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

[CyclistAbi]

Give me a break. Who is the audience for such drivel?

He can't possibly be that dumb.

In the end it's the team job, Rogla is mostly there to perform. So it makes sense to recon some climbs, beyond that it's up to the team to prepare individual stage mission plans.

 

[Oldman]

I think it reflects exactly where he is: unknown territory. No real data to know where he stands versus his rivals (even when discounting the top two, it's very difficult to say where Rog currently is versus Almeida and Evenepoel) and it's a race that's been pretty much horrible for him for half a decade.

It adds up. I'm hoping he grows into the race tbh.

He did enough of the Giro to know where he should be with the training time he's had. Not racing recently doesn't provide us fans much confidence. We should know by stage 5 if he's on any target arc.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

They should have made the shirt more red, wouldn‘t be the first Super Mario in cycling.

 

[Oldman]

Give me a break. Who is the audience for such drivel?

He can't possibly be that dumb.

You're discussing it and my dumbass is responding to you. Neither of us buy it but we're talking about it.
Pre Tour Hype abounds.

 

[CyclistAbi]

They should have made the shirt more red, wouldn‘t be the first Super Mario in cycling.

Another legend.

 

[Extinction]

View: https://youtu.be/R269v6RA8ik?si=HeDl75M8_BUNnJ2r

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

View: https://youtu.be/R269v6RA8ik?si=HeDl75M8_BUNnJ2r

What do you think? Is he stoically accepting the new realities in which he is not a serious contender, is he cleverly feigning weakness and indifference, is he waxing poetic because that’s who he is, with no indication of how he’ll fare, is this direction or misdirection? Of course it’ll all be irrelevant if he crashes in stage 1…

 

[red_flanders]

In the end it's the team job, Rogla is mostly there to perform. So it makes sense to recon some climbs, beyond that it's up to the team to prepare individual stage mission plans.

That's just as absurd as Roglic's statements.

You can't be a serious GC contender and not know what the first week looks like. Pure nonsense.

 

[Rackham]

What do you think? Is he stoically accepting the new realities in which he is not a serious contender, is he cleverly feigning weakness and indifference, is he waxing poetic because that’s who he is, with no indication of how he’ll fare, is this direction or misdirection? Of course it’ll all be irrelevant if he crashes in stage 1…

He doesn't like media questions. Never did. So he just does his utmost to throw them off and get it over and done with.

It was reported years ago that Jumbo once tried to get Tom Dumoulin to 'coach' Rog on interacting with the media. Not sure whether they succeeded. But who even cares? The questions are silly anyway.

The Tour at this point a day or so before the race is just a circus machine. Endless sponsor and media obligations.

That's just as absurd as Roglic's statements.

You can't be a serious GC contender and not know what the first week looks like. Pure nonsense.

I think you're totally reading way too much into it. During Catalunya whenever Rog was asked directly by the media about winning he'd say "I don't even care, I'm just here to test myself and race with the teammates" (words to that effect). But of course he was there to win. Even though the latter and the former are mutually inclusive as well.

I mean what do you want him to say? Something delusional? We've got plenty of that going on elsewhere before this TdF (say for example Ben O'Connor's top 5 aim which IMO looks slightly fanciful).

There's also probably a grain of truth in it as well in the sense he leaves that to the team and focused his prep on himself. I didn't see him recon in the Pyrenees for example. Just Loze and a couple of other Alpine climbs that were close to Tignes.

 

[Rackham]

By the way, questions about looking at the parcours aren't innocent. When a rider says "yes, I've studied the first week very closely and done my homework", the headlines that follows will be "rider xyz is ready for week 1 showdown" or "rider to watch in week 1: xyz has a battleplan and is ready" or "xyz sends warning to his rivals: I'm prepared for the first week".

We all know how it works.

 

[Peyroteo94]

That's just as absurd as Roglic's statements.

You can't be a serious GC contender and not know what the first week looks like. Pure nonsense.

Yeah, if he is not lying I hope God forgive me because Roglic is asking for another crash in the Tour.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Give me a break. Who is the audience for such drivel?

He can't possibly be that dumb.

Its his 'persona', he likes to come across at this carefree rider that doesnt really care if he wins, hasn't looked into the route and when he goes downhill, he just closes his eyes because he doesnt care if he crashes. He should probably care a bit more on the latter part especially given the last years of his career.

But most of his fans eat that stuff up. I don't know why, but they like it.

 

[red_flanders]

Its his 'persona', he likes to come across at this carefree rider that doesnt really care if he wins, hasn't looked into the route and when he goes downhill, he just closes his eyes because he doesnt care if he crashes. He should probably care a bit more on the latter part especially given the last years of his career.

