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Pascal Ackermann

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Re:

RedheadDane said:
It's mathematically impossible for Demare to reach him?

No, if he wins the intermediary sprint tomorrow and Ackermann doesn't score, the difference will be 1 point in Ackermann's favour. Then Démare has to find two points on either a mountain top finish, the intermediary sprint on stage 20 which comes after a 20 km mountain or in the final TT which is just a bit too hilly for that to be realistic.
 

That's very modest and not exactly true. Along with Groenewegen, Ewan, Bennett and Viviani he's among the current Top 5 of the world's best sprinters for me. Today showed why: nearly all other pure sprinters either didn't make the group over the final KOM at all or were barely able to contest the sprint. Ackermann was there. He again made the mistake of going a bit too early, but that was still enough to win comfortably. With two more sprint stages to go he could extend his 2019 win tally to 14 which would put him in second position behind Groenewegen. Groenewegen however had only 4 WT wins among his 15 pro wins this year and several others in minor .1 races, while Ackermann had 6 WT wins and the rest (apart from the Gooikse Pijl) all in HC races.
 
Hmm, he has announced today that he will also do the Giro alongside Sagan next year but not the Tour.

I wonder how they will play that.

Weird. I can only really explain it by assuming that the sponsors want Sagan to win green at the Tour again more than they want Ackermann sprint stages and Sagan stage hunting. I assumed with Sagan having the record and doing a Giro-Tour for the first time that he was finished with green and would instead be riding as an attacker.

I really wanted to see all of the big 5 (or 6 if Gaviria gets his act together) sprinters at the Tour, but Sagan remains the team’s meal ticket. So we will be at least one short and it’s not entirely clear that Groenewegen will be there either. Presumably we can bank on Bennett, Viviani and Ewan riding the Tour. (Also it means probably that we won’t see Ackermann v Bennett at a GT).
 
https://www.radsport-news.com/sport/sportnews_120323.htm

Ackermann will not ride the giro as planned. Instead he will ride the vuelta with his sprint train.

Before that he will ride:
Sibiu Tour
Tour de Pologne
Tirreno-Adriatico
BickBank Tour
Gent-Wevelgem

Makes sence not to have him and Sagan both ride the Giro. With Sagan sacrificing the classics to ride the Giro it only makes sence that he aims also for the points competiton in the Giro and that would have been difficult if Ackermann were there. But now if Ackermann can perhaps win it at the Vuelta, the team might win all 3 GT pointsjerseys this year.
 
This guy could have a very strange season. He’s doing pretty well and looking very fast. He has six wins already. But it’s entirely possible that he doesn’t get to race anything more prestigious than Tirreno-Adriatico. Or at least nothing he would be considered a contender for, unless he shows a very surprising cobbled classic level or something.

Not picked for Tour, Giro, Milan San Remo, no WCRR for obvious parcours reasons. Those are the four most prestigious things for a sprinter. Whether the Vuelta goes ahead is far from clear. If it doesn’t, he will have a year of small races. And I don’t think there are too many smaller stage races left for him to ride after Binckbank. He will win some there though as I think all of the other high level sprinters won’t be there.

I don’t know how much it will really matter for a sprinter to do no GT for a year. But if I had his speed and had to waste a year on small races I’d be quite frustrated.

Fingers crossed for the Vuelta.
 

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