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2020 World Championships - now confirmed for Imola, Italy.

Page 88 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
I did say old teammates, y'know. Until last year.
Matthews and Hirschi are both on Sunweb, by your argument why didn't they work together? Why did WvA attack and leave his "teammate" Dumoulin behind?
I know there's been lots of salty Belgians around but at least they got a medal (2 in fact). Us Aussies got sweet FA and it's all Hirschi's fault.


Did Matthews just spend 3 weeks emptying himself for Hirschi? I don't think so. You don't see how there is any difference?
I think it was the right thing to do considering the situation Roglic was in. He can say he did all he could but if he really emptied himself for WVA he wouldn't have been able to stay with that group until the finish.

Now before someone calls me a "salty Belgian' I will say that JA is a deserved World Champion and he was the strongest. We'll get to see that jersey in many races I'm sure.
 
He can say he did all he could but if he really emptied himself for WVA he wouldn't have been able to stay with that group until the finish.

Roglic had absolutely no reason to empty himself for WVA; they weren't teammates yesterday!

Did not some say Lampaert should never again be taken by the Belgian team because of what he did?

What did Lampaert do?
 
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A few random thoughts...

The race had a worthy winner, and in an entirely predictable denouement. Ala is the current murito king and top descender and provided he could thieve a dozen seconds he was as likely as not to stay away.

It feels like the choo choo train dynamic is embedded in these races and it just forestalls any early action. Would have been nice to see an interesting break of second tier riders form on lap 5 or 6 and surely it would have been in the interests of Spain, Italy, Colombia, even Slovenia and Denmark to get someone up the road. When Pog did eventually have a go nobody had the legs to go with him. Would it not be in the interests of some of these teams to try and mix it up a bit earlier?

Too many climbers in the race, when it wasn't really a climbers parcours. And alot of them are just not used to these 250+ races anyway. But it's an odd year so you can understand some puncheurs and classics riders having other priorities.

From a GBR perspective Luke Rowe did a great job looking after Pidcock. It will have been a great learning experience for him. Shame G wasn't here.
 
Imagine killing yourself for 3 weeks for your teammate, then when said teammate has a chance to repay those efforts he flat-out refuses so he can come in sixth. Stay classy, Roglic.
In soccer you have professional teams and national teams, same goes for cycling. Different agendas and quite improppriate to sacrifice your national team to 'repay' under those circumstances.
On the contrary mutual efforts inside TJV it's another case. But in my book WvA doesn't "owe" Roglic anything. WvA had clear roles as a domestique, we're just all so impressed by his effort of which expectations he surpassed. But still he had a clear role which he did to perfection.
OK I'll give you, on the other hand Richie Porte just post Champs Ellyssés stated very clearly that he on first given opportunity will pay back Mads Pedersens domestique effort. So maybe Roglic does, too.
It's good to have friends, just think of Tiralongo and Contador after they split feams.
But I will not be offended if Roglic doesn't do a payback to WvA. The roles are clear and it's their job :cool:
 
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Devenyns did not take part because he didn't want to ride against Alaphilippe. So trade/national team conflicts seem to play a role for some at least.

But they shouldn't. Even if Roglic wasn't at his limit, his country and supporters would definitely not expect or want him to help anyone but his countrymen. It's one race of the year when team alliances should mean nothing. Or does anyone envision a scenario from the Tour where Kwiatkowski and Carapaz will go over the line holding hands because they're both Ineos?
 
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.

Just reading through this thread - very slowly - now, so this point of discussion may have been bought up, but anyway, what are your thoughts on cyclists working for others, arguably because they are from the same nationality, when they are not on the same trade team?

Something like Fuente De 2012 Vuelta, a Spaniard working with Contador who was on a different team? Not saying it's right or wrong, but I think it's an interesting area of discussion. Maybe in that instance he thought Contador might help him win the stage (even if only a slim chance)?
 
you are being unreasonable, its been said already roglic was empty...there is a huge difference between "i cant" and "i dont want to"

what exactly do you expect a cyclist on the limit to do? "oi mate lemme pop this mana potion that will restore my powers" :D

He could have emptied himself until he had nothing left instead of trying to hang on to get a top 10? The fact that he was on his limit makes it even harder for me to understand why he didn't just go all out and bring the group back to like 5 seconds or something. Kinda seems like a no-brainer to try to give WVA the win but apparently that is unreasonable of me to expect
 
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He could have emptied himself until he had nothing left instead of trying to hang on to get a top 10? The fact that he was on his limit makes it even harder for me to understand why he didn't just go all out and bring the group back to like 5 seconds or something. Kinda seems like a no-brainer to try to give WVA the win but apparently that is unreasonable of me to expect

Because the guy who was out ahead was going really, really fast?
 
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He could have emptied himself until he had nothing left instead of trying to hang on to get a top 10? The fact that he was on his limit makes it even harder for me to understand why he didn't just go all out and bring the group back to like 5 seconds or something. Kinda seems like a no-brainer to try to give WVA the win but apparently that is unreasonable of me to expect
Without jumping into the muddy pool where people are discussing if Roglic should have worked a bit (the outcome woud at least not have been different for Roglic if Alaphilippe was brought back, and for that brief moment Roglic would still have had the chance of being WC, e.g. with a late attack that nobody follows):

If Roglic was dead, he was dead. A spent guy chasing will actually slow the chase down. Simple as that. So actually, in real life, the option of Roglic working wasn't there, so quit the discussion.
 
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If you're surprised by frisenfruitig response it's what like 80% of Belgian cycling fans apparently feels like. After they've been activated by the nationalism of Wuyts, Vannieuwkerke and Planckaert.
Disagraceful. Roglic was empty and he did what he could.

Luckily for the world Wout van Aert is a better person and far more worthy loser than their national TV reporters. He at least said what it is.. one guy was stronger and Roglic did what he could. That's why I like Wout van Aert and that's why I dislike this side of Wuyts, Vannieuwkerke etc. (while they are great reporters otherwise, this is their dark side)
 
what the hell is this logic...roglic is on his limit and you expect him to go even harder what? thats not how cycling works... you cannot overclock your performance as if you had a safety valve on back of your head

being on the limit implies there is nothing more to give


If he actually had emptied himself completely he wouldn't have been able to stay with that group until the end. He could have pulled until he didn't have anything left like you see during the TDF where guys like Gesink empty themselves until they can barely spin the pedals anymore. That's what "empty" looks like.

It would have been better to do one last big pull until he had nothing in the tank instead of holding on and doing these weak pulls.
 

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