- Apr 10, 2019
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I guess Van Dijke and Moscon will have to do the heavy lifitng to protect Roglic (and Lipowitz) during the first week.
- Feb 20, 2012
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I thought Moscon would do better I ddin't hear anything about Tiberi or Hamilton sleeping with the fishes
- Feb 12, 2025
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We just have to hope rogla stays on his bike throughout the 1st week coz this tours battle for podium will be the best in a while with remco,primoz,lipowitz,almeida & jorgenson.
You know what? With this team in his service Roglic would actually have been better off playing second fiddle at Visma. Why do you buy a guy out of his contract for many millions of euros, offer him a bigger contract and the position of undisputed leader for the Tour... and then after just one year you take an entire sprint train to the Tour rather than supporting him.
- Jul 16, 2015
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I'm of three minds.
Mind one is negative and says the writing was on the wall. This team literally expressed its disappointment with Rog's Paris-Nice 2024 performance in his first race for Bora (I mean seriously... dude) so patience wasn't exactly their forte and last year's TdF DNF apparently hit them really hard. No doubt the Giro debacle was bad news as well. The Vuelta meanwhile threw him a lifeline, as did stomping Ayuso in Catalunya.
Mind two is more positive and says that extra power on the flat might actually be really handy... if it's put to good use. By that I mean those rouleurs actually pulling and positioning Rog and Lipo. But if half the team abandons the two GC guys just for hunting some UCI points from placings in bunch sprints... then we're right back to negative again.
Mind three meanwhile is zen master stuff. Vamos a la playa. Que sera, sera. It's not like anyone one else was super great anyway. It's a shame Adria is bad this season and Tratnik not fully 100%. So what will be, will be. Rog and Lipo hanging on at the back whilst Almeida and Jorgenson throw down the hammer before launching the Pog and Vinge rockets. In those moments, no one will care about the team selection because it wouldn't have made a single difference based on current form levels.
Of course it can be benefical in a maybe windy but for sure hectic week 1. But like with Soudal in many stages they are going for a sprint train that means there is not a whole team dedicated to keeping the main guy out of trouble like you have to if you want it done properly like Visma does ist. In some hilly stages they will go for Pithie as well in the finale. So even there the 6 other guys are not there to only support the leaders. In the mountains it can be a problem. You have almost no riders to send ahead as defensive sattelite riders in case you get drop any maybe there's support missing keeping the leaders hydrated and out of the wind in hectic positioning battles. The team can be a good support for Roglic but we shouldn't sugarcoat it. If they would fully believe in Rogla they would send a team better suited to his needs which would mean van Poppel as his main guy for the sprint stages not a leadout, no Meeus and bringing more support for difficult terrain like van Gils, Zwiehoff or so.
- Jul 16, 2015
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Who knows, maybe adding the Red Bull guys for Meeus and the Quick Step guys for Merlier will cause congestion in the sprints and a bit of a "chute à l'avant du peloton!" along with a DNF for Pogi and Vinge.
Is that too dark? I feel like some negative voodoo deserves to be spread around. Consider Rog the Jason Voorhees of the TdF, i.e. payback is way overdue.
Is that too dark? I feel like some negative voodoo deserves to be spread around. Consider Rog the Jason Voorhees of the TdF, i.e. payback is way overdue.
Milan, Wout, Tim Melier, Jasper Philipsen, Groves, Bauhaus, Girmay, half dozen other guys as fast or faster than Meeus.
Redbull thinking that even a utility guy like Wellens can't contest a Meeus sprint is misplaced. The Roglic resume shows that if he can stay on the bike he can win, team not showing much confidence in him or upward bound Lipowitz.
Pretty dark!! DNFs for top talent is bad for everyone!!
Plenty of talent and it would be nice to get surprised by a dark horse for sure, but DNFs, crashes, crashing out just sucks for everyone.
And traffic jam congestion is almost guaranteed with some teams only shooting for flatter stages..I am looking for Arnaud Demare to take all kinds of chances, getting old, in the mix a few times this year, no wins, contract is up soon.. He needs something..
zlev11
BANNED
- Jan 23, 2011
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the team he had at the Tour last year was even worse. at least he has Lipowitz this time.
- Jul 16, 2015
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They've been terrible for most of his time in the team. I swear Bora was stronger years ago. I'd absolutely take 2019 Buchmann over current year Vlasov, unless he seriously improves in the TdF (which Aldag claims he will).
