Landa is doing really well, if we consider the fact that he had to do with a long, strict lockdown.
And smashed his hometrainer with an axe.
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Landa is doing really well, if we consider the fact that he had to do with a long, strict lockdown.
Remco says no excuse.Pogacar after the stage:
"Today I struggled with the heat. I probably should have drank a bit more. I didn't have the legs on the final climb and struggled a bit to find my rhythm.”
”I recovered towards the end and managed to not lose too much time. It will be a hard week but I'm confident I'll find my rhythm."
All those 3 have good excuses if you ask me. One is old, the other one came from a big injury in 2019 and the other one is coming from illness.Yates suffered a setback with illness in July - He's still catching up.
Not this year. very hard to get in that form with this year's lockdown.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?
what exectly has Roglic done to be "to hot" right now; all he does is outsprint BernalRoglic might have the same issue that he had at the Giro last year. But the big difference this year is his team. That would make a big difference. His team will help him save energy for the third week. He will be in better position.
I have a question, did Roglic train outside during the lockdown?
the roads were opened only in the same county you live, so you can imagine how small that isYes, he did, the roads were open to cyclists in Slovenia, and the first race of any significance post-lockdown was the Slovenian nationals where he beat Pawg-AKA, Flatbread-čar.
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.
The thing is - with last Tour going really well GC wise, he of course wants to prove it and he even changed his training accordingly. But this will leave him at average climber level and may even strip a bit from his strengths. I hope he gets that after this year.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.
He can still podium for sure. His team is still a great advantage over riders like Landa, Quintana, and Pinot who could prove a threat to the podium.Bernal doesn’t look as good as last year to me, I think he mightn’t podium TDF. And yes, I know there’s still a way to go but that’s what I think - the field this year is so, so stacked
He dropped to the back of the Peleton, tried to move up but didn't have it and then called it a day. He'll need to perform over the next few days to get his tour place.
was there an argument? Or just Pinot with an “eye of the tiger” glare? View: https://twitter.com/groupamafdj/status/1293985673033191425?s=21I 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).
Bernal doesn’t look as good as last year to me, I think he mightn’t podium TDF. And yes, I know there’s still a way to go but that’s what I think - the field this year is so, so stacked
I think the Tignes situation was sort of forgiven, as Bernal was the favourite heading into the Tour anyway. But that disguises the fact that he was lucky. Now this year we're expecting him to be stronger again. It's hard to look past a 23-year old reigning champion, regardless of how he actually performed.Are we overestimating Bernal a bit maybe? What he has shown today and at the Tour De l'Ain was resembling most of his high mountain performances at the Tour last year. It wasn't like he was head and shoulders above everyone else. He attacked at an opportune time during that downhill finish stage to Valloire and gained some seconds, then it was that shortened stage, where he went deeper than the rest of the main contenders, who were led by Laurens de Plus. The entire rest of the race he pretty much did what he did today or at the last l'Ain-Stage.
Well, I'm sure that's not the only reason for TJV's success, but if it became clear that the riders not under strict lockdown had a significant advantage at the Tour after all, that would be annoying to see. I hope it's just a momentary impression.
Are we underestimating Bernal a bit? He was probably the best climber in last years Tour and is currently the one who comes Roglic the closest in the preperation races. He has a super strong team and without a doubt Ineos will again improve towards the Tour. So why would he be not a favourite for the win? Because he lost 10s today?Are we overestimating Bernal a bit maybe? What he has shown today and at the Tour De l'Ain was resembling most of his high mountain performances at the Tour last year. It wasn't like he was head and shoulders above everyone else. He attacked at an opportune time during that downhill finish stage to Valloire and gained some seconds, then it was that shortened stage, where he went deeper than the rest of the main contenders, who were led by Laurens de Plus. The entire rest of the race he pretty much did what he did today or at the last l'Ain-Stage.
Yeah... Even under the normal conditions, he's hardly able to use all gears.the roads were opened only in the same county you live, so you can imagine how small that is
Which in my opinion gave him the opportunity to finish so high. Gained in the hilly stages, gained in the TT, defended in the mountains. As a GC rider he will be more conservative and I am almost certain he will not be top 10 this year.I don't care much about how good a climber Alaphilippe is (probably underrated rather than overrated) but I do know that he is good enough to finish 5th in the Tour without basing his whole season around finishing 5th in the Tour. He's proven to be a better GT GC rider than most without even trying to be that
Tibos health was where he got lucky rather than the shortened stageI think the Tignes situation was sort of forgiven, as Bernal was the favourite heading into the Tour anyway. But that disguises the fact that he was lucky. Now this year we're expecting him to be stronger again. It's hard to look past a 23-year old reigning champion, regardless of how he actually performed.