Recent content by Jan the Man

Agreed- it won’t make a huge difference either way. Vermeersch can do the job going into the Cipressa. As long as Del Torro’s positioning is improved, I suspect he was always going to be the launch pad, and this won’t change the calculus for Pog. Ultimately he knows he will have to be the one...

Not sure i’d describe Pogacar’s leadership as a ‘dictatorship’ 🙂. As i understood it in 2024 it was he who wanted to ride the Tour. Presumably he could have said i have this contractual entitlement and i want to lead a GT so i want to lead the Vuelta at the outset of the season. If that is...

Of course not. However other than 2024 (where he wanted to ride the Tour through choice) in which year was he not allowed to lead a GT.

I don’t necessarily agree he was inhibited by UAE. He had a couple of shots at GT leadership which fell by the wayside, in his last year not necessarily his fault due to bad luck etc and he was the obvious one to leave given where he, Almeida and del Torro were in their careers. He was backed...

I would not read too much into UAE, certainly not for likely form in the Ardennes say. However I think everybody would have expected him to be more competitive on the MTF with reference to some of those who finished ahead of him.

Or the words of a realist who prefers to target races he thinks he can win?

In GTs or stage races in general? I agree medium mountain stages suit his skillset (in a way LBL does) but it also suits Pog if it was a reference to a GT… In general though i agree that he should play to his strengths and while GTs have abandoned long TTs in this context it means the hillier...

Yes behind Pogacar and Remco he is going to be in the next 2/3 favourites. Incredible for his age.

However it is not altogether uncommon for people to lose a couple of kg between Ardennes and Tour, because that’s really what we’re talking about - he’s not far from peak Tour weight. Pog also loses a couple of kg after the classic campaign. He’s not doing an Ullrich he is a couple of kg from...

Is it this simple? I mean SOQ and Bora have access to great sport scientist - surely every rider has a tipping point where losing weight means they can’t sustain the power. Ultimately people are built differently. This is the hand Remco has been dealt. I agree maintaining his weight if possible...

Not sure how the Giro Showed that del Torro was a better climber than Remco? Think Remco’s performance at Plateau de Beille numbers wise more impressive than Finestre. Am not saying del Torro won’t turn out to be a better climber, i don’t know and he may prove it today, I am questioning the...

Is there any evidence whatsoever to date that del Torro is a better climber than Remco? Today is tough to call.

What size is it - seem to recall Tarling rode a 68 tooth one last year at one race. If you’re going to do it this is the TT to try it.

Remco should take the stage based on his from and pedigree but Tarling will probably be very close to him on this course and distance. Otherwise they will be in a league of their own.

Of course if he keeps up in the mountains he wins. But that also means he is the strongest rider in the race. I agree on TTs but I prefer a long flat TT 55km ish and a slightly shorter but punchier hillier TT of 40km ish. Also.would like a long mountain stage- dislike the habit of these very...