Paris-Nice 2025, March 9-16

[Netserk]

Last year's TTT winning team of UAE:

• Almeida
• McNulty
• Politt
• Vine
• Fisher-Black
• Soler
• Großschartner

This year's 8th place finishers of UAE:

• Almeida
• McNulty
• Politt
• Narváez
• Oliveira
• Sivakov
• Molano

 

[tobydawq]

Well, at least Visma don't have a very strong team for the hillier terrain. They will probably win but there could be some twists.

 

[noob]

I gathered that, I just think it's a bizarrely poor take imnshno.

Also, I'm not sure about the 'he' part.

Honestly either have TTT or skip them. Not this half and half. Personally I like TTT. They're fun to watch but more so when everything was at stake.

 

[noob]

Although everything seems settled the race for third place might be fun.

 

[Netserk]

Friday looks to have a strong mistral just at the right time.

 

[KZD]

Visma has the race under control after today. Very impressive effort from Jayco given Durbridge was out.

I think UAE really messed up the team selection for this race. They should have brought better rouleurs like Vermeersch or Herregodts and if Sivakov was indeed sick after Ruta del Sol, he shouldn't have been here either.

 

[tobydawq]

Honestly either have TTT or skip them. Not this half and half. Personally I like TTT. They're fun to watch but more so when everything was at stake.

It isn't half and half. It's a TTT. No team would have made any changes to their lineups if it had been the old and much poorer rules.

 

[Gratemans]

Well, I’m American and I was disgusted with how the team played that. I have a hard time understanding how regular cycling fans (which obviously there are very few of in the U.S.) could have enjoyed that outcome.

I'm Dutch, but I don't particularly care about the nationality of a rider. Or a team.
And I agree this was disgusting. Nothing against Kuss, but ffs you don't give away a Grand Tour. It's just disrespectful.
LaPorte being gifted Gent Wevelgem... meh, that was maybe just barely ok. But giving away the Vuelta? No f-ing way.

 

[Sciatic]

I'm Dutch, but I don't particularly care about the nationality of a rider. Or a team.
And I agree this was disgusting. Nothing against Kuss, but ffs you don't give away a Grand Tour. It's just disrespectful.
LaPorte being gifted Gent Wevelgem... meh, that was maybe just barely ok. But giving away the Vuelta? No f-ing way.

Agreed. In fact it even denied us the chance to see how an in-form Kuss could have fared in the head-to-head-to-head matchup with his teammates in that final week or so.

 

[Unchained]

I'm Dutch, but I don't particularly care about the nationality of a rider. Or a team.
And I agree this was disgusting. Nothing against Kuss, but ffs you don't give away a Grand Tour. It's just disrespectful.
LaPorte being gifted Gent Wevelgem... meh, that was maybe just barely ok. But giving away the Vuelta? No f-ing way.

Your opinion is very sound.
The team had an ultra negative public relations campaign that could have damaged riders and the organization, so for the sake of a happy ending .
.Richard " ***" Plugge, Roglic, Vingegaard colluded to get the best of bad situation.. Team win, Cinderella story, and two accomplished and capable teammates came off as generous, sportsmen. Kuss was and is a good racer. Time wasted being a possible team leader has really really set him back!! If he does anything.. Call Robert Gesink and ask advice for how to stay in your lane. Kuss is awesome!!

 

[Sciatic]

Your opinion is very sound.
The team had an ultra negative public relations campaign that could have damaged riders and the organization, so for the sake of a happy ending .
.Richard " ***" Plugge, Roglic, Vingegaard colluded to get the best of bad situation.. Team win, Cinderella story, and two accomplished and capable teammates came off as generous, sportsmen. Kuss was and is a good racer. Time wasted being a possible team leader has really really set him back!! If he does anything.. Call Robert Gesink and ask advice for how to stay in your lane. Kuss is awesome!!

That seems like a reasonable rationale for why the team might have chosen that. My previous posts about what happened weren't focused on whether it was a good decision for the team or not. My complaint was how it was frustrating for and disrespectful to cycling fans who had what could have been an amazing showdown swiped away from them.

 

[yaco]

Jayco-AlUla rode well to put Ben O'Connor in a good position. Might be a battle between O'Connor and Jorgenson for GC.

O'Connor was awful at Valenciana, so lets hope he has improved.

 

[rghysens]

Well, let's hope someone is able to drop Jorgenson on one of the hills. Otherwise it could become a boring race.

Unfortunately, Buitrago, one of the riders I gave a good chance to do some damage, already is down for more than a minute. I would be surprised if Lipowitz, Skjelmose, Sheffield, Powless, McNulty, Van Wilder, Gall ... could really hurt Jorgenson. Maybe Vlasov, O'Connor or Almeida.

Last year already showed how many of all the names you mentioned are able to drop Jorgenson: none.
Maybe Vingegaard, but it wouldn´t surprise me if they just ride off together, holding hands.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Last year already showed how many of all the names you mentioned are able to drop Jorgenson: none.
Maybe Vingegaard, but it wouldn´t surprise me if they just ride off together, holding hands.

Almeida could depending on their shapes, most likely after a yoyo though.

 

[theyoungest]

Well, I’m American and I was disgusted with how the team played that. I have a hard time understanding how regular cycling fans (which obviously there are very few of in the U.S.) could have enjoyed that outcome.

Personally I also think they should have raced for it, but the team were pretty much pressured into making the race a procession to crown Kuss the winner by cycling media and fans. International cycling media are British/American-dominated, which gives them an influence which is out of proportion to how big cycling actually is in your respective countries.

Heck, you have Chris Horner already complaining about Vingegaard attacking Jorgenson in Paris-Nice when they haven't even raced yet...

 

[Scarponi]

Seems mostly true, aside from the scrumptious Contador-Armstrong.

The fact that Visma management didn’t let let their 3 leaders battle it out in the Vuelta is even more pathetic in retrospect. Was the last chance Roglic was in good enough form to try to beat Vingegaard (or at least give him a real battle) and we were denied that. Plus Kuss has been a shadow of his former self since then, so the team shenanigans . . . ah, whatever, what’s done is done.

We were denied rare and career defining doubles as well. Girl/Veulta Tour/Veulta, extremely disappointing

 

[RedheadDane]

Girl/Veulta Tour/Veulta

Are you okay?
Is your keyboard okay?

 

[Offline]

Last year's TTT winning team of UAE:

• Almeida
• McNulty
• Politt
• Vine
• Fisher-Black
• Soler
• Großschartner

This year's 8th place finishers of UAE:

• Almeida
• McNulty
• Politt
• Narváez
• Oliveira
• Sivakov
• Molano

Narvaez and Molano is bad in TT
Sivakov was ill last week
McNulty no near same level right now and crash last week

That being said still really bad TTT..

 

[Lequack]

Finishing climb today. Can Jogenson hold off the raging Vingegaard?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Finishing climb today. Can Jogenson hold off the raging Vingegaard?

No rage allowed: Vingo will be Matteo's superdom.

 

[search]

5°C and potentially rain should also suit Jorgenson a bit better, I would normally think.

 

[Netserk]

Y'all know the menu.

 

[YavorD]

Who's going to respond the attacks when/if they happen?

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Strong break, hope Visma is happy to let bonus seconds (and maybe the jersey??) go. No one of those 8 should be a GC threat even if they get the jersey with a minute or so.

 

[Escarabajo]

No rage allowed: Vingo will be Matteo's superdom.

No. Today's victory will be dedicated to Jorgensen.