Showing posts with label Valverde. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valverde. Show all posts
Friday, 14 December 2018
Rider of the Year 2018
Congrats Peter! You have been elected Cycling Impression's rider of the year!
Someone says that winning a Paris - Roubaix is worth a Word title, but in this case it seems more than just a hyperbole.
Despite Valverde's great victory in Innsbruck, Sagan impressed everybody with his solo attack 50 kilometers away from Roubaix and gained the last encomium of the year.
I think this happened also due to the fact that Paris - Roubaix is the last legendary race. It brings us back to the legendary old cycling, made of gravel roads, punctures and hazard.
Nevertheless, Sagan would be remembered as the last winner of THE Paris - Roubaix because I don't know if we will call the race with its legendary name in the future.
I am talking about the shameful request, made by the Amis de Paris Roubaix, to fill the gaps between the cobbles of the Arenberg Forest with mortar.
They say that, otherwise, the sector is too hard to clean.
I hope they are kidding! We are talking about one of the last legendary cycling places in a cycling world that is moving to new nice places like Oman or Dubai but where history still has to be written.
My final question is: these people, asking to add mortar between the cobbles in the Arenberg Forest, are Friends of Paris Roubaix or Friends of the Sofa?
Labels:
2018,
arenberg forest,
Bora-Hansgrohe,
Cobblestones,
Coppi,
culture,
France,
French,
new,
Paris - Roubaix,
Sagan,
UCI,
Valverde,
World,
World Champion,
year
Monday, 1 October 2018
Innsbruck 2018 Men Elite Road Race
El Imbatido
I think it is hard to spend few words on what Velverde did in Innsbruck, it has been something cathartic.
He sprinted from the worst position, bringing on his shoulders the responsibility of the strongest, and in the end he won. Pure emotion.
Here you can find my grades to the teams and their tactics from 1 (very bad) to 10 (very good):
SPAIN: 10
Finally they raced as a true team moving together in the same direction.
They ended up with an historical victory with their most representative rider.
Denmark: 9.5
They were not the favorite, they used the perfect strategies with their riders.
They attacked since the beginning and almost won the race with Valgren's perfect attack.
France: 8.5
They controlled the race and prepared brought their two best riders in the best position on the final climb. There could have just been a bit more communication in the team about Alaphilippe feelings.
Canada: 8
They took a great bronze medal with a fantastic race of their captain Woods.
Holland: 6.5
This is the best season of Dumoulin but unfortunately he missed all its goals. Nevertheless, we can't blame him.
He saved the performance of its team that could have started attacking earlier in the race.
Belgium: 5
I expected more from the nation of cycling by definition. Wellens disappeared and Van Avermaet saved the race with an attack made more with pride than with legs.
Italy: 4
They raced in a decent way, trying to move the race and being reactive on the attacks during the first part of the race.
They committed a terrible suicide when they decide to push before the final climb, helping France and Spain and demolishing their entire team but Moscon.
Great Britain: 3.5
They controlled the race all day and disappeared in the final.
Colombia: 3
I'm still wondering if they were in the Peloton.
Monday, 10 September 2018
Innsbruck Preview
The circuit of the 2018 Cycling World Championships is one of the most interesting among the recent editions.
It seems to be a circuit for climbers and we could have a GC contender wearing the rainbow jersey since Cadel Evans.
Nevertheless, with the approach of the race, the reaction of the riders is hard to believe.
Italy, with its captain Nibali, was in the short list of the possible winners but after the Tour the France crash of its captain and the horrible year of its lieutenant Aru, It has been relegated to a secondary role.
Great Britain, presenting the winner of the two grand tours so far, was in the short list as well. Nevertheless, Team Sky announced that their two champions are too tired to race the World Championships. Are you kidding me?!
The team still have two great contenders with the Yates brothers but I found hard to believe that the two strongest riders won't compete for the rainbow Jersey.
