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Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

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I can't wrap my head around the fact that people believe Vingegaard has had a better year than Pogacar or Van aert. If the TDF GC is the only thing that counts I get it but other than that I just don't see it. Looking at all the performances throughout the year it's pretty obvious Pogacar was better than Vingegaard. Not in the TDF (still got 3 stage wins though), but he was better overall. Vingegaard was so invisible during the one day races I'm not even sure if he rode them.
 
I can't wrap my head around the fact that people believe Vingegaard has had a better year than Pogacar or Van aert. If the TDF GC is the only thing that counts I get it but other than that I just don't see it. Looking at all the performances throughout the year it's pretty obvious Pogacar was better than Vingegaard. Not in the TDF (still got 3 stage wins though), but he was better overall. Vingegaard was so invisible during the one day races I'm not even sure if he rode them.

It's pretty easy imho, he's the only one that actually won one of the big races.
Pogačar didn't win a monument nor GT. So he's had a better season than Vingegaard because he beat him in Tirreno-Adriatico? Or because he won Strade and was impressive in Flanders? That doesn't make up for taking a beating in the TdF imho.
 
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It's pretty easy imho, he's the only one that actually won one of the big races.
Pogačar didn't win a monument nor GT. So he's had a better season than Vingegaard because he beat him in Tirreno-Adriatico? Or because he won Strade and was impressive in Flanders? That doesn't make up for taking a beating in the TdF imho.

My problem with Vingegaard is that he hasn't shown enough throughout the entire year to be called the best rider and winning the TDF doesn't change that for me. Pogacar had a better season because his performances were better most of the time. He didn't have big wins if TA or Strade don't count in your book but he was impressive in a lot of races where Vingegaard was nowhere to be seen. The TDF is just one race after all.
 
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My problem with Vingegaard is that he hasn't shown enough throughout the entire year to be called the best rider and winning the TDF doesn't change that for me. Pogacar had a better season because his performances were better most of the time. He didn't have big wins if TA or Strade don't count in your book but he was impressive in a lot of races where Vingegaard was nowhere to be seen. The TDF is just one race after all.
He was 2nd in TA. He was 6th in Basque. He was 2nd in Dauphiné which he would have won if JV didn't want to gift the Slovenian Heras a consolation price. Those were pretty much all the races he's done apart from 5 1 day races (of which he won 1 btw). That's definitely enough next to a TdF win.
 
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He was 2nd in TA. He was 6th in Basque. He was 2nd in Dauphiné which he would have won if JV didn't want to gift the Slovenian Heras a consolation price. Those were pretty much all the races he's done apart from 5 1 day races (of which he won 1 btw). That's definitely enough next to a TdF win.

I think the problem is his complete no shows on the Ardennes classics where he dropped like a stone everytime the road went a bit up and DNF.
 
He didn't feel good those races, thats for sure. He couldn't really have been sick as we wouldnt have started the, but something was completely off in those races - not sure exactly what.

I think he should just skip those races and focus on stage racing 100%. if you wanna ride late April, Romandie could be an option.
 
He didn't feel good those races, thats for sure. He couldn't really have been sick as we wouldnt have started the, but something was completely off in those races - not sure exactly what.

I think he should just skip those races and focus on stage racing 100%. if you wanna ride late April, Romandie could be an option.

But it's so nice for the sport seeing TDF and Vuelta winners compete in the Monuments again after the Sky era. I respect Pogacar so much for that.
 
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Are you kidding me??
No, my analysis of Vingegaard as a rider is kinda similar to Contador where I think he can be competitive in those races at his absolute peak, but I don't think its his strength at all. Hes better than Froome, but that doesn't say a lot. Stage racing, and especially GT racing, is where his talents are at due to incredible recovery.

I could be wrong, but nothing is wrong with Romandie (surely the chances of him winning that races is a lot higher), or maybe peaking a little more for Tirreno, Paris-Nice, Catalunya and Pais Vasco and then taking a long break before Dauphine, again similar to what Contador did after his suspension.
 
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But it's so nice for the sport seeing TDF and Vuelta winners compete in the Monuments again after the Sky era. I respect Pogacar so much for that.
Cause Pogacar can win almost every race he enters. Hes a much different rider than Vingegaard. I don't blame Froome/Sky for not targetting those races, because it would have been a completely waste of resources for Froome. Its called racing to your strengths. I didnt see Mancebo, Sastre and similar riders trying to be superman in the spring either, cause thats not what they were good at.
 
Unless Evenepoel wins both the Vuelta and the WC, you are right.

Hypothetically if Hindley won the Vuelta he would have a shot having done a GT double.

It’s always an interesting debate between no of victories and quality of best victory. Personally I still think Pogacar’s season is better than Vignegaard. He’s won every stage race entered bar the tour where he was second winning three stages. He had good results in the two monuments he competed in being one of the main protagonists and won Strade Bianchi. To me that’s better than Vignegaard’s season parking that Vignegaard
was clearly the better of the two during the tour, which whilst clearly the more prestigous race and should be given weight accordingly is only one race.

Wout needs to win a WC or Lombardia to enter the equation. Likewise if remco wins vuelta and/or wc tt/lombardia he enters the equation.
 
Tour + monument/WC is a whole lot better than Vuelta + monument + San Sebastian, so no.
That's true, but i fancy Remco's chances of inventing a timemachine, traveling back to win Giro, Tour, star in a Broadway musical with Bette Midler, to continue winning the Vuelta before being elected president of Middle Earth, about as high as Vingegaard winning a one day race at the moment.
 
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