[Burkni]

Link

So what do people think?
Personally I have no problem with making the Cipressa a tad harder to squeeze more groups out of it ... Currently I think that the Cipressa is a less than attractive attacking ground due to the longish flat between it and the Poggio. Such is life when racing alongside a waterfront, I guess, the Giro di Lombardia has the same characteristic but with longer climbs there it is less of a problem.

However, I don't like the idea of putting the finish line at the foot of the Poggio. It could incur even more crashes with maybe a lot of guys making a mad dash to be first out of the last corner and there is nothing wrong with keeping a sprinters' edge on the race, without automatically handing it to them. Attacking riders both have to make the selection and then play out the finale, a guy who wins from a break where there are some flat kms at the end needs to be all the more canny, just like Gerrans. Makes for more suspence and much more enjoyable racing for viewers, and finishing inside the actual town is somehow so much more appealing.

[smug]

It's the monument for the sprinters, I say keep it the same

[Burkni]

smug, on 20 March 2012 - 11:06 AM, said:

It's the monument for the sprinters, I say keep it the same

True dat, but the sprinters keep getting stronger.
There has to be some excitement.

[N.B.O.L.]

I voted nothing. I don't agree that no classic should ever be changed, but I do think if it ain't broke don't fix it. Moving the finish to the bottom of the Poggio would almost assure that an attacker with at least some descending skills won. I like the option of an attacker taking a chance, but still have the drama of "can he hold on??".

This post has been edited by N.B.O.L.: 20 March 2012 - 03:31 PM

[The Rake]

Keep it as it is. Though I think the finishing area is narrow and scruffy. Did they not used to finish on the wider straighter Via Roma?

[Burkni]

The Rake, on 21 March 2012 - 09:56 AM, said:

Keep it as it is. Though I think the finishing area is narrow and scruffy. Did they not used to finish on the wider straighter Via Roma?

They did but for some reason the local shopkeepers weren't too thrilled with that.

[VdB]

Somewhere between toughen the Cipressa and don't change it for me, went with "don't change it" in the end.

I actually don't think MSR has been a problem in the last few years in terms of how the races was won. Small groups of attackers the last two years, then two years with sprint wins (Freire-Cav), then a solo/group win (Cancellara) and then a whole bunch of sprint winners. If it had been 9 sprint wins out of the 10 last editions I would have voted make the Cipressa harder, but now it seems pretty much in balance.

Putting the finish line right at the bottom of the Poggio seems like a really bad idea to me too. Also, recipe for disaster.