Colombia seems to be the favorite, with so many great climbers they are definitely the strongest team in Austria.
The problem will be to ride as a team; the rivalry among the Colombian champions is really hard and La Vuelta 2018 is enhancing it.
France and Holland are just below Colombia, in my opinion, they are two solid teams with a lot of tradition and can count on strong climbers.
They have less strong climbers than Columbia but their teams seem to be more organized.
Talking about Belgium, I don't think this will be the year of Belgium or of the Classics kids because the circuit looks really strong but the fact that Italy will race without a captain will not make the race as hard as planned.
In conclusion, I really wonder if this will finally be the deserved World Championships of Valverde. Spain has always had the problem of never being a team but, without Rodriguez, this time, Don Aleandro could have the chance of his life.
The team of Cycling Impressions will be in Austria providing you a lot of great contents, stay tuned!!
Wednesday, 5 July 2017
Is Still Worth Watching The Tour De France?
The answer is No.
The Tour de France is generally quite a boring race in itself, It is full of flat stages and the climbs are always the same five every year.
What makes the Tour de France a great race is that the most iconic champions are at the start of this Grand Tour and animate it with their talent and their class.
When Valverde is out due to a bad crash and the World Champion is out due to a more than questionable decision of an unprepared jury, why should We still watch this piddling race?
P.S. If organizers are happy just with French victories, they should just decide to turn the Tour de France into the new French national championship.
Monday, 3 July 2017
Tour de France 2017 Pt. 1
The same old Tour is on and nothing seems to have changed.
Froome is again the big favourite and the other teams are already complaining about Team Sky's tactics and materials.
This time under investigation are the skinsuits used by the team during the opening Time Trial that, with their "vortex generator", seem to have provided the riders a notable time gain.
The saddest event is the crash of Valverde in the first stage, the Tour looses one of the most spectacular riders of the peloton. I really hope this won't be the end of the career of one of the last legend of this sport.
One of the most interesting riders to watch out during the first part of this Tour is Phinney, the American seems finally healed and in a good shape. No doubt about his talent, now I'm curious to see what he can do.
Until the stage arrival at la Planche des Belles Filles we can just enjoy watching Sagan that tries to win every stage.
Welcome back to the same old Tour de France.
Labels:
2017,
Bora-Hansgrohe,
Kittel,
Material,
Phinney,
Quintana,
Sagan,
Sky,
Tour de France,
UCI,
Valverde,
WT,
Yellow
Sunday, 11 June 2017
Critérium du Dauphiné
One of the most famous pre-Tour races is over, but I don't think we could collect real info about the riders that will battle for the yellow jersey.
Porte fought hard during the last stage to win the race but he did it just due to his position in the General Classification and because a champion in such a position can't do in a different way.
Nevertheless I don't think this is enough to make statements and predictions about the upcoming Tour de France.
In my opinion, at the end of this Critérium du Dauphiné there are three notable events:
1) The great victory of Fuglsang and Team Astana that after really hard days are trying to rebuilt a dramatic (not in terms of results) season. The team fought harder than ever and, in the end, won.
It is really hard to comment a victory like this, so we can just enjoy it and think about it.
2) The birth of two young talent: a sprinter and a climber. Bauhaus and Bouwman took both their first World Tour win and seems to have promised us great shows in the future.
The victory of Bauhaus is the top of a maturation process that passed through a great Giro d'Italia. Will Bauhaus be the next German great sprinter?
3) Valverde is immortal and is one of the best riders of all times. He is one of the few rider (Sagan is another for example) than when takes part to a race you can be sure it will be an exciting one and you won't forget he is in the race. He is 37 and he is never complaining, this is a great example for so many riders that claim to be the best. and pretend so much.
See you soon to see what happened in the Swiss corner of the pre-Tour preparation.
