2020 World Championships - now confirmed for Imola, Italy.

[Red Rick]

Pederson matches up with Freire's first win. 23 years old, unheralded member of the team, probably supposed to be working for a bigger name, managed to follow the favourites in what was obviously the crucial break that you really ought to be following if you want to win, and outsprinted a rider who was heavily favoured pre-race.

Time will tell if Mads is a "worthy" world champion, but you can't dismiss him just because he finished runner-up in a very dominant Quickstep sandwich.

I don't really doubt Pedersen is a worthy winner. He's just not a prolific winner as he's a proper hard man with a decent, but not enough to win bunch sprints sprint.

 

[SKSemtex]

ALA is well deserved winner for me because I like when top marked rider wins. Beeing a Sagan fan I know how hard it is. Before the last climb everybody knows the spot where Ala will start the attack and they could do nothing agaist it. I was quite sure they will catch him on the way to finish because I have never seen such a strong chasing group. But WCRR is such a special race and cooperation with such egos is very unpredictable. ALA will be great in rainbow jersey.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Well done by Alaphilippe. He was simply the strongest today. And I couldn't be happier about him winning. He's the perfect world champion and will show off the stripes in manner.

 

[Breezy1985]

Something like this?
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4KZkwHoncau3vz8uumzF5M-1200-80.jpg

Anna Ala are even better looking

 

[Netserk]

I mean, other than 2019 we have to go back to 2010 for great action before the last lap (not counting the echelons, as they weren't on the main circuit).

 

[Koronin]

How can anyone who calls himself a fan of cycling not like Alaphilippe, he's one of the most atractive riders in the peloton. To top it off this comes from a Valverde fan who is one of the most boring riders in the peloton and made a career wheelsucking to the finish and then outsprinting everyone, Valverde doesn't put in attacks the likes of Ala, Gilbert, VDP, WVA, Cancellare or Boonen do or did, smh.

What the heck is so hard to understand about I do NOT like his personality? I don't like riders like him and Voeckler who are showboats. He is by far the most annoying rider in the peloton. Your comment about Valverde proves you have never actually watched a lot of his races. By the way Alaphilippe is very different from Gilbert and Cancellara. Gilbert specifically has a much better personality. A LOT of people never like Voeckler and Alaphilippe is very much like him and turns off fans who never like Voeckler.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yea, how can one rationalise thinking that Julian Alaphilippe is arrogant and mugs too much for the camera and then use Peter Sagan of all people as a counter-example?

Also massive downvotes for pictures from Richmond. Sagan and Deignan as coterminous world champions then both winning de Ronde same year too. FML.

 

[Netserk]

Yea, how can one rationalise thinking that Julian Alaphilippe is arrogant and mugs too much for the camera and then use Peter Sagan of all people as a counter-example?

Also massive downvotes for pictures from Richmond. Sagan and Deignan as coterminous world champions then both winning de Ronde same year too. FML.

The picture is from Ronde.

 

[burning]

The picture is from Ronde.

Also, why on earth anyone complains about Sagan winning Ronde in a solo ride while holding off freaking Cancellara, I have no idea.

 

[Bardamu]

The strongest won, the Belgian team didn't really make mistakes. Van Aert didn't ride to win at the end, but I guess just after the top he thought he didn't have the legs, but his mighty sprint tells otherwise.

 

[Anybody_but..]

My first post can't be different: Well done Ala..!
Well deserved!!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The picture is from Ronde.

Ah. That would make sense. I didn't get that far into analysing it or even to look at the background behind them, but of course it must be since they've got their trade team rainbow jerseys, not the podium ones.

 

[yaco]

If he doesn't have the form to win LBL he's not going. He basically said this before the season restarted. His comment was after the Tour his schedule was Worlds maybe LBL then Vuelta. He flat out said he would have to have the form to win LBL or he wasn't going to the Ardennes. He's not missing la Vuelta. He doesn't have close to the form needed to win LBL, so there's no way he'll go to it and instead go home and get ready for la Vuelta.

You are strange - You've been posting that Valverde will get better, even though he's struggled in races - Yet, when he does a season best race in the World's, you say he's out of form.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Great cohesive race made by Voeckler's selection.
When Martin controlled the bunch on the penultimate climb, I knew a Bergen-like attack was on the horizon.

And, more importantly, Gianni Moscon wasn't there! I think his presence would have changed the dynamic of the finale.

 

[SKSemtex]

We know *** about their personalities. I was several time whitness how kind and humble Sagan is but on the same time when I see him in interview after and before race I would kill him probably and I understand people like LS blaming him for everything bad in current racing.

 

[yaco]

Sorry, but personality is a HUGE factor in whom I like and don't like and whom I will or won't cheer for. I do not like Alaphilippe's personality at all. Next year is going to be horrible having to see him in that jersey. On the other hand, being in the US it's not like many races are even televised to begin with and as it's highly unlikely Valverde will race the Tour next year, I won't have to see him race hardly at all.

From the time I was young I always picked favorite player based on personality over skills.

I'll wait for your detailed posts about the 2021 TDF, even though you are not watching the race.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Also, why on earth anyone complains about Sagan winning Ronde in a solo ride while holding off freaking Cancellara, I have no idea.

I didn't watch the race to find out how he won it. That he won it was bad enough, because like Koronin's reasons for disliking Alaphilippe, I have a deep personal dislike of Sagan and his personality, and that era was the point of peak sycophancy toward him, my dislike of him was peak forum meme and people hadn't yet tired of needling me about it, and his popularity was at a level where disliking him was tantamount to being a Froome fan wandering unawares into the Clinic.

