Vingegaard would bury remco on col de la loze.Remco...if he was there
First, he need to show that can beat a healthy roglic.
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Vingegaard would bury remco on col de la loze.Remco...if he was there
Roughly 10 months ago you were predicting Evenepoel to be dropped like a brick in Norway by Johannessen. And now you are calling for new riders to jump the gap? Seems like Evenepoel jumped this very gap you are asking to be jumped. Then there was Ayuso who finished 3rd in the Vuelta but who is currently injured.They aren't really racing against anybody else in the first place right now. It's the big issue of this era and it's at its worst (so far) this year because almost every WT stage race has only had one of the big 4 in form, leading to one-sided non-event after one-sided non-event, now culminating in the first boring edition of Itzulia in a very long time. Evenepoel and Roglic are just as bad as Pogacar and Vingegaard in this regard, they were every bit as far ahead of the rest of the field in Catalunya as Vingegaard was here, it only gets forgotten because they had each other to fight. Also means that a major crash (or something with similar effect) by Evenepoel or Roglic in the Giro or by Pogacar or Vingegaard in the Tour all but guarantees a one-sided Giro or Tour.
We really need either the gap to the other riders to narrow, or some new riders to jump the gap, because an era inevitably goes stale if it lasts long enough without evolving much and IMO we're seeing the first signs of that starting to appear.
Roughly 10 months ago you were predicting Evenepoel to be dropped like a brick in Norway by Johannessen. And now you are calling for new riders to jump the gap? Seems like Evenepoel jumped this very gap you are asking to be jumped. Then there was Ayuso who finished 3rd in the Vuelta but who is currently injured.
I also don't know how this is any different from other eras. When Schleck and Contador were duking it out, they were also a level above everyone else. Basically every generation (in a broad sense) has this problem. Armstrong, Ulrich, Froome, Indurain, Lemond, Hinault, Merckx... When was it ever really a 5-way battle? Which of these guys had to really duke it out with more than 1 or 2 rivals that actually came close?
What happened to Landa? How can he be so strong the previous stages and now blow out like this?
I also don't know how this is any different from other eras. When Schleck and Contador were duking it out, they were also a level above everyone else. Basically every generation (in a broad sense) has this problem. Armstrong, Ulrich, Froome, Indurain, Lemond, Hinault, Merckx... When was it ever really a 5-way battle? Which of these guys had to really duke it out with more than 1 or 2 rivals that actually came close?
False, I said the most likely outcome was that Johannessen would match Evenepoel on the big climb and then beat him in the sprint in the false flat final kilometre. That prediction aged horribly as it is and I've said as much in the past, no need to twist my words to discredit my point.Roughly 10 months ago you were predicting Evenepoel to be dropped like a brick in Norway by Johannessen.
Correct...Seems like Evenepoel jumped this very gap you are asking to be jumped.
...but there aren't many people who appear likely to make that jump too. Yes, Ayuso looked well on his way last year and I would back him to do so provided he gets over his mysterious fitness issues, but he's the only one. Bernal isn't getting back to that level, Carapaz' time in the sun seems over too, Ineos' highly-rated youngsters (Rodriguez, Plapp) seem a level below, Uijtdebroeks rose almost as quickly as Evenepoel but is now developing far slower + can't descend to save his life, Martinez will likely never be able to hold his own in a TT at his size, Johannessen's knees seem ***ed already and even if they weren't it would have been unlikely, and so on.Then there was Ayuso who finished 3rd in the Vuelta but who is currently injured.
Schleck won a grand total of one GC and one non-NC one-day race in his career. Completely incomparable to the kind of year-round dominance we're seeing nowadays. Yes, GTs (or at least the Tour) have always been prone to being dominated by a very select group of riders, but it's been a very long time since that dominance was extended to the rest of the season like it is now.I also don't know how this is any different from other eras. When Schleck and Contador were duking it out, they were also a level above everyone else.
