Lesser known races 2023 edition

[Berflamand]

Also, have to consider multiple crashes and injuries. It is not like other top sprinters of the past few years are doing much better. Bennett and Ackermann. Gaviria.

Why single out only Ewan. Who is performing pretty much the same as he has done bar one season.

He has always been prone to drop early in races. Like many other sprinters before him.

Like I said, it is just your own bias. You just dont like him and have set your mind on that he doesnt try or perform to expectations that you and the team might have placed on him. Tough luck, it happens all the time in sport. It is always a gamble if it works or not.

To be fair, I think Bennett has had his fair share of criticism on this forum.

Also if I'm not mistaken Samamba is a big Lotto-fan so it makes sense he cares more about riders not performing on his team than riders on other teams.

 

[Salvarani]

Gaviria has a broken collarbone
Bennett is stil sprinting in flat races, so is Ackermann.

This must be top 10 waffling of 2023. I am done with this. "He doesn't agree with me so he must be biased" lmao.

You are the one waffling. Who just wanna call someone lazy or not trying, because of your own bias.

 

[Salvarani]

To be fair, I think Bennett has had his fair share of criticism on this forum.

Also if I'm not mistaken Samamba is a big Lotto-fan so it makes sense he cares more about riders not performing on his team than riders on other teams.

Cool, dont understand why he says things like "I dont care" then. Seems pretty hypocritical and not looking at it objectively.

 

[Samamba]

Cool, dont understand why he says things "I dont care" then. Seems pretty hypocritical.

I don't care about your opinion or what you think or you just tring to discuss things without a single valid argument and just calling "omg bias bias bias"

Ofcourse I care about Ewan not giving a ***.

 

[yaco]

You cant be serious right?

How do you know he isnt trying? As I said, he is performing about the same bar one season. Maybe he just was never the type of rider you or whoever gave him that contract thought he was. Not his fault he is not delivering to those high standards.

So who is not really following him and talking out of their ass here?

That you even have to use that type language in a normal discussion says more about you, but maybe you already showed how you are by your first post that I quoted.

Ewan has been a good rider since he started his career in 2015 and was on an upward trajectory until 2020 - Has been affected by injuries since 2021 BUT to suggest 2019 was an outlier is silly.

 

[Salvarani]

Ewan has been a good rider since he started his career in 2015 and was on an upward trajectory until 2020 - Has been affected by injuries since 2021 BUT to suggest 2019 was an outlier is silly.

Im just saying it is an outlier because of the results in comparison to rest of his seasons. Maybe he is one that peaked early. New sprinters have arrived and peloton is faster.

Mentioned injuries and crashes also affected him. People just wanna say he is not tryin though.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Why single out only Ewan. Who is performing pretty much the same as he has done bar one season.

I don't think this is accurate at all.

If we just look at his wins:
2023: 1 (it was also only a 1.1 race)
2022: 7 (1 WT win)
2021: 6 (4 WT wins)
2020: 7 (5 WT wins)
2019: 10 (8 WT wins)
2018: 3 (1 WT win)
2017: 10 (7 WT wins)
2016: 5 (3 WT wins)
2015: 11 (1 WT win)

I think it's pretty obvious that you are very wrong if you think Ewans performance level this year is similar to basically every season except 2019 as you said.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Cadel doesn't have a chance sadly, he quit a few years back.

Ewan tho, if he is still in the peloton, still has a chance. But if I had to bet right now, I would still bet on DNF.

D'oh, I keep doing that. I don't confuse them as riders, I just so often type the wrong name for Ewan.

 

[search]

Merlier was dropped from the 1st group on those "climbs"

 

[Samamba]

D'oh, I keep doing that. I don't confuse them as riders, I just so often type the wrong name for Ewan.

I have don't done that before too.

ANyways. Under a minute now. Not impossible to bring it back I guess.
Would be pretty hilarious if Ewan wins this now, would have made a big fool out of myself.
But honestlt not sure if he's still in the peloton even, as it doesn't seem that big anymore. So doubt it.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Merlier was dropped from the 1st group on those "climbs"

To be fair, the one climb they haven‘t categorized is 1k, 7.5% with steeper sections, they‘ve just tried to hide it in the profile.

 

[Samamba]

But he mustve gotten a mechnical right? Walscheid survived...

 

[Rob5091]

Ewan got injured, came back & crashed, injured, came back & crashed etc. The thing that upset the team was his seeming disregard for his domestiques at the Tour. He could have ridden in with his team mates and said thanks, but instead went home early in the car.

 

[Salvarani]

I don't think this is accurate at all.

If we just look at his wins:
2023: 1 (it was also only a 1.1 race)
2022: 7 (1 WT win)
2021: 6 (4 WT wins)
2020: 7 (5 WT wins)
2019: 10 (8 WT wins)
2018: 3 (1 WT win)
2017: 10 (7 WT wins)
2016: 5 (3 WT wins)
2015: 11 (1 WT win)

I think it's pretty obvious that you are very wrong if you think Ewans performance level this year is similar to basically every season except 2019 as you said.

It is about the same if you look at his position in rider rankings. Probably more accurate than just comparing wins.

 

[search]

But he mustve gotten a mechnical right? Walscheid survived...

he normally shouldn't be dropped, but I don't think Merlier really is a better climber than Walscheid. And also less suited to this style of racing.

 

[Rob5091]

Binche-Chimay-Binche is going odd with QS riding off in the break when they have Jakobsen & Vernon. Maybe it's every man for himself at QS now! Or they're trying to drop the other sprinters.

 

[Samamba]

he normally shouldn't be dropped, but I don't think Merlier really is a better climber than Walscheid. And also less suited to this style of racing.

Walscheid normally doesn't get over a bridge. Merlier definitely has survived harder things than today.

Binche-Chimay-Binche is going odd with QS riding off in the break when they have Jakobsen & Vernon. Maybe it's every man for himself at QS now! Or they're trying to drop the other sprinters.

They don't beat De Lie on this finish. Attacking is the right choice.

 

[search]

Walscheid normally doesn't get over a bridge.

this is not true at all. He is a decent climber for a rider his size. Also in Drenthe last week he was still there just before the final selection was made.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Van Poppel has really thinned down the group.

 

[Samamba]

2nd group is close, but they probably won't have doms left after the hills either, and it's now a strong group off the front.

 

[postmanhat]

Ewan got injured, came back & crashed, injured, came back & crashed etc. The thing that upset the team was his seeming disregard for his domestiques at the Tour. He could have ridden in with his team mates and said thanks, but instead went home early in the car.

I think as well, the Tour was a culmination of a season where the team gave everything for him, only for him to sit up with 200 metres to go and not contest the sprint. Particularly at World Tour level where there were too many riders around him. It must be mostly a psychological rather than physical thing, as he's still obviously got the legs in the right circumstances?

 

[postmanhat]

Binche-Chimay-Binche is going odd with QS riding off in the break when they have Jakobsen & Vernon. Maybe it's every man for himself at QS now! Or they're trying to drop the other sprinters.

I think everyone is just trying to find some way of dropping De Lie, and failing.

Hugo Page attacking/following everything again. Huge engine, but surely needs to become a lot smarter if he's going to start winning?

 

[Didinho]

De Lie gonna do a one legged leadout for himself from place 20.

Trek going hard in the crosswinds now.

 

[Samamba]

De Lie gonna do a one legged leadout for himself from place 20.

Trek going hard in the crosswinds now.

Meeh he's like reeaaaally far behind now, and no teammates it seems

EDIT: dropped because of the crash

 

[Berniece]

Lampaert on the ground?