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tobydawq said:Koronin said:tobydawq said:Pretty convenient to link to an article hidden behind a pay wall so it's impossible for the rest of us to assess whether it actually supports your propaganda or if a translation to English exaggerates its points (you have previously stated that you don't read Spanish).
Part of it isn't behind a paywall and I don't have access to what is as I don't have a subscription to it, hence the reason I know part is behind a paywall. As I said half of it is not.
El entrenamiento lo he hecho prácticamente igual, pero en lo que quizá sí me he relajado un poco es en el ansia de victoria. Eso sí que es verdad.
Google translate's translation: The training I did practically the same, but in what perhaps I have relaxed a bit is in the desire for victory. That is true.
El año pasado venía con muchísima ansia después de la caída. Quería ver si era el mismo Alejandro. Y esta temporada es diferente. Estoy ahí, delante y atento, aunque no con esa obsesión de ganar como sea. Claro que quiero ganar, ¡por supuesto! Pero el chip me ha cambiado un poco en ese sentido.
Google translate: Last year I came with a lot of anxiety after the fall. I wanted to see if it was Alejandro himself. And this season is different. I am there, in front and attentive, although not with that obsession to win anything. Of course I want to win, of course! But the chip has changed me a bit in that sense.
Sorry, I didn't read the last section which was fading into white, I just assumed what you referred to was further below.
His performance on Jebel Hafeet still tells me that he can have a good season. And I definitely don't think he will skip Flanders.
tobydawq said:But what fun is there about just riding around for someone who is used to winning a lot?
the entrevista a El PeriodicoKoronin said:Apparently he's decided that 2021 is going to be his final season. He is going to race two more years and then retire at the end of 2021.
https://demarrajeweb.com/2019/03/29/valverde-en-el-2021-me-retiro/
Tim Booth said:the entrevista a El PeriodicoKoronin said:Apparently he's decided that 2021 is going to be his final season. He is going to race two more years and then retire at the end of 2021.
https://demarrajeweb.com/2019/03/29/valverde-en-el-2021-me-retiro/
https://www.elperiodico.com/es/ciclismo/20190329/ciclismo-entrevista-alejandro-valverde-volta-catalunya-7380655
Maybe he's been bulking up a bit - going all in for Flanders.Velolover2 said:Something is obviously wrong with him. It might be age, it might be something mental, it might be sickness, it might be a slow build-up to the Giro. Only time will tell.
While it's safe to say, that he would have been dropped by Yates/Quintana/Bernal on a 2000 metres high mountain no matter what. He should still have finished inside the top 10.
But an underdog role is the Ardennes would be good for him. With Alaphilippe being the clear favorite for all 3 classics, there will be less pressure and Ala will be the one who is forced to respond to attacks.
Kwiatkowski melting on the last Kwaremont has been as much a feature as Porte winning Willunga Hill in the last years.Velolover2 said:If he is focusing on De Ronde, he definitely should.
He is nearly 1.80 m, so he is not as small as most climbers but his light weight will be a huge problem on power sections like the Kwaremont.
Red Rick said:That's a long way in advance to be honest. Not sure what i should be expecting from him at this point. I believe he's finished as a GT rider and Alaphilippe is coming for him in the classics.
Ronde Van Vlaanderen is interesting for him, but I honestly think it's too late in his career to be a legit threat in them.
OG and Lombardia are the last holes in his resume, but both will be very hard to fill. Not sure what he still wants to do in GTs except stagehunt.
Velolover2 said:Something is obviously wrong with him. It might be age, it might be something mental, it might be sickness, it might be a slow build-up to the Giro. Only time will tell.
While it's safe to say, that he would have been dropped by Yates/Quintana/Bernal on a 2000 metres high mountain no matter what. He should still have finished inside the top 10.
But an underdog role is the Ardennes would be good for him. With Alaphilippe being the clear favorite for all 3 classics, there will be less pressure and Ala will be the one who is forced to respond to attacks.
Serpentin said:I hope he is aiming for a BIG peak instead of being fairly competitive throughout the season. Maybe the ilness he had affected him more than we know. The old Alejandro would have sprinted today.
True. Hill specialists can be excellent in the lesser cobbled classics but the real Flanders is another animal. A fine performance in Dwars or E3 doesn't necessarily make you a favorite for De Ronde.Red Rick said:Kwiatkowski melting on the last Kwaremont has been as much a feature as Porte winning Willunga Hill in the last years.Velolover2 said:If he is focusing on De Ronde, he definitely should.
He is nearly 1.80 m, so he is not as small as most climbers but his light weight will be a huge problem on power sections like the Kwaremont.
IndianCyclist said:Many riders after a big victory want to enjoy the fruits of their labor. eg. G has not been his usual self after his TDF victory.
Might be a couple of kilos heavier than race weight to race for GC. In MSR he was pretty fine. If he is sick he should not be racing. If not this year then next year he will come back in top form.
wheresmybrakes said:He may well be out there enjoying his worlds success, but at least he could try and justify the wearing of the jersey. I can understand G enjoying himself to the point of looking like Mr Blobby but he did win the biggest GT, which in my eyes takes a lot more to win than a glorified one day race. I believe he's won bigger races in his career than the worlds, so either his illness was more serious than we think, he is in a big decline or he really can't be bothered since he won the jersey, which if so, is disrespecting the jersey. Hope he gets better soon though.
Yep; let's not forget that he peaked a bit too early last year as well - absolutely dominating from January to March, but perhaps slightly on his way down by the time the Ardennes came around. Probably because he was so anxious about returning to form after his injury.Salvarani said:He worked extremely hard to get back from his injury, and had a very good year with finally winning WC. I think we just seeing the start of a decline (which there can be a lot of reasons for). He still at a very high level, but if he has lost that 1% he not winning as many races this year probably. Hopefully he will hit a peak for the Ardennes and then another peak in the fall.
tobydawq said:wheresmybrakes said:He may well be out there enjoying his worlds success, but at least he could try and justify the wearing of the jersey. I can understand G enjoying himself to the point of looking like Mr Blobby but he did win the biggest GT, which in my eyes takes a lot more to win than a glorified one day race. I believe he's won bigger races in his career than the worlds, so either his illness was more serious than we think, he is in a big decline or he really can't be bothered since he won the jersey, which if so, is disrespecting the jersey. Hope he gets better soon though.
Glorified??? What bigger wins?