But most of his fans eat that stuff up. I don't know why, but they like it.

I get it about his persona, that’s part of what makes it so ridiculous to me. It’s such obvious BS.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I get it about his persona, that’s part of what makes it so ridiculous to me. It’s such obvious BS.

Yep. And then he ends up with the classic eh in the end with a false smile. Its totally BS

 

[Rackham]

You guys have painted the image of Rogla, hands off the bars, eyes closed, Jesus pose... riding into the final 5k tomorrow afternoon with Godrays shining down upon him from the heavens.

And I'm here for it.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah why can't Roglic just say the same PR crap as everyone else. Total bs.

 

[Berniece]

Yeah why can't Roglic just say the same PR crap as everyone else. Total bs.

So he rather acts fake to be different?

 

[Rackham]

Hmm... why are fans of other riders suddenly coming in here and getting all angsty about Rog's stereotypical media responses..?

You guys can't make up your minds. According to popular consensus, last week after the team selection was announced, Red Bull Bora had abandoned Rog as leader and gone with Lipowitz for GC and Meus for stages, and now Rog is a liar and fake because he just dodged questions about the profile of the race in a flippant manner - as always - whilst playing down his chances.

I really don't see what the drama is here.

 

[Valv.Piti]

There's no drama at all. I just don't know who he fools trying to come across like he does.

 

[Rackham]

Pogačar claimed Vingegaard is the best climber in the world on long climbs. Are we going to psychoanalyze that one as well? I mean he was so obviously blowing smoke up Visma's proverbial backside.

Sport interviews are usually either platitudes, mind games, agenda driven or gentle 'distortions' of the truth to varying degrees. All sports included.

The part I object to here (if we're going there) is the attempt to portray this as some sort of persona Rog has built for himself. That couldn't be further from the truth, i.e. I guarantee you he has one objective when someone sticks a microphone under his nose: get the hell out of there as fast as possible.

Usually by saying whatever will get the questions over and done with quickly. That is all.

 

[Berflamand]

Pogačar claimed Vingegaard is the best climber in the world on long climbs. Are we going to psychoanalyze that one as well?

I don't have an opinion on the discussion regarding the Rog persona but this is exactly what is happening in the Pog thread.

 

[Rackham]

I don't have an opinion on the discussion regarding the Rog persona but this is exactly what is happening in the Pog thread.

I stand corrected then.

Let's put this one down to a form of "pre-Tour fever" where everything is put under a microscope. Aka stuff that people don't care about for 11 months of the year is now suddenly a topic of conversation. For better or for worse.

 

[red_flanders]

Hmm... why are fans of other riders suddenly coming in here and getting all angsty about Rog's stereotypical media responses..?

You guys can't make up your minds. According to popular consensus, last week after the team selection was announced, Red Bull Bora had abandoned Rog as leader and gone with Lipowitz for GC and Meus for stages, and now Rog is a liar and fake because he just dodged questions about the profile of the race in a flippant manner - as always - whilst playing down his chances.

I really don't see what the drama is here.

Well your post is pretty dramatic.

I called BS on one statement he made, which was posted literally in this thread. The rest of your complaints have nothing to do with me, my fandom, or anything I’ve ever said. Is this only a thread for uncritical adoration, or a thread to discuss a rider?

The last was rhetorical.

 

[Rackham]

Well your post is pretty dramatic.

I called BS on one statement he made, which was posted literally in this thread. The rest of your complaints have nothing to do with me, my fandom, or anything I’ve ever said. Is this only a thread for uncritical adoration, or a thread to discuss a rider?

Thaw last was rhetorical.

I seem to have stumbled into drama here by tripping over a tripwire or something.

Why are we even arguing? Rog's thread is clearly not for 'uncritical adoration' considering how he's viewed and ranked before this TdF. The consensus everywhere is he crashes too much, might be too old, doesn't have full backing of his team (Lipo and Meeus have their chances here) and just didn't have the right sort of build-up to the Tour to be particularly confident about getting a result (Giro disasterclass and antibiotics does that).

So like... in amongst all of that... I don't get the need to kind of pinpoint that one comment in his presser about studying the parcours (or lack thereof) and make a meal out of it.

He even said himself that if 10th is the best result he can achieve, then so be it. And sadly (at least from my perspective because I want him to do well) there does exist a particularly depressing scenario in which he's just not quite right in terms of level in this TdF because of the problems he had in Italy.

 

[CyclistAbi]

That's just as absurd as Roglic's statements.

You can't be a serious GC contender and not know what the first week looks like. Pure nonsense.

Oh so now Rogla is a serious GC contender, then indeed better to listen on pre stage briefings. As it's the team, on who is responsible for such things, and according to the team they did a good job this year. Let's see.