Vuelta a España 2022 Vuelta a Espana Stage 1(Utrecht-Utrecht), 23.3km TTT

[BigCoward]

Not enough Communist countries for that.

The one true TTT has 4 riders and 100 kilometres.

Dream quartet over last 10 years?

 

[Potomac]

I like it when GTs open with a TTT. It has GC implications, often puts the leader's jersey on rider that might never wear it otherwise; and it provokes the most inane whining.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Dream quartet over last 10 years?

Since it was in national teams, you'd need national quartets. For most potentially dominant quartet, therefore, it's almost impossible to see beyond a Wiggins-Froome-Thomas-? (Millar? Dowsett?) 2012 quartet. Australia would have the possibility to get some overlap between Dennis and Rogers, and then could get Porte and Turbo Durbo in to make a pretty sick team lineup too.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1560593745883500544

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1560593745883500544

 

[Netserk]

Dream quartet over last 10 years?

Ganna, Wiggins, Martin, Van Aert.

Since it was in national teams, you'd need national quartets. For most potentially dominant quartet, therefore, it's almost impossible to see beyond a Wiggins-Froome-Thomas-? (Millar? Dowsett?) 2012 quartet. Australia would have the possibility to get some overlap between Dennis and Rogers, and then could get Porte and Turbo Durbo in to make a pretty sick team lineup too.

Belgium clearly better than Australia.

 

[sir fly]

Since it was in national teams, you'd need national quartets. For most potentially dominant quartet, therefore, it's almost impossible to see beyond a Wiggins-Froome-Thomas-? (Millar? Dowsett?) 2012 quartet. Australia would have the possibility to get some overlap between Dennis and Rogers, and then could get Porte and Turbo Durbo in to make a pretty sick team lineup too.

Germany?
Martin, Grabsch, Lang, Gretsch.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm thinking of at a particularly fixed moment in time, mind, hence why I refer to there being overlap between Dennis and Rogers, if we took each of their respective peaks it would be much harder.

Hell, that Germany quartet, at one point could have had peak CERA-fuelled Stefan Schumacher in it when Martin was young and Grabsch was at his peak, but that would take us out of the 10 year timeframe.

Hell, there'd have been one point where Belarus would have been pretty useful with Kiryienka, Siutsou, Krasilnikau and Samoilau.

 

[Billie]

I'd take Pogacar, Roglic, Tratnik and Mohoric over everyone but the Brits.
Add any type of uphill on the route and might even take them over GB.

 

[Netserk]

I'd take Pogacar, Roglic, Tratnik and Mohoric over everyone but the Brits.
Add any type of uphill on the route and might even take them over GB.

So on a flat course, you would take them ahead of Van Aert, Evenepoel, Lampaert, Campenaerts?

 

[Berflamand]

Ganna, Wiggins, Martin, Van Aert.

Maybe Cancellara instead of Ganna since 100km might be too long an effort for Ganna?

 

[Billie]

So on a flat course, you would take them ahead of Van Aert, Evenepoel, Lampaert, Campenaerts?

Had forgotten Campanaerts, so yeah Belgium defo stronger on flat course.

 

[BigCoward]

Ganna, Wiggins, Martin, Van Aert

Freaky, my exact 4 as well if allowed to mix nationalities.

 

[Netserk]

Maybe Cancellara instead of Ganna since 100km might be too long an effort for Ganna?

Cancellara, the prologue specialist? The only long ITT he excelled in during the eligible time period was the Rio TT (quite hilly).

 

[Berflamand]

Cancellara, the prologue specialist? The only long ITT he excelled in during the eligible time period was the Rio TT (quite hilly).

I was thinking more about the long and hard classics in which Cancellara excelled which makes me think he can handle the distance better than Ganna who hasn't really shown that level (yet).

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Dream quartet over last 10 years?

Andrea Guardini, Jakub Mareczko, Mattia Gavazzi and Danilo Napolitano in a 100 km mountain TTT.

 

[Tim Cahill]

If these were an aggregate of solo riders I would say QS.

