Laporte Discussion Thread - The Greatest?

[Laporte17]

So, what's the tips for the finish over 2nd place (Pedersen) tomorrow? Will he do it in a sprint? A solo attack on Carrefour de l'Arbre, even further out? A small group with Pedersen and Terpstra?

And what sort of margin? No gap, 1 minute, 10? So much excitement in exactly how the patron will wrap up this race!

 

[Anderis]

Tomorrow? I knew he was good but I didn't suppose that he is so good that he will finish the race a day earlier than it starts.

 

[SafeBet]

Christophe Laporte >>> Emmett Brown.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re:

Tomorrow? I knew he was good but I didn't suppose that he is so good that he will finish the race a day earlier than it starts.

They are arranging a separate race only for Laporte because it's unfair to the other riders if they have to compete against Laporte.

 

[Lexman]

So did he DNF in RVV to give Terpstra a chance to win knowing PR will be Laporte's race?

 

[JoeD1997]

Re:

So did he DNF in RVV to give Terpstra a chance to win knowing PR will be Laporte's race?

Many sources say Laporte has climbed Paterberg in 53x11 multiple times before, and that his Strava KOM on Kwaremont has been removed due to the program thinking only a motorbike could go that fast. It is clear that Terpstra would have had no chance if Laporte didn't DNF. Another example of him showing his true class by letting other riders win occasionally.

 

[Anderis]

One has to admit that Laporte is truly a great ambassador of the sport. I can't think of any other sportsman who would let the others win so much and keep the competition interesting for fans despite being so dominant. He made the epic attack of Peter Sagan to success in PR today by not interfering in the affairs despite clearly being able to outshine any of his opponents. What a great champion and a truly humble person at the same time!

 

[tobydawq]

What's up with the lack of generosity today?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re:

What's up with the lack of generosity today?

Yeah, I was sure he would gift today's race to Hofstetter, but it surely looks like he will win himself now.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Jokes aside, a magnificent win that ends a very satisfying campaign.

 

[DNP-Old]

As funny as this shtick is, Laporte is actually becoming a hell of a rider.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Laporte is always there when it really matters. Whereas second rate riders like Sagan and Valverde were busy losing some small race in the Netherlands, Laporte once again showed his indisputable status as the greatest winning arguably the race of the year.

 

[Netserk]

Re:

Laporte is always there when it really matters. Whereas second rate riders like Sagan and Valverde were busy losing some small race in the Netherlands, Laporte once again showed his indisputable status as the greatest winning arguably the race of the year.

I don't think it makes sense to compare Laporte to those two.

They are second rate cyclists, who not only lack generosity, but lack the balls it takes to face Laporte in the most important races of the season.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Re:

As funny as this shtick is, Laporte is actually becoming a hell of a rider.

It stopped being funny and just became annoying once this thread made it to the second page... And yes, it distracts from the great season Laporte had so far.

 

[Forever The Best]

Excellent win in an excellent race.

 

[toolittle]

Re:

What's up with the lack of generosity today?

It is Macron order.
Knowing that winning most important cobbled stone classics in home soil by French hero could boost GDP by 3 percents.

 

[tobydawq]

Too bad for Froome that Laporte chose today to stamp his authority on the world of cycling once again, running away with all the headlines.

 

[shalgo]

Another win today, his sixth of the season. His victories are becoming so routine that they are apparently barely worth a mention in this thread.

 

[Anderis]

It seems he has got a little bored with his generosity this year.

 

[Der Effe]

Not at all my friend, his humble character still shines through.

Since he knew in Luxembourg there are no riders that match his talent he purposely crashed in the prologue to make the fight for the GC worthwhile to watch for the people of Luxembourg. A true man of the people, a liberator of the working class - equal to the likes of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It is no coincedence that the Communist League and Christophe Laporte share the same initials.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

All joking around aside, this guy is having an outstanding year. Am I right in thinking that he had won basically nothing before (apart from some little French race a couple of times)?

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

All joking around aside, this guy is having an outstanding year. Am I right in thinking that he had won basically nothing before (apart from some little French race a couple of times)?

Yes, but that's down to him having been a domestique/leadout man until this year. He's having a lot more freedom and is using it well. What's good to see is that though he is quick he isn't a sprinter by any means, and two of his three one day victories have come solo and he's also won a short TT. He can definitely be up in the top tens of classics in the next few years, minimum.

 

[Laporte17]

Re:

All joking around aside, this guy is having an outstanding year. Am I right in thinking that he had won basically nothing before (apart from some little French race a couple of times)?

He was top 5 on a couple of TDF stages when Bouhanni had dropped out/been dropped in the wind, including stage 11 in 2016 after Froome and Sagan attacked in the wind (2nd in the bunch sprint), also Vendee is no little French race.

Lots of generous domestique work too, so now that Bouhanni isn't on the best terms with the team, he is finally balancing his generosity between keeping his team afloat and allowing other riders to keep their careers.

---

Anybody have any tour predictions for Laporte? I expect him to finally take green after gifting it to Sagan a few times, at the very least, stage 1 and 2 are in his favourite part of France, Vendee so should be definite wins and an early yellow jersey for him, though his team will likely fail him in the TT (despite all his gifts to Bouhanni) :/ I think he's too generous for yellow and green though, unfortunately, so we won't see him at 100% again.

 

[Der Effe]

I think he will do fine, but already said he will gift the win on Champs-Élysées to another rider. In a big interview given to TV5Monde he said that the Tour, a little French race, is only a prep race for him and his big goal is to win the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. Will probably only race for 14-16 days in the Tour.

 

[toolittle]

Re:

Laporte lets his leadout man to win today.
Classy.