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

[CyclistAbi]

Now that the stage 5 is over and Roglič did a good job i must first confess and say that i am deeply disappointed. Not about the performance today. I am happy about that. Healthy Roglič and Pogačar and fierce fight in between them to the last TT and finishing it of over there. That is what i was expecting. Due to some stupidity by a fan and ASO not being up to the safety task such dreams got shattered by the end of the stage 3. This is just deeply disappointing.

Beyond that lets get Roglič on the podium and make him finish this race. As after all he is no Rominger.

In an interview he did just after finsihing his TT he said he is happy and it showed he really is. He wasn't just saying it to bluff. His ass, muscles, that is the biggest issue, but the situation is getting better each day. He said his watts where slightly below what he wanted but the rest was rather OK. I guess some much needed healing and peaking could hence still come in week 3.

Richie i guess the game is on!

 

[mangart]

Very creditable performance all things considered. If his injuries improve the podium is very possible. I hope he feels better and goes on a Roglastomp to upset the apple cart, there is a Long way to go!

P.S. Follow to yesterdays Bala hair comments:

Well , you are right about Valverde s hair . BALA-HAD-HAIR ...


About yesterday ( I am litlle in hurry) :


- great job Primož , indeed !!!

- Tadej and Mvdp just impressive

- Wout van Aert not guilty.

- Jumbo Visma s management not so not guilty.

- It is funny situation : Jumbo has numbers and ( mummified) quality.
UAE has quality
INEOS has ... dislocated shoulder

 

[CyclistAbi]

I guess two stages of rehabilitation ahead. For Primož and the team. This doctor of his has some strange methods regarding the rehabilitation process.

I don't know why and on what grounds but i am still rather optimistic about Rogličes performance on this Tour. Lets see if there is something there.

Stage 6 should i guess be OK, stage 7 worries me a bit, due to the length. Then again the real challenges are stage 7 and 8. No way we won't get to see some GC movement by then.

Hopefully to the top.

 

[CyclistAbi]

As for still winning. I would give it 15% chance for now. That is highly unlikely but still to keep an eye on it. Foremost to focus on getting on the podium.

Pogačar is likely out of the picture but the last time UAE had to defend the leaders jersey and where put under some serious pressure they folded. They more or less depend on Pogačar to perform as he does to bail them out. But there are limits to that too.

 

[SafeBet]

They more or less depend on Pogačar to perform as he does to bail them out. But there are limits to that too.

What limits?

 

[Rackham]

As for still winning. I would give it 15% chance for now. That is highly unlikely but still to keep an eye on it. Foremost to focus on getting on the podium.

Pogačar is likely out of the picture but the last time UAE had to defend the leaders jersey and where put under some serious pressure they folded. They more or less depend on Pogačar to perform as he does to bail them out. But there are limits to that too.

Roglic has no chance of winning unless the same crash happens to Pogacar, which no one wants.

This Tour is a washout & now an exercise in damage limitation for the team, salvaging something & Primoz Roglic displaying a new facet of his usual heroics: mummified roglification of his rivals in a TT.

Seriously, if Uran, Carapaz, Alaphilippe & other GC guys fail to beat a wheelchair bound crippled Roglic in a 27km TT, anyone who isn't called Pogacar will be waiting until he's Valverde's age before they stand a chance.

 

[CyclistAbi]

What limits?

Everybody has limits. But lets not discuss that in depth for now. Primary goal is to try and get back on the podium. Roglič always said no race is just in between Roglič and Pogačar. And ATM this is as close to the truth as it gets.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Roglic has no chance of winning unless the same crash happens to Pogacar, which no one wants.

This Tour is a wash & now an exercise in damage limitation for the team, salvaging something & Primoz Roglic displaying a new facet of his usual heroics: mummified roglification of his rivals in a TT.

Seriously, if Uran, Carapaz, Alaphilippe & other GC guys fail to beat a wheelchair bound crippled Roglic in a 27km TT, anyone who isn't called Pogacar will be waiting until he's Valverde's age before they stand a chance.

I agree that there where enough crashes and if one more happen to the GC guys then the race should get cancelled. As for wishing one of the GC guys would crash for the other to win. I don't feel this is what cycling is all about. People that think like that are in my opinion missing out and don't really get it. On what it is all about.

As for winning i gave it 15% chance for now. This tells me that best to focus on the other 85% for now. Roglič and Pogačar are racing different races ATM and no real point in mentioning them together all that much. If this two separate universes could collide on this race? As i said for now i feel that is less likely scenario. As for the possibility. I would give it 15% chance for now.

 

[Rackham]

I agree that there where enough crashes and if one more happen to the GC guys then the race should get cancelled. As for wishing one of the GC guys would crash for the other to win. I don't feel this is what cycling is all about. People that think like that are in my opinion missing out and don't really get it. On what it is all about.

As for winning i gave it 15% chance for now. This tells me that best to focus on the other 85% for now. Roglič and Pogačar are racing different races ATM and no real point in mentioning them together all that much. If this two separate universes could collide on this race? As i said for now i feel that is less likely scenario. As for the possibility. I would give it 15% chance for now.

Technically speaking of course there's always a chance. This is sport & crazy stuff can & does happen. There are definitely scenarios which lead to a Roglic win, it's just they're highly unlikely all things equal & right now, Roglic is in no shape to take the fight to Pogacar.

But, let's see how it goes & I'm also not going to write this Tour off yet. I feel tomorrow & the weekend are the huge tests & "if" Roglic doesn't lose anymore time (because let's face facts, he could explode entirely due to the injuries eventually draining his power), there will be some cheering for reaching rest day in a moderately okayish GC position all things considered.

