Teams & Riders Geraint Thomas

[El Pistolero]

but thomas has shown that he can go well over 200 km in the classics, unlike ebh

What has GT ever done in the classics? We're still hearing about his tenth place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen as if it's the best thing ever achieved in cycling.

Meanwhile EBH has won Gent-Wevelgem(203km), Vattenfall Cyclassics(215km), GP Quest-France(243km) and second at the WC Road Race(269km).

 

[trevim]

What has GT ever done in the classics? We're still hearing about his tenth place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen as if it's the best thing ever achieved in cycling.

Meanwhile EBH has won Gent-Wevelgem(203km), Vattenfall Cyclassics(215km), GP Quest-France(243km) and second at the WC Road Race(269km).

And some stage in the Giro with something like 240km I think. Obviously a classic is different stuff but he's good. I hope he can finally prove himself on the monuments.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

What has GT ever done in the classics? We're still hearing about his tenth place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen as if it's the best thing ever achieved in cycling.

Meanwhile EBH has won Gent-Wevelgem(203km), Vattenfall Cyclassics(215km), GP Quest-France(243km) and second at the WC Road Race(269km).

you only look at results, that;s why you don't know a thing about cycling.

I'll speak to you in 1 or 2 years and we will see how thomas has done

 

[El Pistolero]

you only look at results, that;s why you don't know a thing about cycling.

I'll speak to you in 1 or 2 years and we will see how thomas has done

Yeah and you can't look at results because GT has none in the classics besides one tenth place.

Oh, and you were the one that brought up the results from EBH, not me.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Yeah and you can't look at results because GT has none in the classics besides one tenth place.

Oh, and you were the one that brought up the results from EBH, not me.

You don't half talk some shiite at times.
GT didn't even ride a Spring classic, last year, due to the Olympics.
That 10th place was the best 10th place I've seen in a long while.
A clear indicator of real potential.

I don't get this: "use one good rider to knock another good rider" logic, either.

So, I'll assume it's the usual Boonan cobbles and Gilbert hills, bias.

 

[El Pistolero]

You don't half talk some shiite at times.
GT didn't even ride a Spring classic, last year, due to the Olympics.
That 10th place was the best 10th place I've seen in a long while.
A clear indicator of real potential.

I don't get this: "use one good rider to knock another good rider" logic, either.

So, I'll assume it's the usual Boonan cobbles and Gilbert hills, bias.

The guy has ridden numerous Monuments already and so far has one tenth place to show for it. You don't hear people bringing up Staf Scheirlinck's performance of the Ronde van Vlaanderen that year all the time like they do with GT.

So far, he has failed numerous times already in Paris-Roubaix and only finished once, in a 64th place. I find the "but he always crashes" excuse hilarious because an expert in Roubaix knows how to avoid most crashes and flat tires.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Yeah and you can't look at results because GT has none in the classics besides one tenth place.

Oh, and you were the one that brought up the results from EBH, not me.

Geraint Thomas' results in Roubaix or even worse than EBH.

I guess you are both blind and stupid

 

[Gloin22]

The guy has ridden numerous Monuments already and so far has one tenth place to show for it. You don't hear people bringing up Staf Scheirlinck's performance of the Ronde van Vlaanderen that year all the time like they do with GT.

So far, he has failed numerous times already in Paris-Roubaix and only finished once, in a 64th place. I find the "but he always crashes" excuse hilarious because an expert in Roubaix knows how to avoid most crashes and flat tires.

Lol. He only took the race seriously once. In 2011...

So you're telling me Boonen never crashed at PR or punctured in his first attempts ? Trolololo ...

Freaking hell, twice riding Paris - Roubaix as Pro is now called ''numerous'' ...... LOL! never thought you could make me laugh as much as this

 

[El Pistolero]

Lol. He only took the race seriously once. In 2011...

So you're telling me Boonen never crashed at PR or punctured ? Trolololo ...

Freaking hell, twice riding Paris - Roubaix as Pro is now called ''numerous'' ...... LOL! never thought you could make me laugh as much as this

Barely ever, only in 2011. What trololol? Watch a bike race.

I'm starting to believe GT doesn't take racing seriously at all if you are to be believed. Why didn't he take it seriously in 2010? What's he being paid for? Acting like a clown on the road?

I'm not a native English speaker, so I used the word "numerous" in a wrong way, sue me. I'd like to see you speak a different language, maybe we can join in on the laughs then.

 

[Gloin22]

Barely ever, only in 2011.

