Lesser known races 2025 edition

[fenns]

Is it that people find it boring or that they don't want to watch Pogacar win? Did they switch off the last 20 minutes when Remco went solo at the Olympics?

 

[red_flanders]

Ayuso third with 19 and Hindley won a Giro.
We were discussing because a member said he'll be the third-best GT rider in 2026.

All fair. I see the mentality of Ayuso and Del Toro as being near polar opposites, plus the winning sprint, which separates him in so many scenarios. I think we know where Hindley is.

But to your point, it's totally subjective what one gleans from these results. I just see a rider who can dominate, from both a mental and physical perspective. Others see something else. 'Tis fine with me.

 

[Cycling111]

All fair. I see the mentality of Ayuso and Del Toro as being near polar opposites, plus the winning sprint, which separates him in so many scenarios. I think we know where Hindley is.

But to your point, it's totally subjective what one gleans from these results. I just see a rider who can dominate, from both a mental and physical perspective. Others see something else. 'Tis fine with me.

You're talking about Ayuso's mentality now because he's done several GTs and has raised doubts. But everything was said about Ayuso in his early years that's being said about Del Toro today.

Ayuso reached the pro by dominating Girino, finishing on the podium at 19 and putting in spectacular performances in other races at that age. Ayuso won less in his first two years, but he was 19.
I'm just saying it reminds me a lot of that.
No one said anything about Ayuso's mentality back then. On the contrary, they talked about him as a winner and having the mentality of a tour winner.

 

[fenns]

In other threads, they directly tell us they won't be watching the races. If they don't care about the races, they think the rest of the forum cares that they don't watch them .

The thing is Remco recently thrashed Pogi in a TT. If Tadej attacks they are going to turn off "I'm not watching him win again!" So maybe Remco catches Pogi and beats him - they will have missed their highlight of the season.

 

[AmRacer]

The thing is Remco recently thrashed Pogi in a TT. If Tadej attacks they are going to turn off "I'm not watching him win again!" So maybe Remco catches Pogi and beats him - they will have missed their highlight of the season.

Pogi has 2-0 after that TT.

 

[proffate]

Pogi has 2-0 after that TT.

Cause he ducked Remco at the euros TT.

 

[AmRacer]

Cause he ducked Remco at the euros TT.

2-0 in RR, which GdL is. Should Remco duck Pogi in RRs?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Vingegaard only had two professional victories before winning the Tour
If it were a matter of victories, half the peloton would have won a Tour before Vingegaard.

He did have seven victories prior to that Tour, to be fair, and he was already on five before the start of the previous edition.

 

[Cycling111]

He did have seven victories prior to that Tour, to be fair, and he was already on five before the start of the previous edition.

UAE Tour stage (in a break) and Poland.
But you get the drift. These victories aren't conclusive for the Tour, and there have been some Tour winners no one expected. Vingegaard had no previous palmares of Tour winner.
Those victories he had were not conclusive enough to think that he would sweep two Tours.

 

[red_flanders]

You're talking about Ayuso's mentality now because he's done several GTs and has raised doubts. But everything was said about Ayuso in his early years that's being said about Del Toro today.

I don't think that's true. Never was an Ayuso Belieber.

But...mostly beside the point. The point is that I see in Del Toro a great winning and collaborating mentality, and a great deal of positivity in his remarks. He's also got tools physicality which make him a very different rider. Ayuso has, at least as long as I've been aware of him, seemed like kind of a tool. Frankly.

They just don't "feel" similar in any way, and to me never have. Del Toro is positive, engaged, aggressive, deeply talented, and rides with panache. Ayuso is deeply talented, but shows nothing of the other elements and as long as I've been aware of him, never has.

 

[Cycling111]

I don't think that's true. Never was an Ayuso Belieber.

But...mostly beside the point. The point is that I see a great winning and collaborating mentality, and a great deal of positivity in his remarks. He's also got tools physicality which make him a very different rider. Ayuso has, at least as long as I've been aware of him, seemed like kind of a tool. Frankly.

They just don't "feel" similar in any way, and to me never have. Del Toro is positive, engaged, aggressive, deeply talented, and rides with panache. Ayuso is deeply talented, but shows nothing of the other elements and as long as I've been aware of him, never has.

I'm speaking in general, I don't know what you thought about Ayuso in 2022.

Ayuso became a pro after sweeping the Giro baby, and after his podium in the Vuelta and her ambitious statements, everyone talked about her great mentality.

That's why I was surprised to read that mentality is something negative for Ayuso compared to Del Toro.
You may have always thought so, but at the beginning, "everyone" talked about Ayuso's winning mentality, his ambition, and the GTs he was going to win.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

UAE Tour stage (in a break) and Poland.
But you get the drift. These victories aren't conclusive for the Tour, and there have been some Tour winners no one expected. Vingegaard had no previous palmares of Tour winner.
Those victories he had were not conclusive enough to think that he would sweep two Tours.

But he had also won a stage in Dauphiné before his Tour victory, so even if you only meant World Tour wins it wasn't correct. I'm not claiming he was a prolific winner at the time, only that your numbers were off.

 

[hayneplane]

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.

Totally different. It’s not as though at Sunweb Hirschi had ever shown any signs of being a stage race GC contender.

Del Toro by contrast won L’Avenir practically without a team and has only been in a pro environment for less than two years. His room for growth is vastly more than Hirschi had doing a similar Autumn schedule last year.

 

[Rob5091]

I'm all for free speech but can you guys take the Del Toro is/is n't the next GOAT arguement to another thread?

 

[Sandisfan]

Wow this Del Toro Thread is going bonkers... OH WAIT is this actually the Lesser Know Races 2025 edition? LOL I like to catch up on races I don't have time for or can't watch and love the Race reports that are usually HERE! Now back on topic tomorrow I hope.

 

[RedheadDane]

The baldheaded Dane won stage 2 in Taihu.


(BTW, I think I gave him a Redhead Certificate last year. However, that obviously has to be revoked. You need to have hair to be a certified redhead.)

 

[search]

bit of a strange sprint. Looked almost like he was the only one to bring the right gears.

 

[Netserk]

UAE Tour stage (in a break) and Poland.
But you get the drift. These victories aren't conclusive for the Tour, and there have been some Tour winners no one expected. Vingegaard had no previous palmares of Tour winner.
Those victories he had were not conclusive enough to think that he would sweep two Tours.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

The baldheaded Dane won stage 2 in Taihu.


(BTW, I think I gave him a Redhead Certificate last year. However, that obviously has to be revoked. You need to have hair to be a certified redhead.)

I'm pretty sure a mustache still qualifies as hair

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm pretty sure a mustache still qualifies as hair

It's redhead, as in, the top of the head, not redstache...

 

[Cycling111]

I love this finish line.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm going to guess it's something that's there... permanently, and they just decided it was a cool place to finish a bike race.

 

[RedheadDane]

S. Bennett has won stage 3 in Santa Catarina.

 

[YavorD]

S. Bennett has won stage 3 in Santa Catarina.

So he is not a thief anymore?

 

[RedheadDane]

Laas was quickest in Taihu.