Paris - Nice 2021, March 7 - March 14

[Devil's Elbow]

Don't think there has been a better one week stage racer than roglic in my time of me following this sport. That combination of being an elite climber, an elite puncheur and an elite time trialist is straight up ridiculous. It's honestly hard to design a one week stage race that isn't entirely flat, he wouldn't be among the biggest favorites for.

What's even scarier is that he's not exactly the only rider in the current peloton with a skillset that's unparalleled in modern times.

 

[LaFlorecita]

the new profile for Sunday (stage will finish in Levens instead of Nice) is on Tissot already, and looks pretty bad. Three laps over Cote de Levens

Official Website | Tissot Timing

Discover and follow all the results of the most important cycling competitions on the official Tissot Timing website.

www.tissottiming.com

Also tomorrow they scrapped like 50k, but at least the finishing climb will be still there

WTF
Looks terrible

 

[Lequack]

Another one

 

[tobydawq]

Laporte should realise that nobody would think less of him for beating Roglic. There are times where his giving gifts is a bit out of place.

 

[Keram]

I was impressed with Sam Bennets fighting spirit He was hanging there for dear life and that cracked so badly that he completely stop.

Roglic is a monster obviously.

 

[Gregor_Slovenia]

Good old mountain top finish sprint from Primož. I absolutely love it. See on Strava files from guys, they were flying last ramp to the finish and to sprint on the top of it like this, tells you that Primož is majestic. Now, will Primož achieve his jubilee 50th Career Win tomorrow, or on Sunday? Great weekend ahead of us.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Plotting the climbs of Stage 8 right now, it looks like both the official profile and LaFlammeRouge are way off (one shows the summit of Duranus as being 70 meters lower than the other, so hardly surprising). Strava suggests that I'm (or rather, French topographical maps are) right and the categorised climb (Duranus) is over 5% average instead of 3.5 or 3.7%, so maybe the stage isn't quite as bad as it seems.

Either way, here's the profile I've pieced together, IGN elevation data with a bit of help from Strava and Streetview:

 

[Pinot's goat]

Roglic will surely be unstoppable tomorrow however I am curious to see what Vanhoucke does as his two best performances have came on unipuerto stages.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Roglic will surely be unstoppable tomorrow however I am curious to see what Vanhoucke does as his two best performances have came on unipuerto stages.

For his confidence it would be good if he could finish among the likes of Vlasov, Gaudu, Hindley...

 

[Blanco]

I dont think he is as puncheur as Valverde used to be. Today if Alaphilipe had been there he would have won.

Rogla is more complete, in terms of GC. He's much better TT-er, I would say better climber too, But Bala's punch, oh no, nobody is near that.

 

[Andy262]

Just caught up with this. Gotta feel sorry for Cofidis and Laporte who did everything right there but couldn't win.

 

[Koronin]

Rogla showing that last year's Vuelta wasn't a fluke. He really is an upgraded version of peak Valverde.

No question Rogla is a better TTer possibly a better climber, but no way he beats a peak Valverde in a punchy climb. Alaphilippe doesn't touch a peak Valverde in that type of climb.
Remember when Valverde was young he was thought to be a sprinter who could climb. When he turned pro the peloton thought he was a sprinter.

 

[Pinot's goat]

No question Rogla is a better TTer possibly a better climber, but no way he beats a peak Valverde in a punchy climb. Alaphilippe doesn't touch a peak Valverde in that type of climb.
Remember when Valverde was young he was thought to be a sprinter who could climb. When he turned pro the peloton thought he was a sprinter.

It's a close battle but Valverde's performance on Mas de la Costa against Roglic in 2019 makes a good argument that peak Valverde was superior.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Plotting the climbs of Stage 8 right now, it looks like both the official profile and LaFlammeRouge are way off (one shows the summit of Duranus as being 70 meters lower than the other, so hardly surprising). Strava suggests that I'm (or rather, French topographical maps are) right and the categorised climb (Duranus) is over 5% average instead of 3.5 or 3.7%, so maybe the stage isn't quite as bad as it seems.

Either way, here's the profile I've pieced together, IGN elevation data with a bit of help from Strava and Streetview:

That’s a lot harder than the earlier version of the Duranus profile. Not a Bennett day after all.

 

[johnymax]

It's a close battle but Valverde's performance on Mas de la Costa against Roglic in 2019 makes a good argument that peak Valverde was superior.

I agree Valverde vas punchier and faster in a sprint at his peak. But 2021 Rogla is faster than 2019 Rogla. Not to mention we still have to wait for peak Rogla in 2025

 

[tobydawq]

No question Rogla is a better TTer possibly a better climber, but no way he beats a peak Valverde in a punchy climb. Alaphilippe doesn't touch a peak Valverde in that type of climb.
Remember when Valverde was young he was thought to be a sprinter who could climb. When he turned pro the peloton thought he was a sprinter.

Of course Alaphilippe touches a peak Valverde...

You need to be blind to deny that.

 

[Escarabajo]

Tomorrow will be an exciting day in Paris-Nice. My prediction is for the Ski jumper to win! If you bet $1 they will take $.5 from it in the payout.

 

[Lequack]

26 Big Photos from Stage 6 (more to come) — aso/corvos
http://www.steephill.tv/2021/paris-nice/photos/stage-06/

 

[Blanco]

Of course Alaphilippe touches a peak Valverde...

You need to be blind to deny that.

Yes, on a specially good day, he maybe has a chance to get a close look of Valverde's back wheel

 

[tobydawq]

I mean, I know Alaphilippe was Valverde's whipping boy in Flèche Wallonne, but last time he beat him there was five years ago, and I don't think very many people would claim that 2021 Alaphilippe is the same as 2016 Alaphilippe.

 

[Blanco]

He's heck of a rider, I agree. But in form Valverde, when he's in the front, 300m from the line, uphill, wins that in more than 95% situations. And that lasted for 15 years...

 

[YavorD]

If we are reffering by FW as the ultimate punchers test, Valverde was dominating in the mid 10's but I think that the lack of proper competition is one of the reasons for that. I mean, when Valverde was winning it, his main competiotion was Dan Martin and we all know his problems with positioning (a great puncher dont deny that). If Valverde had peak Alaphilippe he wouldn't be as big of a dominator, as he used to be. I'd say that 2014-17 would've been 2:2 between both of them. About Roglic on Mur de Huy-like climb I don't think he has a chance between any of them. On a moderate slopes, say 5-7%, Roglic, at least for me, as a very good chance of winnig depending of the daily form.

 

[movingtarget]

you do realise he won L-B-L right?

Ah yes..........aging gracefully...............my mind I mean............

 

[cellardoor]

If we are reffering by FW as the ultimate punchers test, Valverde was dominating in the mid 10's but I think that the lack of proper competition is one of the reasons for that. I mean, when Valverde was winning it, his main competiotion was Dan Martin and we all know his problems with positioning (a great puncher dont deny that).

On the other hand, he won in 2006, which I would consider a sort of golden age of uphill sprinting, with the likes of Bettini, Rebellin and Di Luca around. Valverde's career has also overlapped with Gilbert's, who could be considered an all time great in his own right.

 

[Netserk]

And Rebellin, not Valverde, was top dog on the Mur in that time period.