I'm starting to believe GT doesn't take racing seriously at all if you are to be believed.

I'm not a native English speaker, so I used the word "numerous" in a wrong way, sue me.

Exactly, the version Thomas fell and punctured too..

Neither I am Riding Robuaix only 2 times is not great deal and he's still much too learn. Why you sound like if he rode PR lots of times and always failed...
But he definitely has the potential to be good there. Chavanel wasn't a great cobbler until his late 20's. Who says Thomas can't be similar ?

 

[El Pistolero]

Exactly, the version Thomas fell and punctured too..

Neither I am Riding Robuaix only 2 times is not great deal and he's still much too learn. But he definitely has the potential to be good there. Chavanel wasn't a great cobbler until his late 20's. Who says Thomas can't be similar ?

Chavanel still isn't great in Roubaix. Only in the Ronde. And he tried focusing on Grand Tours for a large portion of his career(until he joined QS). Unless GT decides to do the same, you can't compare them.

Boonen has however ridden Roubaix from 2002-2010 with barely any crashes or mechanical problems. 2011 his shape was poor compared to previous years and look at what happened.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Chavanel still isn't great in Roubaix. Only in the Ronde. And he tried focusing on Grand Tours for a large portion of his career(until he joined QS). Unless GT decides to do the same, you can't compare them.

Boonen has however ridden Roubaix from 2002-2010 with barely any crashes or mechanical problems. 2011 his shape was poor compared to previous years and look at what happened.

You are willing to excuse Chavanel because he had been concentrating on Grand Tours but you completely choose to ignore that Thomas has spent a lot of time concentrating on the track. We clearly haven't seen the best of him yet on the cobbles and he is going to be a contender in most of the cobbled races this year (obviously he still has a lot to prove against the likes of Boonen and Cancellara). You are right about PR though, Stannard will win that one.

 

[El Pistolero]

You are willing to excuse Chavanel because he had been concentrating on Grand Tours but you completely choose to ignore that Thomas has spent a lot of time concentrating on the track. We clearly haven't seen the best of him yet on the cobbles and he is going to be a contender in most of the cobbled races this year (obviously he still has a lot to prove against the likes of Boonen and Cancellara). You are right about PR though, Stannard will win that one.

Chavanel was already 30 when he started focusing for real on the classics. Plus GT barely road any track in 2009-2011.

Chavanel was 29 years old when he first rode the Ronde van Vlaanderen. I ignore nothing.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Chavanel was already 30 when he started focusing for real on the classics. Plus GT barely road any track in 2009-2011.

Chavanel was 29 years old when he first rode the Ronde van Vlaanderen. I ignore nothing.

Clearly you ignore plenty. You choose to ignore the massive potential shown by Thomas in 2011 and the fact that that progress wasn't built on last year because of his focus on the track. You also ignore the fact that his performances this week suggest that he is riding better than ever. Your argument seems to be that because he hasn't podiumed in a monument before then he never will.

 

[El Pistolero]

Clearly you ignore plenty. You choose to ignore the massive potential shown by Thomas in 2011 and the fact that that progress wasn't built on last year because of his focus on the track. You also ignore the fact that his performances this week suggest that he is riding better than ever. Your argument seems to be that because he hasn't podiumed in a monument before then he never will.

I didn't even say anything about him performing or not in the classics. Just that his hype is unwarranted as he hasn't really done much in the classics as of yet. EBH on the other hand has already proven more(Ryo and some others are claiming it's the opposite way).

Massive potential because he came tenth once in the Ronde? Pfft, please. Massive potential is being on the podium in your very first Roubaix.

As I said, he barely did any track in 2009-2011. His tenth place in the Ronde was good, but not worth talking about 2 years after the fact.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Clearly you ignore plenty. You choose to ignore the massive potential shown by Thomas in 2011 and the fact that that progress wasn't built on last year because of his focus on the track. You also ignore the fact that his performances this week suggest that he is riding better than ever. Your argument seems to be that because he hasn't podiumed in a monument before then he never will.

He's real argument is that he isn't Belgian.

 

[Parker]

I didn't even say anything about him performing or not in the classics. Just that his hype is unwarranted as he hasn't really done much in the classics as of yet. EBH on the other hand has already proven more(Ryo and some others are claiming it's the opposite way).

Massive potential because he came tenth once in the Ronde? Pfft, please. Massive potential is being on the podium in your very first Roubaix.

As I said, he barely did any track in 2009-2011. His tenth place in the Ronde was good, but not worth talking about 2 years after the fact.

