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Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2021 (April 25th)

Page 21 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
In Slovenians defense, Roglič basically entering the race without a team, asking others to isolate him and to do something of long(er) range or at least to blow up the race ...

Seeing it just isn't going to happen, for fans, he pressed on the brake, for the split to form successfully.
 
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Riders were informed in the off season that the ban would go into effect on April 1.
Touche.

But I'm thinking the pro riders (and I do stress pro, not some little kid who had just hopped on his very first bike), may need a little bit more time to get used to the new rule. If they've been allowed to do it all this time it may take them more than just a few months to get used to it. (And we may also see a few riders testing the rule to the max just to see if the UCI is actually serious about it, which this time they were.)
 
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Touche.

But I'm thinking the pro riders (and I do stress pro, not some little kid who had just hopped on his very first bike), may need a little bit more time to get used to the new rule. If they've been allowed to do it all this time it may take them more than just a few months to get used to it. (And we may also see a few riders testing the rule to the max just to see if the UCI is actually serious about it, which this time they were.)

As only 1 rider has had an issue with this, it's not an issue and they don't need more time. The bottle thing is different as that was decided and put into effect with very little notice and the riders were told one thing and then the UCI went against what they told the riders. The bottle issue is the only one that the riders are really arguing about.
 
Turns out Gaudu had extra motivationen for wanting to secure that podium spot.


Now, David, be nice!

He says here that he thought he was the slowest sprinter of the group and would finish fifth. That just makes me sad.
 
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Congratulations to Tadej Pogačar, for winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2021.

Having Pogačar on your wheel, good luck with that! Alaphilippe looking at his right, not again!

But it's fair, isn't it? Last couple of races, Roglič, Pogačar, Alaphilippe ... all taking some notable wins, especially in the races they were most motivated to show or prove something.

We had a bit of a discussion, on why Roglič made some moves, on Tour of the Basque Country. I guess LBL confirmed my suspicion, Pogačar is currently a bit punchier at such finishes. But i feel that Roglič could improve, it's just that likely the focus and the base preparations are heading in other direction this season. Not in winning classics.

In autumn i feel that we are going to see a different Roglič, entering such race being prepared for such race. I don't even know if Rogličes head, legs and team were all in regarding this race today. He was likely already occupied with next big goal in the back of his mind.

Vingegaard likely managed to get his spring diploma and will be on the Tour roster?

As for liking or not liking Pogačar. In Slovenia i guess we now have 3 groups. Neutral and one for Roglič and one for Pogačar. Considering Pogačar will likely race for another decade and has an attacking style of riding. I wouldn't worry too much, about building up a fan base on the long run.

As for saying upfront, how the Tour will be boring. That is just not fair.
 
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Congratulations to Tadej Pogačar, for winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2021.

Having Pogačar on your wheel, good luck with that! Alaphilippe looking at his right, not again!

But it's fair, isn't it? Last couple of races, Roglič, Pogačar, Alaphilippe ... all taking some notable wins, especially in the races they were most motivated to show or prove something.

We had a bit of a discussion, on why Roglič made some moves, on Tour of the Basque Country. I guess LBL confirmed my suspicion, Pogačar is currently a bit punchier at such finishes. But i feel that Roglič could improve, it's just that likely the focus and the base preparations are heading in other direction this season. Not in winning classics.

In autumn i feel that we are going to see a different Roglič, entering such race being prepared for such race. I don't even know if Rogličes head, legs and team were all in regarding this race today. He was likely already occupied with next big goal in the back of his mind.

Vingegaard likely managed to get his spring diploma and will be on the Tour roster?

As for liking or not liking Pogačar. In Slovenia i guess we now have 3 groups. Neutral and one for Roglič and one for Pogačar. Considering Pogačar will likely race for another decade and has an attacking style of riding. I wouldn't worry too much, about building up a fan base on the long run.

As for saying upfront, how the Tour will be boring. That is just not fair.

The Tour is always boring. So it's easy to say upfront the Tour will be boring.
 
As only 1 rider has had an issue with this, it's not an issue and they don't need more time. The bottle thing is different as that was decided and put into effect with very little notice and the riders were told one thing and then the UCI went against what they told the riders. The bottle issue is the only one that the riders are really arguing about.
Yes, but, but... are we sure it was only one rider, or was it more than that and the camera just didn't capture it? Or actually even cared enough to capture it?
 