I'm a bit clueless regarding this discipline but one of Evenepoel's big advantages is that he is so compact that when he attacks it's hard to get as much draft benefit, which is part of the reason he's good on shallow gradients. I recall him trying to leadout Jakobsen in some of the earlier races but it was like his long pulls at the end were almost too good and he was getting separation off the front/losing the man.

Would it be more the case that TTTs like this favour the bigger men with respect to draft benefit rather than Quickstep's smaller/good CDA riders? I just have the image in my head of early US Postal whipping everyone and all of looking about 10 feet tall when they crossed the line.

Think BEX's good setup, balanced team and White's record in setting up TTT's with Orica could win them this, value at 8/1?

 

[search]

Think BEX's good setup, balanced team and White's record in setting up TTT's with Orica could win them this, value at 8/1?

I'd say so, most important is normally to have a strong unit, and I also see BEX as the best team in that regard, with 4 former team pursuit world champions, Yates, Craddock + a sprinter. Hamilton is a bit of a weak link, but there are no teams without those anyway.

Issue is that the risk of wet roads is higher at their relatively early starting time.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1560631953145094146

View: https://twitter.com/baswerkhoven/status/1560631953145094146

 

[Nick2413]

If these were an aggregate of solo riders I would say QS.

I'm a bit clueless regarding this discipline but one of Evenepoel's big advantages is that he is so compact that when he attacks it's hard to get as much draft benefit, which is part of the reason he's good on shallow gradients. I recall him trying to leadout Jakobsen in some of the earlier races but it was like his long pulls at the end were almost too good and he was getting separation off the front/losing the man.

Would it be more the case that TTTs like this favour the bigger men with respect to draft benefit rather than Quickstep's smaller/good CDA riders? I just have the image in my head of early US Postal whipping everyone and all of looking about 10 feet tall when they crossed the line.

Think BEX's good setup, balanced team and White's record in setting up TTT's with Orica could win them this, value at 8/1?

This is why I am not so quick to expect a win from Quickstep here. They’ll be top 5 but I expect a physically bigger team to win, especially in this shorter TT.

 

[Oldermanish]

If these were an aggregate of solo riders I would say QS.

I'm a bit clueless regarding this discipline but one of Evenepoel's big advantages is that he is so compact that when he attacks it's hard to get as much draft benefit, which is part of the reason he's good on shallow gradients. I recall him trying to leadout Jakobsen in some of the earlier races but it was like his long pulls at the end were almost too good and he was getting separation off the front/losing the man.

Would it be more the case that TTTs like this favour the bigger men with respect to draft benefit rather than Quickstep's smaller/good CDA riders? I just have the image in my head of early US Postal whipping everyone and all of looking about 10 feet tall when they crossed the line.

Think BEX's good setup, balanced team and White's record in setting up TTT's with Orica could win them this, value at 8/1?

Great point about rider size. Maybe not necessarily giants but similarly sized guys make for efficient drafting. I had the unfortunate duty of being behind the smallest, most compact/aero guy in a TTT with the other guys at 6'1" and 6'3". The shorter guy was very strong and got great recovery behind the monster dudes while I basically ended up taking a double pull each time with almost no recovery. We did OK but it was hard to walk after getting off the bike.
Just get one of the Aussie pursuit teams and let them do their bizness on the roadies....

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Van Wilder's mom cheering for Arensman during the warm-up as DSM passes by.
I think 7 out of 8 Quicksteppers are wearing the new TT5 aero helmets.

This is why I am not so quick to expect a win from Quickstep here. They’ll be top 5 but I expect a physically bigger team to win, especially in this shorter TT.

If it's a technical parcours, smaller riders are at an advantage.

 

[Nick2413]

Van Wilder's mom cheering for Arensman during the warm-up as DSM passes by.
I think 7 out of 8 Quicksteppers are wearing the new TT5 aero helmets.


If it's a technical parcours, smaller riders are at an advantage.

Perhaps but I’m eagerly awaiting being proven wrong in a few hours.

 

[noob]

I'm counting down the minutes now

 

[Lequack]

Please someone call the fashion police, they've brought out the ugly helmets again

 

[Valv.Piti]

Cancellara, the prologue specialist? The only long ITT he excelled in during the eligible time period was the Rio TT (quite hilly).

Tour de Suisse, 2009, Bern. Do I need say more?