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2021 rider schedules

Page 6 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Not like his last participation in the Giro was any less heartbreaking...

True, but it hurt more to see it happen in France in 2019 and last year.

I've been thinking about it a bit and I really don't think it's a great idea. As you say, it's not like the 2018 Giro was any more or less lucky than the TdF. Even if there's less pressure in Italy, anything less than a podium would be seen as underperforming. But if he went to the Tour and won a mountain or medium stage without targeting GC (let Demare try to win some sprints), that might be seen as largely successful.

I'd love to see him podium the Giro but would be just as happy to see the latter stagehunter TdF scenario play out for him. I know 2020 was an anomaly, but I'm not sure even 2018 pre-pneumonia Tibo could have beaten Hindley and TGH at the Giro. FDJ just don't have the firepower to match riders like Ganna and Dennis.
 
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True, but it hurt more to see it happen in France in 2019 and last year.

I've been thinking about it a bit and I really don't think it's a great idea. As you say, it's not like the 2018 Giro was any more or less lucky than the TdF. Even if there's less pressure in Italy, anything less than a podium would be seen as underperforming. But if he went to the Tour and won a mountain or medium stage without targeting GC (let Demare try to win some sprints), that might be seen as largely successful.

I'd love to see him podium the Giro but would be just as happy to see the latter stagehunter TdF scenario play out for him. I know 2020 was an anomaly, but I'm not sure even 2018 pre-pneumonia Tibo could have beaten Hindley and TGH at the Giro. FDJ just don't have the firepower to match riders like Ganna and Dennis.

Why on Earth would he go in as a stage hunter in the Grand Tour he chooses to target primarily?

Just because you rolled a die five times and it landed on an odd number each time doesn't mean it won't land on an even number on the sixth roll.
 
Or maybe not, hence my die-rolling analogy. He has the level, he has just been unlucky. There is a chance everything can go well, of course he has to follow that opportunity.
When he's on one of his good days, he for sure is one of the top riders out there. The issue is that he always has a bad day as well. You can call it unlucky - to me, when it happens this often, it's a sign that it can't just be a matter of being unlucky.

I have tons of respect for Pinot's persistence but I think he's chasing a unicorn and that he would have gotten much more out of his career had he focused on other goals. He would make for a phenomenal one day rider, as he has shown, and I simply can't understand why he has never done the Ardennes.
 
You can call it unlucky - to me, when it happens this often, it's a sign that it can't just be a matter of being unlucky.

What else would you call it, at least in recent years? To keep using the example of the 2019 Tour; he was good, he was brilliant! And if there was anything that could be said to be a lack of 'skill', or whatever, it was when he lost time in the crosswind on stage 10. But he overcame that, he took time back! Heading into stage 19 he was just under 2 minutes after Alaphilippe, and just 20 seconds after Bernal, and remember; reportedly he rode the entire stage 18 with the injury.

However, I can see that early in his career, there probably were examples that were "head-things". The fear of descending that caused issues back during the 2013 Tour was of course something he could work with, and he did.
And I might be wrong, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that when he lost time during the 2015 Tour - a Tour he, mind you, did finish, and with a stage win on Alpe d'Huez! - it was because he'd gotten so shocked at seeing William Bonnet crash. Don't know about you, but I don't think that's a personality trait you should change.
 
Jungels is focusing on one week races and the Ardennes. A shame that he looks unlikely to race the cobbles. I was looking forward to seeing him work with GVA and Olli Naesen.
Yes, but it´s good, that he finally realized that he has no potential as a GC contender.

Greipel will ride the the giro this year, not the tour.

Jumbo GC plans for this season:
Giro: Bennett
Tour, Roglic, Dumoulin, Kruiswijk
Vuelta: Kruiswijk, Kuss
 
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Schedules for main Jumbo riders (names are links)

Roglic

Van Aert

Dumoulin

Kruijswijk

Groenewegen

Vos
For Dumoulin I see few races where he is the main leader of the team.
At the tour, Roglic will be their best card.
At Tirreno I heard that vanAert will also try to go for GC.
Dauphine will be the same as the tour.
Romandie I see as the only race.

Possible that Dumoulin will have the third season in a row without a real own result.
 
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For Dumoulin I see few races where he is the main leader of the team.
At the tour, Roglic will be their best card.
At Tirreno I heard that vanAert will also try to go for GC.
Dauphine will be the same as the tour.
Romandie I see as the only race.

Possible that Dumoulin will have the third season in a row without a real own result.
If he's good enough, he'll have his own results, don't worry. A Dutch GC cycling star in a Dutch team, nobody will stop him from racing his own race. Even last year he was a co-leader at the start of the Tour even though for the past two seasons he didn't have the results to backup his captaincy. It's all up to him.
 
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SO TGH will target the tour and the olympics and will not defend his title at the giro.


When one key rider of a team communicates his key targets of the season, the other team members do it normally also a bit later..

So we should expect the announcements of Bernal, Thomas, Carapaz in the upcoming days...
 
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