Julian Alaphilippe

[Bolder]

There are actually other countries higher on my list of wanting to visit than France to start with. At the top of that list is Italy.

I think you need to get out more. I went to grad school and lived in NC for years and I'd never make slipshod generalizations about the state. There are plenty of of French people who can out-redneck

As a North American guy who has lived in both the French and German parts of Switzerland for 20 years married to a Swiss French lady and worked 8 years with a lot of French people, let me just say I really like Italians.

Here's a typically French thing. My wife calls a hotel in Paris to book a room for her boss "Sorry, I don't understand you." Like my wife is some country bumpkin who doesn't speak proper French as opposed to a paying customer. Or going to a very posh hotel on a deal during the financial crisis in Nice, and the maitre d ' rolling his eyes because I told him I didn't want the fish., instead of being grateful I dropped €1000 at his place during a recession. These are quintessentially French experiences. Every time I've been in Italy, it's been the complete opposite. Italians are crazy, but totally nice.

Yeat, but were those snooty French folk doping?

 

[King Boonen]

Mod hat on:

Could we stop the, borderline, xenophobia please?

Cheers,

KB.

 

[Ripper]

I really don't think you can put Alaphilippe and Sagan in the same category at all in terms of bike handling. One has ridden into motorcycles and had numerous finishes where other riders thought he shut the door on them. Also, celebrating too early.

Sagan is "unobservant"? I'd have to cite his bunny hope in P-R to stay upright and staying upright in that MSR finish as well.

Sagan hit the moto years ago, but that was definitely more moto interference than JAs recent steering into the moto.

I said they are both sketchy, but for different reasons. Yup, Ala is all over the place. Perhaps inconsiderate is a better word for Sagan ... he has appeared to cause issues with other riders. But no need to take my word for it

 

[BlueRoads]

Power analysis: Tour de France stages 1 and 2

We dive into the power numbers of Julian Alaphilippe, Mathieu van der Poel, Sonny Colbrelli, and others at the 2021 Tour de France.

www.velonews.com

There's quite some guesswork involved, but here are at least some numbers for Alaphilippe and van der Poel and the guys on the first two stages.

 

[nayr497]

I said they are both sketchy, but for different reasons. Yup, Ala is all over the place. Perhaps inconsiderate is a better word for Sagan ... he has appeared to cause issues with other riders. But no need to take my word for it

Gotcha, I did happen to read the Secret Pro piece on Sagan. I could see that...he might not always go down, but those around him have a tendency. Interesting that the guy points out Sagan's bike handling skills, which are incredible, allow him to stay upright, but not everyone possesses them.

 

[Ripper]

Gotcha, I did happen to read the Secret Pro piece on Sagan. I could see that...he might not always go down, but those around him have a tendency. Interesting that the guy points out Sagan's bike handling skills, which are incredible, allow him to stay upright, but not everyone possesses them.

Yup! Having been in races with people who possess some pretty good skills themselves, but don't always appreciate they're in a group and forget to signal things, it does create for some tense riding conditions

 

[ppanther92]

Seems like he can't replicate 2019 ever again. I enjoyed the show back then. Taking yellow, not only defending it in the ITT but winning the stage. Great fun.

 

[Eeslliw]

For special events, he can find special legs. He surely had them today

 

[Koronin]

For special events, he can find special legs. He surely had them today

That is very obvious. On the other hand, he's definitely started his decline which even that special stuff can't help.

 

[noob]

I am just curious about what is used. He's at no altitudes. What do they use when on the ground instead of in the mountains? What do they use in cyclo Cross?

 

[Ripper]

For special events, he can find special legs. He surely had them today

Unpacking a suitcase of courage?

 

[Ripper]

That is very obvious. On the other hand, he's definitely started his decline which even that special stuff can't help.

I'm not sure if I would say he started to decline

 

[Rackham]

He has 1 day peaks where he's totally invincible.

This happened to a lesser extent in the Tour this year, i.e. he rode away from everyone at the end of stage 1 & then looked totally cooked on stage 2.

JA & his team just know about the how & when to make him smash through those red zones when they need a result.

 

[Red Rick]

Best Alaphilippe performance ever?

 

[Red Rick]

He has 1 day peaks where he's totally invincible.

This happened to a lesser extent in the Tour this year, i.e. he rode away from everyone at the end of stage 1 & then looked totally cooked on stage 2.

JA & his team just know about the how & when to make him smash through those red zones when they need a result.

Pretty much. It's like his threshold isn't that impressive but he can just ram through it anaerobically for long enough stretches and he can probably also easily recover from those sorts of efforts. Compared to WvA who I think has a better threshold even for W/kg but just falls off after many anaerobic repitions.

 

[BlueRoads]

I am not going to say he doesn't dope, it's far too probable.

