Lesser known races 2025 edition

[Brullnux]

Gonna ask the Spaniards to start protesting UAE

What are Tadej Pogacar's views on geopolitics

 

[YavorD]

Fausto could be in the gruppo MOLLEMA right now but apparently the team decided better his job is just to sit in the peloton, another wasteful day

It's all part of the plan. Go under the radar in these small races, so nobody remembers him and when Il Lombardia comes, shows what he's really capable of and beats Pogacar in his home town.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Gonna ask the Spaniards to start protesting UAE

Word

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Surely the local Richard caparaz fan club has a protest organised before the finish line?????

 

[Rob5091]

Another day, another UAE win. Mass sprint for those UCI points.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Del Toro is farming these races even more than Hirschi last year

 

[Samamba]

What happened to Aranburu's sprint this year?

Another oppotunity lost for Cofidis to make up ground on UNO X. Good try with Izagirre but he wasn't strong enough.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Del Toro is farming these races even more than Hirschi last year

Small race Isaak is the new small race Remco?

 

[Cycling111]

Del Toro is farming these races even more than Hirschi last year

Which makes UAE's ridiculousness at the Giro even more evident.

 

[Rou]

Del Toro literally said in the interview : 'I know it' s not normal... '
Take it as you want. Yes, it's a. Pro race but he's drubbing World Tour riders.

 

[Brullnux]

Which makes UAE's ridiculousness at the Giro even more evident.

I genuinely think there's no connection between these races and the Giro, comments like these are total non-sequiturs.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Del Toro literally said in the interview : 'I know it' s not normal... '
Take it as you want. Yes, it's a. Pro race but he's drubbing World Tour riders.

He is not the same rider IMO. He took a significant leap after the Giro and I expect him to be the third best GT rider next year (with a Giro win if both aliens just race the TdF).

 

[Red Rick]

UAE should be ashamed of themseleves letting this kid throw away a Giro win
Idiots

Yes, I imagine they told him to lose 5 minutes and he listened like a perfect choir boy.

 

[Red Rick]

He is not the same rider IMO. He took a significant leap after the Giro and I expect him to be the third best GT rider next year (with a Giro win if both aliens just race the TdF).

He's just doing what UAE sent Hirschi to do every year and he didn't exactly turn into the #3 GT rider in the world did he.

 

[Peyroteo94]

He's just doing what UAE sent Hirschi to do every year and he didn't exactly turn into the #3 GT rider in the world did he.

Let's wait. Time will tell if I'm wrong or not.
I don't know what are Vingegaard's plans but if he doesn't race the Giro, Del Toro is my number one favorite.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I don't know what are Vingegaard's plans but if he doesn't race the Giro, Del Toro is my number one favorite.

He likely will race the Giro.

 

[Cycling111]

He is not the same rider IMO. He took a significant leap after the Giro and I expect him to be the third best GT rider next year (with a Giro win if both aliens just race the TdF).

These races have nothing to do with a GT. Valverde or even Ayuso in the spring beating Scaroni. He reminds me more and more of them .He'll have to prove it in the GT. For now, he's lost the Giro againts Simon Yates and Carapaz, who are far from their best.

What you're saying, he'll have to prove it in a GT with high-mountain stages.In the World Championship, the doubts we had about him from the 200km mark onward were confirmed. The other doubt he raises is in the GT.

 

[YavorD]

Let's wait. Time will tell if I'm wrong or not.
I don't know what are Vingegaard's plans but if he doesn't race the Giro, Del Toro is my number one favorite.

Now that's very, very early to say something like this
How about we see the route and expected start list first? As much as he seem great in these small races, he showed weakness in the long races and in the hard mountain stages this year. Unless we see that he's improved there, I don't think we can call him top favourite.

 

[solo80k]

This guy would be named the new Merckx 6 years ago with almost 30 wins this year.

Now he's only third in command on his own team, but probably surpassing Almeida next year and becoming number 2.

 

[burning]

He's just doing what UAE sent Hirschi to do every year and he didn't exactly turn into the #3 GT rider in the world did he.

When was Hirschi ever hyped as a GT rider? Not sure why Del Toro and Hirschi are comparable at all

 

[Peyroteo94]

Now that's very, very early to say something like this
How about we see the route and expected start list first? As much as he seem great in these small races, he showed weakness in the long races and in the hard mountain stages this year. Unless we see that he's improved there, I don't think we can call him top favourite.

I can call him whatever I want. You are free to disagree but for me, he is the number one favorite. I'm giving my opinion and what I feel Del Toro will do in the Giro. I think I'm right but I can be wrong.

 

[Peyroteo94]

He likely will race the Giro.

I hope not. It's Almeida's last chance of winning a GT IMO.

 

[AlfaLum]

He's just doing what UAE sent Hirschi to do every year and he didn't exactly turn into the #3 GT rider in the world did he.

Hirschi never came close to doing what Del Toro is doing now. Del Toro is winning more, is doing it solo more often and lets not forget that Del Toro already podiumed a GT.

 

[AlfaLum]

Let's wait. Time will tell if I'm wrong or not.
I don't know what are Vingegaard's plans but if he doesn't race the Giro, Del Toro is my number one favorite

Fully agree with this. I think at his current level he is already one of the better GT riders behind Pogacar and Vingegaard.

And with about 6 months left until the Giro, given his age it is quite likely that he will improvements further this winter by working on things like endurance and his TT.

 

[YavorD]

I can call him whatever I want. You are free to disagree but for me, he is the number one favorite. I'm giving my opinion and what I feel Del Toro will do in the Giro. I think I'm right but I can be wrong.

So you're telling me that you would put Del Toro above Evenepoel, Lipowitz or Hindley?

And yes you can call him however you want, but then you get triggered when Remco fans claim that he could beat Pogacar in X or Y race.
So if you try to be so objective (as you claim to be when discussing Pogacar - Evenepoel), you can't call him top favourite before you see he actually improved in the high mountains.