Teams & Riders General topic for riders who don't deserve their own thread (yet)

[Samu Cuenca]

Well, as Samu pointed out above; according to the Jumbo team page, they were, indeed, born in the same place. Which... is probably more correct.

But can we actually trust their website? Maybe it's just a major cover-up.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Well, as Samu pointed out above; according to the Jumbo team page, they were, indeed, born in the same place. Which... is probably more correct.

But not funny at all.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

You might want to read the entire discussion.
According to PCS they weren't born in the same place, despite - you know - being born on the same day.

One in the car, one in the hospital

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

One in the car, one in the hospital

Thank god pregnant women can't fly (as in, can't take a plane).

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Going through the conti-teams for next year - yes, I'm weird - and came across this:

Here's Mick Van Dijke

And here's Tim Van Dijke

Yeah, if they ever turn pro, I'm gonna need a cheat-sheet! And I think there might be a slight mistake with (one of?) their profiles, because apparently they weren't born the same place. For their mother's sake, I hope that isn't true.

This year you can actually tell them apart. They are going through their awkward post teenage phases/faces at the moment.

 

[SafeBet]

Wait a second, there really are two of them???
All this time I thought this was one of PCS mistakes and ReadheadDane playing silly about it.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Wait a second, there really are two of them???
All this time I thought this was one of PCS mistakes and ReadheadDane playing silly about it.

They are real, but I'm not fully convinced they aren't aliens or robots though.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Wait a second, there really are two of them???
All this time I thought this was one of PCS mistakes and ReadheadDane playing silly about it.

Yep two of them. Jugdiing by their Instagram's, Tim is more Road and CX focused (you could see him as the second Jumbo Visma rider in CX races aswell as vM Aert) and Mick is Road and MTB XC focused .

 

[hfgon1]

Keep an eye on Ben Zwiehoff from Bora, a 27-year-old newcomer on the streets. He had phenomenal results in test-races and clinical tests. He rode cross-country before but wasn't that successful because he is not that explosive and has his strengths in the mountains. He only rode a 2.2 stage race till this year and now started the UAE Tour for his team. He ended 23rd on the first mountain stage with the same time as Majka, Poels, Pozzovivo and some other great riders. I think he is able to surprise some guys in the upcoming years and has the skills to be a dominant climber.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I recently realized that Mathias Vacek, the younger brother of Karel and current European Junior ITT champ, was also a good XC skier in the junior ranks.
Despite him only training for it a few months per year he won the 10km classic at the Czech NC in 2020 and finished 11th in the sprint and 15th in the 10km classic in the 2020 Olympic youth games. Really good for an athlete who has his main focus on another sport.
He also seems to be a lot more of an allrounder than his older brother, better sprint and more of a TTer who can climb rather well.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Watching GP Industria & Artigianato, i'm wondering what's going on in Knox's head. He wanted to ride GC's and when he came to DQT, there were only De Plus and Mas, who were his age or slightly older. Then De Plus left and Evenepoel came. I'm sure at the time he thought he was going to move up, considering nobody really expected Evenepoel to eclipse him within 6 months. Then Mas left as well. But then Almeida came, and later still Vansevenant. Both of them showing to be superior as well. In the meanwhile also Masnada came and Knox is basically last in line of an impressive young GC/climbing squad, passed left and right by much younger guys (Knox turns 26 later this year). And in the meanwhile Alaphilippe showed he can do GC's as well.

So i'm wondering what Knox is thinking. Is he happy with his current role? Is he looking to leave? Has he lost hope of growing into a GC leader?

 

[BlueRoads]

Watching GP Industria & Artigianato, i'm wondering what's going on in Knox's head. He wanted to ride GC's and when he came to DQT, there were only De Plus and Mas, who were his age or slightly older. Then De Plus left and Evenepoel came. I'm sure at the time he thought he was going to move up, considering nobody really expected Evenepoel to eclipse him within 6 months. Then Mas left as well. But then Almeida came, and later still Vansevenant. Both of them showing to be superior as well. In the meanwhile also Masnada came and Knox is basically last in line of an impressive young GC/climbing squad, passed left and right by much younger guys (Knox turns 26 later this year). And in the meanwhile Alaphilippe showed he can do GC's as well.

So i'm wondering what Knox is thinking. Is he happy with his current role? Is he looking to leave? Has he lost hope of growing into a GC leader?

I think I read something, like a year ago, where he said he didn't have the talent other guys have, that he has always had to work harder for it... Something like that. It didn't sound too optimistic to be honest. But so it seemed that he knows himself well and knows it's a fight for him. But what he expects for his next years I don't know.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Ilan Van Wilder was supposed to ride Provence, Denain and Haut Var... but because some races got cancelled, Sunweb/DSM kept him out of the squad in order to give some chances to other guys (because there were less races in total to divide over all the riders). Yesterday Ilan got to know his new schedule, supposedly en route towards the Vuelta.

