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Critérium du Dauphiné 08/12 > 08/16/20

Page 19 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.

Which rider will surprise the most?

  • Sepp Kuss

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Enric Mas

    Votes: 8 12.5%
  • Chris Froome

    Votes: 12 18.8%
  • Sergio Higuita

    Votes: 13 20.3%
  • Adam Yates

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Dylan Teuns

    Votes: 2 3.1%
  • Benoît Cosnefroy

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Guillaume Martin

    Votes: 10 15.6%
  • other, French

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • other, non-French

    Votes: 11 17.2%

  • Total voters
    64
  • Poll closed .
Yes Pogacar usually likes the wet conditions.
Not sure that bit of rain at the end was ever gonna make an impact.

Last year in the Vuelta there were also moments when he had to pass, even in the rain iirc, but the race never exploded right after like it did today. That was the main reason why i have been cautious with his chances for the TDF. But on the other hand, he finished strong in the Vuelta so i'm not writing him off. I have no idea if this was expected for him and his trainers. He can't afford too many moments like these though, one weak moment in the TDF this year (with this many potential top 10 riders), could mean dropping quite a few spots in GC. On the other hand, if he improves again towards the end, he might surprise some rivals again. It would certainly help keeping a low profile.
 
Riding into form is always an interesting thing for a rider to say IMO. Because the other riders who are beating them are also still riding themselves into form. I understand everyone is on a different training path, but if you are where Froome and Thomas are at for example, I don’t think you are going to catch up. The other strong riders (Roglic, Bernal) are also only getting better.
 
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I wouldnt name Dumo and Froome in one sentence. Dumo is miles ahead of Froome in the comeback trajectory i'd say.
Taken into account Dumoulin had to come back from a puncture as well today I think he did decent.
Indeed, but you also shouldn't compare the nature of their trajectory either. Froome came back from a far worse injury at a far greater age.
 
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The others are riding themselves into form, and that’s not to take anything away from TJV.

There’s also the fact that this years results will likely be distorted in one way or another just for the fact that different riders will physically react to the lockdowns differently. Some will peak easier coming out of the quarantine than others.

It could be that a rider like Pogacar, Mas, Landa, Valverde or even Betnal or any other rider won’t have the results expected because maybe they need more racing in their legs and the quick buildup to the TdF hinders their Preparation in different ways than say Roglic or Pinot. It could go in any direction at this point.

That doesn’t diminish anyone’s success but this is going to be a weird year at the TdF that may distort some results and cause conclusions that could flip next year assuming that racing returns to a more normal season through a full year.
Yeah, it's going to be a weird year, all around. Some fields this year are much stronger than usual while others have been gutted. Guys are doing strange calendars and normal form cycles are off so we could see some different results.
 
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Roglic and Kuss looked fresh at the finish. Expected more from Bernal. Porte not a bad ride but Roglic is looking like he is in pre Giro 2019 form. And he looked probably better in the Vuelta against weaker opposition. Dumoulin and Froome obviously have work to do. Slightly surprised by Ala and Bardet's rides. Pinot looks pretty solid but he often does until the middle of the third week of the Tour ! Quintana was pretty good as well.
Ala and Bardet haven’t been very impressive this year. Maybe yesterday we could have expected something from Alaphilipe but today was for the climbers who are in form.
 
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It looked like Ineos just wanted to everyone on the team have a hard steady pull except Bernal who was more playng for result, or training endgame, others peeled off in really controlled manner. They are completely training in my eyes. Clear gap to JV, but for others door was open at the back of the main group.
 
It’s funny to watch another team grind Ineos beneath their wheels using their own tactical blueprint... but ultimately it’s the same tactic, applied in the same way, with the same effect on entertainment. I’m going to be desperately hoping for Pinot, Quintana or some other lone horseman to somehow pull it off at the Tour, but its looking like another three weeks of the trains of doom,

Sepp Kuss is a strange rider. On his day he’s one of the top climbers in the world. And then you can forget he exists for whole extended chunks of a season.
 
According to PCS, Tony Martin would have been OTL, but looks like he was picked up.



DNF=Did not finish / DNS=Did not start / OTL = Outside time limit / DF=Did finish, no result

Timelimit 15%, or 04:12:37 (+32:57)


He's listed in the GC, too, so I'm guessing he's still in.
 
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EfUF_K6XoAAsr96


Results of the hailstorm that caught the last riders on the road. :oops:
 
Ala and Bardet haven’t been very impressive this year. Maybe yesterday we could have expected something from Alaphilipe but today was for the climbers who are in form.
Alaphilippe is overrated as a climber. Whoever, after last years tirreno and the 2018 wc, thinks he is a good climber, is wrong (imo). Last years tour was an anomaly. Yes, he can win the first mountain stage in a range from a break, but his limits as a top contender are somewhere around 200m elevation gain climbs.
But i like him a lot as a rider.
 
Alaphilippe is overrated as a climber. Whoever, after last years tirreno and the 2018 wc, thinks he is a good climber, is wrong (imo). Last years tour was an anomaly. Yes, he can win the first mountain stage in a range from a break, but his limits as a top contender are somewhere around 200m elevation gain climbs.
But i like him a lot as a rider.

Yes, I don't know who is expecting him to climb very well, himself or only others, but I never expect him to do very well on a 17k climb. I don't know where exactly his limits are, but I would think anything from 500m-5k: great, anything above 8k: rather average.
 
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Do people not think Alaphillipe can do what he did last year again I'm not expecting him to actually contend for the win but the way the route plays out seems ideal for him to take yellow then hold on long enough for french people to get their hopes up before fading again?
 
Do people not think Alaphillipe can do what he did last year again I'm not expecting him to actually contend for the win but the way the route plays out seems ideal for him to take yellow then hold on long enough for french people to get their hopes up before fading again?

I think French people can really put their hopes into the Pinot basket, that would be reasonable and can be fun (also emotional and consuming...) and let Alaphilippe do his thing (whatever that may be, but if I was him I would lose a lot of time on stage 2 and then go for stages).
 

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