 

[yaco]

Lots of dross in the last few pages - Simply the best rider won on a course which suited his characteristics.

 

[Camulos]

What the heck is so hard to understand about I do NOT like his personality? I don't like riders like him and Voeckler who are showboats. He is by far the most annoying rider in the peloton. Your comment about Valverde proves you have never actually watched a lot of his races. By the way Alaphilippe is very different from Gilbert and Cancellara. Gilbert specifically has a much better personality. A LOT of people never like Voeckler and Alaphilippe is very much like him and turns off fans who never like Voeckler.

A known doper denying he ever doped just makes him a lying piece of sh*t, how's that for a great personality huh. Show me those memorable Valverde solo attacks or Valverde sacrificing his chance at a podium to try everything in his power to take the win, off all the riders who dominated cycling the past 20 years he's the most boring one to watch besides Froome. Besides I could care less about their personality unless they are arrogant to the point of McGreggor, all I want is a good show and an attacking classy rider taking the win, Alaphilippe is a class act and it will be a joy watching him race, attack and giving his all in the races he competes in. I would've prefered WVA, but if a foreigner had to win, I couldn't have picked a more deserving world champion than Julian, Chapeau for his ride.

 

[Koronin]

You are strange - You've been posting that Valverde will get better, even though he's struggled in races - Yet, when he does a season best race in the World's, you say he's out of form.

If he had any sort of decent form he'd have been fighting for a medal instead of in the 2nd chase group. Obviously his form is not close to good enough. He is OUT of the kind of form that he should have for this race. Maybe this is the best he can get at this point, and if it is then he's done. If that's the case I expect him to race la Vuelta this year and next year just race some of the Spanish races and nothing else.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Sometimes I wonder if you even like pro cycling.

Why so? I've always pointed out that my dislike of Sagan is entirely rooted in the public persona he displays, and nothing to do with bike racing.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenal football player, but that doesn't mean that every football fan has to like him - but they can't deny his talent and would be foolish to.

It's a well-trodden discussion on the forum that we needn't go into again, I am however somewhat surprised at Koronin explaining she hates Alaphilippe because of particular character traits, and holds Sagan up as an example of how to be an interesting cycling personality without exhibiting those traits, when I personally find Sagan to exhibit the same character traits she dislikes Alaphilippe for, and to a much greater extent than Alaphilippe too.

 

[Anybody_but..]

Lots of dross in the last few pages - Simply the best rider won on a course which suited his characteristics.

Yes, Ala will kick all asses at Fleche.. .

 

[Koronin]

A known doper denying he ever doped just makes him a lying piece of sh*t, how's that for a great personality huh. Show me those memorable Valverde solo attacks or Valverde sacrificing his chance at a podium to try everything in his power to take the win, off all the riders who dominated cycling the past 20 years he's the most boring one to watch besides Froome. Besides I could care less about their personality unless they are arrogant to the point of McGreggor, all I want is a good show and an attacking classy rider taking the win, Alaphilippe is a class act and it will be a joy watching him race, attack and giving his all in the races he competes in. I would've prefered WVA, but if a foreigner had to win, I couldn't have picked a more deserving world champion than Julian, Chapeau for his ride.

Murcia 2017 solo attack from near the top of the final climb to win solo. Catalonia 2017 when he put on a master class in how to race. If you ignore the Tour and the Ardennes, Valverde can be an entertaining rider to watch, but for the most part you need to watch him race in the Spanish races for that.
Your comment is showing you want to attack me for how I decide if I like someone or not. Basically saying I should pick them the way YOU pick your favorites. Sorry you can have YOUR opinion but you do NOT get to make other people have the same opinion.

 

[tobydawq]

Thank you Redhead, means a lot to me. <3

I think you are out.

 

[Volderke]

So Pedersen belongs in your list only because he went in the break? He doesn't meet any of the other criteria you mentioned. Not a favourite, wasn't even mentioned. Only thing he really archieved before that was a second place in Flandres.

Boonen on the other hand was one of the favourites after having won E3, Flandres, Roubaix, 2 stages in the Tour and a ton of other victories. You might as well leave the other sprinters out of your list as well if the reason you left him out is because "his main effort was following".

My criteria was that they either deserve it by the way they raced (Bettini, Kwiatkowski, Pedersen), or they were the outright favourite (Cipollini, Cavendish).
Already having a good track record is a bonus (because I think WC should have shown already they are able to win a variety of big races, best example isValverde), but even in that case they still have to earn it by the way they race or being a favourite.
Pedersen wasn't a favourite but he was a very worthy winner, solely on the basis of how he helped to shape up the race.

To give a counter example: Hushovd won the WC in 2010 simply because the big favourite (Gilbert) went too early, not because Hushovd made the race / was best in the race / was the top favourite. Same with Rui Costa, and even with Evans in 2009: Cancellara made that race from beginning to end, and only lost because everybody was racing against him, not because Evans was stronger than the others in that lead group. So those wins involve more luck than outright the strongest.

In Imola 2020, Alaphilippe won because he was much stronger than anybody else and once he attacked he rode a very brave ride, and if he wasn't caught by the chase group, it wasn't becasue that chase group let him take the win. They really dug deep to catch him, but they couldn't. So for me, a very worthy winner.