86th Tour de Suisse (2.UWT) // June 11th - 18th 2023

[red_flanders]

?? I don't get it

Was Leipheimer's old nickname. I made the joke because while he rides strongly, he rides very anonymously. Just hangs in there.

Not fair to Uijtdebroeks at this point in his career. I was kidding.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Kelderman crashes because he tends to lose focus. Jay Vine crashes because of poor bike handling. Not sure which is easier to solve.

Was Jay Vine's first year racing 2020? I seem to remember he was racing the Sun Tour with a small Aussie Continental team in 2020 and had attracted their attention based on his Zwift rides or something like that. I'm curious how much bike handling skills you will build up on a trainer.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Has Pidcock already arrived?

He's saving himself for an all out assault on the Tour GC.

 

[saunaking]

Was Jay Vine's first year racing 2020? I seem to remember he was racing the Sun Tour with a small Aussie Continental team in 2020 and had attracted their attention based on his Zwift rides or something like that. I'm curious how much bike handling skills you will build up on a trainer.

Do people actually think Jay Vine just started Zwifting out of the blue and discovered he was extremely talented?
Then got a WT contract because of a Zwift high score?

He was a mountain biker, then on a continental team in 2019 and 2020 riding in the Herald Sun Tour before he was ever on Zwift

 

[red_flanders]

Do people actually think Jay Vine just started Zwifting out of the blue and discovered he was extremely talented?
Then got a WT contract because of a Zwift high score?

He was a mountain biker, then on a continental team in 2019 and 2020 riding in the Herald Sun Tour before he was ever on Zwift

I think it's a common theme, probably because of articles like this: https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-ro...-winner-jay-vine-s-unfamiliar-rise-to-the-top

 

[Aimar16]

Do people actually think Jay Vine just started Zwifting out of the blue and discovered he was extremely talented?
Then got a WT contract because of a Zwift high score?

He was a mountain biker, then on a continental team in 2019 and 2020 riding in the Herald Sun Tour before he was ever on Zwift

If the guy keeps falling on the road, how did he survive MTB?

 

[Didinho]

Couldn't watch the stage today but read Remco was dropping and next thing I see is he became 2nd. Maybe he finally learnt some better pacing when you don't have the best legs. Could go eather way today but happy he's still in the GC fight.
Really impressed with Uijtdebroeks once again. Hope he can get a good final result here.

Skjelmose thinks Suisse is a 3 week race? Strange but maybe it works out for him in the end.

 

[Berniece]

Maybe he finally learnt some better pacing when you don't have the best legs. Could go eather way today but happy he's still in the GC fight.
Really impressed with Uijtdebroeks once again. Hope he can get a good final result here.

Skjelmose thinks Suisse is a 3 week race? Strange but maybe it works out for him in the end.

Remco said after the race that he just couldn't follow the tempo changes, so preferred to ride a steady pace.

Skjelmose has the intention to win TDS in the TT since he know Gall is pretty *** at it.

 

[Lequack]

I think Vingegaard will have to work for Wilco Keldermann at the TDF.

 

[houtdffan]

Remco said after the race that he just couldn't follow the tempo changes, so preferred to ride a steady pace.

Skjelmose has the intention to win TDS in the TT since he know Gall is pretty *** at it.

Remco has NEVER been good at following changes of pace

His best climbs come when he sets the pace. I actually would have liked to see him continue when he caught back up to the group on the shallow gradients. He could have taken the overall lead today

 

[Red Rick]

Evenepoel honestly looked worse to me than yesterday, but he actually raced really smart today.

Ayuso, considering he once again paced himself perfectly, was *** terrible, and I'm starting to think it's more and more laughable that people pretend he's the next Pogacar.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Do people actually think Jay Vine just started Zwifting out of the blue and discovered he was extremely talented?
Then got a WT contract because of a Zwift high score?

He was a mountain biker, then on a continental team in 2019 and 2020 riding in the Herald Sun Tour before he was ever on Zwift

So then, why can't he handle his bike?

 

[jaylew]

Evenepoel honestly looked worse to me than yesterday, but he actually raced really smart today.

Ayuso, considering he once again paced himself perfectly, was *** terrible, and I'm starting to think it's more and more laughable that people pretend he's the next Pogacar.

I mean, assuming anyone is going to be a Pogacar is kinda crazy but in fairness, Ayuso is still just 20 and is actually ahead of where Pog was at his age. How he goes at the Vuelta will be more telling than anything he does in this race.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

I mean, assuming anyone is going to be a Pogacar is kinda crazy but in fairness, Ayuso is still just 20 and is actually ahead of where Pog was at his age. How he goes at the Vuelta will be more telling than anything he does in this race.

Yeah I wouldn’t read too much into Ayuso here, as he’s starting his training block for the Vuelta.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Great ride for Uijtdebroeks. Can we get a nickname for him?

Evenepoel honestly looked worse to me than yesterday, but he actually raced really smart today.

Ayuso, considering he once again paced himself perfectly, was *** terrible, and I'm starting to think it's more and more laughable that people pretend he's the next Pogacar.

