2021 rider schedules

[Bolder]

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.

 

[tobydawq]

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.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

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.

Because he would be way more succesful as a stage hunter than as a GC rider.

 

[tobydawq]

Because he would be way more succesful as a stage hunter than as a GC rider.

As evidenced by his 2019 Tour level?

If he shifted his focus to stage hunting that's just giving up. And unlike Alaphilippe it wouldn't make sense.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

As evidenced by his 2019 Tour level?

If he shifted his focus to stage hunting that's just giving up. And unlike Alaphilippe it wouldn't make sense.

That's actually a perfect example, so you just proved my point: He won a stage and DNF the 2019 Tour.

 

[tobydawq]

That's actually a perfect example, so you just proved my point: He won a stage and DNF the 2019 Tour.

Lol.

 

[tobydawq]

To expand on my elaborate response: You are not (and should not be) a stage hunter if you out-and-out beat all the best riders in the race in a MTF shootout.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

To expand on my elaborate response: You are not (and should not be) a stage hunter if you out-and-out beat all the best riders in the race in a MTF shootout.

But perhaps you should consider becoming a stage hunter when you haven't podiumed a GT in 7 years.

 

[RedheadDane]

But perhaps you should consider becoming a stage hunter when you haven't podiumed a GT in 7 years.

Yes... because he was so far away from podiuming in the 2019 Tour before he got that injury.
Or the 2018 Giro before he got sick.
Don't you think it would be a bit defeatist to enter the race with the assumption that something's gonna happen?

 

[tobydawq]

But perhaps you should consider becoming a stage hunter when you haven't podiumed a GT in 7 years.

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.

 

[dusty red roads]

One word: Cadel. Sometimes the stars can align.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

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.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

One word: Cadel. Sometimes the stars can align.

No comparison. Cadel Evans was one of the most consistent GC riders of his era. He had 3 GT podiums before his TdF win and at least a GT top 5 in the each of the 5 years before the win.
Pinot has less than a 50% GT finish rate and only 2 top 10s in the last 6 years.

 

[dusty red roads]

Fair enough, point taken. I was comparing the 'never give up because you still haven't won' attitude.

 

[RedheadDane]

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.

 

[jaylew]

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.

 

[Earns1985]

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.

Greipel plant für 2021 mit dem Giro d´Italia | radsport-news.com

www.radsport-news.com

Jumbo GC plans for this season:
Giro: Bennett
Tour, Roglic, Dumoulin, Kruiswijk
Vuelta: Kruiswijk, Kuss

Roglic leads Jumbo-Visma trident at Tour de France

Dumoulin and Kruijswijk return to the Tour as Dutch team seek revenge

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[johnymax]

Jumbo Visma's Tour and Giro teams:

Tour:

• Primož Roglič
• Tom Dumoulin
• Steven Kruijswijk
• Sepp Kuss
• Mike Teunissen
• Wout van Aert
• Tony Martin
• Robert Gesink

Giro:

• George Bennett
• Edoardo Affini
• Koen Bouwman
• David Dekker
• Tobias Foss
• Jos van Emden
• Chris Harper
• Paul Martens

 

[RedheadDane]

Schedules for main Jumbo riders (names are links)

Roglic

Van Aert

Dumoulin

Kruijswijk

Groenewegen

Vos

 

[Earns1985]

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.

 

[jaylew]

Yes, but it´s good, that he finally realized that he has no potential as a GC contender.

Unfortunately, he hasn't completely given up that dream yet but knows he needs a course heavy on TTs.

 

[johnymax]

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.

 

[Earns1985]

SO TGH will target the tour and the olympics and will not defend his title at the giro.

Tao Geoghegan Hart to target Tour de France and Olympics in 2021

Giro d'Italia champion will not return to defend his title in May

www.cyclingnews.com

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...

 

[Red Rick]

TGH is the new Froomie gonna win 5 Tours you heard it first.

 

[luckyboy]

A few hours ago, Het Nieuwsblad said Bernal was riding the Giro before and had like 5-6 riders of the Ineos Tour team (no Bernal).

They changed the article to just say De Plus is going to the Tour, though...