Felix Gall is the new Austrian Emperor of the Alps

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according to another interview in Austrian press, during the training camps this year, Gall basically trained on the tt bike every day, with sessions of up to 2 1/2 hours.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

according to another interview in Austrian press, during the training camps this year, Gall basically trained on the tt bike every day, with sessions of up to 2 1/2 hours.

Shouldn't have bothered to be honest

 

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Shouldn't have bothered to be honest

yeah, think so too. If he really invested this much, it clearly is not worth it.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

You have to spend 10000 hours on something before you master it, so he's simply started too late to achieve it during this race.

 

[ppanther92]

Shouldn't have bothered to be honest

I don’t know what the general expectations were but (somehow in line with Tour and Vuelta last year), it was a totally decent time trial. Or put different - 2-3 years ago he would have lost an additional 2 minutes

 

[search]

I don’t know what the general expectations were but (somehow in line with Tour and Vuelta last year), it was a totally decent time trial. Or put different - 2-3 years ago he would have lost an additional 2 minutes

yes, it was decent, and on a similar level as last year. So it seems like last year's training level was enough to reach result like this, doesn't it?!

 

[ppanther92]

yes, it was decent, and on a similar level as last year. So it seems like last year's training level was enough to reach result like this, doesn't it?!

I don't know if he did more or less than last year but already last year he said he worked a lot on it because his legs got numb in TT position. Maybe he just kept the work level on TT of last year up since he took a step forward then.

But simply based on his general position on a bike (Cd) and that he mentioned in interviews he struggled to keep a very low position for more than 8-10min and legs getting numb in uncomfortable positions, I don't think we will ever see a much improved TT Gall from that. But its also not that he loses all chances any more in a TT.

 

[Netserk]

riding without visor simply because its uncomfortable for him certainly allows for improvement , at least in changing helmet

 

[Rou]

No time lost today.
One day closer to his nuclear launch.
These chumps will regret not attacking him.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

No time lost today.
One day closer to his nuclear launch.
These chumps will regret not attacking him.

The empire strikes back

 

[Krzysztof_O]

riding without visor simply because its uncomfortable for him certainly allows for improvement , at least in changing helmet

Visor vs no visor might make a non-negligible difference on a 42 km dead-flat TT because of a bigger resistance of air trapped in upper head area (forehead, temples, ears). Without experiments or advanced simulations it's hard to tell exactly though.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

No time lost today.
One day closer to his nuclear launch.
These chumps will regret not attacking him.

Yes, the rest is doomed as long as der Kaiser stays on his bike during relaxing descents in majestic Dolomites.

 

[Old-school]

At this stage, do you think he could miss the podium because of his perceived weaknesses in downhill ? (assuming he remains the best climber after Vingo)

 

[Netserk]

At this stage, do you think he could miss the podium because of his perceived weaknesses in downhill ? (assuming he remains the best climber after Vingo)

not if giau is dry which looks likely

 

[Old-school]

not if giau is dry which looks likely

Okay, since I only see the stages summaries, I can't assess his current level in descents. And i'm questioning if some contenders would try something in this field

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Gall in a post stage 16 interview:

View: https://youtu.be/dWTJU2YYQ10

Hard not to like the fellow on and off the bike, but he also makes it clear why we have no GC competition in the Giro.

 

[SHAD0W93]

@Netserk i looked real quick but couldn’t find where it was talked about originally but not only is Gall getting second but closer than the 6 mins!!

 

[Netserk]

@Netserk i looked real quick but couldn’t find where it was talked about originally but not only is Gall getting second but closer than the 6 mins!!

here :

yeah , i think gall is most likely to finish second and he has the best chance to stay reasonably close in gc

 

[Red Rick]

When a top 3 item on your PCS profile says 5x 2nd stage Giro d'Italia ('26)

 

[Gigs_98]

When a top 3 item on your PCS profile says 5x 2nd stage Giro d'Italia ('26)

The funny thing is, usually I would be mad about a rider I root for always getting 2nd and never first, but I really don't mind this at all. Never seen a rider finish 2nd so often and still it never felt like he was remotely close to a stage win.