Everybody from that la vuelta is overrated. Top 2 guys in the race were classics puncheur Remco and Roglic who did 2-3 weeks training at sea level, and rode with shoulder injury. Then you have enric mas, and behind him its reading like a Spanish u23 race. Ajuso overrated, just that mythical 3rd week freshness that young riders working with Iñigo San Milan gets. Lopez is always very meh in la vuelta. Almida is crap, aresman crap, Rodriguez crap, O'connor had recover from an Injury. Then it's breakaway uran and hindley who couldn't really be bothered.

Very Weak grand tour. Going into le tour this summer we have Vingegard, pogacar, Yates brothers, Landa, peak Hindley, Carapax, Gall, Ciccone, Gaudu, mas, Bardet all in their top shape. Almida and Ajuso aren't going to compete in that GC at the moment. Vuelta is small grand tour

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Everybody from that la vuelta is overrated. Top 2 guys in the race were classics puncheur Remco and Roglic who did 2-3 weeks training at sea level, and rode with shoulder injury. Then you have enric mas, and behind him its reading like a Spanish u23 race. Ajuso overrated, just that mythical 3rd week freshness that young riders working with Iñigo San Milan gets. Lopez is always very meh in la vuelta. Almida is crap, aresman crap, Rodriguez crap, O'connor had recover from an Injury. Then it's breakaway uran and hindley who couldn't really be bothered.

Very Weak grand tour. Going into le tour this summer we have Vingegard, pogacar, Yates brothers, Landa, peak Hindley, Carapax, Gall, Ciccone, Gaudu, mas, Bardet all in their top shape. Almida and Ajuso aren't going to compete in that GC at the moment. Vuelta is small grand tour

I see you are a big fan of Spanish cyclists.
Also funny that you use Mas to show how weak the Vuelta was, and then to show how strong the Tour will be. And you add Ciccone (lol), Gall and Bardet who has won 0 WT GC's in his entire career...

I'm going to have to agree with Blanco. You are funny.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Also funny that you use Mas to show how weak the Vuelta was

I didn't. I didn't say he was weak. He is middle.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I didn't. I didn't say he was weak. He is middle.

Ok, so he's middle for the Vuelta, but him, Gall, Ciccone... show that the Tour is the big deal. I guess you forgot to add Padun and Chris Froome.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I think it's too early to say whether last year's Vuelta was weak. Sure, it looks pretty mediocre now, but the 2019 Vuelta didn't look any better 10 months after the fact - in fact, people were calling Pogacar's third place overrated too. The 2020 Giro looked horrible 10 months after it ended, even worse by the end of 2021, and now it actually looks kind of decent in retrospect. By contrast, the 2019 Tour didn't look especially weak at this point, whereas now it's clearly the worst of the Tours from 2009 onwards save for 2014, because who we thought was the new superstar to emerge from that edition hadn't been usurped yet 10 months after his victory.

 

[Andre]

La Vuelta 2022 was strong, balanced, and great. It's just that people who hate Remco like to call it a weak Tour. It's almost like they're pulling their hair off cause Remco rode it perfectly and despite a fall won it.

 

[Big Doopie]

Evenepoel honestly looked worse to me than yesterday, but he actually raced really smart today.

Ayuso, considering he once again paced himself perfectly, was *** terrible, and I'm starting to think it's more and more laughable that people pretend he's the next Pogacar.

don't you think that's a little harsh, given that he is only 20 and it is his second race back from a fairly long injury, and he rode quite brilliantly the day before.

not a fan, btw, in fact i was hoping he would drop even further out of contention.

i also wonder if that despite his young age there may be less possibility of progression as the story goes his dad has had him trained almost professionally since he was like 14...

really, pog has altered the expectations for everyone. and yet ayuso podiumed a GT younger than did pog...

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

i also wonder if that despite his young age there may be less possibility of progression as the story goes his dad has had him trained almost professionally since he was like 14...

That's possible. He also looked physically mature when he came out of the juniors. Imho a guy like Leknessund also looked like a trained athlete, and he also progressed very slowly after his junior years. But this year he seems to have taken a few new steps in his development. So maybe the same will happen to Ayuso, maybe he will need a bit longer than expected to really push forward.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Evenepoel called him climbing at his own pace and not responding to accelerations "the Almeida tactic"

 

[Andre]

Evenepoel called him climbing at his own pace and not responding to accelerations "the Almeida tactic"

like the rope-a-dope

 

[gregrowlerson]

Everybody from that la vuelta is overrated. Top 2 guys in the race were classics puncheur Remco and Roglic who did 2-3 weeks training at sea level, and rode with shoulder injury. Then you have enric mas, and behind him its reading like a Spanish u23 race. Ajuso overrated, just that mythical 3rd week freshness that young riders working with Iñigo San Milan gets. Lopez is always very meh in la vuelta. Almida is crap, aresman crap, Rodriguez crap, O'connor had recover from an Injury. Then it's breakaway uran and hindley who couldn't really be bothered.

Very Weak grand tour. Going into le tour this summer we have Vingegard, pogacar, Yates brothers, Landa, peak Hindley, Carapax, Gall, Ciccone, Gaudu, mas, Bardet all in their top shape. Almida and Ajuso aren't going to compete in that GC at the moment. Vuelta is small grand tour

Classics puncheur bit is good. And I like how you adore Landa so much that you're still a fan despite him being Spanish.