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Ilnur Zakarin Discussion thread

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Re:

GuyIncognito said:
Pretty incredible how often a rider prepares specifically for one race all season, then ends up being worse than the previous season when they had no such major targets or pressure

Its not easy to just say "im gonna be in top shape during this time" and then just do it. Like you flip a switch.

You can also feel that you did everything you could do to be in top shape but the work you put in might still not come to fruition in the race for a number factors, known and unknown.
 
Yes, I realize. I guess what I meant is that it fascinates me how we just don't know much about how the body reacts.
Two consecutive seasons you think you've done exactly the same, yet form is completely different.

Remember the 2014 Tour? Majka criticized his team for forcing him to ride because he was exhausted and could barely ride and bla bla. Sucked for a week. Then suddenly he was flying, form of his life

Funny and mystifying.
 
Indeed. Another victim of the rough times Katusha had this year.
Perhaps he can still do something interesting in Innsbruck or take something from a break in this Vuelta to join the club of GT stage winners.

Im curious about his program for 2019. Eventhough this was his first GC attempt in LeTour this still feels like a year to forget about.
 
Are we selling his chances short? I know it's Zaka and he's not always the most consistent but he put almost 2 minutes on Mollema after dropping him and I don't think anyone was gaining much if any time on him on the climbs. Didn't he lose some time due to a mechanical earlier in the race?
 
Re:

jaylew said:
Are we selling his chances short? I know it's Zaka and he's not always the most consistent but he put almost 2 minutes on Mollema after dropping him and I don't think anyone was gaining much if any time on him on the climbs. Didn't he lose some time due to a mechanical earlier in the race?
I think his main problems will be the descents, Colle San Carlo, the lombardia stage and the Mortirolo. If he survives those stages without crashing/loosing a lot of time he can finish on the podium.
 
Re: Re:

Mayomaniac said:
jaylew said:
Are we selling his chances short? I know it's Zaka and he's not always the most consistent but he put almost 2 minutes on Mollema after dropping him and I don't think anyone was gaining much if any time on him on the climbs. Didn't he lose some time due to a mechanical earlier in the race?
I think his main problems will be the descents, Colle San Carlo, the lombardia stage and the Mortirolo. If he survives those stages without crashing/loosing a lot of time he can finish on the podium.

Agreed!
 
Re: Re:

Mayomaniac said:
jaylew said:
Are we selling his chances short? I know it's Zaka and he's not always the most consistent but he put almost 2 minutes on Mollema after dropping him and I don't think anyone was gaining much if any time on him on the climbs. Didn't he lose some time due to a mechanical earlier in the race?
I think his main problems will be the descents, Colle San Carlo, the lombardia stage and the Mortirolo. If he survives those stages without crashing/loosing a lot of time he can finish on the podium.

I don't think that it's likely that San Carlo and Mortirolo are going to be a problem
 

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