56th Amstel Gold Race: 10 April, 2022

[Netserk]

He did have an 80k solo on a stage in Coppi e Bartali.

Also, this is home race and the other time he rode it, he made a tiny bit of a mark on its history, so I doubt he will start tomorrow with the mindset of just rolling along until the finish.

Ok.

I think he raced today as expected, he learned his lesson from Roubaix last year, and his eyes are on the big prize.

 

[tobydawq]

Ok.

I think he raced today as expected, he learned his lesson from Roubaix last year, and his eyes are on the big prize.

He seemed to be on a relatively bad day.

When the decisive attack was launched on the Keutenberg he could barely respond.

 

[Netserk]

He seemed to be on a relatively bad day.

When the decisive attack was launched on the Keutenberg he could barely respond.

We didn't get to see the small gap close, but Benoot's attack didn't seem alarming to me. I think that was a very good example of knowing that you don't have to dig deep (even if you are able to).

 

[tobydawq]

We didn't get to see the small gap close, but Benoot's attack didn't seem alarming to me. I think that was a very good example of knowing that you don't have to dig deep (even if you are able to).

Could be. But yeah, without knowing how it was closed, it's hard to know what was up or down.

 

[Bolder]

Ok.

I think he raced today as expected, he learned his lesson from Roubaix last year, and his eyes are on the big prize.

Agree. He could maybe have buried himself to bridge to the the leading duo but would paid for it in PR. He kind of got Saganed, too. Who wants to pull him to the line? Today he wasn’t getting any help in the last 20k.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I agree with you on that to an extent.

At the same time we dont know if he would have been as successful at another team. We can only speculate on that. It is still something to have been an integral part of a team that managed to win that many GTs and dominated for a few years. Maybe he was happy in that role and getting paid for it, while getting his own chances here and there too.

He has had a really great career and he has kind of been lucky not to suffer any major injuries. He did get over-trained and had some struggles in the past couple of years, thats why I think this win was so great in a way.

It’s a pretty big thing for most riders to have been an integral part of such a team, I agree, but I don’t think that really applies to the small number of riders who have won big races and are capable of winning more. I don’t at all blame Kwiatkowski for opting for a big money, low stress lifestyle. Cycling careers are short, retirements are long, it’s very rational to ensure a secure future. But from the point of view of a cycling fan, he’s one of the big wasted talents.

 

[limak_]

- Kwiato, you're allowed to celebrate your win with no more than a single symbolic beer tonight

Kwiato:

 

[MartinGT]

Is Adam Blyth Ben Turner's agent?

Don't you mean 'ledge'

 

[MartinGT]

Kwiato has one of the best timed bike throws in sprints. He similarly won MSR in 2017 thanks to perfectly timed bike throw to beat Sagan and Alaph.

TBF Moscon was decent at bike throwing........

 

[tobydawq]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1513191379484225540

View: https://twitter.com/BenoitCosnefroy/status/1513191379484225540


Cosnefroy wants a finishing photo for this too!

 

[Netserk]

It’s a pretty big thing for most riders to have been an integral part of such a team, I agree, but I don’t think that really applies to the small number of riders who have won big races and are capable of winning more. I don’t at all blame Kwiatkowski for opting for a big money, low stress lifestyle. Cycling careers are short, retirements are long, it’s very rational to ensure a secure future. But from the point of view of a cycling fan, he’s one of the big wasted talents.

In a sense, the greedy mentality needed to keep the necessary hunger year after year is part of what constitutes talent for winning bike races. I don't think Kwiatkowski could last for a long time as a team's undisputed star rider.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Battistella was the Astana rider who was down after the crash. He seems ok except for needing some stitches and dental work. Not really been his year so far with crashes and illness

 

[Didinho]

Where did Bagioli finished after his crash? Was my wildcard for the hilly classics

 

[Lequack]

Great race today, and a great winner!

 

[Salvarani]

In a sense, the greedy mentality needed to keep the necessary hunger year after year is part of what constitutes talent for winning bike races. I don't think Kwiatkowski could last for a long time as a team's undisputed star rider.

