André Greipel Discussion Thread

[Dr. Watson]

Andre after yesterday´s stage: “I was in fourth place with 400 meters to go, and in the end, I couldn’t even sprint. I’ve completely lost my instinct on the bike.” What could be the reason for that? It is quite sad actually I hope he will get through it...

 

[RedheadDane]

Maybe the reason simply is that he's getting old.

 

[Samamba]

Re:

Maybe the reason simply is that he's getting old.

I really have a problem with people saying this without analyzing his sprints. He literally crushed the whole sprinters field earlier this year in Paris Nice. He isn't too old. Yes, he isn't as fast anymore as a few years back, but no doubt in my mind that he still has the speed to win. His risk taking and decision making is just horrible, hence he's always losing the race before the actual sprint even started. His non winning streak is taking its toll on his confidence now. Not a good thing.Yesterday for an example he refuses to go with Sagan but tries to go on the left side which is completely blocked. That has nothing to do with his legs. Same with a lot of sprints in the Tour where he waited too long to start it (when he had a gap) or when he didn't follow the wheels of his teammates.

 

[Dr. Watson]

Re:

Maybe the reason simply is that he's getting old.

Maybe, I thought he was younger but he is 35

 

[contador_attacks]

I hope he bounces back...
He's been at the highest level for a long time... He's a wonderful sprinter.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

I think a sportpsychologist could do wonders here, perhaps he or the team should consider this.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

I think a sportpsychologist could do wonders here, perhaps he or the team should consider this.

Yeah, didn't that help Pinot a good bit?

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Re: Re:

I think a sportpsychologist could do wonders here, perhaps he or the team should consider this.

Yeah, didn't that help Pinot a good bit?

Pinot with his descending, I think Chaves is also seeing one currently.
Iirc Greipel recently said he still thinks about Stig a lot, I can imagine that could have an effect on your performances.

 

[kingjr]

He's never had any instincts.

 

[RedheadDane]

He's won quite a lot for someone who's never had any instinct.

 

[kingjr]

Re:

He's won quite a lot for someone who's never had any instinct.

Because he's crazy strong physically. I've followed his career since his T-Mobile days, and he has lost many sprints that he should have won due to bad decisions in the last km.

 

[Lupi33x]

Looks like he's trying to reinvent himself as a domestique ala O'Grady.

He might be a bit heavy to power through the first few climbs of a tour stage before peeling off the back halfway up the ultimate however.

He may find himself without a WT contract soon.

What seems evident is he's lost the passion for sprinting and seems to enjoy the donkey work more.
Maybe he'd fit into Bora helping Sagan in races like BinckBank

 

[Screecher]

Re:

Looks like he's trying to reinvent himself as a domestique ala O'Grady.

He might be a bit heavy to power through the first few climbs of a tour stage before peeling off the back halfway up the ultimate however.

He may find himself without a WT contract soon.

What seems evident is he's lost the passion for sprinting and seems to enjoy the donkey work more.
Maybe he'd fit into Bora helping Sagan in races like BinckBank

I wouldn´t write him off just yet. He still has a contract for 2018. Give him one more year as leader.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Re: Re:

Looks like he's trying to reinvent himself as a domestique ala O'Grady.

He might be a bit heavy to power through the first few climbs of a tour stage before peeling off the back halfway up the ultimate however.

He may find himself without a WT contract soon.

What seems evident is he's lost the passion for sprinting and seems to enjoy the donkey work more.
Maybe he'd fit into Bora helping Sagan in races like BinckBank

I wouldn´t write him off just yet. He still has a contract for 2018. Give him one more year as leader.

He would be a quality dom in the coubles, he has never been shy of any work, I think he'll stay the rest of his career with lotto, they kinda owe that to him.

 

[Echoes]

Re:

I think a sportpsychologist could do wonders here, perhaps he or the team should consider this.

They have one at Lotto-Soudal: Nathan Kahan. He's been very important to them after the horrible Stig Broeckx crash.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Re: Re:

I think a sportpsychologist could do wonders here, perhaps he or the team should consider this.

They have one at Lotto-Soudal: Nathan Kahan. He's been very important to them after the horrible Stig Broeckx crash.

I also read somewhere In an interview that André was affected the worst by Stigs accident, and he was the second one to visit after stigs closest friend from the team whose name I can't recall.

 

[Echoes]

Stig's closest friend, might be Kris "Machien" Boeckmans? He's regularly visited him, remember reading and still has owns a letter that Stig had sent to him when himself lay in the coma. He even played rock-paper-scissors with him at the hospital when his situation started to really improve back in December.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Stig's closest friend, might be Kris "Machien" Boeckmans? He's regularly visited him, remember reading and still has owns a letter that Stig had sent to him when himself lay in the coma. He even played rock-paper-scissors with him at the hospital when his situation started to really improve back in December.

Yeah, it was Kris

 

[Sestriere]

He sprinted to his 150th professional win at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque today. Beat Coquard and Dupont comfortably despite the former doing a Bennett.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Nice comeback from the Gorilla. Could pick up 1 or 2 more stage wins in France.

 

[staubsauger]

Too bad he broke his collarbone at M-SR! Gorilla versus Viviani would've been a nice fight at the Giro!

 

[Samamba]

Re:

Too bad he broke his collarbone at M-SR! Gorilla versus Viviani would've been a nice fight at the Giro!

The Giro was never on his schedule.

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

Too bad he broke his collarbone at M-SR! Gorilla versus Viviani would've been a nice fight at the Giro!

The Giro was never on his schedule.

Not? I though it might have been since he always rode it since 2015!

 

[Samamba]

I love this guy.
He just won the Cassel stage solo.
Definitely not a "normal" sprinter.

 

[Nirvana]

I've always thought of him as a possible contender for cobbles races with a less expensive style of riding and with the years probably he's becoming even more of an "hardman" and he climbs better too.

It's a shame that he lost 24" in the first stage, that could cost him the GC.