Teams & Riders Jakob Fuglsang discussion thread

[Bushman]

I think it is a combination of both.

Of course he will go to the Tour this year and aim to be in top shape but I don’t think his whole season revolves around it. It also seems like he is embracing and enjoying the more aggressive kind of racing that the classics and shorter stage races provide and he does seem to have a lot of confidence in himself.

On the other hand he might as well just be reaching his peak around now. Being a not so explosive rider but more of an endurance guy, it’s not that unlikely to be peaking in your early thirties, and based on his performances throughout 2017, 2018 and 2019 it seems like his trajectory has been trending upwards and might reach new heights this year.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I don't like his personality, but his racing has really won me over this year so far. Great panache and aggressive riding.

 

[WheelofGear]

I don't think he is designed for Grand Tours. He will never get a podium.

I'd be much better if he started to target one-week races, GT stage wins and classics exclusively. He is a hardman who can do well in every weather and terrain including cobbles.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

I don't think he is designed for Grand Tours. He will never get a podium.

I'd be much better if he started to target one-week races, GT stage wins and classics exclusively. He is a hardman who can do well in every weather and terrain including cobbles.

Yeah I'm curious as to whether he is going to race RVV. He was 25th or something in 2016 racing it for the first and only time in his career (And racing it as the only cobbles classic that season - probably the only cobbles classic he has ever done ??). I think not only is that a sign that he could be good in cobbled races. Other than the RVV result, Jakob posses many of the qualities that a good classics rider should have - great endurance over long distances, good on short hills, good at positioning himself, riding the races in an aggressive manner and excellent technique on uneven surfaces. His problem is a lack of sprint and explosiveness on short hills (but that last quality probably diminishes in importance the further into a 250k race a rider gets). I hope he decides on RVV, but I'm not sure if the race coincides too much with his participation in Pais Vasco.

 

[RedheadDane]

RVV is the plan.

 

[WheelofGear]

He needs to try RVV when he is in this kind of shape. Top 10 potential, for sure.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

He needs to try RVV when he is in this kind of shape. Top 10 potential, for sure.

It's a tough balancing act for Jakob. Surely he needs to put on a little more weight to get the best out of himself in RVV? But does this jeopardise any chance of a high GC finish in the TDF?

Does Jakob have a better chance of a podium in RVV, or of a top 5 finish in the TDF? I'd say a little more the latter, though a focus on RVV might also result in better form in the Ardennes.

I think he still wants to give the GC at the TDF one more shot.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

I don't think he is designed for Grand Tours. He will never get a podium.

I'd be much better if he started to target one-week races, GT stage wins and classics exclusively. He is a hardman who can do well in every weather and terrain including cobbles.

A race like the Dauphine is a better target than a grand tour. Best win of his career and there is no reason he couldn't do it again. In grand tours he is solidly top 10.

 

[Velolover2]

I'd like to see him pull off "a Jungels" in Liege. But with the new finish, he will have to go much earlier than him.

Ideally, he'll attack on Redoute and get a couple of companions with him. Then he can drop them Faucons if possible since he is almost determined to lose the sprint unless Pozzovivo is the companion.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

I'd like to see him pull off "a Jungels" in Liege. But with the new finish, he will have to go much earlier than him.

Ideally, he'll attack on Redoute and get a couple of companions with him. Then he can drop them Faucons if possible since he is almost determined to lose the sprint unless Pozzovivo is the companion.

I don't think he ever needed to be in a position to do a 'Jungels' in order to win a race like Liége. In the past, he was almost always there among the 10 best riders who fought it out for the win in Ans because he had the climbing strength to be there, unlike Jungels who, as a lesser climber, really needed to go far from the finish and hope for stillstand behind to have a chance.

But with the new route, I'm not really sure. I think a lot of climbers need to go earlier now than before, including Fuglsang ofcourse.

 

[RedheadDane]

'Fuglsang vs. Pozzovivo', now there's a sprint I'd like to see. Then again, Fuglsang did win that sprint in Dauphine (against Porte, Froome, and Aru)…

But, yeah. Seeing him carrying his attackey mode all the way to Liege would be awesome! Dunno what his plans for RvV is, might be riding mainly in a "free support" role.
As for the Tour, I hope that if he finds himself in around 8th-10th on GC once they reach the final mountain stages won't be contend with defending, but rather throw caution to the wind and attack, even if it means slipping out of top-10.




BTW, Cance, did you lose and avatar-bet?

 

[Velolover2]

To be fair, there are a handful of climbers he could beat in a sprint. He could match Bardet, Nibali, perhaps Kreuziger. But it's like flipping a coin.

Even if it doesn't pay off, a lone solo ride would be ideal for him in most cases.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

No RVV for Jakob. Apparently, the team wants him to prioritize Pais Vasco and has deemed riding RVV as too much of a risk, as I feared.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

No RVV for Jakob. Apparently, the team wants him to prioritize Pais Vasco and has deemed riding RVV as too much of a risk, as I feared.

Maybe not so much a risk, more like a certain fatigue-inducement. País Vasco begins the subsequent day (with a time trial, no less), so I think this makes sense. Especially because he has been so strong this year.

 

[Red Rick]

He is doing the Ardennes right?

Would be cool if he could win one

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

He is doing the Ardennes right?

Would be cool if he could win one

Yes, of course. The first primary objective of the season.

I think, when the dust settles (or when they update the rankings), he will be third in the CQ ranking of the season, only behind Alaphilippe and Adam Yates. It's a fantastic spring he's having this year.

 

[Salvarani]

Hopefully he will be able to peak for the Tour also.

 

[RedheadDane]

Guys! It's perfect! If he maintains his Never doing Basque again! stance, then he'll be able to do Vlaanderen next year.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Yeah, maybe the questionable UCI decision was actually a blessing in disguise.

It's also funny how the Danish journalists at TV2 are now bombarding UCI with questions about the relegation like small detectives running the Fuglsang errand. I mean, I agree that the decision does not look good, but why dig into it now, three days after the decision was made. It's not like the "this decision is against official UCI law" is a new angle. We already knew that saturday evening.

http://sport.tv2.dk/cykling/2019-04-16-uci-forklarer-beslutning-der-gjorde-fuglsang-rasende

 

[tobydawq]

It also doesn't really matter. Had it been for the win, sure, but 3rd/4th in a week long race is a bit indifferent.

 

[Serpentin]

I really like Birdsong but all this #nevercomingback BS just makes him sound salty. Get over it, 3rd or 4th doesn´t matter. He was riding for Ion anyway.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

It also doesn't really matter. Had it been for the win, sure, but 3rd/4th in a week long race is a bit indifferent.

4th/5th would have not mattered. But 3rd/4th actually makes a difference, because one is a podium and the other is not. And in Fuglsang's case something very tangible was taken away from him, which would not be the case, had it been about 4th/5th.

But from a UCI points perspective, it really does not matter, since Itzulia was relegated to a 2nd tier 300 points stage race with the new calendar.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

I really like Birdsong but all this #nevercomingback BS just makes him sound salty. Get over it, 3rd or 4th doesn´t matter. He was riding for Ion anyway.

Every placing matters when you are a competitive athlete. Plus if is unfair its unfair ...principal

 

[Cance > TheRest]

2nd on the World Tour now behind Alaphilippe.

Can he win LBL?

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

2nd on the World Tour now behind Alaphilippe.

Can he win LBL?

Yes, I think so. He is riding unbelievably well. Today he could even have won if he had believed it himself. I don't blame him for not doing that, though.