2026 Classics

[BomToydd]

So deserved!

 

[Scythe]

Absolutely unbelievable race and finish. Well deserved, Wout.

 

[eth-dog]

One of the best editions I've seen. He deserves it so much. Pogi has to wait another year to complete the set. Well done Wout, finally got there.

 

[Daka]

Couldn't be more happy for Wout he deserved another monument and has been so unlucky many times.

 

[Ilkka Sinisalo]

Thought it would be cool for Tadej to win all five in a year, but very well deserved by Wout and somewhat shocking that it’s just his second monument, considering his ability as a rider.

 

[BomToydd]

Thought it would be cool for Tadej to win all five in a year, but very well deserved by Wout and somewhat shocking that it’s just his second monument, considering his ability as a rider.

Yeah that would have been cool. Would probably be one of those records that is never broken. I wonder if he'll be back next year. Surely he'll go for all the grand tours in a calendar year at least once while he's at his peak.

 

[Daka]

Wout Van Aert's form was pretty good coming in, I know he didn't win any of those lead-up races, but he was trying all the time putting himself in winning positions, at Paris-Roubaix it paid off, he looked super strong today.

With all the chaos & punctures between the favorites.
Was still the fastest Paris-Roubaix on record, Wout comes up with the win. how are they still getting faster?

 

[MrMeaner]

That was simply the best race I have seen for some time. It looks like the Femme version was pretty good too.

 

[Vader]

That was a spectacular race, with all of the leading contenders suffering mechanical problems at some stage. Pog had to work his way back from a 30 second delay, riding part of it on a neutral spares bike. MVDP the worst affected though, losing 2 minutes after suffering back-to-back mechanical failures in Arenberg.

Arenberg wasn't as muddy and slippery as usual - but it still managed to create more carnage than in any recent year (at least as far as I can remember).

Credit to MVDP for making up 1.5 of the 2 minutes lost - though WVA & Pog were clearly managing the gap, and were never going to allow him to return to the lead group.

It was a great ride by WVA & Pog, with WVA a thoroughly deserving winner. It's great to see him back at his best, after 2-3 injury affected seasons. It was amazing that a rider of his quality had only won 1x Monument prior to last night - now he joins the 2 Monument winners club (alongside Simon Gerrans).

Fingers crossed the form shown by WVA & Jonas is indicative that they're both back to their best, resulting in another epic TdF duel with Pog - though Jonas' decision to do the Giro will probably limit his effectiveness in July.

 

[largebus]

What a race, we need more Grand Tour riders taking on Roubaix. Felt sorry for MVDP, i feel he could've powered away from them without the problem

 

[Vader]

What a race, we need more Grand Tour riders taking on Roubaix. Felt sorry for MVDP, i feel he could've powered away from them without the problem

I can maybe see Remco giving it a go in the future, given that he rode Flanders last weekend. Definitely not Jonas.

It's been a while since Wiggins & Thomas gave it a shot. I loathe UK Postal and everything the cheating bastards stood for, but I had to respect them for having a crack at Roubaix.

 

[Daka]

I can maybe see Remco giving it a go in the future, given that he rode Flanders last weekend. Definitely not Jonas.

It's been a while since Wiggins & Thomas gave it a shot. I loathe UK Postal and everything the cheating bastards stood for, but I had to respect them for having a crack at Roubaix.

Paul Seixas has potential he is from a cyclo-cross background.
I think Paris-Roubaix/MSR would be extremely hard for him though, given how hard it's been for Tadej Pogacar.
the other monuments he is in with a chance.

I saw something online where Pogacar was by far the lightest rider in the top 10 of this year's Paris-Roubaix it shows how rare he is.
all these classics riders are heavier more powerful, really Pogacar's endurance & incredible power to weight ratio is what keeps him in a lot of races.

Remco should definitely be doing Flanders every year from here on in.

 

[Daka]

Grischa Niermann is such a good Director Sportif
imagine watching that crazy race being heavily invested and being this calm?