But I think he's also actually able and willing to go very, very deep on a certain occasion, as can be seen when he overcooks it on a climb and descends shakily afterwards. I also think that's what he did in the Tour during stage 1, where he went totally into dark red and didn't have it like that on stage 2. Also he doesn't gamble anymore when he really wants a win, but goes for it with all he has, while some others might miss their opportunity.
Today he was the strongest on the short climbs, which is not that surprising with van Aert, van der Poel and Pidcock likely not at their best - he's explosive, he's light. Afterwards he could again have been caught had they worked perfectly together, but of course they didn't, lost a second here and there due to gambling, looking at each other, bad coordination in corners... and then at one point it gets so much the chasers give up.
He also prepared for this race only, left out the Olympics, left out EC and didn't do any time trials...
So, basically... illegal stuff probably happening. But it's not like his performances don't make any sense.

 

[Rackham]

It's definitely his best performance, ever. He was in a different class than the rest of them.

Head & shoulders above, basically.

Pretty much. It's like his threshold isn't that impressive but he can just ram through it anaerobically for long enough stretches and he can probably also easily recover from those sorts of efforts. Compared to WvA who I think has a better threshold even for W/kg but just falls off after many anaerobic repitions.

And like last year when he smashed the world championship road race & then one week later looked less impressive in Liège (he wasn't able to drop the others). Flèche Wallonne earlier this year being another example, i.e. he smashed Roglic on the Mur de Huy & then a few days later couldn't create a single real gap in Liège (ironically the one monument he wants badly but always seems to miss because it's either place immediately after Flèche or like last year after the WC RR).

 

[meat puppet]

Good observation about his short superpeaks. The (in)famous tdf19 itt is also probably one occasion, even if it was during a GT.

But sure, this was something else.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

That is very obvious. On the other hand, he's definitely started his decline which even that special stuff can't help.

Just out of curiosity - do you like any rider that isn't named, and who may be younger, than Valverde?

Not trying to stir anything up, I fully understand it can be hard to relate and adjust to a younger generation and to a whole new crop of young riders. So please don't take this as some kind of a sarcastic take or observation.

 

[Bonimenier]

Just out of curiosity - do you like any rider that isn't named, and who may be younger, than Valverde?

Not trying to stir anything up, I fully understand it can be hard to relate and adjust to a younger generation and to a whole new crop of young riders. So please don't take this as some kind of a sarcastic take or observation.

Alaphilippe dethroning Valverde as the best Mur de Huy climber must have hurt Koronin. Him having more world titles than Valverde probably feelslike extra salt in the wound.

 

[noob]

I am not going to say he doesn't dope, it's far too probable.

But I think he's also actually able and willing to go very, very deep on a certain occasion, as can be seen when he overcooks it on a climb and descends shakily afterwards. I also think that's what he did in the Tour during stage 1, where he went totally into dark red and didn't have it like that on stage 2. Also he doesn't gamble anymore when he really wants a win, but goes for it with all he has, while some others might miss their opportunity.
Today he was the strongest on the short climbs, which is not that surprising with van Aert, van der Poel and Pidcock likely not at their best - he's explosive, he's light. Afterwards he could again have been caught had they worked perfectly together, but of course they didn't, lost a second here and there due to gambling, looking at each other, bad coordination in corners... and then at one point it gets so much the chasers give up.
He also prepared for this race only, left out the Olympics, left out EC and didn't do any time trials...
So, basically... illegal stuff probably happening. But it's not like his performances don't make any sense.

Ok, this makes sense. It even makes far more sense than always being on top. And it fits everything I have seen from him this far. He's like the opposite of pacing. It's all or nothing, and it's crazy moves and a ton of emotions, he doesn't always play fair either. And one never knows how it will end.

(I've thought about him and Remco being similar in that they just go crazy and completely on instinct and the result is gonna be erratic, but never boring <3)

 

[Koronin]

Alaphilippe dethroning Valverde as the best Mur de Huy climber must have hurt Koronin. Him having more world titles than Valverde probably feelslike extra salt in the wound.

He'll NEVER get close to the LBL titles, the pure number of World podiums and Ala will NEVER win a Grand Tour.

It's 100% obvious Ala is already starting his decline just like it was becoming obvious in 2017 Quintana was starting a decline.

Just out of curiosity - do you like any rider that isn't named, and who may be younger, than Valverde?

Not trying to stir anything up, I fully understand it can be hard to relate and adjust to a younger generation and to a whole new crop of young riders. So please don't take this as some kind of a sarcastic take or observation.

Yes. Granted most of the riders I just don't care one way or the other about. Although I will say this year I've found my young favorite Indy Car whom I'll cheering for for years after Dixon retires.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Yes. Granted most of the riders I just don't care one way or the other about. Although I will say this year I've found my young favorite Indy Car whom I'll cheering for for years after Dixon retires.

Fair enough.

 

[iceblink]

.
So, basically... illegal stuff probably happening. But it's not like his performances don't make any sense.

Yeah well, DUH, they make perfect sense, it's the whole f**king point of this sub-forum

I mean Roglic's and Dumoulin's ITT wins at the Worlds were out there, but this is at Pogacar TdF levels.

 

[SafeBet]

He could have probably attacked with 180 km to go and win the race nonetheless. He's so obviously juiced it's painful but he's also so incredibly entertaining I have to cheer for him, I can't help it.