Spring Classics 2009 [R]

[Dead Fingers]

Omloop Het Volk (Now Omloop Het Nieuwsblad) is up this weekend.

[aveslacker]

Here (http://www.velonews.com/article/72932/belgian-spring-kicks-off-with-het-volk)'s Velo News on Het Volk.

Major changes are in store for the unofficial kick off of the classics season with Saturday’s running of the 63rd Omloop Het Volk in Belgium.

Narrower roads, more cobblestones and tougher climbs are on tap for the 199km Belgian season opener in what’s always one of the most anticipated races of the year among that rare breed of racer who loves to bash the pavé.

...

“Het Volk is like a mini-Tour of Flanders,” said Walter Planckaert, sport director of Topsport Vlaanderen. “It has all the ingredients of a big event.”

[Moishe]

For the 64th addition of this race it will see a name change as well with Volk being dropped for Nieuwsblad. Apparently the Volk was associated with a newspaper that was the primary sponsor until this year. This years addition will feature a total of 11 climbs with many on cobbles. This has been pretty much a Belgian dominated race over the years. Below are the teams that will be participating:

* Quick Step
* Silence-Lotto
* Saxo Bank
* AG2R-La Mondiale
* BBox Bouygues Telecom
* Cofidis
* Française des Jeux
* Milram
* Liquigas
* Astana
* Rabobank
* Katusha
* Garmin-Slipstream
* Team Columbia
* Agritubel
* Elk-Haus
* Landbouwkrediet
* Mercator-Topsport Vlaanderen
* Skil-Shimano
* Vacansoleil
* Cervelo
A very good field of teams to start with although I'm still looking around to see which riders will represent the teams. If you follow any of the betting sites, Tom Boonen is the odds on favorite to take this years addition.

[Moishe]

Here is a link to the provisional squads for this years race.

http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/pdf/omloop2009-elite-men-participants.pdf

As well as a link to the races official site.

http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/

If your interested in watching the race/s Cycling.tv is offering packages that have more than just the one race but based on past experiences, the streams are dodgy. If any of you have other sites that will be streaming the race please post them. Cheers!

[aveslacker]

Here is a link to the provisional squads for this years race.

http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/pdf/omloop2009-elite-men-participants.pdf

As well as a link to the races official site.

http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/

If your interested in watching the race/s Cycling.tv is offering packages that have more than just the one race but based on past experiences, the streams are dodgy. If any of you have other sites that will be streaming the race please post them. Cheers!
I'll bet there will be a variety of streams on myp2p.us. I think Eurosport does a lot of coverage of the classics. Maybe they'll show it and someone will stream it.

[Dead Fingers]

I'll bet there will be a variety of streams on myp2p.us. I think Eurosport does a lot of coverage of the classics. Maybe they'll show it and someone will stream it.

I do have to say I was impressed with the Tour of California's coverage on their web site: streaming and just about everything else. Whereas Vs. was really off, to put it nicely.

Vs. will be doing several of the Spring Classics.

[aveslacker]

I do have to say I was impressed with the Tour of California's coverage on their web site: streaming and just about everything else. Whereas Vs. was really off, to put it nicely.

Vs. will be doing several of the Spring Classics.
The ToC website was pretty good. The GPS thing was neat, shame that the weather sometimes messed with the GPS units. I doubt we will see such a sophisticated web presence from any other race. Maybe the Tour?

[aveslacker]

Here's some video from the Omloop to whet the appetite:

Classic!

[aveslacker]

Here's the Omloop course:

http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/charts/omloop2009map.png

[aveslacker]

Hushovd wins the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (http://www.velonews.com/article/88747/hushovd-wins-het-nieuwsblad). Boonen finishes tenth.

[Moishe]

Hushovd wins the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (http://www.velonews.com/article/88747/hushovd-wins-het-nieuwsblad). Boonen finishes tenth.

Exactly why I don't gamble anymore. Congrats to Thor.

[Dead Fingers]

Always liked Hushovd! Congrats to him

24 hours later, Boonen win the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne semi-classic.
http://www.velonews.com/article/88800/boonen-wins-kbk

[aveslacker]

Always liked Hushovd! Congrats to him

24 hours later, Boonen win the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne semi-classic.
http://www.velonews.com/article/88800/boonen-wins-kbk
I don't know why, but Boonen never did much for me. He's a fantastic racer obviously, but I just don't like him.

Maybe it's because I admire climbers and superdomestiques more than sprinters.

[Dead Fingers]

I don't know why, but Boonen never did much for me. He's a fantastic racer obviously, but I just don't like him.

Maybe it's because I admire climbers and superdomestiques more than sprinters.


I don't mind Tom. Not a fan, but not a hater either. He does deserve the respect. I was hoping that Devolder (His team mate) would have been in better contention to win Roubaix last year. He just highlights how much I like Hincappie and how much bad luck he has had with the Classics, whether mechanical or a weak(er) team.

[aveslacker]

I don't mind Tom. Not a fan, but not a hater either. He does deserve the respect. I was hoping that Devolder (His team mate) would have been in better contention to win Roubaix last year. He just highlights how much I like Hincappie and how much bad luck he has had with the Classics, whether mechanical or a weak(er) team.
Big George has had horrible luck in the classics, particularly Paris-Roubaix.

I think I'd like to see him win Paris-Roubaix as much as I'd like to see Vandevelde on top of the podium at one of the Grand Tours.

[Dead Fingers]

Big George has had horrible luck in the classics, particularly Paris-Roubaix.

It's the stuff of Greek tragedy. I semi-kid, but I would imagine for him that it has to eat at him a lot. I would love to see some more Americans compete at the classic a bit more as well.


I think I'd like to see him win Paris-Roubaix as much as I'd like to see Vandevelde on top of the podium at one of the Grand Tours.

I think a rider like Christian has it in him, but others on Garmin are really going to need to step up.

[aveslacker]

Highlights of the Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. Commentary in Dutch.

Tommeke!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqTG3mbYgQ8

[aveslacker]

...and the finish of the Omloop. Commentary also in Dutch. There's a funny little bit when one of the Cervelo riders does a farmer blow and the commentator says something like, "now that he's gotten all of his snot out, he's ready to go" or something like that. Anyway.

The Mighty Thor!

[aveslacker]

I think a rider like Christian has it in him, but others on Garmin are really going to need to step up.

Yeah, they haven't exactly gotten off to a great start this year, other than the TOC.

[Moishe]

And tomorrow brings us the 67th edition of Paris-Nice. The race will feature a total of eight stages for 1250 km with the opening stage being an ITT. The course is fairly hilly for the most part once the time trial is completed. This appears to be a strong field but the consensus is that Alberto Contador is the favorite to take this years race.

http://www.velonews.com/article/86993/2009-paris-nice-route-and-teams-announced-ventoux-s-little

http://www.letour.fr/2009/PNC/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html