There's also what I'd call negative pressure on Rog because results from others have been quasi non-existent since he joined, save for Lipo's breakthrough and the occasional win from the some guys (like Meeus in recent sprints).
So all that adds up and IMO it really doesn't matter who they send to the Tour because other than Lipowitz who'll be Rog's best friend, I just don't see anyone left at home who stands out as a big miss here.
- Jul 16, 2015
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I don't disagree. You're quite right.
Of course that doesn't stop social media from fantasizing about Rog's "impending" crash related DNF next month does it? I mean one glance at X and such places and it's all "duh huh Rog's gonna DNF".
- Feb 20, 2012
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Pogacar won it with Kristoff. Vingegaard with Selfish Wout van Aert
- Apr 3, 2009
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And Wiggins was a crucial part of the leadout on two stages. Can we expect the same from Roglic?
- Mar 20, 2022
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Be careful what you wish for, as usually in those situations Roglic' name is one of the first to be called. The guy needs to be babysat at all times during those hectic finals, Pogacar doesn't.
- Jul 16, 2015
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Keep em' coming. Reasons for hopium in Rog's last stand circa 2025 TdF. I'll take any path to victory. Even Oscar Pereiro.
In all seriousness if Red Bull have sent guys to work for Meeus to win those almighty 5th place UCI points in the sprint stages, then Rog would be better off loitering at the back of the bunch, i.e. risking losing time > losing skin.
- Jul 7, 2013
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Imagine Pogi, after gaining 5 minutes over Rogla in the Pyrenees, gives him back 10 minutes during an intermediate stage. And then in the Alps: ooops...
Pogacar's 2020 team is incomparably bad.
Van Aert, selfish? He saved Vingegaard on the day of the cobbles.
There's no comparison between Vingegaard's super team and the garbage that UAE brought to 2020 Tour.
Two sprinters, three climbers, two of them DNF, Formolo and Aru, who had mediocre performances, and De la Cruz, the only one who made it to the second week.
He only had De la Cruz. Roglic, on the other hand, had Krwiswijk, who finished on the podium the previous year, Kuss, Van Aert, Doumolin (Giro winner).
Nor does it make sense to compare that team with Vingegaard's team. If Van Aert, who saved him on the cobbles and acted as a domestique for him on some stages (Galibier), was the most criticized aspect of his team, that says it all. LOL
Van Aert, selfish? He saved Vingegaard on the day of the cobbles.
There's no comparison between Vingegaard's super team and the garbage that UAE brought to 2020 Tour.
Two sprinters, three climbers, two of them DNF, Formolo and Aru, who had mediocre performances, and De la Cruz, the only one who made it to the second week.
He only had De la Cruz. Roglic, on the other hand, had Krwiswijk, who finished on the podium the previous year, Kuss, Van Aert, Doumolin (Giro winner).
Nor does it make sense to compare that team with Vingegaard's team. If Van Aert, who saved him on the cobbles and acted as a domestique for him on some stages (Galibier), was the most criticized aspect of his team, that says it all. LOL
- Jul 16, 2015
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I think your irony and flippancy detector is a little off.
Besides, we're in the mood for winning and winning big here. We expect OBLITERATION, the greatest TdF win we've ever seen. It's be big and beautiful. Huge.
I've seen this name spelled many different ways, but this one is new. It's Kruijswijk.
And it's Dumoulin. I thought that one was easier since it's French.
Pretty soon Mark Rutte will be calling him daddy.
Lipowtiz vs De la Cruz.
That team was definitely worse
It doesn't matter that Aru DNF, people don't remember how awful Aru was in the UAE. He was also a disaster in the 2019 Vuelta. Henao also performed mediocrely in the Vuelta. Pogacar was alone throughout the Vuelta and most of the 2020 Tour de France.
Possibly the worst team for a Tour de France winner since Indurain's Banesto in 1995.
That team was definitely worse
It doesn't matter that Aru DNF, people don't remember how awful Aru was in the UAE. He was also a disaster in the 2019 Vuelta. Henao also performed mediocrely in the Vuelta. Pogacar was alone throughout the Vuelta and most of the 2020 Tour de France.
Possibly the worst team for a Tour de France winner since Indurain's Banesto in 1995.
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