Niki Terpstra thread

[Velolover2]

The steppers are using the same tactics for GW?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Well done Terpstra. Great comeback after a difficult 2017. One of my favorite riders.

 

[Bardamu]

I think he will be the strongest Quick Step rider next week. But he will probably not be stronger than Sagan, Benoot & Vanmarcke. If he wants to win he needs his team.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Very strong, but still don't like him. Something just rubs the wrong way.

 

[Bardamu]

He seems quite open about being a bit of a ***, so I don't really mind it. And he has always been a little less talented than the other top riders and to still win quite some races perhaps you need to be a bit of a ***.

 

[Red Rick]

For a pure rouleur he's gotten himself a very nice palmares over the years. Riders like Terpstra have very few races that really suit them and a very short window of opportunity each year, so it's impressive what he's made out of his abilities.

It's also an example of how important the team is you're on in those races, cause I think Vanmarcke is a similar, better rider, but he never had the benefit of having a team like EQS supporting him.

 

[Blanco]

Re:

For a pure rouleur he's gotten himself a very nice palmares over the years. Riders like Terpstra have very few races that really suit them and a very short window of opportunity each year, so it's impressive what he's made out of his abilities.

It's also an example of how important the team is you're on in those races, cause I think Vanmarcke is a similar, better rider, but he never had the benefit of having a team like EQS supporting him.

Vanmarcke is maybe smoother on the cobbles, but he would've been eaten alive by the chasing group in that last 20km. Terpstra is much better roleur, and I would dare to say stronger rider.

 

[Oliver]

What a performance in E3!

 

[Bardamu]

Re: Re:

For a pure rouleur he's gotten himself a very nice palmares over the years. Riders like Terpstra have very few races that really suit them and a very short window of opportunity each year, so it's impressive what he's made out of his abilities.

It's also an example of how important the team is you're on in those races, cause I think Vanmarcke is a similar, better rider, but he never had the benefit of having a team like EQS supporting him.

Vanmarcke is maybe smoother on the cobbles, but he would've been eaten alive by the chasing group in that last 20km. Terpstra is much better roleur, and I would dare to say stronger rider.

I agree. On cobbles (especially Roubaix) Vanmarcke was the only rider who could match an in form Spartacus, but outside the cobbled races he rarely shows it. Terpstra is often one of the strongest in the QST TTT (although he messed up last year) and during the WC's his attacks late in the race often shake things up. Without success though.

 

[Billie]

All of Terpstra's wins have come from him attacking from a select group in which there were generally as many Quick step riders as there were chasers.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

For a pure rouleur he's gotten himself a very nice palmares over the years. Riders like Terpstra have very few races that really suit them and a very short window of opportunity each year, so it's impressive what he's made out of his abilities.

It's also an example of how important the team is you're on in those races, cause I think Vanmarcke is a similar, better rider, but he never had the benefit of having a team like EQS supporting him.

Vanmarcke is maybe smoother on the cobbles, but he would've been eaten alive by the chasing group in that last 20km. Terpstra is much better roleur, and I would dare to say stronger rider.

Its very close between the two and they resemble each other a lot in that they basically cannot win any other races than the cobbled classics. Vanmarcke is better at cobbles and hill, but Terpstra is (by far) the better rouleur. Which means that Vanmarcke has big trouble finishing races off, where as Terpstra and TT himself to victory, especially on a team like QS.

 

[May0maniac]

Terpstra is the better rouleur, but Vanmarcke has a decent sprint, his problem is that there always seems to be someone faster than him in a selected groud.
Terpstra was always strong in the 11km Tour of Qatar ITTs that they did on roadbikes and even beat Cancellara and Wiggins once, he has a great engine.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

For a pure rouleur he's gotten himself a very nice palmares over the years. Riders like Terpstra have very few races that really suit them and a very short window of opportunity each year, so it's impressive what he's made out of his abilities.

It's also an example of how important the team is you're on in those races, cause I think Vanmarcke is a similar, better rider, but he never had the benefit of having a team like EQS supporting him.