 

[Ilkka Sinisalo]

What a race, we need more Grand Tour riders taking on Roubaix. Felt sorry for MVDP, i feel he could've powered away from them without the problem

Yeah, MVDP was probably the strongest rider, considering that he drove most of that group to within 30 seconds of Wout and Pogi. Without the breakdown at the worst possible place (besides coming into the velodrome) he probably ends up with the two leaders and wins the sprint finish. Ganna was probably never gonna win but gee he was unlucky with all of the punctures. At one point he had to absolutely drill it to catch back on to the Pogi/Wout (and others, at that point) group then like 1km later he punctured again. How angry would you be to put in that kind of effort to close up the gap and then just immediately flat?

Before Pogi you have to go back probably Bernard Hinault in the early 1980s to get an elite GC rider who was also an elite classics rider. Greg LeMond rode a lot of them and often placed pretty well, but didn't win any. Sometimes you'd get a top GC contender rocking up and winning Lombardia but that one caters to climbers and is also at the end of the season, when it doesn't matter so much if you come off your bike and can't ride for a while. It's pretty amazing and great for cycling (IMO) that the best GC grand tour rider of this era is also among the best classics riders, and is entering races like MSR and Roubaix which don't play to his strengths as a climber and (especially Roubaix) have a high risk of injury which could derail TDF training. Hopefully Pogi's arrival marks a return to the days when the great GC riders and great Classics riders often had some overlap.

 

[Vader]

Paul Seixas has potential he is from a cyclo-cross background.
I think Paris-Roubaix/MSR would be extremely hard for him though, given how hard it's been for Tadej Pogacar.
the other monuments he is in with a chance.

I saw something online where Pogacar was by far the lightest rider in the top 10 of this year's Paris-Roubaix it shows how rare he is.
all these classics riders are heavier more powerful, really Pogacar's endurance & incredible power to weight ratio is what keeps him in a lot of races.

Remco should definitely be doing Flanders every year from here on in.

When you say that Roubaix has been tough for Pog, he's ridden it twice for 2x 2nd place finishes - one lost when he overshot a corner, the other lost by 2 bike lengths in a 2-up sprint. If that's doing it hard then I shudder to imagine how the mere mortals are coping!

I read an article a week or two back suggesting that Pog puts on about 5 lbs (2.5 kg) of extra muscle for the Spring Classics, which he then loses again while preparing for the high mountains of the Grand Tours.

If Seixas has that background then he's probably well equipped to have a crack at the cobbled classics at some time in the future. Mind you, at his age, "some time in the future" is very open ended!

Remco's entry in Flanders was kept secret for a long time, but proved to be a great success in the end. I'd like to see him broaden his horizons to Roubaix, now that he knows he can cope with some cobblestones.

 

[Daka]

When you say that Roubaix has been tough for Pog, he's ridden it twice for 2x 2nd place finishes - one lost when he overshot a corner, the other lost by 2 bike lengths in a 2-up sprint. If that's doing it hard then I shudder to imagine how the mere mortals are coping!

I mean the fact he wins almost every race he enters at this stage, I would suggest it's been harder than usual, MSR he was trying for ages, he has definitely been great at Roubiax 2nd 2x in a row. no doubt he will win it if keeps at it.

 

[Orange Agent]

Not a great night to be working.... I've watched the extended highlights, think I might need watch the whole thing. If Pogi doesn't slide out in the puddle on Carrefour does he win? looked he was putting a ton of pressure on.

 

[Vader]

Not a great night to be working.... I've watched the extended highlights, think I might need watch the whole thing. If Pogi doesn't slide out in the puddle on Carrefour does he win? looked he was putting a ton of pressure on.

Both Pog & WVA had moments where they looked like they were stretching the rubber band on a few of the cobbled sectors, but the rubber band never snapped for either of them. I'm not convinced that would have changed.

 

[eth-dog]

Four more WT classics for this half of the season. Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallone, Liege then Eschborn-Frankfurt to finish off. Thankfully Tadej is only riding LBL and MvdP isn't riding any so we'll at least get 3 somewhat unpredicatable races