Gilbert: "Pozzato's speciality is to make others lose" Is this fair?

[Black-Balled]

And it that works for Pozzato good on him, its a professional sport. Gilbert needs to stop moaning and find a new way to win. Same as all the moaning about flecha at roubaix.. stop moaning and get on with it.

Mercx would never have moaned about someone wheelsucking, he just would have dealt with it.

May as well just change his name to Girlbert the amount of moaning hes doing.

Well said. This is racing at the top level and anything goes.

Philipe is one of my favorite riders of today, but the Girlbert is friggin HIGHlarious!
Making your post that more awesome. You take the biscuit.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

And it that works for Pozzato good on him, its a professional sport. Gilbert needs to stop moaning and find a new way to win. Same as all the moaning about flecha at roubaix.. stop moaning and get on with it.

Mercx would never have moaned about someone wheelsucking, he just would have dealt with it.

May as well just change his name to Girlbert the amount of moaning hes doing.

Merckx did moan about wheelsucking. Van Looy often did this as did a lot of others.

 

[straydog]

I am a fan of both them actually. Gilbert's little sideswipe is like a boxer pre bout. Trying to throw Pozzato off his natural game. And it's definitely more fun than watching the slightly weird boy crush that was Andy and Bertie.

Of course Pozzato is going to follow his wheel. Gilbert is perhaps the most naturally gifted rouleur in the peloton at the moment, compared to Pozzato's natural status as a not particularly quick sprinter, but with a good racing brain.

And I like the fact that Pozzato busted Cav years ago for being a liability in bunch sprints.

The only time I really object to wheel sucking is when Evans crosses the line first, then I am always left with the feeling that watching golf would have been more interesting.

 

[Anonymous]

I am a fan of both them actually. Gilbert's little sideswipe is like a boxer pre bout. Trying to throw Pozzato off his natural game. And it's definitely more fun than watching the slightly weird boy crush that was Andy and Bertie.

Of course Pozzato is going to follow his wheel. Gilbert is perhaps the most naturally gifted rouleur in the peloton at the moment, compared to Pozzato's natural status as a not particularly quick sprinter, but with a good racing brain.

And I like the fact that Pozzato busted Cav years ago for being a liability in bunch sprints.

The only time I really object to wheel sucking is when Evans crosses the line first, then I am always left with the feeling that watching golf would have been more interesting.

Oh no you d'int.

ACF will be all over this.

 

[unsheath]

The only time I really object to wheel sucking is when Evans crosses the line first, then I am always left with the feeling that watching golf would have been more interesting.

I figure you havn't watched much racing lately. Do yourself a favour and watch the Strade Bianche stage at the Giro.

 

[Night Rider]

Gilbert: "Pozzato's speciality is to make others lose" Is this a fair statement?

I think it's a fair summation of the last two years or so.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

I'm not belgian and I still think Pozzato is a terrible wheelsucker with no ability to win a stage on his own strength. Which is exactly a good reason for him to wheelsuck.
So yeh he has a good reason to wheelsuck and yes Gilbert should know people will mark him.
This all comes down to Pozzato being an awful rider who always get flamed a lot because of his riding style. I'm sure he's aware of that and I'm also sure he doesn't give a sh*t about it.

ok, i'm not a pozzato fan and i think that gilbert has a point. he has to learn that it is harder to win as a favorite. he should be honored that pippo wants to suck his wheel.

i disagree that pozzato is an "awful" rider. while i have a deep distaste for his lack of tactical style, he is not awful. he is actually good enough that gilbert, boonen, et al. have to respect him in a small selection. i wish i were such an "awful" rider.

he is not a top tier single day rider and he knows it.

 

[straydog]

I figure you havn't watched much racing lately. Do yourself a favour and watch the Strade Bianche stage at the Giro.

mmmm....just a wild guess here, but are you by any slim chance australian?