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He says here that he thought he was the slowest sprinter of the group and would finish fifth. That just makes me sad.

Amazing what the possibility of torturing a friend can do.

I'd say just one. No issues in other races with multiple mountains. Valencia had mountains, heck MSR has descents. Fleche has descents. So yeah, I'd go with just 1 rider.

You can't really include MSR in this.
 
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So, who is the top riders of the spring 2021? My picks:

  1. Tadej Pogacar.
  2. Wout van Aert
  3. Kasper Asgreen
  4. Mathieu van der Poel
  5. Primoz Roglic
MvdP did crazy things in Strade.
Pog, WvA and MvdP did crazy things in Tirreno.
WvA pushed crazy watts in all races.
Pog is quickly becoming a super all-rounder who can win everywhere.
Roglic proved he is the indisputed king of 1-week stage races.
Asgreen did crazy things in E3 and RVV with his long-range attacks.

But there is that one rider high above all others, the winner of the most important race in the spring of 2021, the Giro D'Italia:
Remco Evenepoel [applause]!
 
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Today it was Carapaz, but it must have been for a really short time since I was watching and didn't see it. In the past weeks other riders have had their issues with it. I read some saying they have to be careful not to forget about it. If you've done it for 10 years and your head is already a bit dizzy, you're going full gas and have the race in your head, it's really tough if you're punished like that. I just hate it. But of course it would be even more unfair to say it's a DQS in any case and then not DQS a rider just because.
 
Today it was Carapaz, but it must have been for a really short time since I was watching and didn't see it. In the past weeks other riders have had their issues with it. I read some saying they have to be careful not to forget about it. If you've done it for 10 years and your head is already a bit dizzy, you're going full gas and have the race in your head, it's really tough if you're punished like that. I just hate it. But of course it would be even more unfair to say it's a DQS in any case and then not DQS a rider just because.
I really, really, realllllllly think they should have introduced this as a fine to start. Partly for the reason you note - we are talking about changing a habit that is quite strong. Wonder what will happen in the GTs? That a lot of racing to make a pretty reflexive mistake for a few seconds and then get pulled. UCI being the UCI - stupid x stupid.

And just to be clear, I don't think they should have introduced this as a rule at all .... it is objectively a stupid rule with misguided reasoning at best. But I was even more shocked when the punishment was a DQ. Can't wait till amateur racing restarts and we see categorized racers all over the place getting DQ'd by hypervigilant Commissaires.
 
I'd say just one. No issues in other races with multiple mountains. Valencia had mountains, heck MSR has descents. Fleche has descents. So yeah, I'd go with just 1 rider.
Did your main man Valverde ever engage this most dangerous of moves of all now called the supertuck?

I'm just yanking your chain regarding Valverde, glad at 41 he's still giving the kids a run for their money! :)
 
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Did your main man Valverde ever engage this most dangerous of moves of all now called the supertuck?

I'm just yanking your chain regarding Valverde, glad at 41 he's still giving the kids a run for their money! :)

He did, but he's also from the era before it and one of his master classes of descending was pre supertuck.
Personally I think the rule is stupid, but it's there. I find the bottle rule to be a lot more stupid than the supertuck rule.
 
Which races since last years Tour have Roglic and Pogacar entered, and not won? None of them, I mean?

Worlds - Alaphilippe
FW - Hirschi
Strade - van der Poel
PN - Schachmann, but only due to Roglic's crash
Amstel - van Aert, Roglic as helper and crashed
FW- Alaphilippe
Other races? (I don't mean single stages, which might have been given away due to tactical reasons.)

(I do wonder, by the way, would Pogacar have won the WC, if Slovenia had ridden for him instead of Roglic?)
Hard to say, but I do think Slovenia should play the Pogacar card at the olympics and if he does WC this year too. And Roglic in a free role. Now they had Pogacar in a free role. He would not have won the sprint against van aert i think but still
 
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He says here that he thought he was the slowest sprinter of the group and would finish fifth. That just makes me sad.

He says;
"In the final, I knew I wasn't the fastest rider in the group so I tried to skip some turns. I did commit to the break to keep the speed high. Fifth was always going to be better than tenth," Gaudu said.

He took a realistic attitude into the break, and he's come out of it happy with 3rd. If he'd made a move from any farther out, he would likely have been 5th. It's far from the worst piece of riding ever seen in a final km.
 

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