2025 WC: Thread for all the women's races + Mixed Relay

[Valv.Piti]

Ah yes, the "hahaha look at Movistar" when we are actually many years removed from those triple leader years argument

 

[Samu Cuenca]

If the PFP from the Tour shows up she's the favourite. Otherwise my money is on Le Court. Reusser if the race is really hard and it's a case of woman against woman. The Dutch have a pretty good team on paper but all of them have to finish alone, and none of them have really been dominant in recent months.

A one-day race is of course different than a stage race and being in the French team is not the same as riding for Visma, so there's no guarantee PFP will win even if she proves to be the strongest, but her super peaks are hard to for anyone to handle.

 

[yaco]

I didn't have the opportunity to watch the junior women's race, however, I worry about the form when 2 Aussie riders who are average were in the finish.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I'm fairly ignorant of what form the riders are in today and how strong the different nations are, but isn't it straightforward for the Dutch to attack early with Van der Breggen and have Vollering suck wheel of the strongest opponents?

Since a lot of riders missed Romandie and haven't raced much since or at all there are uncertainties regarding the shapes of some of them.

The Dutch should definitely attack early. These are the first championships with Ten Dam as head coach, so we'll see if that will lead to different tactics than we saw in the Loes Gunnewijk era.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm fairly ignorant of what form the riders are in today and how strong the different nations are, but isn't it straightforward for the Dutch to attack early with Van der Breggen and have Vollering suck wheel of the strongest opponents?

Yes, but there are a few problematic factors that may impact that, namely:

- the Dutch team car has made some incredibly perplexing and counterproductive tactical moves in recent years.
- Anna van der Breggen was an abysmal DS when she had a go at it and often was able to win as an active rider on bludgeoning power rather than anything else.
- Demi Vollering has likewise become too used to being OP to need tactics, and when she has needed to race tactically, she has largely screwed it up big-time.
- Demi and Anna have a turbulent history that means a cohesive plan working for one another could be a difficult sell unless the team car has massively improved its ability to divide and conquer over the last few dysfunctional years.

I mean, it could work, but I just don't know how much faith I would have in the Dutch to pull it off. Gunnewijk always had a problem of trying to stay buddy-buddy with everybody and not offend any of her old colleagues by telling them to subsume their goals to the others, whereas ten Dam doesn't have that association with any of them so it may be better, but I will have to see it first.

 

[meat puppet]

If and when the dutch go early, vollering surely will have nagging doubts about getting sdworxed over. Especially if it's avdb who goes.

But yes, they should try apply pressure from far out.

 

[Red Rick]

Yes, but there are a few problematic factors that may impact that, namely:

- the Dutch team car has made some incredibly perplexing and counterproductive tactical moves in recent years.
- Anna van der Breggen was an abysmal DS when she had a go at it and often was able to win as an active rider on bludgeoning power rather than anything else.
- Demi Vollering has likewise become too used to being OP to need tactics, and when she has needed to race tactically, she has largely screwed it up big-time.
- Demi and Anna have a turbulent history that means a cohesive plan working for one another could be a difficult sell unless the team car has massively improved its ability to divide and conquer over the last few dysfunctional years.

I mean, it could work, but I just don't know how much faith I would have in the Dutch to pull it off. Gunnewijk always had a problem of trying to stay buddy-buddy with everybody and not offend any of her old colleagues by telling them to subsume their goals to the others, whereas ten Dam doesn't have that association with any of them so it may be better, but I will have to see it first.

Ten Dam may be the single most "good vibes only" person to ever ride a bicycle in the Netherlands.

That's not a criticism, he just seems waayy too chill of a person to coerce this team into working together.

 

[Valv.Piti]

One of these dropped riders looking to ride a 750 euro bike from 2009!

 

[Cycling111]

There are very few riders. Soon half the peloton will be Dutch and French.

 

[theyoungest]

Ten Dam may be the single most "good vibes only" person to ever ride a bicycle in the Netherlands.

That's not a criticism, he just seems waayy too chill of a person to coerce this team into working together.

I think you underestimate him a bit. He's good vibes, yes, but he also has a bit of snark to him. I think he's not afraid to criticze Lady Demi, or whomever.

 

[Valv.Piti]

All these Africans dropped round 1 is a tough watch, ngl

When will we see a break?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

We almost had an accidental French attack.

Lilibeth this is your moment to shine. Show them you are the strongest.

 

[yaco]

You needed to start outside the circuit to get a decent break.

 

[theyoungest]

One of Le Court's two teammates already out.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Schrempf if always an attacking rider, but a one rider break will probably no make it very far in this race either.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

So far they're lucky it is Schrempf who's up there and not Kiesenhofer in a wig (I'm 99% sure).

 

[Wyndbrook]

I find it difficult to call a winner, but I will surprised if one of Reusser, PFP, Vollering or Le Court do not win.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Great to hear Lizzie on comms.

 

[Netserk]

Two times so far have riders tried to attack from the peloton. A Spanish rider on the golf climb a bit ago, and further back after a Chinese rider first attacked followed by some other moves. But the pace has been low so far, and no teams have really paced hard on the climbs. So when the attacks have been controlled, the pace immediately drops again.

I assume ELB is not at her best, so shouldn't Italy try to change the slow march?

 

[kingjr]

Tsige Kiros is looking much better today after the underwhelming ITT.

I petition to nickname her Berg-Tsige (Bergziege=mountain goat in German)

 

[Mayomaniac]

So far they're lucky it is Schrempf who's up there and not Kiesenhofer in a wig (I'm 99% sure).

Kiesenhofer would wreck the Italians and the Dutch with their Scott Steiner math!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Kiesenhofer would wreck the Italians and the Dutch with their Scott Steiner math!

The Dutch thought they had the sums all sorted out, but, crucially, they forgot to add Kurt Angle to the mix, so their chances of winning DRASTY went down.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Two times so far have riders tried to attack from the peloton. A Spanish rider on the golf climb a bit ago, and further back after a Chinese rider first attacked followed by some other moves. But the pace has been low so far, and no teams have really paced hard on the climbs. So when the attacks have been controlled, the pace immediately drops again.

I assume ELB is not at her best, so shouldn't Italy try to change the slow march?

The Italians may have planned to only start attacking at a certain point. We've also seen before that some countries strategy seem to be to react to how other countries race and then there might not be too much action until the favourites start attacking.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Then we finally got a break going, but they wouldn't work together. The Portuguese champion is away on her own.

 

[Mayomaniac]

The Dutch thought they had the sums all sorted out, but, crucially, they forgot to add Kurt Angle to the mix, so their chances of winning DRASTY went down.

Not to mention that it was prime Perc Angle...