Teams & Riders Everybody needs a little bit of Roglstomp in their lives

[Elos Anjos]

I'm actually curious about either Roglic will start today or not.

I think he will but what are his options?

Getting a podium without Jonas winning the Tour is likely and will perhaps allow that next year both can be co-leaders. The more Jonas and Roglic are apart in GC, despite the crash, the more leeway will be given to decisions regarding leadership in the future.

Maybe Roglic is thinking the same: maybe it's his last shot at the Tour not because of his capabilities, but because of all the events regarding his crash and the innuendo around WVA and Jonas. If he DNS the question is not answered, but given a question mark.

 

[Rackham]

I'm actually curious about either Roglic will start today or not.

I think he will but what are his options?

Getting a podium without Jonas winning the Tour is likely and will perhaps allow that next year both can be co-leaders. The more Jonas and Roglic are apart in GC, despite the crash, the more leeway will be given to decisions regarding leadership in the future.

Maybe Roglic is thinking the same: maybe it's his last shot at the Tour not because of his capabilities, but because of all the events regarding his crash and the innuendo around WVA and Jonas. If he DNS the question is not answered, but given a question mark.

With G Thomas riding around with respectable form at the age of 36 (& he was never at the same level as a peak Roglic), from a physical standpoint in this cycling world where riders no longer seem to drop off a cliff passed a certain age, he'll be fine. Unless he becomes extremely fat or something weird like that.

But the team situation is a different story. I think it depends on whether the conversations he had when he signed his new contract last year remain valid going forwards, namely with regards to his role in the TdF.

I'm not on the inside so I have no idea, but I do know how he races, what he says & what others have said about him, i.e. for example Lora Klinc once said "Primoz likes to win!". So I very much doubt he'll ever be okay going forwards as a super domestique for Jonas Vingegaard. I think motivation in such a scenario would become a real issue.

 

[Elos Anjos]

I think you cannot make predictions regarding age and performance just based on Thomas. I for one believe that Roglic is NOT decaying (until proof otherwise), but it's fair to say that he has not many years left. Quintana is an example that comes to mind, and he is younger than Roglic.

My point is that although Roglic is justified by his palmares in having leadership in the Tour for the following years, the further his GC distances from Jonas'GC in this year Tour the more managers will advise him to do the Giro/Vuelta double or work as superdomestique.

 

[Rackham]

My point is that although Roglic is justified by his palmares in having leadership in the Tour for the following years, the further his GC distances from Jonas'GC in this year Tour the more managers will advise him to do the Giro/Vuelta double or work as superdomestique.

I think if it reached that point (i.e. advised to work as domestique next year for the Danish musical bikes master), I suspect Roglic might finally consider the one thing he says he's never considered: changing teams.

 

[acm]

I think if it reached that point (i.e. advised to work as domestique next year for the Danish musical bikes master), I suspect Roglic might finally consider the one thing he says he's never considered: changing teams.

And maybe that's not a bad idea at all... Roglic is just too good to be domestique for someone that has not won one week race or GT.

 

[Gargamel35]

I just HOPE Covid doesn't take out UAE/Pogačar from this race. They already lost 2 riders, third is positive but still races. If that happens, Jonas will win it easily and Roglič will be forgotten like last year snow.

 

[Elos Anjos]

I just HOPE Covid doesn't take out UAE/Pogačar from this race. They already lost 2 riders, third is positive but still races. If that happens, Jonas will win it easily and Roglič will be forgotten like last year snow.

Who's the third?
Yes, it really puts in perspective how winning a Tour hinges in having a bit of luck at the right time. Nibali's Tour comes to mind. One cannot help but make comparions regarding actual and potential winners that were just a tad unlucky.

 

[Gargamel35]

Who's the third?
Yes, it really puts in perspective how winning a Tour hinges in having a bit of luck at the right time. Nibali's Tour comes to mind. One cannot help but make comparions regarding actual and potential winners that were just a tad unlucky.

Bennet is out. Majka is positive but still rides.

 

[Rackham]

I just HOPE Covid doesn't take out UAE/Pogačar from this race. They already lost 2 riders, third is positive but still races. If that happens, Jonas will win it easily and Roglič will be forgotten like last year snow.

The TdF has turned into the cycling equivalent of the Snakes and Ladders board game, i.e. a game of chance.

Nibali won in 2014 because the favorites crashed out (good for him I guess), whilst if Pogacar tests positive for Covid & is sent home, Vingegaard would win because the race favorite breathed in something bad. That's a whole different level of terrible.

That wouldn't be a victory worth celebrating for a rider who himself has had no health issues or crashes & got very lucky on the cobbles stage already.

 

[Elos Anjos]

The TdF has turned into the cycling equivalent of the Snakes and Ladders board game, i.e. a game of chance.

