Teams & Riders Julian Alaphilippe Discussion Thread

[Nick2413]

I think that means Red Rick believes any bonus seconds gained by Pogacar in the first week will be totally moot & redundant when Vingegaard drops a watts bombs in the mountains & gains huge time on Pog (that's how I interpret it anyway).

But he does have a point about Alaphilippe (& others like him), i.e. if last year's TdF is anything to go by, the Tour will be a plaything for a few super riders whilst everyone else eats km's for nothing.

Vingegaard, Pogacar, Van Aert, Van der Poel, Jakobsen & Philipsen will win stages. Multiple stages for some of them. It doesn't leave much else other than crumbs for anyone not at their level.

I predict 14 between the 6 of them. Pog and Wout will get their usual 3, Vingegaard at least 2, a couple for VDP and another 4 for the sprinters.

 

[tobydawq]

It's not about Pogacar vs Vingegaard, it's about these uphill sprint bonus seconds that were around in Paris Nice that were simply over the top and change the character of the race too much. Whether I think Vingegaard will drop Pog is irrelevant.

As for Alaphilippe, he has a tendency to attack all over the place in Tour de France breakaways, often being very erratic and making a lot of attacks that go absolutely nowhere. Like attacking the breakaway on the Ventoux stage in '21 and finishing 12 minutes down in the end.

The word meme isn't even an adjective, you young people need to learn to write a bit more properly!

 

[Netserk]

The word meme isn't even an adjective, you young people need to learn to write a bit more properly!

And in Danish it’s mem. I hope you insist on that as well.

 

[Netserk]

"meme attacking"?

Peyresourde.

 

[topcat]

It's not about Pogacar vs Vingegaard, it's about these uphill sprint bonus seconds that were around in Paris Nice that were simply over the top and change the character of the race too much. Whether I think Vingegaard will drop Pog is irrelevant.

As for Alaphilippe, he has a tendency to attack all over the place in Tour de France breakaways, often being very erratic and making a lot of attacks that go absolutely nowhere. Like attacking the breakaway on the Ventoux stage in '21 and finishing 12 minutes down in the end.

Yes. Alaphilippe: the greatest cyclist to watch since Nibali. He’s deep in meme now but he will rise again.

 

[tobydawq]

And in Danish it’s mem. I hope you insist on that as well.

What? I doubt it's a Danish word...

 

[Netserk]

What? I doubt it's a Danish word...

It’s straightforward to translate it, it has the same morphology as “gene”.

And afaik it’s how it’s translated in the book where it was coined.

 

[Salvarani]

What? I doubt it's a Danish word...

You danes dont use new words, every so often, in your vocabulary that it eventually gets into your dictionary?

 

[the asian]

Ala is set to miss AGR and FW. Doubtful for LBL.

Has the ship sailed with regards to monuments for him???

Will he ever get to win LBL??

 

[houtdffan]

Alap would have been on donkey duty for LBL anyways

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

If Alaphilippe won‘t ride an excellent 2023 TdF, he certainly won‘t get a new contract for 2024 and beyond.

Lefevere has three team parts to rate: Flemish classics squad, Evenepoel and entourage, and Alaphilippe.

Patrick praises Remco and Co., and got/gets more and more angry at the Flemish classics guys and Alaphilippe.

I think both Soudal and Alaphilippe would benefit from Ala leaving the team. He should start again elsewhere, because he still has lots of nice years ahead of him, in the pro peloton. And Soudal could spend the money he earns for other riders. Ala is expensive, and the first half of 2023 was wasted, again. He should sign elsewhere.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

It's not about Pogacar vs Vingegaard, it's about these uphill sprint bonus seconds that were around in Paris Nice that were simply over the top and change the character of the race too much. Whether I think Vingegaard will drop Pog is irrelevant.

Teddy will win the Tour by bonus seconds alone while sticking to Vinge's wheel for the rest of the race.

 

[tobydawq]

Teddy will win the Tour by bonus seconds alone while sticking to Vinge's wheel for the rest of the race.

He is known to be a very negative racer.

 

[Red Rick]

He is known to be a very negative racer.

Made 1 entire attack in 2020, when he wasn't clearly the best or didn't put himself 3 minutes down because he thought he was the best.

 

[Netserk]

What? I doubt it's a Danish word...

Mem - Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi

da.wikipedia.org

 

[frisenfruitig]

Teddy will win the Tour by bonus seconds alone while sticking to Vinge's wheel for the rest of the race.

