Aleksandr Vlasov discussion thread

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H

hayneplane

Sep 4, 2017
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AlfaLum said:
When Vlasov confirmed his roster for the season it already included Romandie. So far he has sticked exactly to the roster mentioned at the start of the season. So I don’t think this is a last minute inclusion.
Click to expand...
If that is the case and his previous omission from the startlist was just an error then I take back my reservations about it. I was just concerned at the idea they were trying to capitalise on his strong showing in the Ardennes classics.
 
Lequack

Lequack

Jul 10, 2014
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Proper riding today, he obliterated the competition on the final ITT. He's going to be a fierce competitor for the TDF.

FRrWBmaXsAA53bX
 
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B

Bolder

Jun 25, 2015
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Devil's Elbow said:
Probably already better than Zakarin ever was. Maybe not in terms of top-end climbing ability, but his punch and comparatively good descending skills easily make up for it.
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I’m a better descender than Zakarin.

but, yeah, he’s on the form of his life. Unfortunately a lot of what I’d like to discuss about Vlasov - who seems to be a likable guy - is out of bounds.
 
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jmdirt

Dec 6, 2013
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Bolder said:
I’m a better descender than Zakarin.

but, yeah, he’s on the form of his life. Unfortunately a lot of what I’d like to discuss about Vlasov - who seems to be a likable guy - is out of bounds.
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You should work on your descending if Zak is your marker! :p

Talking about an individual can usually stay inbounds. Its when either the individual or the people discussing them bring in political rhetoric (see Quins Simmons and Chloe Dyggart for examples of riders and then others going full political). Tells us about Alek the person/racer, and maybe even some of his connections, just don't add your opinion about his connections (that's where it can go out of bounds quickly). We all know he's from Russia (he was the Russian Champ a few years back--road and TT?) so that wont surprise anyone.
 
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ice&fire

Jul 1, 2015
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Devil's Elbow said:
Probably already better than Zakarin ever was. Maybe not in terms of top-end climbing ability, but his punch and comparatively good descending skills easily make up for it.
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Zakarin won Romandie ahead of legendary Spilak and Froome. I'm laughing at the top-10 today compared to that of 2015.
Zakarin
Spilak
Froome
Pinot
Urán
S.Yates
Majka
Quintana
Bardet
Nibali
 
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A

AlfaLum

Mar 13, 2021
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ice&fire said:
Zakarin won Romandie ahead of legendary Spilak and Froome. I'm laughing at the top-10 today compared to that of 2015.
Zakarin
Spilak
Froome
Pinot
Urán
S.Yates
Majka
Quintana
Bardet
Nibali
Click to expand...

Still I think that the consistent level that Vlasov has had this year was never reached by Zakarin. But Zakarin in his (rather short) peak, did have the same level as Vlasov. However I think Vlasov is quite a bit more allround.
 
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Armchair Cyclist

Armchair Cyclist

Moderator
Mar 22, 2010
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It just makes me wonder...

In tennis they have allowed Russian/Belrussian players to continue despite sanctions on the basis that it is an individual sport and players are not really representing the country. Very similar to the position of cycling.

But in relation to Wimbledon, they worry that potential (Bela)Russian success (Medvedev and Roblev both in top ten of men's rankings, Sabalenka 4th in women's) in such a high profile event would be a PR disaster, and they are not to be allowed to enter.

With Vlasov now showing himself a real potential rival for the Tour de France, is there any likelihood of similar jitters and a declaration that he is not eligible? French sensibilities might be very different from those of the English tennis establishment, but...
 
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R

Roku

Aug 1, 2016
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I think Aleks' natural comparison lies with Menchov.

His skillset is similar to Denis, a true all-rounder with a good mountain + ITT combo and a good sprint / punchy abilites for a GT Contender (Despite Menchov never really cared about winning anything other than GT after signing with Rabobank)

For now, Denis is a level above Vlasov, both in ITT and top-end climbing ability, but Aleks is also a good bike handler and, at the moment, doesn't seem to crumble under pressure, unlike Menchov.

I sadly remember how Denis used to miss splits and shed time on critical downhills under pressure (he would be the official winner of Vuelta '05 if it wasn't for this. I'm pretty sure he would have won TdF '08 as well).

Let's see how he performs on TdF. I don't see him on the podium, but Top 5 is definitely within his reach.
 
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B

Bolder

Jun 25, 2015
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jmdirt said:
You should work on your descending if Zak is your marker! :p

Talking about an individual can usually stay inbounds. Its when either the individual or the people discussing them bring in political rhetoric (see Quins Simmons and Chloe Dyggart for examples of riders and then others going full political). Tells us about Alek the person/racer, and maybe even some of his connections, just don't add your opinion about his connections (that's where it can go out of bounds quickly). We all know he's from Russia (he was the Russian Champ a few years back--road and TT?) so that wont surprise anyone.
Click to expand...

I'm a crap descender. I like to think I'm doing well then some 75-year-old guy on an old steel beater with Mafac center pulls and cracked tires zips past me...

My reservations about Vlasov have to do with my reservations about anyone who spent significant time at Astana and Gazprom. I won't offer my opinions on them as they belong in another part of the forum.

I don't think this counts as opinion, more like an observation, but I think he is trying to represent Russian athletes as best he can this year through his performances.
 
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gregrowlerson

gregrowlerson

Aug 6, 2010
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Armchair cyclist said:
It just makes me wonder...

In tennis they have allowed Russian/Belrussian players to continue despite sanctions on the basis that it is an individual sport and players are not really representing the country. Very similar to the position of cycling.

But in relation to Wimbledon, they worry that potential (Bela)Russian success (Medvedev and Roblev both in top ten of men's rankings, Sabalenka 4th in women's) in such a high profile event would be a PR disaster, and they are not to be allowed to enter.

With Vlasov now showing himself a real potential rival for the Tour de France, is there any likelihood of similar jitters and a declaration that he is not eligible? French sensibilities might be very different from those of the English tennis establishment, but...
Click to expand...

My personal opinion is that Vlasov should be allowed to race the Tour. However....

Potentially the TDF could come under more pressure than a tennis grand slam. Take Medvedev as an example. Let's say that he's winning all of his matches, but he's just one of many winners, especially in the early rounds. Whereas, let's say Vlasov takes yellow early in the race, and steps onto the podium, day after day, after day, after day. The eyes of the sporting world are on this race for 3 weeks. That's where things could get tricky.

In far greater likelihood though, he never wears yellow and at best sneaks onto the podium in Paris, and everyone just says what an amazing country Slovenia is.
 
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J

Jumbot

Jul 2, 2021
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I'm really interested what he'll do in the TDF because
Pog- 19 racedays
Rog- 18 racedays
Dani- 23 racedays
and then you have Vlasov at 37!
I do wonder about this approach if it will work to be practically on form for 3 months in the spring with only a small break between PN and Itzulia. And it's not that Vlasov just tagged along in some races, he was competing hard for win in every race. Is he the new Valverde or is fatigue gonna catch up with him? We'll see, until then...
1, 2, 3, Vlasov!
 
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