Then we could get a fight with Carapaz & the others for a podium & it would at least be "something" to cheer for. That's really the best case "realistic" scenario though (because I have some other aforementioned unrealistic scenarios which are totally wild & Pogacar wouldn't like them, i.e. involving crosswind madness, wild mountain stages & bad weather).

 

[CyclistAbi]

There where 2 minutes hidden somewhere in the game plan. Maybe Roglič will still be fit enough to execute that plan. That is on what my 15% are based on.

But i agree that for now other things take priority. Pogačar and Roglič now race a different race. At least the journalist should back off. Hopefully.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I wouldn't quite give Primoz a 15% chance now, but better than 10%, and still the second favourite. He won't be greatly interested in just a podium finish, and if we remember back to basque country, he could gain time on Pogacar in surprising circumstances (that don't rely on crashes). For now he just needs to reach the rest day without losing any further significant time (and without crashing) then reassess the situation.

 

[CyclistAbi]

No i have to insist at 15% for now.

P.S. 10% would be underselling him.

 

[Gargamel35]

If Pogačar doesn't crash, there is 0% chance for Roglič to beat him. What i would like to see is one mountain top heavy attack from Roglič and beating Pogačar there. I want to see his bandages flying of him, people screaming and putting Pogačar under stress. It won't be enough to win this Tour, but it would be the ultimate mummy moment before Pogačar stomps everyone just one more time in the last TT. Pogačar winning everything will quickly become boring and stale. Roglič's heroics will be remembered for a long time.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah I don't really have hopes for Roglic winning. But I would love to just see him put up a fight. Put the pressure on Pogacar in the mountains.

 

[gregrowlerson]

If Pogačar doesn't crash, there is 0% chance for Roglič to beat him. What i would like to see is one mountain top heavy attack from Roglič and beating Pogačar there. I want to see his bandages flying of him, people screaming and putting Pogačar under stress. It won't be enough to win this Tour, but it would be the ultimate mummy moment before Pogačar stomps everyone just one more time in the last TT. Pogačar winning everything will quickly become boring and stale. Roglič's heroics will be remembered for a long time.

How can you say 0% if he doesn't crash? Pogacar is human. Nobody is unbeatable.

Ullrich won a Tour in even more dominant fashion at a similar age. And never won another one (despite suffering no super serious injuries), although he stayed a highly competitive gc rider.

There are no guarantees in sport.

 

[bNator]

I’ve been watching cycling for too long to proclaim Pogacar definite winner bar bad luck. He could implode on the mountain stage, it’s not that unlikely. He could implode on the last TT as he did on national championships. Sure, he looks unbeatable at the moment but if he gets slowly dropped in one of the mountain stages, it will all quickly be forgotten.

Have Bernal in mind and this years Giro. Yes, he won but he did look voulnerable on the 3rd week when no one imagined he could in week 1 and 2.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Look to where have we come. Stage 5 and searching for golden coins in the mud already. What a disappointment this Tour ended up to be. But OK at least some special mixure of mud on the skin could heal Roglič faster. There is that, something.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Having a reputation of crashing a lot this is Rogličes 8 GT and until now he has never DNF.

P.S. Maybe Pogačar came too hot into the race. Said that i won't up the chances from 15% to 20% just yet.

 

[bajbar]

A couple of days of extreme heat could be what the competition needs. This is the only thing that "might" diminish Pogačar. The only one who could go toe to toe with the current Pogi is a 100% Rogla. But sadly with two crashes in three days that is now out of the picture...

 

[BlueRoads]

Having a reputation of crashing a lot this is Rogličes 8 GT and until now he has never DNF.

P.S. Maybe Pogačar came too hot into the race. Said that i won't up the chances from 15% to 20% just yet.

You remind me of my younger me when I was deeply in love with a boy who always let me hang on a string. When he friendly declined an invitation or didn't answer a letter I was always so devastated, without any hope. Then a little later already I started to get my hopes up and looked for little signs that he liked me nonetheless and that maybe... and my hopes rose and rose when he talked to me in a friendly way... and maybe he was just too shy... maybe in the end...

 

[Barnacle Bill]

anyone who isn't called Pogacar will be waiting until he's Valverde's age before they stand a chance.

 

[CyclistAbi]

You remind me of my younger me when I was deeply in love with a boy who always let me hang on a string. When he friendly declined an invitation or didn't answer a letter I was always so devastated, without any hope. Then a little later already I started to get my hopes up and looked for little signs that he liked me nonetheless and that maybe... and my hopes rose and rose when he talked to me in a friendly way... and maybe he was just too shy... maybe in the end...

No i am way past that. But it was fun.

 

[bNator]

This thread is turning into a support group

 

[CyclistAbi]

Yeah, if Roglič can't win at least to keep the trophy back home. But still, regardless of Pogačar, the race for the podium is still on. Unless Roglič folds till and including stage 9.

Pogačar will likely go for the kill ASAP. Considering his current form. Some time could get lost, against Pogačar. As for the rest fingers crossed he can cope. If Roglič won't lose any time till the end of stage 9, against Pogačar, then i am upping the chances to 20% and starting to believe again. A long shot but hey, considering the circumstances it's still OK.

P.S. I liked Terminator 2 better but the Mummy was not all that bad either.

 

[jmdirt]

How can you say 0% if he doesn't crash? Pogacar is human. Nobody is unbeatable.

Ullrich won a Tour in even more dominant fashion at a similar age. And never won another one (despite suffering no super serious injuries), although he stayed a highly competitive gc rider.

There are no guarantees in sport.

He 'suffered' a 10 kg. weight gain due to love of food and beer!