A bit like how Roglic hopes to beat Evenepoel in the Giro then?

 

[jmdirt]

Ala is set to miss AGR and FW. Doubtful for LBL.

Has the ship sailed with regards to monuments for him???

Will he ever get to win LBL??

Yes

 

[jmdirt]

Teddy will win the Tour by bonus seconds alone while sticking to Vinge's wheel for the rest of the race.

Teddy?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Teddy?

Tadej vel TEddy Merckx.

 

[Gigs_98]

It would be a bit of a shame if perhaps the best hilly classics rider of his generation was to finish his career without ever winning LBL. But yeah, even if he comes back strong, it will be hard to ever hit his absolute peak again. And even so with guys like Pogacar and Evenepoel around it won't be easy to win this race in the years to come. He will have had a great career anyway but he might not have the legendary status of the very best classics riders.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

It would be a bit of a shame if perhaps the best hilly classics rider of his generation was to finish his career without ever winning LBL.

How much is a generation? 5 years?

 

[Red Rick]

It would be a bit of a shame if perhaps the best hilly classics rider of his generation was to finish his career without ever winning LBL. But yeah, even if he comes back strong, it will be hard to ever hit his absolute peak again. And even so with guys like Pogacar and Evenepoel around it won't be easy to win this race in the years to come. He will have had a great career anyway but he might not have the legendary status of the very best classics riders.

There's a Valverde era and there's a Pogacar era in hilly classics....

In comparison to the Bettinis of this world he did have the rotten luck of Lombardia becoming a straight up climbers race.

 

[Gigs_98]

How much is a generation? 5 years?

I guess the length of a cycling generation is arguable. But the next youngest rider who I think is better in hilly classics is Pogacar and the next oldest is probably Gilbert (?). They certainly feel like from a bit of a different generation to me.

There's a Valverde era and there's a Pogacar era in hilly classics....

In comparison to the Bettinis of this world he did have the rotten luck of Lombardia becoming a straight up climbers race.

It certainly looks that way but things could have gone very differently. He won FW 3 times in 4 years and lost multiple other Ardennes races in really close fashions. Like, there is no way he doesn't beat Fuglsang in the sprint in the 2019 AGR if he doesn't cramp at the end. The sprints he lost in LBL 2020 and 2021 were both extremely close (let's not even get into the disasterclass of 2020) he was probably the strongest in 2018 but lost out due to team tactics and in 2017 when he was a monster both early and late in the year he missed the Ardennes due to injury.

He would have had to win quite a few of these races to beat what Valverde achieved (and what I think Pogacar will achieve) but him not winning any of these races from 2017 to 2021 certainly isn't reflective of how good he was.

 

[Red Rick]

I guess the length of a cycling generation is arguable. But the next youngest rider who I think is better in hilly classics is Pogacar and the next oldest is probably Gilbert (?). They certainly feel like from a bit of a different generation to me.


It certainly looks that way but things could have gone very differently. He won FW 3 times in 4 years and lost multiple other Ardennes races in really close fashions. Like, there is no way he doesn't beat Fuglsang in the sprint in the 2019 AGR if he doesn't cramp at the end. The sprints he lost in LBL 2020 and 2021 were both extremely close (let's not even get into the disasterclass of 2020) he was probably the strongest in 2018 but lost out due to team tactics and in 2017 when he was a monster both early and late in the year he missed the Ardennes due to injury.

He would have had to win quite a few of these races to beat what Valverde achieved (and what I think Pogacar will achieve) but him not winning any of these races from 2017 to 2021 certainly isn't reflective of how good he was.

True.

He's the last world class specialist at that type of race, and maybe we'll get more in the future. But his skillset I think was quite narrow and he was relatively inconsistent as well. On his best day though he was the best 3 minute climber in the world. Route changes in Amstel and Liege didnt help either, I think he probably wins LBL on the old Ans finish.

So if you ask me what his career expected # of wins should be in LBL I'd definitely put it over 1.0, probably around 2.0.

At the same time I wouldn't have expected him to win 2 WC in some very strong fields, especially Leuven I had never expected to suit him that well.

 

[Peyroteo94]

It would be a bit of a shame if perhaps the best hilly classics rider of his generation was to finish his career without ever winning LBL. But yeah, even if he comes back strong, it will be hard to ever hit his absolute peak again. And even so with guys like Pogacar and Evenepoel around it won't be easy to win this race in the years to come. He will have had a great career anyway but he might not have the legendary status of the very best classics riders.

What riders are good from his generation in hilly classics?