Lanky Poels? What do we know about him?

[Echoes]

Re:

Only one DNF, plenty of DNSs. Those two years where he finished between 75th and 80th could have just been bad days/slaving for the leaders. Not many conclusions to take from that list.

Better to judge him based on his racing coming here. He had just been 4th in Flèche and was 12th last year at Lombardia. He is not a donkey on this terrain, there's been progression.

I know, Sky only dope for the GT's because classics are too crappy to dope for. Thomas climbing mountains is an alien jump, Poels winning Liège-Bastogne is not. Thomas mixing it up with the best on Paris-Roubaix isn't either ... Always the same with GT fanatics.

 

[TMobile41]

I am no Sky fan and yes I think they are doping, but to put it simply: this guy is no Geraint "out-of-the-blue" Thomas or Chris "Alien" Froome. I think there is a perfomance jump this year, but it is not an implausible one.

 

[thehog]

I am no Sky fan and yes I think they are doping, but to put it simply: this guy is no Geraint "out-of-the-blue" Thomas or Chris "Alien" Froome. I think there is a perfomance jump this year, but it is not an implausible one.

However on that note, Dawg Froome is going to have start being more alien like if he plans keeping up at the Tour. Thomas Geraint and Lanky Poels are the new Sky-GT-Climbing-TTing Heroes.

 

[jmdirt]

Something that has popped into my head several times is the "he had no results until..." reasoning. Many fctors can explain performance, but since this is the Clinic: what if racer P is on the light program, while many others are on the full program. Racer P won't have any significant results. When racer P steps up to the full program he gets some results. The problem is, he becomes the suspicious racer, the doper, when in reality, he just stepped up to what the other guys are doing. Ramble, ramble...

 

[Benotti69]

Re:

Something that has popped into my head several times is the "he had no results until..." reasoning. Many fctors can explain performance, but since this is the Clinic: what if racer P is on the light program, while many others are on the full program. Racer P won't have any significant results. When racer P steps up to the full program he gets some results. The problem is, he becomes the suspicious racer, the doper, when in reality, he just stepped up to what the other guys are doing. Ramble, ramble...

ramble ramble they all dope. Few question that. Winning a monument brings them to attention. The 100 or so riders who did not finish LBL are not clean.

They are all talented. You don't get there without some talent. But the clinic is for discussing doping, that those who win gets discussed is par for the course.

 

[MikeS369]

Poel's LBL win didn't make me any more suspicious than I already was. Whenever I see that concentration camp starvation appearance and no lose in power or increase in power my suspicion meter is pinged.

 

[Kokoso]

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Sure he showed talent but apparently to fulfill his true potential he had to join Sky. Now he not only can get decent placings in one week races he can win them too! Now he can also win one day races. It's also nice to start with a monument.

Actually he showed quite substantial potential before joining Sky. He's 28 now, his performance level should raise, so reasoning "he's doing better at Sky than before -> he had to join Sky -> he's doping" could be pretty unfair. He had year of after his horrible crash, than he was actually very, very good in OPQS and maybe stepped up a bit in Sky. Pretty normal performance curve.

 

[Forever The Best]

Re:

Yep, what LS said, all that plus perhaps the most monumental performance of all:

http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=19872
http://www.grassyknolltv.com/2011/tirreno-adriatico/ta-st5-prof.PNG

The conditions were pretty atrocious too.

Sure that doesn't make him an L-B-L winner but 2011 Poels was ideally suited to the sort of race which unfolded yesterday. It was a bit of a strange race (even for a shitty Ardennes) and no one could have picked the top5. Whether it was the conditions or the slippery cobbles who knows. It's a mature performance, maybe a bit of a step up but nothing outrageous.

Yes he did have a couple of years in the wilderness, probably due both to his serious crash and moving teams.

I guess this is the problem with letting the ridiculous 2011/2012 performances of Poels, De Gendt and Westra (plus a few less notable VCD ones) slide at the time.

Good post Ferminal.

 

[saganftw]

i wasnt that impressed with his victory,i could see like 10 guys who could win it in similar fashion - it was boring race afterall

 

[pastronef]

https://bielalibre.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/wout-poels-chavales-que-de-la-nada-es-imposible-salir/

 

[hfer07]

WP is just insane!! almost escorting Froome to the finish line like nothing - and after two weeks of pulling killing paces in the mountains......

insane!!

 

[thehog]

Re:

WP is just insane!! almost escorting Froome to the finish line like nothing - and after two weeks of pulling killing paces in the mountains......

insane!!

Impressive, Astana were on 460w and blew themselves up, Poels was doing 450w with his mouth closed.

 

[zlev11]

Aru attacking with all of his might and Poels just sitting next to him knocking out tempo was hilarious

 

[thehog]

Re:

Aru attacking with all of his might and Poels just sitting next to him knocking out tempo was hilarious

I did like that, that was good. Evil Aru with his blood bags knocked over by a Sky dom and his marginal gains.

 

[saganftw]

he just wanted it more

 

[elduggo]

Poels must not have got the memo from sir Dave about how a dom beating 2nd on GC doesn't really look great.

 

[BYOP88]

One of the best, if not the best drinkers of Coca-Cola 1500 meters above sea level.

 

[Lyon]

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Poels must not have got the memo from sir Dave about how a dom beating 2nd on GC doesn't really look great.

Said memo was written in Newspeak, which I don't think Poels can read yet.

 

[Lyon]

Re:

One of the best, if not the best drinkers of Coca-Cola 1500 meters above sea level.

As I'm sure Brailsford will tell you, this is one of the things that SKY works on during off season.

 

[BYOP88]

Re: Re:

One of the best, if not the best drinkers of Coca-Cola 1500 meters above sea level.

As I'm sure Brailsford will tell you, this is one of the things that SKY works on during off season.

:lol:

 

[doperhopper]

Re:

Aru attacking with all of his might and Poels just sitting next to him knocking out tempo was hilarious

yeah, glued to anyone who accelerated upfront, gapping even Vroom for a short while several times... and after doing his job he idled, incidentally pacing Mollema to the line

that's how fresh you are when you sleep on your marginal pillow

and after MTT rest day tomorrow you can only imagine how fresh he will be under Mt. Blanc

 

[Cervelo77]

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One of the best, if not the best drinkers of Coca-Cola 1500 meters above sea level.

THE reason for altitude training camp.

 

[PremierAndrew]

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WP is just insane!! almost escorting Froome to the finish line like nothing - and after two weeks of pulling killing paces in the mountains......

insane!!

Poels pretty much took the first week off. Was very poor there

 

[DanielSong39]

Chemical doping is par for the course - nothing to see here.

Any signs of motor doping? I'm wondering whether the bike suddenly started sliding uphill as if he was on rails.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Re:

Any signs of motor doping? I'm wondering whether the bike suddenly started sliding uphill as if he was on rails.

What happens if someone falls off his bike and the bike rides on by itself to win the stage?