What did you think +

bear in mind without Fabian race was different

Whilst today's race was good, for me at the moment the old route was perfect.

I liked todays route, but its hard to tell after one running. Maybe today was a good race, maybe not. Ask me in a year or two.

I dont think the race particularly missed the muur

I think Canc would have forced a selection earlier but I am not sure the Paterburg is the right last climb, although very steep is very short.
Having raced it once now next year the teams/riders will have more idea of what can and cannot be done on the course and adjust their tactics. Hopefully Canc and Gilbert can play a bigger role next year. Sagan will be a year older and wiser, Vanmarcke and Degenkolb too, Geriant Thomas will be back as well.

And another thing - can't see Phil ever winning this route.

Too early to say, I think the race changed completely when Fabian went out. Add Cancellara and an in-form Gilbert, and the new route might have been more spectacular.

Too premature to tell...good races made by good riders sometimes.

Sad for the bad luck of Fabian...seems like his year for stuff.  It was a good race and happy for Tommeke kinda wishing Pippo would have pipped him but he still looked happy about his race---as he should!

He isn't going to be around for some time now.

Fabian crash makes it difficult to judge.

Found Paterberg to be an extremely disappointing final climb for some reason.

Me too, but I do like the closeness of the Kwaremont and Paterberg. Neither one, on its own, would do what I hope they do, at that point in the race, deliver the right winner. The two climbs together, just too close for comfort, could do that perfectly. It would be a great combo to throw at a small group of tired riders near the final, almost guaranteeing a win for the best legs on the last climb of the day, but only of the finish line came a lot closer. That's the only real 'problem' I have with this new route, I think.

Boonen was pretty spent when he got to the top of the Patersberg, but had just enough time (and headwind) to get enough of his breath back in the long stretch to Oudenaarde. this way it remains a sprinter's finish, of sorts. I really felt it was Pozzato's day when Boonen looked in a spot of bother, but the closer they got to Oudenaarde, the more that feeling evaporated.

Maybe a weird thing to say when someone just put RvV on their palmares, but to me, Boonen looks like he is having a harder time to draw out his superb Spring form than he'd liked to. With Cancellara left in the race, who appeared to have timed his form superbly, I think we would now be talking about how Boonen had peaked too early this year, given the importance of this and the next weekend.

Now, with Cancellara out of the race and that other record next week tantalisingly close too, he might be on a high that is just euphoric enough, to persuade his legs to deliver one final hellish heave-ho this Spring. As long as he doesn't get torpedoed by a similar cobble like the one that had him in its vizor last year. I'll probably eat my words, but this year, for PR, I feel Boonen has no longer got a comeback effort and a win in his legs. One of the two, probably. Both, I doubt it.

Between Boonen and Cancellara, this weekend, I thought it would be on a knife's edge. Next week would have been Cancellara's to lose.  But we'll never know, and how I see it is certainly is not meant to diminish a 3rd win in Vlaanderen's Mooiste, something that is impressive by definition.

Why? Not hard enough?

He can't pull off that solo for 13km, and unless his sprint winds back the clock he will always be going to the line with someone faster than him.

I love Kwaremont and Paterberg as climbs, so am happy they are at the "business end", and there is nothing wrong with finishing in Oudenaarde. I think you could make a good route without using the loops though.

He can't pull off that solo for 13km, and unless his sprint winds back the clock he will always be going to the line with someone faster than him.

I love Kwaremont and Paterberg as climbs, so am happy they are at the "business end", and there is nothing wrong with finishing in Oudenaarde. I think you could make a good route without using the loops though.

Ah, cheers Arbs

I really liked it.

The last climbs are hard enough to make a proper selection, and the group behind (who werent that far behind by the end of the Paterberg) couldnt catch them due to the difficulty of the overall race.

It did kind of end in a fizzle, but only due to the circumstances of the race, not the course.

As for the loops - any chance to give the fans the oppurtunity to see more of the race, and attract and keep those fans is a good thing.   Was there massive problems with crowd behaviour?  That would be the only downside of this kind of course.

What if they switched around the Kwaremont and Patterberg?

Would be the same distance to the finish, not sure it would change anything?

I didn't think the race was that exciting until the sprint. So the new route didn't do it for me, but of course one shouldn't judge the new route from one race. The long flat stretch in the end with the headwind makes it hard to solo. Let's see how it works out in future editions.