The Classics Campaigns : The Ratings #2

The classics are for many riders the first and sometimes even biggest goals of the season. With the Brabantse Pijl & Amstel Gold Race behind us, it's time to rate the riders who finished their classic campaign this Sunday. Ratings are based on the expectations that are common about the certain riders. How higher the expectations, how better you have to perform to get a high rating. 

 

 Lotte Kopecky 9,5/10

For her legs, you could give a 10/10, as she was the best rider in every race. But for a perfect score she could have won 1 more classic, but it was not poor tactical decisions or a moment of distractin who costed her the victory but teammates who hindered her to take the iniative herself. Kopecky was strong in every race she rode and her range of possibilities is enormous, but as long as she's can't ride fully for herself, she will never be able to get the maximum out of her possibilities.

Peter Sagan 2/10

The farewell tour of Peter Sagan was only noticeable for those who went to the start of the races, because at the finish, he ended on an unnoticeable result or didn't even finish at all. In Paris-Roubaix the reason was obvious but in the other races, he could have done a lot better. It might have been his last season but he was still only 33 years old and with his talent he could have at least obtained a few top 20 spots at least. The Slovak can defend his chances on the Mountainbike now after a poor few last months on the road.

Marianne Vos 7/10

It's hard to judge her campaign due to her difficult preparation due to injury, but she's too good to leave her out as well. In the 5 races that she took part in she couldn't win, but she still managed to get a podium place in Dwars door Vlaanderen & top 10 in Paris-Roubaix. She never really could have a big impact in those races but due to the race situations and her ability to get the most out of it, she still set some decent results. A good sober 7 for Vos.

Greg Van Avermaet 4/10

He came only once close to a top 20, in his last race of the Spring campaign, a 26th place in the Amstel Gold Race. Sickness had a bad impact on his season, but despite this, we could still expect a little more than those anonymous results in most of the races. He made a nice attempt in Ghent-Wevelgem by going in the breakaway but his attack didn't reach far enough to create a prominent role in the final for him.

Yves Lampaert 6/10

The race that he was least prepared for delivered him the best result. Lampaert was called-up last minute to race in the Classic Bruges-De Panne but managed to take a podium spot there after a strong race. The only podium spot for his team in a World Tour classic so far this Spring. When the roads got uphill, it was a lot less for Lampaert. He & his team only played a role far behind in the background when the front of the peloton accelerated on the Flemish hills. 

Part 1 : https://cyclingbottle.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-classics-campaigns-ratings-part-1.html

Part 3 : Next Sunday after the Ardennes week