17/3 Nokere Koerse
21/3 Per Sempre Alfredo
23 - 27/3 Coppie e Bartali
5 - 10/4 Itzulia - Pais Vasco
21/4 Flèche Wallonne
27/4 - 2/5 Tour de Romandie

Brabantse Pijl was also on his schedule originally, but now got taken out, i assume they will put some guys like Brenner, Vermaerke or Vandenabeele in the squad instead.

Why do i care, why should you care? Because Ilan is one of the most impressive riders from an impressive generation on the verge of breaking through. In an impressive 2018 he was runner up Belgian Junior Champion ITT behind Voldemort. Runner up European Junior Champion ITT behind Voldemort. Runner up GC Giro della Lunigiana... behind, yep. In 2019 he finished 3rd in Tour de l'Avenir as 1st year Espoir, ahead of Champoussin (2 years older), Vansevenant (1 year older) etc. In fact, out of the entire top 10, he was the only one born in 2000, only 2 riders were born in 1999, and the others were born in 1998 or 1997. He also won the queen stage in Spa/Peace Race and finished 4th in GC there. In 2020 he had a great start with a 17th place in GC in Algarve (as the youngest in the peloton), before snatching bronze in the U23 European championships ITT, ahead of Tom Pidcock and behind Leknessund and... Bissegger. And yes, he's younger than those 3 as well.

 

[SafeBet]

"But nobody develops young riders as good as Sunweb/DSM"...

 

[tobydawq]

Andrey Zeits is currently racing Tirreno-Adriatico which is his third race for Team BikeExchange. Which is remarkable because he was also on that team last year - for some reason, he only rode the Ruta del Sol last year. Maybe because of Covid?

Anyway, did you know that he is the rider in the pro peloton to have ridden the highest number of Grand Tours and finished them all? 18 times. A year ago, he shared that with Nieve who then went ahead and abandoned the Tour.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Andrey Zeits is currently racing Tirreno-Adriatico which is his third race for Team BikeExchange. Which is remarkable because he was also on that team last year - for some reason, he only rode the Ruta del Sol last year. Maybe because of Covid?

Anyway, did you know that he is the rider in the pro peloton to have ridden the highest number of Grand Tours and finished them all? 18 times. A year ago, he shared that with Nieve who then went ahead and abandoned the Tour.

You mean in total or consecutively? I know Adam Hansen had amazing GT stats as well a few years ago.

 

[yaco]

Andrey Zeits is currently racing Tirreno-Adriatico which is his third race for Team BikeExchange. Which is remarkable because he was also on that team last year - for some reason, he only rode the Ruta del Sol last year. Maybe because of Covid?

Anyway, did you know that he is the rider in the pro peloton to have ridden the highest number of Grand Tours and finished them all? 18 times. A year ago, he shared that with Nieve who then went ahead and abandoned the Tour.

Missed post COVID because of an unidentified illness/sickness - He's a very reliable domestique in GT's.

 

[RedheadDane]

You mean in total or consecutively? I know Adam Hansen had amazing GT stats as well a few years ago.

Yeah, pretty sure Hansen's in-the-row stat is higher than that. And that's not counting the ones he rode that wasn't part of the "chain".

 

[tobydawq]

You mean in total or consecutively? I know Adam Hansen had amazing GT stats as well a few years ago.

In total (you're out of this stat as soon as you DNF once).

Hansen abandoned three GTs before he began his consecutive streak.

 

[Bonimenier]

Any idea who the rider with the most consecutive DNFs is in GTs?

Rebellin DNF his last 10, but surely there is someone who can top this.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Any idea who the rider with the most consecutive DNFs is in GTs?

Rebellin DNF his last 10, but surely there is someone who can top this.

Cipollini had 21 in total, but only eight in a row.

Jaan Kirsipuu started 15 GTs and never finished a single one.

 

[tobydawq]

Of current riders, Tony Martin is the one with most DNF's. He only finished 9 out of 20 GTs (but of course that is not a consecutive thing).

Cancellara was worse, only finishing 7 out of 21 and DNFing his last 9 in a row.

But yeah, I guess Kirsipuu takes the cake.

The current riders with most participations and no finishes are Mareczko and Pelucchi with 5 and 0.

 

[RedheadDane]

Jaan Kirsipuu started 15 GTs and never finished a single one.

1/7 2005.
Jan: This time. This time I'm making it! I'm gonna go all the way to Paris!

10/7 2005.
Jan: Aaaw! ***...

 

[Samu Cuenca]

1/7 2005.
Jan: This time. This time I'm making it! I'm gonna go all the way to Paris!

10/7 2005.
Jan: Aaaw! ***...

Something like that, but in Estonian.

 

[RedheadDane]

Something like that, but in Estonian.

1/7 2005.
Jan: Seekord. Seekord ma teen seda! Ma lähen terve tee Pariisi!

10/7 2005.
Jan: Aaaw! kurat

Better?