul. Thursday morning brings a 112km jaunt around De Panne (almost certain to end in a bunch sprint), followed by a 15km time trial in the afternoon (in which most riders probably won’t even start).
Looking over the preliminary start list, the riders can be sorted into three groups of favorites: one-day men for Stage 1, sprinters for Stages 2 and 3a, and all-rounders who can time trial for Stage 3b and the overall win.
So here you go:
Stage 1
Hoste, Gilbert, Van Impe, Ivanov, Frishkorn, Maaskant, Willems, Bozic, Eisel
Stages 2 and 3a
Cavendish, Brown, Boonen, Roelants, Dominguez, Henderson, Bennati, Hunter
Stage 3b and Overall
Devolder, Sutton, Wiggins, Tuft, Hoste, Poosthuma, Van Impe
A few interesting notes on this race—things to keep an eye on:
1. George Hincapie has decided to leave this race off his program. Frankly, I couldn’t agree more with this decision. Hincapie has more than enough kilometers in his legs and he knows these roads better anyone without “Van-something” as a last name. Sitting this one out might be enough to keep him sharp for the week to come. If he wins Flanders or Roubaix, you can officially say it’s because he missed De Panne (and that you read it here first).
2. De Panne also marks the appearance of Garmin-Chipotle. I’m excited to see what the Argyle boys will do. Maaskant used this race as a launch pad last year—will he do it again? What about Tuft? I think he’s a rider particularly suited to races of this type—it will be interesting to see what he does on a stage this large.
3. Boonen is starting, but will not finish—barring something completely unforeseen.
My pick for the win? Devolder.
And you?
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