Give him a chance. Sean Kelly didn't win a classic until he was 27

 

[El Pistolero]

He's real argument is that he isn't Belgian.

What does that have to do with anything? You don't see me hyping every Belgian that gets a tenth place in a Monument. In fact, you're the one that came up with the nickname "Greg van Average" for Greg van Avermaet despite his classic results being 10 times better so far than Thomas' results. Like I said, GT is over-hyped on this forum. If he ever does good in a classic I'll gladly acknowledge him, but until then he's just one of many riders that could potentially do well in classics some day.

Any other fallacies you want to throw at me? You're on a roll.

Thanks for calling me a real argument by the way.

 

[Ruudz0r]

You judge way to much on results, the way he has ridden was simply very impressive and showed great potential.

Maybe you ll understand if we take a guy from Belgium as an example. You remember Sep Vanmarcke his performance at Roubaix in 2011? He showed great class on the cobbles, but he "only" finished 20th.

 

[El Pistolero]

You judge way to much on results, the way he has ridden was simply very impressive and showed great potential.

Maybe you ll understand if we take a guy from Belgium as an example. You remember Sep Vanmarcke his performance at Roubaix in 2011? He showed great class on the cobbles, but he "only" finished 20th.

For the last time, I'm not claiming he has no potential. I'm merely saying he's over-hyped. There are quite a few guys with the same amount of potential that don't get a "will he win LBL" thread after he wins a race in January. Guys like Offredo, Terpstra, Slagter, Boom, Vanendert and yes, also Sep Vanmarcke.

Although in Sep's case, he won the Omloop het Nieuwsblad against Boonen.

And second in Gent-Wevelgem.

 

[RownhamHill]

For the last time, I'm not claiming he has no potential. I'm merely saying he's over-hyped. There are quite a few guys with the same amount of potential that don't get a "will he win LBL" thread after he wins a race in January. Guys like Offredo, Terpstra, Slagter, Boom, Vanendert and yes, also Sep Vanmarcke.

Although in Sep's case, he won the Omloop het Nieuwsblad against Boonen.

And second in Gent-Wevelgem.

Hey, I'm enjoying the discussion, but wanted to clarify it was't my intention to hype Thomas up. I have no idea if it's even possible for him to finish LBL cpmpetitively, let alone think about winning it! I guess that's what I'm interested in - what attributes push a rider with potential in what direction.

Carry on as you were.

 

[El Pistolero]

Hey, I'm enjoying the discussion, but wanted to clarify it was't my intention to hype Thomas up. I have no idea if it's even possible for him to finish LBL cpmpetitively, let alone think about winning it! I guess that's what I'm interested in - what attributed pish a rider with potential in what direction.

Carry on as you were.

Right now I can only see him do well in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. None of the contenders of LBL are in shape right now. Simon Gerrans was in good shape in the early season, but his peak was over already before the Ardennes classics. And normally those races suit him better than Milan-San Remo(which he won).

 

[Ferminal]

Seems to be overrated as a classics rider, who knows if he will win a monument. Devolder won two though, so anything is possible. With Langeveld, Sagan, Terpstra, GVA... they are around the same age and you can't say GT is any more likely to win the Ronde than them.

Personally I see him more as a stage racer although his recovery is unproven and we don't know how far he has left to improve. Might not end up having the top end of a Froome or Wiggins but at worst would be great in one week races and a strong domestique in GTs, like a Rogers.

 

[Parker]

The thing with Thomas is that he is pretty good at everything:

He's been top 30 at the Tour so he can climb a bit

He's got results on cobbles, so he can do that.

He's won a prologue, so he can do that

He came 2nd in both Giro TTs, so he can do that

No need to justify his track ability

He's done lead outs for EBH and Cav, so he has pace.


His problem is working out what to do. (In a different thread I said he could come top 10 in a GT and I was mocked - let's see)

 

[PsychicCyclist]

The thing with Thomas is that he is pretty good at everything:

He's been top 30 at the Tour so he can climb a bit

He's got results on cobbles, so he can do that.

He's won a prologue, so he can do that

He came 2nd in both Giro TTs, so he can do that

No need to justify his track ability

He's done lead outs for EBH and Cav, so he has pace.


His problem is working out what to do. (In a different thread I said he could come top 10 in a GT and I was mocked - let's see)

Absolutely. In 2011 he was in the last group at Tour of Flanders. Definitely now ready to do something in my opinion.