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Teams & Riders Geraint Thomas

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Apr 10, 2011
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PremierAndrew said:
Time to give up on grand tour ambitions and go back to the classics with cameos at week long stage races

After one bad race? After winning Paris Nice?

I doubt it, it's clear he's not at his best here so no point judging too much just from one race.
 
Mar 31, 2014
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JRanton said:
Gloin22 said:
PremierAndrew said:
Time to give up on grand tour ambitions and go back to the classics with cameos at week long stage races

After one bad race? After winning Paris Nice?

I doubt it, it's clear he's not at his best here so no point judging too much just from one race.

He struggled at Catalunya and Romandie too. He's been very disappointing since Paris-Nice.

He lost a minute at the queenstage against a superb Tejay. At the hardest climb in Europe. Last year he lost 43 secs there too and was behind Spilak and Lopez too. He is on track for TDF. No rider improved more between TDS and TDF last year. He will be a potential Top 10 guy at TDF. More he was never and never will be.
 
He easily has the potential to win RVV.
Instead he's convinced he can podium in GTs despite finishing once in the top 20.

I'd much rather see the rider I fell in love with in 2014 and early 2015 than this boring stage racer who pretty much never attacks and lacks panache
 
Mar 13, 2015
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PremierAndrew said:
He easily has the potential to win RVV.
Instead he's convinced he can podium in GTs despite finishing once in the top 20.

I'd much rather see the rider I fell in love with in 2014 and early 2015 than this boring stage racer who pretty much never attacks and lacks panache

Let me guess, you fell on his falls :D ;)
 
Aug 31, 2012
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PremierAndrew said:
He easily has the potential to win RVV.
Instead he's convinced he can podium in GTs despite finishing once in the top 20.

I'd much rather see the rider I fell in love with in 2014 and early 2015 than this boring stage racer who pretty much never attacks and lacks panache

He may go back to contending classics if his GT aspirations fail, but it's clear that he craves Tour success.
 
Re: Re:

boasson said:
JRanton said:
Gloin22 said:
PremierAndrew said:
Time to give up on grand tour ambitions and go back to the classics with cameos at week long stage races

After one bad race? After winning Paris Nice?

I doubt it, it's clear he's not at his best here so no point judging too much just from one race.

He struggled at Catalunya and Romandie too. He's been very disappointing since Paris-Nice.

He lost a minute at the queenstage against a superb Tejay. At the hardest climb in Europe. Last year he lost 43 secs there too and was behind Spilak and Lopez too. He is on track for TDF. No rider improved more between TDS and TDF last year. He will be a potential Top 10 guy at TDF. More he was never and never will be.
He was much better last year.
 
Re: Re:

JRanton said:
Gloin22 said:
PremierAndrew said:
Time to give up on grand tour ambitions and go back to the classics with cameos at week long stage races

After one bad race? After winning Paris Nice?

I doubt it, it's clear he's not at his best here so no point judging too much just from one race.

He struggled at Catalunya and Romandie too. He's been very disappointing since Paris-Nice.

Even in Paris-Nice he couldn't keep up with the 2nd favourites group (assuming Porte and Contador were the first) on Col d'Eze (a not too difficult climb for someone who wants to be top-5 at the Tour). If not for Henao, he would have lost the race there.
 
I blame the press ...Last years Tour first 10 stages suited Thomas and then as he was going great he was psyched up and looked like a man that could win a Tour there and then...so his form continued till almost the end...Every British journalist was practically pushing Froome out of the way to talk about when G would win the Tour...Every one was carried away....The truth is Thomas is not a natural climber of the quality that can win the Tour . Of course he could get lucky with a parcour or he is in form whne all the favourites crash out but even then...
The great pity he is a rider that can win Paris Roubaix

Riders believe the hype and think its all true....
 
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HelloDolly said:
I blame the press ...Last years Tour first 10 stages suited Thomas and then as he was going great he was psyched up and looked like a man that could win a Tour there and then...so his form continued till almost the end...Every British journalist was practically pushing Froome out of the way to talk about when G would win the Tour...Every one was carried away....The truth is Thomas is not a natural climber of the quality that can win the Tour . Of course he could get lucky with a parcour or he is in form whne all the favourites crash out but even then...
The great pity he is a rider that can win Paris Roubaix

Riders believe the hype and think its all true....

Problem with this is Thomas said at the beginning of last year he wanted to focus more on stage races and GC rather than just the classics, it's not like what happened in the Tour hyped him to thinking he was something he isn't, being a GC rider had already been the plan for a while.

It's maybe a little too soon to write him off, but it does look like he's a level below what's needed to be a top stage racer, yes he can still win some good races but he will struggle to beat the best GC riders. Yes he beat Contador in PN and rode very well, however he was lucky a key stage was cancelled where Contador would surely have been favourite to gain time on him.

For what it's worth I'd like him to go back and focus on the classics again, he is good enough to win a monument but he can't juggle that and losing lots of weight to be stronger in the mountains.
 
