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

[VayaVayaVaya]

He did just dominate the Vuelta

 

[Rackham]

I mean... I don't want to jinx things because this is cycling and even the best laid plans can backfire.

But he's going to win this bike race. He's riding passive and ignoring sprints against the UAE boys by design. It's all part of the plan and he's leaning on UAE and Ineos at the moment. I've been following this rider for a very, very long time and he's very intelligent.

Now maybe it won't work out but I guarantee you he's been working on his long range power. The hammer will drop next week. Expect Red Bull Bora hansgrohe to suddenly improve as a team as well.

That's my prediction anyway. And if it doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen. And the one thing that wasn't of course planned was the gravel crash but hey, these things happen.

 

[Red Rick]

If we make a Venn diagram of people ignoring 2 crashes in the past week and people who will talk about that time Pogacar crashed 3 months before the Tour I think we get 1 perfect circle.

 

[Rackham]

Words from the man himself: https://vecer.com/sport/primoz-roglic-pred-slovensko-etapo-gira-pocasi-delujem-malo-boljse-10384073

"A very challenging end to the stage. It was a real struggle in the last 50km, but I'm satisfied. I'm slowly working a little better," Primož Roglič told Val 202. He admits that he can't match the Emirati youngsters in the sprints by seconds at the moment: "I don't have anything to look for there at the moment because they're really strong and explosive. But like I said, I've got to run my race and end up squeezing as much out of myself as I can." For Val 202, he also touched on his current physical condition after some of the punches: "It's definitely better than it was. I can still feel some parts of my body and muscles, but it's a little less every day. It's going in the right direction."

 

[Rackham]

If we make a Venn diagram of people ignoring 2 crashes in the past week and people who will talk about that time Pogacar crashed 3 months before the Tour I think we get 1 perfect circle.

Yeah and this is no joke. It's not just Pog. I guarantee you we'll hear Vingegaard fans blame the Paris-Nice concussion if Pog dominates him this summer.

 

[JosefK]

I mean... I don't want to jinx things because this is cycling and even the best laid plans can backfire.

But he's going to win this bike race. He's riding passive and ignoring sprints against the UAE boys by design. It's all part of the plan and he's leaning on UAE and Ineos at the moment. I've been following this rider for a very, very long time and he's very intelligent.

Now maybe it won't work out but I guarantee you he's been working on his long range power. The hammer will drop next week. Expect Red Bull Bora hansgrohe to suddenly improve as a team as well.

That's my prediction anyway. And if it doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen. And the one thing that wasn't of course planned was the gravel crash but hey, these things happen.

It does seem like Rog isn't putting too much effort into the bonus sprints, but I'm also concerned about the condition of his injured shoulder. If it's really bad, that might preclude his being able to get out of the saddle for accelerations. At this point, he's shipped almost 1:40 to Del Toro. If the UAE rider doesn't fade, that's a big gap to take back. ... But we've seen Roglič resurrect himself before, so maybe it just makes for an exciting GC battle.

 

[Red Rick]

All he needs is to HODL to one Canadian boi on stage 20

 

[Hugh Januss]

I mean... I don't want to jinx things because this is cycling and even the best laid plans can backfire.

But he's going to win this bike race. He's riding passive and ignoring sprints against the UAE boys by design. It's all part of the plan and he's leaning on UAE and Ineos at the moment. I've been following this rider for a very, very long time and he's very intelligent.

Now maybe it won't work out but I guarantee you he's been working on his long range power. The hammer will drop next week. Expect Red Bull Bora hansgrohe to suddenly improve as a team as well.

That's my prediction anyway. And if it doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen. And the one thing that wasn't of course planned was the gravel crash but hey, these things happen.

Since the first TT when Roglic had a :16 advantage on Ayuso Roglic has ceded a total of 1:13 to Ayuso. 1:15 was what he lost in the gravel, so he has picked up 2 seconds while being mostly invisible other than warming up for the second TT with a little impromptu body surfing. I feel like I've seen a lot more of Ayuso in the past week than I have of Roglic. I think Roglic is 1. biding his time and 2. just trying to recover from his crashes. We will see next week.

 

[Rackham]

Since the first TT when Roglic had a :16 advantage on Ayuso Roglic has ceded a total of 1:13 to Ayuso. 1:15 was what he lost in the gravel, so he has picked up 2 seconds while being mostly invisible other than warming up for the second TT with a little impromptu body surfing. I feel like I've seen a lot more of Ayuso in the past week than I have of Roglic. I think Roglic is 1. biding his time and 2. just trying to recover from his crashes. We will see next week.

I posted my prediction because there's quite a few comments here and thereabouts online asking what the hell is going on with Rog and why he can't sprint anymore.

IMO Rog has taken a certain liking to spinning his pedals at a high cadence for longer efforts since the 2023 season. Monte Lussari being a sort of ground zero. He did it on the Angliru later that year and then in the Vuelta last year as well. But he also wasn't too bad on stage 11 of the TdF 2024 either when Pog lit things up 30k from the finish (you know, the one where he crashed at the end when he was with Evenepoel).

I'm just saying, I think that's the plan here. Now whether his injuries are too much of a hindrance or whether he just doesn't have enough in the tank to pull it off for various reasons, so be it. But I can see some logic in what he's doing based on what he's done over the past two years. Ignore the sprints and the time gaps basically and then go all in on one or two stages for the win.

 

[Berniece]

I mean... I don't want to jinx things because this is cycling and even the best laid plans can backfire.

But he's going to win this bike race. He's riding passive and ignoring sprints against the UAE boys by design.

I think so too. His trainer even said he deliberately trained differently past year. Less explosiveness more long engine. If he has trouble on hard long mountain stages it’s over, but I expect him to drop everyone there.

 

[SHAD0W93]

And a bit of Yoda as well.

Crazy Yoda fighting R2D2 and memeing Luke?

 

[Red Rick]

And a bit of Yoda as well.

More Yoda than anyone else tbh.

 

[Rackham]

So who's Ayuso? Kylo Ren? It's all about the acne.

 

[Red Rick]

So who's Ayuso? Kylo Ren? It's all about the acne.

My knowledge of Star Farts begins and ends with Yoda, so that's about it.

 

[SHAD0W93]

So who's Ayuso? Kylo Ren? It's all about the acne.

Director Orson Krennic

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I'm no Kate or any other type of bush, but I can rewrite lyrics just the same:

Pray God you can cope
I stand outside this Primoz's work, this Primoz's world
Ooh, it's hard on the fan, now haters are taking over
But the race will start soon for our Roglič

I know you have a little life in you yet
I know you have a lot of strength left
I know we're not even in week three yet
I know you're not into luck merchantry or theft

I should be crying, but I just can't let it show
I should be hoping, but why isn't he sprinting?
All the things I should've said that I never said (if I had spoken, I would have been in big trouble)
All the things he should've won that he never did
All the trophies he should have had, but he doesn't
Oh, Tarling, make him stomp again
And bring him to Rome free of pain