Could there be any other moment this year which over shadowed the race itself? Well it has to go to Fabian Cancellara passed Tom Boonen on the Muur. I've watched it countless times and it still leaves me stunned to see the ease in which he moves past, almost like the hill wasn't there. I'm not for a minute casting any doubts on his perfromance, no batteries required I think.
This short portion of the film captures the moment and stops before all the show boating begins. I think if there hadn't been all of that going on it would have probably won Race of the Year.
It's all Jon Cannings fault really. He showed me some of Kristof's work last year and I was blown away by it. I initially thought there was some serious photoshop work going on tomake the photos look the way they do. I was wrong, it is a technique with a type of flash. I think with all photographers it is how thye use their equipment as well as how they see the subject matter that can transform an image from being some blank and lacking felling to one that captures a subject and evokes passion and emotion.
I got the chance to meet Kristof this year in his home town of Leuven, where he was taking photos at the Brabanste Piij race. What a nice chap, and I can only hope his career goes far, because sometimes the good guys should come first and not last. Many thanks to Kristof for allowing me to use his photos here and elsewhere on my site. That kind gesture is impossible for me to repay and this is my way of saying thanks to him. Enjoy the images as the person who created them enjoys making them, spread some love today.
Maybe only in America could you add more drama to the MOST important race in the Belgian calendar. It's nice and the footage looks very nice in black and white. When will somebody do a Road to Roubaix style pic on Flanders?
I've added this after having it brought to my attention, action on the Paterberg
Having a camera mounted roadside really shows how steep these climbs are.
At 27km, with the voice of a legend, Sean Kelly
This was the second time that Cancellara put the hammer down. Losing a reported 5kg in weight seems to have given him the edge that he required to make the difference. Can't find footage of the first time on the Molenberg.
Great footage just showing the damage been done. I like the fact you can see the massive time gaps between the riders and how the cameraman (or maybe a friend) gets excited when his favourite riders go past. Isn't it great to be a fan.
This piece of coverage shows the final 10km. The damage has been done, the red hammer has been struck. Fabian goes into TT mode, impressive stuff.
I think in many ways that the E3 gave a better indication who is in form for the Ronde rather than Gent-Wevelgem. Looking at the riders in the top ten, I reckon five or six of them could be there on Sunday.
1. Fabian Cancellara (Zwi/Saxo Bank) 203 km in 4hr 44:34
(ave. 42,80 km./h.)
2. Tom Boonen op 0:03
3. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa)
4. Filippo Pozzato (Ita) 0:50;
5. Lars Boom (Ned);
6. Sebastian Langeveld (Ned);
7. Björn Leukemans; 8. Paul Martens (Dui);
9. Marco Marcato (Ita) 0:58;
10. Fabio Felline
For me the top three are going to be there in the final for sure
The three in form Classic's riders of the moment made the final together. Watching the power and brute strength of these athletes was exciting to watch. Fabian seemed to have a little more left in the tank, and in a drag race between Boonen and Cancellara it would always be a close call. Flecha can't afford to make the same mistake on Sunday (Ronde) as he doesn't have the pure sprinting speed of the other two. So if he's using the E3 as a dry run for Flanders I think he needs to take a Devolder approach and will need to use the tactic of trying to ride away with 20-30km to go.
Boonen is riding well, better than I have seen him ride for a long time. Fabian is also riding well, but where the two differ is that SAXO as a Team are riding well. Quick Step have at times left Tom isolated, and although it is difficult to match him pedal rev for pedal rev, if you've not touched the wind for half of the race the tank is half full is crucial come the final.
Fabian Cancellara embodies what many cyclists would love to be, a great all rounder. Be it TT, Cobbles, Short Stage Races he has a palmares unlike any other rider in the peloton at the moment. I think his exploits and his refusal to be pigeon holed make him an inspiration for cyclists the worlds over.
Cancellara's season didn't start so well compared to previous seasons. Missing out both in Flanders (snapped chain) and Roubaix, romours were rife that Fabian didn't like his new Specialized bike. In public I doubt you will ever here him say it, but what has been absent is the praise he used to bestow on the Cervelo machine. Specialized decided to make a new TT rig, which came as a surprise from one angle but in another it makes sense, this guy can TT like no other. Their (Specialized's)investment has proved to be a shrewd one as he is back on a winning streak.
My question is when will they build a bike that suits him for the Cobbles. The S-Works Roubaix and the S-Works Tarmac have been crafted with the input of the (now defunked) Gerolsteiner and Quick Step Teams. There has been a lot of input from Tom Boonen and it has proved again that investing in a machine for the star riders has captured the two biggest scalps in Cobbles Week, two years on the trot.
There is a lot of speculation to whether Specialized will continue with Quick Step for next season. They reputtedly but in a large bid to be the bike manufacturer of Team Sky, but didn't get it. So it might be that Saxo Bank are the only Team on the bikes for next year, we'll have to wait until January to find out.
Being unhappy with the current Specialized machine has fuelled rumours that Fabian may be looking to ply his trade elsewhere. SKY is the only name I have heard mentioned and if he does go he would be reunited with a previous bike that he has had some success on before. If the rumour is half true and if I was in Riis and SBC's shoes I would do everything in my power to keep him and provide him with the equipment he needs. He could well win the Road World Championships today to add to his TT medal he won on Saturday.