I'm not quite as pessimistic as you are.False, I said the most likely outcome was that Johannessen would match Evenepoel on the big climb and then beat him in the sprint in the false flat final kilometre. That prediction aged horribly as it is and I've said as much in the past, no need to twist my words to discredit my point.
Correct...
...but there aren't many people who appear likely to make that jump too. Yes, Ayuso looked well on his way last year and I would back him to do so provided he gets over his mysterious fitness issues, but he's the only one. Bernal isn't getting back to that level, Carapaz' time in the sun seems over too, Ineos' highly-rated youngsters (Rodriguez, Plapp) seem a level below, Uijtdebroeks rose almost as quickly as Evenepoel but is now developing far slower + can't descend to save his life, Martinez will likely never be able to hold his own in a TT at his size, Johannessen's knees seem ***ed already and even if they weren't it would have been unlikely, and so on.
Now, I'm not saying it's a given that we are headed for an extended period of domination by a handful of riders, but if three tennis players can dominate tennis to an extent that they win all but eight grand slams in a span of 15 years (and 61 slams), then I don't think it's too far-fetched to say that this crop, maybe plus Ayuso, could almost completely lock out everyone else for most of this decade in races they're in. With there being four of them (maybe five in the future with Ayuso, then falling by one as Roglic ages), there won't be many important stage races none of them are in.
Schleck won a grand total of one GC and one non-NC one-day race in his career. Completely incomparable to the kind of year-round dominance we're seeing nowadays. Yes, GTs (or at least the Tour) have always been prone to being dominated by a very select group of riders, but it's been a very long time since that dominance was extended to the rest of the season like it is now.
False, I said the most likely outcome was that Johannessen would match Evenepoel on the big climb and then beat him in the sprint in the false flat final kilometre. That prediction aged horribly as it is and I've said as much in the past, no need to twist my words to discredit my point.
It seems more likely that he loses at least half a minute than that he outright wins to me, tbh, it's a proper climb and he's up against some of the finest climbing talent of his generation.
Way to quote selectively... here's what I also said:Maybe i didn't exactly remember it how you said it, but clearly neither did you. The prediction didn't simply age badly, it was nonsensical at the moment, as i tried to explain to you then. But hey, what do i know.
I'll leave it at that, I have no interest in going through this discussion again, especially not with Roubaix on, and I doubt many other people do.Now, do I expect Evenepoel to lose 30+ seconds tomorrow? Not really
I will say that I disagree with these people, for me this Tour is close to a tossup.already now do a lot of forum members assume he has no chance against Vingegaard.
Way to quote selectively... here's what I also said:
Roughly 10 months ago you were predicting Evenepoel to be dropped like a brick in Norway by Johannessen. And now you are calling for new riders to jump the gap? Seems like Evenepoel jumped this very gap you are asking to be jumped. Then there was Ayuso who finished 3rd in the Vuelta but who is currently injured.
I also don't know how this is any different from other eras. When Schleck and Contador were duking it out, they were also a level above everyone else. Basically every generation (in a broad sense) has this problem. Armstrong, Ulrich, Froome, Indurain, Lemond, Hinault, Merckx... When was it ever really a 5-way battle? Which of these guys had to really duke it out with more than 1 or 2 rivals that actually came close?
Like i said.Tbf, even if you look at the Armstong or Froome dominance, they dominated one race in effect and the occasional prep race. That's vastly different to the guys we have now who are racing year round and winning all that they enter (unless racing each other). Armstong pretty much just raced the Dauphine and the Tour most years.
As for your comparison to the 1990s-2010s, there is a reason for that and it's a discussion for another topic. Big boys only showed up in big races but the gaps and differences to the rest of the field were just as big as they are now. I was a kid during Indurains days, and both him and Armstrong have to have been the worst things in cycling's entire history. Winning year after year, clean swipes, in the most boring way possible. Like trying to beat a brick wall with your bare knuckles. Only in 2019 we were predicting the age of Bernal. In 2020 we were predicting the age of Pogacar, and already now do a lot of forum members assume he has no chance against Vingegaard.