Fuglsang and Lutsenko under investigation for cooperation with Michele Ferrari.

[Eyeballs Out]

74kg Lutsenko the third best climber of the season so far. Nothing to see here.

I suspect Lutsenko + his bike weighs < 74 kg

 

[Joelsim]

I suspect Lutsenko + his bike weighs < 74 kg

That’s what it says on the Astana website.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

That’s what it says on the Astana website.

That's proof enough for me. 74 kg @ 1m 74cm. BMI of 24.4. There's hope for us all yet !

 

[roundabout]

I suspect Lutsenko + his bike weighs < 74 kg

aha, maybe you're on to something and all the talk of meeting with Ferrari was to cover up that he rides a 3 kg bike

 

[Alexandre B.]

Fuglsang is back at being the best hilly classics rider in the world at 35 despite being well known to be Majka-level.

 

[Red Rick]

Fuglsang is back at being the best hilly classics rider in the world at 35 despite being well known to be Majka-level.

Think calling it Majka level in one day races is a bit much, but I'll be damned if this isn't one the magical transformations of old.

 

[Mayomaniac]

He didn't go full Bjarne, but it's clear that he was suddenly a different man in his 30ies.
That said, whooo caaaares? He's an attacking rider and just like the whole team fun to watch, so I rather cheer for him and his team instead of the next boring train.

 

[samhocking]

Got 7th in Tour at 28 with Froome, Quitntana & Contador above him, so not too shabby.

 

[HelloDolly]

Fuglsang suddenly became a world beater at 34 ...give me a break ...living the dream yeah ..oh and eating pasta

Dr Ferrari type pasta

The same people that condemn Froome's transformation ignore what is before their eyes here

 

[fbjim]

Vlasov has clearly taken the "suspicious Astana rider" crown from Fuglsang, cmon

 

[Red Rick]

He didn't go full Bjarne, but it's clear that he was suddenly a different man in his 30ies.
That said, whooo caaaares? He's an attacking rider and just like the whole team fun to watch, so I rather cheer for him and his team instead of the next boring train.

I think it's also the fact that it's classics and not just flying away on big MTFs in GTs.

 

[topcat]

Fuglsang suddenly became a world beater at 34 ...give me a break ...living the dream yeah ..oh and eating pasta

Dr Ferrari type pasta

The same people that condemn Froome's transformation ignore what is before their eyes here

We're not ignoring it, we just can't do anything about it. It probably doesn't get as much attention because 2 monuments is a lot less than 7 gts and the progression wasn't as steep.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I think it's also the fact that it's classics and not just flying away on big MTFs in GTs.

Yes and the fact that he and his team go for an offensive approach, rather than just controlling the race until 4km to go on a mtf when he suddenly drops everyone. Of course I'm biased because he rides for Vino, but I've never been a fan of pre 2017 Fuglsang, I was bothered by the talk of him being a legit contender in a gt.

 

[ciranda]

This is someone who like three years ago said in an interview that he preferred training over racing.

His real top quality is endurance. He is strong in all kinds of terrain especially uphill, reads races well etc but endurance is key. The stage win in Tirreno-Adriatico last year, Liége, the results in Strade Bianche and Amstel, the stage in Tour de Pologne last week, Lombardia; all turned out as real difficult races because racing started early, weather, really hard courses, Evenepoel, strong teams racing hard. I think maybe the moment he realized he could profit by also making races harder in person was two years ago where he attacked with Valverde far from the finish whenever possible in the Spanish races.

It's ten years ago Fuglsang was fourth in Lombardia, second in Emilia and fourth in Amstel. In the stage races he was very good from day one; third and fourth in Tour de Suisse, sixth in Catalonia and Dauphine and dominting gc wins in Slovenia and Austria. These qualities of being versatile and with great resistance in long races has always been there. Note also the best performance in the TDF 2013 was the Alpe d'Huez x two stage, probably the toughest stage, where he was fourth of the top ten riders. But still it was a mistake to target TDF so much, as many people has said for years. Because (a) he has not been able to handle Team SKY style accelerations at the end of mountain stages and (b) crashes (2014, 2017, 2019) and a predetermined role as strictly support (2015, 2016) means the only real unhindered race was the super average 2018 and (c) all the other races was secondary and he always only hit peak level condition in June.

Before last season the story was focus had been on short maximum efforts, three to five minutes, with the idea to better follow attacks late in mountain stages. But presumably it made him improve in the one day races instead. Plus he is skinnier than before, used to have real chunky arms.

My take: Fuglsang is a cyclist that has evolved and improved, a little similar to Mollema maybe, but not to a crazy exaggerated weird new level.

 

[Red Rick]

Yes and the fact that he and his team go for an offensive approach, rather than just controlling the race until 4km to go on a mtf when he suddenly drops everyone. Of course I'm biased because he rides for Vino, but I've never been a fan of pre 2017 Fuglsang, I was bothered by the talk of him being a legit contender in a gt.

I honestly still have to reach the point where I give a *** about him either way.

 

[roundabout]

Mollema didn' suddenly score 2x his previous best CQ season points in his mid 30s.

And I see a contradiction in first claiming that the top quality is endurance and then saying that the focus on short maximum efforts caused the improvements.

 

[luckyboy]

Michele is back!

 

[Mayomaniac]

Michele is back!

The craziest rumour that I've heard about Astana in the last year or so is that Johan Bruyneel is actually working from the shadows as a consultent for Yana Seel.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Everybody will talk about Padun and Bahrain, but Lutsenko finishing 2nd Overall in the Dauphine and winning the time trial is pretty absurd

 

[BlueRoads]

Everybody will talk about Padun and Bahrain, but Lutsenko finishing 2nd Overall in the Dauphine and winning the time trial is pretty absurd

If you take out Bahrain and Astana the final GC looks more understandable: Porte, Thomas, Kelderman, Lopez, O'Connor, Gaudu, Hart are names I would have expected there. But you're right, I can't see the Lutsenko shine because there's this dazzling light hurting my eyes.

 

[BullsFan22]

If you take out Bahrain and Astana the final GC looks more understandable: Porte, Thomas, Kelderman, Lopez, O'Connor, Gaudu, Hart are names I would have expected there. But you're right, I can't see the Lutsenko shine because there's this dazzling light hurting my eyes.

And why should we trust anyone from Sky/Ineos with all of their dodgy (at best) history?

 

[BlueRoads]

And why should we trust anyone from Sky/Ineos with all of their dodgy (at best) history?

It's not about trust I guess, I don't trust Ineos at all - it's about having the decency to keep it half-believable. That being said there wasn't that much decency with the Froome change, I admit...

 

[staubsauger]

Lutsenko is 100x times more believable than Thomas, who can't even ride his bike without training wheels, winning the Tour de France let alone Paris-Nice & the Dauphine though!

 

[PhiLiz]

Lutsenko is 100x times more believable than Thomas, who can't even ride his bike without training wheels, winning the Tour de France let alone Paris-Nice & the Dauphine though!

F.....G FACTS.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Did Fuglsang attend the same training camp as Lutsenko in May?

He looked absolutely sublime today. The best legs since 2019 spring. Like all of the top Astana riders he is looking for a contract. Astana boys upping their level for the TDF.