Pierre Rolland discussion

[CobbleStoner]

He's not a horrible descender at all.

did you watch him yesterday? what is with that last minute throwing your bike over into the turns? no wonder his front wheel slid out with the slightest braking, he was sooo sketchy, not fluid at all.
he crashed by himself in the middle of the road, you can't get any more horrible than that

 

[Angliru]

here is my teammate winning a cyclocross race last year (with a tiny bit of photoshopping behind)

I almost bought a used Ritte Bosberg frameset this winter but settled on an Isaac instead. I love the Belgium national colors.

 

[movingtarget]

that is an unfair judgment of his performances, for exemple that 12th on lbl is phenomenal as he was in the break all day, the break was caught at the bottum of the roche aux faucons and he was still one of the strongest on the group of favorites after that.

in the romandie the parcours were absolute crap but he still attacked a lot, ofc it's impossible to get away from a peloton on a false flat with 10k to the line.

There are some emerging French talents coming through but will any of them kick on and win a grand tour ? Or will they just do what they always do and only be stage winners ? Been a long time since Fignon and Hinault. Same could be said for Dutch and Belgian GC riders. Maybe some of the French talent would do better riding for American teams or Italian teams ?

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Thanks for that.

Does it mean that since then, and before the current Tour, he has won one stage in one race?

(That said, 12th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege looks good.)

And your point being?

 

[Parrot23]

And your point being?

That he looks like a clean rider. His performances, like yesterday's, look genuine, measured and calibrated. Nothing outrageous vis-a-vis dodgy teams. Excellent palmares.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

That he looks like a clean rider. His performances, like yesterday's, look genuine, measured and calibrated. Nothing outrageous vis-a-vis dodgy teams. Excellent palmares.

europcar lol.

 

[Parrot23]

Excellent speedometer!

 

[Jason_Mercier]

I really want to see him at the Giro next year. He did a great Tour, one of the sensations of the race together with Pinot, Sagan and Froome

 

[webvan]

Yes, although I'm not sure he's suited for the very steep climbs, more of a power climber (think big ring on the Alpe !) like Andy...who didn't do too bad in the 2007 Giro, so who knows.

BTW what is he up to these days, season over ?

 

[SlimChance]

Not riding the Giro next year to concentrate on the Tour which he believes he could win.

Can he podium?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rolland-to-skip-giro-and-focus-on-tour-de-france-in-2015

 

[jens_attacks]

absolutely. but most important for me, as a big rolland fan since this year's giro is to do what he did there. attack a lot and hopefully get some epic wins

 

[staubsauger]

I bet Rolland knows very well that his only chance to podium or even win the Tour de France is to attack, attack, attack. Hopefully it will pay out and benefit the race like it did at this years Giro!

The TdF parcours is just made for his characteristics. It's a wise decision to focus on it. Just like it was this year when he peaked for the Giro. It seems he learned a lot there.

If he rides like in Italy, the next Tour victory will definitely go over Rolland. Who will take it in the end is another story.

 

[Afrank]

Not riding the Giro next year to concentrate on the Tour which he believes he could win.

Can he podium?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rolland-to-skip-giro-and-focus-on-tour-de-france-in-2015

No, at least not if Nibs, Froome, Contador, and Quintana are all there and don't crash out.

Then again maybe, as unlikely as it is, he can figure out a way to pull a Pereiro. I'll enjoy watching his style of racing either way.

 

[cineteq]

Not riding the Giro next year to concentrate on the Tour which he believes he could win.

Can he podium?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rolland-to-skip-giro-and-focus-on-tour-de-france-in-2015

Good decision. If he's ever going to win or podium LeTour, this is it!

 

[Michele]

As others said, he wont probably be able to podium, but he's one of the few who is brave enough to risk it all with some crazy attacks, even if he's not one of the strongest guys GC wise.

 

[TANK91]

He as regressed a bit imo, i thought he would be Andy Schleck level of climbing at Schleck's best. Hopefully he gets a top 10 and stage win. He is great too watch.

 

[SlimChance]

No, at least not if Nibs, Froome, Contador, and Quintana are all there and don't crash out.

Then again maybe, as unlikely as it is, he can figure out a way to pull a Pereiro. I'll enjoy watching his style of racing either way.

They are big ifs! The big 3 are far from certain to line up and a cobbles stage = danger.

 

[Afrank]

They are big ifs! The big 3 are far from certain to line up and a cobbles stage = danger.

Barring crashes (of which there is an equal likelihood of happening to Rolland as the big 4), I'm pretty sure that Contador, Froome, and Quintana will be lining up. For Nibali, we'll have to wait and see what happens with Astana.

I agree on Cobbles, especially if we get rain on that day.
Almost anything could happen... Aren't cobbles great!

 

[Jspear]

As others said, he wont probably be able to podium, but he's one of the few who is brave enough to risk it all with some crazy attacks, even if he's not one of the strongest guys GC wise.

This. I loved watching him race at last years Giro. Seemed like he was constantly on the attack.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Rolland belongs to the group below the "big" four, but he often stands out from the group by being pretty much the only one who takes considerable risks by attacking from a distance. By distance I don't mean the 2 km (or less) uphill sprint type stuff. Rolland sometime goes on the penu climb. The sport needs more Rollands.

With a bit of luck he might podium in the Tour in '15, but he will have to do well on the cobbles stage and anticipate well on all "Mur" type finishes. And if we get crosswind on one or two stages, Europcar might drop the ball.

Anyway Rolland FTW.

 

[veji11]

Rolland belongs to the group below the "big" four, but he often stands out from the group by being pretty much the only one who takes considerable risks by attacking from a distance. By distance I don't mean the 2 km (or less) uphill sprint type stuff. Rolland sometime goes on the penu climb. The sport needs more Rollands.

With a bit of luck he might podium in the Tour in '15, but he will have to do well on the cobbles stage and anticipate well on all "Mur" type finishes. And if we get crosswind on one or two stages, Europcar might drop the ball.

Anyway Rolland FTW.

I would love for Rolland to podium a GT, he would deserve it because he rides for it. I can't see him doing better than that though.

Overall I hope by the end of his carreer he has a few prestigious victories : a WT one week stage race, a classic and a podium in a GT would be fantastic achievements, but I fear he will have to do with some stage wins, Top10s and climbers jerseys.

 

[markene2]

Rolland to top 5, the most beutiful climbing style in the peloton. Allez

 

[barmaher]

I think he has a right chance to finish on the podium. If he doesn't do it on the TDF parcours, he can forget about it.

It is Vitally Important that he doesn't lose time on the cobbles.

Vitally Important.

 

[SlimChance]

Licence for Astana but not Europcar

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/astana-receive-worldtour-licence-2015-season-148872

 

[Irondan]

Licence for Astana but not Europcar

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/astana-receive-worldtour-licence-2015-season-148872

Yes but it shouldn't be a problem for Europecar to get into The Tour. I think Europecar knew they weren't going to be issued a license. Rolland announced just recently that he was focusing on The Tour, maybe because he already knew they wouldn't get into the Giro..