2020 World Championships - now confirmed for Imola, Italy.

[Brullnux]

If you bring it back Wout probably wins and maybe Ala takes second if he's not shattered.
If you don't bring it back Ala definitely wins and Wout takes second .

At least if you do bring it back there's a chance of getting the jump on people while WVA and Ala look at each other or something.

They did try to ride until 3km to go. Even brought it back to under ten seconds. But, i think they clocked that if they did ride then they’d get him in the last km, at which point WvA just follows all and wins. To do the ‘jump’, they needed 5km or at least 3km together, which was tough since descent was until 6km or whatever.

 

[saganftw]

You'd make a great DS. No use riding for 5% chance to win, when we can chose not to ride and be 100% sure we won't win.

as illogical as it sounds, we have seen in past years thats exactly how cyclists in small breaks think, they will never work with best sprinter

 

[movingtarget]

They never made much inroads into the gap and he made good use of the descents.

 

[BlueRoads]

oh he's sweet

 

[Carols]

Because he wasn't. But also no attack despite he can't sprint and not even helping WvA in the end, when it was clear that he will not take anything himself.

What race were you watching? The one I saw the commentary was 'Roglic won't go help WVA', at which point Roglic went to the front and the commentary was 'Oh he does'.

Haters gonna hate

 

[TomLPC]

Great little tune up race for the tour of Portugal that, thanks for the entertainment lads

 

[Salvarani]

I think it was a textbook example on how to win a race if you have that punch left in the legs. Attack over the last hill and get a gap. Hold on to the finish.

Hope that the others wont work good enough together and that they are tired.

 

[solo80k]

Hehe, this moment Ala passes next to Kwiato and he has nothing to respond! That was clearly a mistake, Kwiato shouldn't push with Ala behind his back. But definitely Tour riders smashed this field.

 

[titan31]

You'd make a great DS. No use riding for 5% chance to win, when we can chose not to ride and be 100% sure we won't win.

They've no radio tbf so no DS. Now, if I'm the rider do I want to bury myself to tow WVA up, and have no shot in the sprint. Or take it easy and see does it come back together due to the others working hard or an Ala mechanical or crash, and then when it does have my legs saved for an attack, I'm taking option 2. Also, will have strong legs in the sprint for 3rd if it doesn't come back.

Like for Fuglsang there, he's probably the worst sprinter but on the climb had the best legs other than Ala. If I'm him, I don't work hard. I'm not winn any sprint and if it's all 6, not getting in the top 3

 

[richwallone]

Bodes well for Alaf to defend his title at Fleche Wallone in 3 days Right on form.

 

[Tonton]

WVA is the new Sagan: no one wants to drag him to the line. Great race, riders falling from the back early on, Pog's attack, Nibali tried but didn't have the means...Valverde top-10. And the perfect attack by Alaf'. So happy for him and for France.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Roglic was cooked, he almost got dropped when Wout accelerated on that small uphill drag just before entering the circuit. He couldn't have helped his best domestique durning the chase, even if he wanted.
Pogi wanting to support Roglic was probably the wrong call, but what can you do?

 

[SKSemtex]

Winning Worlds in WVA MVP and Remco era will be highly prized in the future.

 

[BlueRoads]

What surprised me was van Aert not going for it on the descent. If you know the others won't work with you... well, anyway I liked the overall outcome. Some of my favourite riders in the top10. Race not tooo exciting.

 

[movingtarget]

Bodes well for Ala to defend the at Fleche Wallone in 3 days Right on form.

Can't see him losing.

 

[perico]

France last Worlds 1997

The olden days... the dark times...

 

[bajbar]

Roglic was cooked, he almost got dropped when Wout accelerated on that small uphill drag just before entering the circuit. He couldn't have helped his best domestique durning the chase, even if he wanted.
Pogi wanting to support Roglic was probably the wrong call, but what can you do?

Pogačar apparently said during the race that he wasn't feeling too good, so they have decided he will go on the attack and force others to chase. Rogla did what he could, but 260km races never were his thing.

 

[Brullnux]

You'd make a great DS. No use riding for 5% chance to win, when we can chose not to ride and be 100% sure we won't win.

The key issue was that the descent ended with 6km to go, at which point Alaphilippe had 15 or 16 seconds (you can’t work in the descent really). Really, the riders only had a chance if they brought Ala back 3km from the finish, because then the chance to surprise and play games is basically gone, and WvA smokes you. Taking back 4s/km would have been quite the ride - possible, but really tough, especially with Ala moto-hogging a bit. Realistically, if they rode TTT then they were getting him back with 2km at most to go, basically setting the race up for van Aert. If there were 10km from the descent to the line, then I’d agree silly not to work full on, but today it made sense.

Plus, I do think they did try until the circuit then gave up.

 

[movingtarget]

Roglic was cooked, he almost got dropped when Wout accelerated on that small uphill drag just before entering the circuit. He couldn't have helped his best domestique durning the chase, even if he wanted.
Pogi wanting to support Roglic was probably the wrong call, but what can you do?

Yes he was cooked, nothing left for the sprint.

 

[BlueRoads]

Would have been interesting to see if Pogacar could have gone with Ala, if he had saved his attack until a lap later. With hindsight, Slovenia probably sacrificed the wrong guy.

Although you're sometimes an over-eager Pogi-fan, I agree with you here. But anyway, I don't think Pogacar would have won this in this constellation if he had been in Roglic's place.
I think Pogacar was really eager to give Roglic something, after the defeat?

 

[DaveJones2]

Van Aert sprint at the end proving why the chase group not working with him to catch Alaphillipe was 100% the right call.

He was riding for silver as soon as he decided not to try to chase him down on his own. Perhaps he couldn't...

Pogacar made the race on the penultimate lap, but given how little Roglic featured it's a shame he wasn't in a position to attack at the bottom of the final climb.

 

[Panda Claws]

Like you know best how it could have been done...

How do you not see the sarcasm? Oh Nevermind my bad appearantly it was not a joke. Okay then...

 

[bob.a.feet]

Winning Worlds in WVA MVP and Remco era will be highly prized in the future.

You say that but both WVA and MVP have missed great opportunities to win.

Dominating the Worlds is much easier said than done.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Pogačar apparently said during the race that he wasn't feeling too good, so they have decided he will go on the attack and force others to chase. Rogla did what he could, but 260km races never were his thing.

Yes, I also don't seen Roglic as the guy who's at his best if it turns into a war of attrition and the race is +250km long.
FW on the other hand could be a good race for him.
One has to wonder what would have happened if Wout and Dumoulin saved themself for the RR.

 

[Carols]

Roglic was cooked, he almost got dropped when Wout accelerated on that small uphill drag just before entering the circuit. He couldn't have helped his best domestique durning the chase, even if he wanted.

Yep he did what he could for WVA but was cooked.