Saturday, February 28, 2009

Johnny S Wins?

Has anyone else noticed that the Cervelo Test Team jerseys bear a certain resemblance to the sweetest jersey in the world? They've got mirror-image accented and italicized e's on the front, while we at the FGBC employ a butchered beer logo to draw attention to our ripped chests. Beyond that one minor difference, the jerseys are virtually identical. So much so that when Thor Hushovd came flying across the finish line in a blur of black and red, one could be forgiven for thinking it was Johnny S who took an assertive win in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad today. See for yourself:




Behind Hushovd, it was Kevyn Ista (who?) in second place, while Juan Antonio Flecha took third. A couple of small crashes in the final km may have affected the outcome. A group containing most of the favourites came charging to the line, but they never really managed to get it set up for the final sprint. So Philippe Gilbert fails to defend his title and Tom Boonen will have to wait another day to show us that he's back from the little holiday that was last season. Full results and report from CN. Sporza has some video. And Pez takes you beyond the race and into the streets and weiler cafes.

Over in the FGBC Spring Classics Pool, a sizable group of Daves may have conspired to shun us, but David S showed how much he loves us by taking the first win of the season. He racks up 745 points on the day and now wears the target on his back. Kevin was second with 680 points, followed by FGBC Pool rookie Chris O with 625 points. The carefully crafted selection process resulted in a relatively even field of teams, so it's all pretty close so far. But somehow Dallas still managed to end up digging a rather large hole for himself to begin the season. He was only able to muster 20 points today and looks to have a firm early grasp on the lanterne rouge.

They're back at it again tomorrow with Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. If you want to watch, check in here sometime around 8:30 ET.

The Top 30:

Hushovd 350
Ista 300
Flecha 275
Van Avermaet 250
Burghardt 225
Amorison 200
Klier 175
Haussler 150
Terpstra 125
Boonen 110
Voeckler 100
Tankink 95
Boucher 90
Nuyens 85
Gilbert 80
Posthuma 75
Chavanel 70
De Vocht 65
Feillu 60
Goetarovitsj 55
Sentjens 50
McEwen 45
Cooke 40
Verheyen 35
Coenen 30
Mondory 25
Hayman 20
Rasch 15
Lemoine 10
Sijmens 5


Today's Results

David 745
Kevin 680
Chris O 625
Hal 595
Rachel 580
Jonny M 565
Ian 560
Chris A 510
Luke 500
Chris H 485
Jonny G 475
Donna 465
Mike 430
Paddy 375
Vic 340
Andy 340
Matt 310
Darryl 305
Craig 280
Brad 245
Bill 245
Adam 245
Naomi 140
Dallas 20


Overall Standings

David 745
Kevin 680
Chris O 625
Hal 595
Rachel 580
Jonny M 565
Ian 560
Chris A 510
Luke 500
Chris H 485
Jonny G 475
Donna 465
Mike 430
Paddy 375
Vic 340
Andy 340
Matt 310
Darryl 305
Craig 280
Brad 245
Bill 245
Adam 245
Naomi 140
Dallas 20

8 comments:

PaddyH said...

hey y'all,

slightly off topic but for those of you thinking about heading to 24@ 9 Mile this year, it has become part of the Granny Gear series and thus now has entry fees reflecting this: $310 US currently to prereg in any Solo Cat, this is just a bit steeper than the approx 70-90 buck range of yrs past(when it was US Nat's to boot!)

At this point, Naomi and I a really on the fence about making the migration out for it, esp now that Reach the Beach is a go this year, and we plan to tow the line for that event, any thoughts on moving Blundurd to the wknd of 9mile?

discuss...

ps: congrats to Dallas(and I s'pose my wife) for starting the Spring Classics Pool out strong! :^)

pps: my word veri is "cominist"

The Dark Lord said...

That sucks. $310 is rather steep. Steep enough to keep me away for another year. And I was actually tossing around the idea of giving it a try. But now I'll save my pennies for Operacion MUERTO. The WhitesHELL Enduro is only two weeks after Reach the Beach. And if Blundurd were the weekend of 9 Mile, that would be three enduros in four weeks. Not a bad.

The Dark Lord said...

Not a bad ... month.

PaddyH said...

I liked "not a bad"...could be a slogan...perhaps for July.


I

the secretary said...

I laughed out loud when I saw the johnny s comparison with the first fellow. Other than the exploding quads, which are nicely hidden for S, I could tell who I'd rather hang with.

Anonymous said...

Other notable people i've been mistaken for include the lead singer for Glass Tiger, the Pilsbury dough boy and Ellen Degeneres. Good times.
I'm hoping to be on the podium for Altonas winter bike festivus to win me some pie.

JS

El Presidente said...

And don't forget that kid from "Silver Spoons" Jonny. If you'd ever had a twin...eerily striking.

As for more important news I'm predicting a dominant "start-to-finish" victory for my obviously superior Spring Classic team. It took a lot our of me spending that much time debating my choices but I believe basking in adoration on the podium will surely make it all worthwhile.

Anonymous said...

I would like to say thank you to all who thought I was over analizing my pics, thanks for proving me wrong yet again. Another cycling pool and I'll have no ego next.

As for nine mile I am definately out at that price. There is no way i could convince Sherry that just winging a $300+ dollar race is a good idea.

As for reach the beach , it looks like that's where the eggs are going until the most beautiful sport cyclocross starts.


Dallas " nine mile is as big a money grab now as our provincial race series. BOOOOOO!" Sigurdur