Nibali won in 2014 because the favorites crashed out (good for him I guess), whilst if Pogacar tests positive for Covid & is sent home, Vingegaard would win because the race favorite breathed in something bad. That's a whole different level of terrible.

That wouldn't be a victory worth celebrating for a rider who himself has had no health issues or crashes & got very lucky on the cobbles stage already.

I'm sure Vingo wouldn't mind though.

 

[Gargamel35]

The TdF has turned into the cycling equivalent of the Snakes and Ladders board game, i.e. a game of chance.

Nibali won in 2014 because the favorites crashed out (good for him I guess), whilst if Pogacar tests positive for Covid & is sent home, Vingegaard would win because the race favorite breathed in something bad. That's a whole different level of terrible.

That wouldn't be a victory worth celebrating for a rider who himself has had no health issues or crashes & got very lucky on the cobbles stage already.

I don't think all that will matter to JV. They will have their new hero.
Life really isn't fair.

 

[noob]

Where would Wout go where he would get bigger chances and more money? Certainly not QS. Not Alpecin. UAE???

Only option for Rogla would be Bahrain imo.

Imnsho Jumbo GC depends on Sepp. Without that loyal mountain domestique neither Roglic, nor Jonas are getting their results.

Sepp even says out loud he rides better for others than for himself and imo there's no better mountain domestique.

Roglic would probably not be a very good domestique

 

[Rackham]

I don't think all that will matter to JV. They will have their new hero.
Life really isn't fair.

Pogacar tests positive, gets sent home. Vingegaard takes yellow all the way until the final ITT, where he tests positive just before the Paris stage & gets sent home. Roglic meanwhile who'd slowly climbed the rankings takes yellow from his teammate on the last day.

= party time. "Life isn't fair, eh?".

 

[noob]

Pogacar tests positive, gets sent home. Vingegaard takes yellow all the way until the final ITT, where he tests positive just before the Paris stage & gets sent home. Roglic meanwhile who'd slowly climbed the rankings takes yellow from his teammate on the last day.

= party time. "Life isn't fair, eh?".

Winning a GT is like 50% your own ability and the rest is team and luck. (And a bit of other things )

 

[Elos Anjos]

Pogacar tests positive, gets sent home. Vingegaard takes yellow all the way until the final ITT, where he tests positive just before the Paris stage & gets sent home. Roglic meanwhile who'd slowly climbed the rankings takes yellow from his teammate on the last day.

= party time. "Life isn't fair, eh?".

Yes, sometimes poetic justice happens, but Roglic seems star-crossed in the Tour. I hope he wins it one day.

 

[Bonimenier]

Yes, sometimes poetic justice happens, but Roglic seems star-crossed in the Tour. I hope he wins it one day.

Spoiler: Big secret

He won't

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I'm actually curious about either Roglic will start today or not.

I think he will but what are his options?

Getting a podium without Jonas winning the Tour is likely and will perhaps allow that next year both can be co-leaders. The more Jonas and Roglic are apart in GC, despite the crash, the more leeway will be given to decisions regarding leadership in the future.

Maybe Roglic is thinking the same: maybe it's his last shot at the Tour not because of his capabilities, but because of all the events regarding his crash and the innuendo around WVA and Jonas. If he DNS the question is not answered, but given a question mark.

The last paragraph here is the most important. Roglic can probably win the vuelta again any time in the next 4 years if he wants.

 

[Gargamel35]

Before todays stage, Roglič said, the pain is still there but it feels much better.

 

[johnymax]

Before todays stage, Roglič said, the pain is still there but it feels much better.

Great. Expect fireworks in the next stages then.

 

[Bonimenier]

Great. Expect fireworks in the next stages then.

A pity he didn't try once to get in the break today. They could've killed UAE if he and Pidcock somehow managed to get in it.

 

[johnymax]

A pity he didn't try once to get in the break today. They could've killed UAE if he and Pidcock somehow managed to get in it.

True. But I imagine he is still playing it defensively today and see how the body responds after the rest day.

 

[Elos Anjos]

Before todays stage, Roglič said, the pain is still there but it feels much better.

Unleash the Rog.

 

[Gargamel35]

Great. Expect fireworks in the next stages then.

He also said he expects nothing any more from this race and he'll go day by day. Perhaps JV already told him, he will work for new golden boy.

 

[noob]

He also said he expects nothing any more from this race and he'll go day by day. Perhaps JV already told him, he will work for new golden boy.

Honestly the cyclists also can exaggerate and tone down injuries depending on what serves them. So if Roglic feels better of course they would shut up about it to try to fool Pog.

I don't put it past any cyclist to lie. Not even this guy

 

[noob]

Finished with the Pog group today. No lost seconds anywhere.