Riders from different nations helping their trade-teammates is one of the most disgusting traditions of the WC and I honestly find it shocking people here are complaining because of someone not doing it.
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You can have that and still have a good personality like Sagan. Alaphilippe and Voeckler are exceptionally annoying to the point I can't stand them.
Italy did have a decent amount of doms there, didn't they? Sounds harsh but why not just burn them on the penultimate climb? What use are they of afterwards? Keeping the group together so Nibali can win it in a sprint?
Could it be those teams did not entirely rely on those climbers and just waited a bit too much how the race developed (hoping they could strike with their own punchier guys)? That, in addition to the strong Belgium team for instance rather controlling the race than making it hard?
Fully agree. I recently re-watched the olympics, and if it wasn't for Alaphilippe, it would have been much harder for the chase group to stand a chance, even after Nibali and Henao crashed and only Majka was up front.
He is one of those truly worthy winners as a WC. Since 2000, I feel Freire, Cipollini, Bettini, Cavendish, Gilbert, Kwiatkowski, Sagan, Valverde and Pedersen truly deserved their win as they were either already very close and at a seriously high level in previous years, or were the outright favourite and managed to cope with that stress, or really made the decisive move (stick).
Alaphilippe is between those. He didn't steal anything, nobody could follow (or even came close) and he worked very hard from a long way out.
Hahah, how could I forget. For sure also 2019, but truth to be told, I was more stoked about my man Alejandro taking it home. In your estimation, should I still have taken my citizenship away?
I just don't see how Alaphilippe is annoying. Yes, he's showy, but he seems like a genuine guy.
You can keep it.
What? They are pros, not athletes. Mercenaries for sale is a cool feature of cycling.
No, it's the job of the best sprinter (who also happens to have a silver medal from the TT the other day) to do most of the work to catch the lone escapee.
Say what you will about Bala, when the group formed over the last climb in Innsbruck, he was known to be the best sprinter, so he stayed on the front, towed Bardet and Woods to the line, and led out the sprint. There is no scenario, after the top of the climb in that race, where it doesn't benefit vanAert to go all-in to chase down Alaphilippe.
Bonimenier
BANNED
Pedersen is a strange name in that list tbh, especially if you don't add Boonen.
I thought you meant the penultimate lap, but anyway only Caruso was strong enough. I think he had a protected role as well.
I mean, possibly earlier as well, but I think my main point was that Italy were never gonna win a race that wasn't blown to pieces before the final climb already.
Part of it is the style of riding, which is very much like Voeckler whom I couldn't stand. Part of it is both come across to me as arrogant. For me that's a huge turnoff. Confidence is fine, but arrogance is a problem and I see him as arrogant. There are other things I see in his personality, both when he's riding and interviews that I personally don't like. There's nothing that can change that at this point. I tried to like him. I really did. I just can't.
Italy didn't really have anyone who was going to drop Alaphilippe. Their best hope was that over the final climb, someone could sneak away while other riders looked at each other.
You're welcome!
Because obviously I have the power to take away people's citizenships. Or... something...
This was the best WC in many years, even if we had to wait until the final two laps for action. Alaphilippe won it à la Alaphilippe. The course suited him like a glove, but you still need to deliver on the day. He played it cool, didn't panic when Pogacar attacked, waited as planned and then was strong enough to execute. He accelerated on a big gear at the place where everyone knew it had to happen. Then he was strong enough to solo 12 km to the finish, making use of his descending skills.
He's a deserving world champion. Next week we'll see him wearing the rainbow jersey in the Ardennes.
He's a deserving world champion. Next week we'll see him wearing the rainbow jersey in the Ardennes.
In the end this was really a total classic's race, the top10 very much a possible top10 for Liège.
Pedersen went in a break and thus fully deserved the win. Boonen his main effort was following and being lucky that the break was caught just in time. He wasn't the outright favourite either.
Ah makes sense. Didn't know he said that. In fairness though I'm not sure even spring season '17 Bala could have won this race. Valverde doesn't go from long and the climb wasn't tough enough to dispatch of Wout. A long range attack was ideal given his presence. Alla deserved winner!
They didn't have to drop Alaphilippe though. They just had to put him in a position where it's up to him to chase whichever Italian attacks, not his teammates.
Im curious to how a girl like Van der Breggen would have done today. Like, Im sure she would be better than some of the weaker riders of the peloton, but if she went full on the last climb like she did 1 day ago, how much damage would she do?
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