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Valv.Piti said:
Pleasantly surprised to see Thomas the sprinter/rouleur/track/cobbles/mountains-specialist to struggle a fair amount going up against b, c and d type of riders. I did expect him to look much better.

This year Suisse is harder. He is very good in the first mountain sstage, becouse he is a complete rider. it is the ssame with Froome and his team mate Porte.

The difference is not really big this year, it is just thi climb is after some mountains stages.
 
Mar 31, 2014
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Re: Re:

Alexandre B. said:
boasson said:
JRanton said:
Gloin22 said:
PremierAndrew said:
Time to give up on grand tour ambitions and go back to the classics with cameos at week long stage races

After one bad race? After winning Paris Nice?

I doubt it, it's clear he's not at his best here so no point judging too much just from one race.

He struggled at Catalunya and Romandie too. He's been very disappointing since Paris-Nice.

He lost a minute at the queenstage against a superb Tejay. At the hardest climb in Europe. Last year he lost 43 secs there too and was behind Spilak and Lopez too. He is on track for TDF. No rider improved more between TDS and TDF last year. He will be a potential Top 10 guy at TDF. More he was never and never will be.
He was much better last year.

Better at what?

He had a much better spring this year compared to last year, won Algarve and Paris Nice against Contador. After that he finished the Ronde in the first group at place 12, with a very strong performance, pacing Rowe to Place 4 at the last k's without any other classics before.

After that he was only preparing for TDF. Last year he saw that he peaked to early in the tour and was tired at the last mountain stage. So its probable to change that preparation for this year to be fresher in the 3rd week, like Froome do. So its no surprise that you will struggle a bit at TDS, like all other TDF contender do.

Every year the same discussions at Dauphine and TDS. Contador and Schleck never won a Dauphine or TDS and were a level above all the others 2 weeks later. Don't be surprise when JROD, Aru, Pinot, Thomas and Tejay are at their best at the Tour.
 
Apr 22, 2012
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Re:

Valv.Piti said:
Pleasantly surprised to see Thomas the sprinter/rouleur/track/cobbles/mountains-specialist to struggle a fair amount going up against b, c and d type of riders. I did expect him to look much better.
Yet he probably would still beat A type rider Valverde. Anyway, who are a riders? Quintana, Froome and Contador?
 
Re: Re:

boasson said:
Alexandre B. said:
boasson said:
JRanton said:
Gloin22 said:
After one bad race? After winning Paris Nice?

I doubt it, it's clear he's not at his best here so no point judging too much just from one race.

He struggled at Catalunya and Romandie too. He's been very disappointing since Paris-Nice.

He lost a minute at the queenstage against a superb Tejay. At the hardest climb in Europe. Last year he lost 43 secs there too and was behind Spilak and Lopez too. He is on track for TDF. No rider improved more between TDS and TDF last year. He will be a potential Top 10 guy at TDF. More he was never and never will be.
He was much better last year.

Better at what?

He had a much better spring this year compared to last year, won Algarve and Paris Nice against Contador. After that he finished the Ronde in the first group at place 12, with a very strong performance, pacing Rowe to Place 4 at the last k's without any other classics before.
He was stronger in Paris-Nice last year with a dominant performance in La Croix de Chaubouret. He was also better in Le Tour de Suisse 2015, where he was able to respond to attacks during most part of the Sölden climb and was the best rider on the short and steepest climbs.
 
Re: Re:

Taxus4a said:
Valv.Piti said:
Pleasantly surprised to see Thomas the sprinter/rouleur/track/cobbles/mountains-specialist to struggle a fair amount going up against b, c and d type of riders. I did expect him to look much better.

This year Suisse is harder. He is very good in the first mountain sstage, becouse he is a complete rider. it is the ssame with Froome and his team mate Porte.

The difference is not really big this year, it is just thi climb is after some mountains stages.

I'm with you on this Taxus, I don't know why people are so surprised at G's (supposed) lack of performance. Last year's parcours was much more favourable to him.

Was Valv.Piti being sarcastic about the hype behind G or is he "pleasantly surprised" at G's performance (probably both, but which is the strongest factor)? G is one of those b, c and d type riders (OK on such a parcours with all riders fit and raring to go, he's option C in one of the strongest teams in the peloton, so he's not type d)

The first two weeks of the Tour last year were almost perfect for G. An echelon stage, some classic style stages, a Pyrenean MTF where everything was flat beforehand and then a pretty controlled second mountain stage. Since G was in the top 5, he went for GC until he cracked on the penultimate day in the mountains. He is not a pure climber, so the multi-climb stages (see P-N) and strings of mountain stages are a weak spot for him. Comparing his results from this year and last year, I can't see any real difference in his level (last year he was off the pace in Romandie too).

To be honest, I'd rather see him blasting Vandenbergh off his wheel in G-W rather than be a Leipheimer style rider, but he obviously can get good results in week long races.

Unfortunately the Tour is by far the biggest race in the British press and G is a crucial factor in the team. Also, G is sure to be aiming to peak for the Olympics. So it's likely that his training programme is slightly behind last year's programme.
 

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