Actually I watch a lot of racing, probably too much (including all of this years giro), and that unfortunately is how I have come to my conclusion about Evans' less than scintillating racing tactics. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to hate on him. He makes me smile. He's got that funny high voice, and that amazing chin, and he gets all protective over his little dog. I just find it less thrilling, than you obviously do, to watch him stuck to Vino's wheel for 30ks before passing him with 1k to go. Hey, but if that is what gets you going, go for it. Like I said, some people even like golf

 

[Polyarmour]

Gilbert has to do something else to get Potato off his tail. Drop to the back of the peloton, pretend to drop out, get his team-mates to push Potato off his wheel just before an attack, isolate him, box him in, cut him off. Maybe Gilbert needs to attack somewhere else instead of the last hill before the finish line every time, mix it up a bit.

 

[hfer07]

Pozzato is a rider that I cannot quite dislike at all-he's promised way more than he's achieve in his career, & his riding style isn't quite pleasant, since he behaves like a vulture waiting for his pray to get down so he can strike....
Gilbert has a point there in his statement-- Pozzato has the tendency to attack not far away from the finish line, which only helps to bring the chases closer & force an undesirable sprint- in a situation where a sharp breakaway done properly by anybody else could have made it to the end--- just watch again MSR & P-R

 

[rhubroma]

Gilbert exaggerated at the Worlds, as Bettini used to do sometimes. He wanted to drop everybody, though couldn't get rid of Pozzato, insisted and blew himself. KO

At Paris-Tours the terrain wasn't hard enough to make the difference. Pozzato is a wheel-sucker, it's true, though Gilbert seems to find an easy skapegoat for the Belgian press, which already harbors a certain negative sentiment against the Italian he knows will work in his favor.

Have to agree with the statement, however, that Gilbert should stop "worrying" about other riders and just focus on his own flawed tactics. It smacks of whining, and I hate whiners!

 

[il_fiammingo]

I don't think Gilbert is whining. I think his words he meant to be a wake up call for Pozzato to get him to ride more positively. Because first of all Gilbert also benefits from a Pozzato with gutts. And secondly by psychologically forcing Pozzato to race in a more attacking way, they (the Pozzato "haters") might also force him to make tactical errors in the finale.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Oh no you d'int.

ACF will be all over this.

I don't pay attention to imbeciles

Easier would be to name it Team Sky Castle.

Let's rename Teamsky to Team waste of money then.

OUCH!! But quite clever!

 

[thrawn]

Exactly.

I now officially rename him Phillipe Girlbear

It's not official until its on wikipedia.

 

[auscyclefan94]

It's not official until its on wikipedia.

Done! (nickname)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Gilbert

 

[El Pistolero]

Gilbert has to do something else to get Potato off his tail. Drop to the back of the peloton, pretend to drop out, get his team-mates to push Potato off his wheel just before an attack, isolate him, box him in, cut him off. Maybe Gilbert needs to attack somewhere else instead of the last hill before the finish line every time, mix it up a bit.

In plently of races Gilbert attacked before the final hill.

Amstel Gold race this year is a good example. He attacked, got caught and then he still managed to win with a final attack on the last km. In the Worlds he did multiple attacks as well this year.

He also did multiple attacks in Luik-Bastenaken-Luik causing him to lose as he most definitely was the strongest in that race Just not the smartest.

 

[sublimit]

Visconti to win,I'm another not wanting to be too obvious. And Matteo Tossato is going like a train and could be dangerous depending on what the tactics are at Quickstep.

F*ck it - wrong thread...

 

[Parrot23]

Gilbert has to do something else to get Potato off his tail. Drop to the back of the peloton, pretend to drop out, get his team-mates to push Potato off his wheel just before an attack, isolate him, box him in, cut him off.

Yes, excellent!

 

[Kwibus]

ok, i'm not a pozzato fan and i think that gilbert has a point. he has to learn that it is harder to win as a favorite. he should be honored that pippo wants to suck his wheel.

i disagree that pozzato is an "awful" rider. while i have a deep distaste for his lack of tactical style, he is not awful. he is actually good enough that gilbert, boonen, et al. have to respect him in a small selection. i wish i were such an "awful" rider.

he is not a top tier single day rider and he knows it.

lol. I wished I had the same ability as him too, but not his style. With awful I meant he just sucks wheels which makes him awful to watch imo.

 

[Kwibus]

I don't pay attention to imbeciles

It's just too easy.