He was young when he won the WC and came into the spotlight early in his career. It is not for everyone being the undisputed leader and star rider on a team. It is a team sport as much as it is an individual sport.

Kwiatkowski has won the WC, MSR, two AGR, two SB, E3 and San Sebastian. GC victories in T-A, Polonge and twice in Algarve. A Tour stage. Three podium finishes in LBL and another in MSR.

I think it is quite harsh and even a bit disrespectful to say it was wasted.

He has gotten a lot out of his talent, more so than some other talented riders. Lets say Landa for example. Who has not won a lot considering his obvious talent. For him changing teams to become a leader has not really worked out well either. Thats the thing, you never know or can say things would have been different for Kwiatkowski had he left Ineos. Staying at Ineos might have the best thing for him, and we can only speculate. Sometimes things are like they were supposed to be. Hopefully this win means he still has a couple of good years left after suffering from being over-trained. Today was the best he has looked in a couple of seasons and Ineos having a stronger classics squad should only benefit him.

 

[kenk09]

Where did this notion come from that Kwiato sacrificed his career at Ineos? He has been leader in the classics for them forever, always at the front, always protected, he just has lacked the top percent for the last few years. The only thing he missed out on at Ineos is going for stages in the Tour de France.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

In a sense, the greedy mentality needed to keep the necessary hunger year after year is part of what constitutes talent for winning bike races. I don't think Kwiatkowski could last for a long time as a team's undisputed star rider.

Possibly so, there does seem to be something mentally abnormal about perpetual winners. While Kwiatkowski comes across as a pretty relaxed guy. Maybe something similar could be said about Geraint Thomas, who comes across as less insanely driven than most GT winners and whose post Tour win palmares seem to reflect that.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Where did this notion come from that Kwiato sacrificed his career at Ineos? He has been leader in the classics for them forever, always at the front, always protected, he just has lacked the top percent for the last few years. The only thing he missed out on at Ineos is going for stages in the Tour de France.

That’s not how being a core Sky domestique worked when they dominated the Tour. You took their big bag of money and in return you structured your season around train tempo riding at the Tour and you focused your training on that. Yes, you absolutely would get to lead other races and win some. But your real job, what you were actually paid for was to help win the Tour by pulling the train. When you say he lacked the top few percent, well, the other top puncheurs and classics contenders, the guys those few percent are measured against, were not endlessly training to diesel climb and he was.

 

[limak_]

Where did this notion come from that Kwiato sacrificed his career at Ineos? He has been leader in the classics for them forever, always at the front, always protected, he just has lacked the top percent for the last few years. The only thing he missed out on at Ineos is going for stages in the Tour de France.

You're right here, that he was Skyneos' leader for the classics throught this years. This whole discussion is rather about the fact that him having to be in a top form every year during the Tour, losing weight and adjusting the training schedule to be an elite "mountainous gregario" arguably compromised his performance in his own goal races, that he couldn't entirely focus on.

 

[tobydawq]

Great race today, and a great winner!

Did he manage to drink up?

 

[Netserk]

Did he managed to drink up?

No.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

It’s a pretty big thing for most riders to have been an integral part of such a team, I agree, but I don’t think that really applies to the small number of riders who have won big races and are capable of winning more. I don’t at all blame Kwiatkowski for opting for a big money, low stress lifestyle. Cycling careers are short, retirements are long, it’s very rational to ensure a secure future. But from the point of view of a cycling fan, he’s one of the big wasted talents.

He's 32 in a couple of months and might have another couple of good seasons in him and he could do well in the current Ineos set up as opposed to spending five years as a bot at the TdF. I was really miffed when he left Quickstep to join that lot.

 

[Lequack]

 

[Netserk]

By the way, after downloading the official route .kml, the profile in the OP wasn't wrong, it was the TV graphic with the distance marker that was mistaken.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Where did Bagioli finished after his crash? Was my wildcard for the hilly classics

DNF