Labels:
Astana,
Bauhaus,
Dauphiné,
France,
Froome,
Grand Tour,
Porte,
Team Sunweb,
Tour de France,
UCI,
Valverde,
WordTour,
WT,
Yellow
Thursday, 4 May 2017
Rider of the Month: April
Congratulations Alejandro!! You are the rider of the month!
We should contrive new words to describe the greatness of this rider.
Valverde is not even like the good wine, that increases its quality day by day.
He has always been the best, he is the best and probably he will continue to be the most complete rider in the Peloton.
He is capable of winning Monuments and classics and to compete at the higher level in the Grand Tours.
Thank you Alejando I hope you will teach us cycling for a long long time.
Labels:
april,
Belgium,
Champion,
Classics,
fleche,
Grand Tour,
liege,
Month,
Movistar,
Rider,
Spain,
Valverde
Monday, 24 April 2017
Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2017
This article is the natural continuation of the previous one and we have to thank Valverde for this.
Valverde and Scarponi, two riders representing the good old cycling but still victorious in the modern one.
Just a great Champion could have done this: He won the oldest of the Classics and dedicated the victory to his friend dramatically passed away the day before.
What can I add to this fantastic and emotional victory? Nothing.
Valverde is dominating the season, he has won almost every race he took part.
He is definitely the most all-round rider of the Peloton, a genius of tactics, a rider that honors the cycling season from February to October.
Such a great rider, a true friend of Michele, could not have honored his friend in a better way.
Sunday, 26 March 2017
Impressions After a Week On the Cobbles
A week on the cobbles has just finished and Van Avermaet comes out confirming his class in one day races.
Nevertheless, I think he wasn't the strongest rider in the peloton, he was just the smartest.
Gilbert lost two races in which he was clearly the strongest, trying to ride in the Sagan's way, a spectacular way to ride but that is not paying back in 2017.
We have also to consider that in order to ride like Sagan you have to be extremely stronger than the other riders and not just in a very good shape.
Allow me now to focus on what happened today in Gent-Wevelgem: while Sagan and Terpstra were arguing, Van Avermaet and Keukeleire, remaining focused on the race, silently rode away.
Van Avermaet took an incredible win that embellishes his palmarés proving that you have to be smart to win without caring too much about pulling as the others or showing that you are the best in the peloton.
I think that Sagan learned a lot from Gent-Wevelgem 2017 and we will enjoy an incredible Ronde Van Vlaanderen.
In conclusion, I want to celebrate the only rider that this week (at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya) won conjugating show, class and cleverness: El Imbatido, Alejandro Valverde.
Monday, 27 February 2017
Answer The Survey And Find Out Who Will Be The Rider Of The Month
Labels:
2017,
Belgium,
Bora-Hansgrohe,
Classics,
Cobblestones,
Legend,
Month,
Rider,
Sagan,
season,
Spain,
UCI,
Valverde,
WordTour,
World Champion
Friday, 13 January 2017
Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Answer The Survey And Find Out What Will Be The Victory Of The Year
Labels:
Boonen,
Cancellara,
Classics,
Cycling,
Etixx - Quick-Step,
France,
Froome,
Giro d'Italia,
Grand Tour,
Legend,
Lombardia,
rainbow,
Rio2016,
Sagan,
season,
Tour de France,
UCI,
Valverde,
World Champion
Monday, 25 July 2016
Tour de France Ratings
I'm using the rating scale from 0 (very bad) to 10 (excellent).
Froome, Sagan: 10
Cavendish: 9,5
Dumoulin, Bardet, Yates: 8
Van Avermaet, Pantano: 7,5
Zakarin, Valverde, Majka: 7
Matthews, De Gendt, Izagirre, Rodriguez: 6,5
Kittel, Greipel, Porte, Cummings: 6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quintana, Barguil, Kristoff, Alaphilippe: 5
Aru, Nibali, Rolland, Cancellara: 4,5
Coquard, Voeckler: 4
Prudhomme, Security, Motorbikes: 0
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