The Classics Campaigns : The Ratings #1

 The Classics Campaigns : The Ratings

The classics are for many riders the first and sometimes even biggest goals of the season. With the cobble classics behind us and with the first riders finishing their classic campaigns, we can give the first ratings for the cobble fanatics in the women's & men's peloton. 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. These are the first names of our round-up.

 

Mathieu van der Poel 10/10

Winner of 2 monuments and runner-up in one. Much better than this rarely happens anymore. So this deserves a straight ten. After an intensive Winter with a cyclocross world title, he started the year very well and apart from a difficult Strade Bianche, he was strong in every race he took part in. He opted for a last minute participation in the Scheldeprijs to gain that last 1 % ahead of Roubaix. Strong physically and mentally and nobody deserves a rest more than him now after being top since December last year.

Wout van Aert 7/10

Ahead of the classics campaign, Van Aert indicated that the monuments were all that mattered this season and that everything below it had a lower priority. He skipped the Strade Bianche to have a longer training camp and rode an anonymous Tirreno to save energy for the classics. In Sanremo he couldn't resist the attack of Van der Poel, in Flanders he couldn't beat Pedersen in a distant sprint for the 3rd place and in Roubaix, but he only had 1 attempt in the legs but he got a puncture quick after. In between the monuments, he won the E3 Harelbeke and gave away a victory in Ghent-Wevelgem. Combining that with a second place at the cyclocross World championships, that gives a fine but not exceptional Spring for Van Aert.

Elisa Balsamo 7/10

No classic victory this year for Balsamo, but still a more than decent Spring campaign. In Trofeo Binda she was blocked for the victory because her teammate Van Anrooij was ahead, so she couldn't do more than win the sprint for the second place. In Bruges-De Panne, only breakaway rider Georgi finished ahead of her in a race where she also took much initiative herself. Can't reward her with an 8 because she didn't win a classic and also didn't show much progress in Flanders & Roubaix, but still a decent campaign for the 25 years old.

Chiara Consonni 8/10

Her program was smaller than last year but in the toughest races that she took part in, she definitly showed some progression. She's still the good sprinter that she showed already,, but she also made progression in the more difficult races. Her 9th place in Paris-Roubaix was her first top 10 place in a monument. In Flanders she only finished a few seconds behind a group full of some of the best riders on this terrain. It wasn't the Spring of quantity for Consonni, but she definitly became a stronger rider.

Filippo Ganna 9/10

In the previous years, the Spring classics never used to be a terrain or a goal for Filippo Ganna but without much experience he raced like an experienced classics rider. Podium in Sanremo, decently 10th in Harelbeke and riding for the victory for Roubaix. With a bit more strength and experience, Ganna could set up solos for victories in the coming years. Very promising Spring for the Italian all rounder.

Christina Schweinberger 9/10

Not the biggest name in the peloton but her performances were too remarkable to ignore. The rider from Fenix-Deceuninck rode for smaller Belgian teams in the past years but together with her team she became a well deserved part of the World Tour peloton. After a good start in the Omloop she continued her streak with strong performances & results in Bruges-De Panne & Ghent-Wevelgem. In the big monuments of Flanders & Roubaix she finished within or aroud the top 20 among the biggest specialists in the peloton. Her sprint and her growing strength could deliver her much more big results in the WT races in the long term, and why not a victory?

Oliver Naesen 3/10

Finished 19th in the Omloop and 18th in Ghent-Wevelgem. That's all what can be said about the Spring of Oliver Naesen. It's been a very anonymous period for him without any remarkable moments in front of the race. He declined a lot since the best period of his carreer. A rider of 32 years old should still be able to perform on a higher level then this.

Lorena Wiebes 10/10

She won the race that suited her the most and became a lot stronger in the races that didn't. What to expect more of Lorena Wiebes for now? She won the Scheldeprijs and Drenthe. Won the peloton sprints for the second place in the Omloop and Nokere. In de Ronde she could hang on really long and in Roubaix she was a perfect domestique for Kopecky. Wiebes does not only depend on the sprints in the coming years but she can also target the tougher classics in the coming years.

Jasper Stuyven 5/10

Started in the Omloop without any competition and that didn't pay off for him. Top 10 in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne & 10th in Milano-Sanremo but after that he could never reach his usual level. Perhaps with a bit more race rhytmn he could be on a better level again next season because a monument winner and consistent classic specialist like Stuyven can do a lot better in the Spring season

Mads Pedersen  8/10

Perhaps we saw the strongest Mads Pedersen ever this Spring but unfortuatly it didn't bring him any victories. Was very consistent in the classics ahead of Flanders & Roubaix and came on full swing in the latter. Got rewarded by a podium spot in the Tour of Flanders. The former worldchampion set another step forward this Spring. His opponents are on another level but the best years are coming for him and many race scenarios are possible, so that should motivate him to take this first monumental victory next season.