Vanmarcke is maybe smoother on the cobbles, but he would've been eaten alive by the chasing group in that last 20km. Terpstra is much better roleur, and I would dare to say stronger rider.

Yeah, put Terpstra in the situation Vanmarcke had after the last proper cobbles section of the 2016 Paris Roubaix and he probably wins. Vanmarcke is great on cobbles but cannot hold a gap.

 

[Akuryo]

Once again the stongest rider of the day. Incredible run of form in 2018 so far from Terpstra. 2017 was a downer, but he seems to be back at his best. Not my (or many others) favorite person in the peloton but you cant deny his power/strengths. You simply dont win Roubaix AND Ronde by chance or luck.

 

[Koronin]

Quickstep and Terpstra are having a very impressive classics season.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

His greatest strength is that he can keep going. He doesn't have the explosive attack of Van Avermaet or Sagan. But sure as hell he can solo better. Combine that with a great tactics / reading the race and a fantastic team ofcourse, and this is the result.

He did well by going to Quick Step all those years ago. I doubt he could win these races at Lotto Soudal for instance (look at Benoot)

 

[Koronin]

Re:

His greatest strength is that he can keep going. He doesn't have the explosive attack of Van Avermaet or Sagan. But sure as hell he can solo better. Combine that with a great tactics / reading the race and a fantastic team ofcourse, and this is the result.

He did well by going to Quick Step all those years ago. I doubt he could win these races at Lotto Soudal for instance (look at Benoot)

Agreed. If I was a classics specialist, my first choice of team to ride for would be Quickstep.

 

[Bardamu]

Totally deserved his victory. Good to know he is a fan of Raymond van het Groenewoud.

 

[Blanco]

Terpstra is the best QS classics rider since Boonen retired, even better than Gilbert. Impressive victory today.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah, the best rider was winning today. I think many saw exactly this scenario playing out after his scary E-3 performance, but it seemed no one could do that much about it since he is riding for QS and the others obviously don't want to compromise themselves too much. Superb rouleur and very stylistic on the bike - nice win, I enjoyed the race.

 

[El Pistolero]

Re:

His greatest strength is that he can keep going. He doesn't have the explosive attack of Van Avermaet or Sagan. But sure as hell he can solo better. Combine that with a great tactics / reading the race and a fantastic team ofcourse, and this is the result.

He did well by going to Quick Step all those years ago. I doubt he could win these races at Lotto Soudal for instance (look at Benoot)

Benoot is only 24 years old, Terpstra was a complete nobody at that age.

Take a look at the recent Monument winners, they're all men in their mid thirties (Nibali, Valverde, Terpstra, Van Avermaet, etc.)

Kwiatkowski was the only exception last year.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

You are missing the point. Regardless of Benoot's age it's super hard to win solo if you're not a part of a strong team like Quick Step.
Terpstra was also strong in his young years but had no support at all at Milram

 

[El Pistolero]

Re:

You are missing the point. Regardless of Benoot's age it's super hard to win solo if you're not a part of a strong team like Quick Step.
Terpstra was also strong in his young years but had no support at all at Milram

He wasn't.

 

[trucido]

Strongest rider won.

 

[Akuryo]

Re: Re:

You are missing the point. Regardless of Benoot's age it's super hard to win solo if you're not a part of a strong team like Quick Step.
Terpstra was also strong in his young years but had no support at all at Milram

He wasn't.

2010: National Road Race, Sparkassen Giro Bochum (in front of riders like Greipel and Caethoven), 3rd at DDV, 6th in Oman (beating Greg Van Avermaet, Geraint Thomas, etc in a flat TT).

2009: 2nd at Ster Elektrotoer, 9th at Omloop (front group btw), 15th at E3 and 16th at Roubaix.

2008: 3rd at Bayern-Rundfahrt (beating Kirchen or Grabsch - a TT World Champion - in the crucial race against the clock), 12th at DDV and 14th at Ronde - 2nd group.

Terpstra was always involved at Milram. But QS gave him the support to shine.