Romain Bardet Discussion Thread

[silvergrenade]

Re: Re:

LA on Vincent Lavenu:
"If I'm Vincent, I would stop complaining about Ketones and start making better decisions for my GC rider aka a bike change on a 27 Km rolling time trial. No, you are focussed on the wrong things Vincent!"

Sure If it was Armstrong he's take out the epo...christ that he should tell a rider like Bardet and clean team like Ag2r what to do

Bardet can win classics as long stages

You're joking here, right? Right?

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Very disappointing. I think he needs a completely different schedule next year. No Tour, target other races, get back to winning, break out of the one race a year rut.

 

[Simurgh]

He lost 20 minutes! Perhaps he has caught an illness or just felt very bad, so he gave up the GC and rolled to the finish. Indeed, he should ride the Giro and one-day races next year.

 

[roundabout]

Re:

Very disappointing. I think he needs a completely different schedule next year. No Tour, target other races, get back to winning, break out of the one race a year rut.

how would a schedule change help when his general form just seems off for some reason this year?

edit: last year with the same focus he podiumed Liege, Worlds and the Dauphine

and 'get back to winning' sounds needlessly sarcastic when referring to a rider with 7 wins in 7 pro seasons

 

[staubsauger]

Today it certainly looked as if he caught an illness or has been completely broken mentally!

Now, Bardet should immediately quit the Tour de France and prepare for the Vuelta IMHO! He needs some rest and re-shuffle.

Giro d'Italia sounds quite good next year, I agree. Even if I think Tour of Switzerland for gc & Tour de France for polka dots might be a respectable option as well.

Anyway, the season isn't completely lost IF Bardet & AG2R doesn't desperately keep going and try to win the Galibier stage. Although that sounds nice. Like I said, Vuelta & Italian fall classics should give him a new focus and potentially a successful end to a horrible season!

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Very disappointing. I think he needs a completely different schedule next year. No Tour, target other races, get back to winning, break out of the one race a year rut.

how would a schedule change help when his general form just seems off for some reason this year?

edit: last year with the same focus he podiumed Liege, Worlds and the Dauphine

and 'get back to winning' sounds needlessly sarcastic when referring to a rider with 7 wins in 7 pro seasons

A schedule change might help because endlessly focusing on a Tour placing has done little for his palmares or, at this stage, his morale. A change in focus could rejuvenate him. As for the back to winning part, no sarcasm was intended. He has one minor win in the last two years. He has the second worst palmares of the top 20 GC riders in the peloton (better only than Kruijswijk). He has the tools to win a number of races a year, unlike Kruijswijk who has no sprint, punch or one day pedigree. He should look for a way to exploit those tools better next year.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Re:

Today it certainly looked as if he caught an illness or has been completely broken mentally!

Now, Bardet should immediately quit the Tour de France and prepare for the Vuelta IMHO! He needs some rest and re-shuffle.

Giro d'Italia sounds quite good next year, I agree. Even if I think Tour of Switzerland for gc & Tour de France for polka dots might be a respectable option as well.

Anyway, the season isn't completely lost IF Bardet & AG2R doesn't desperately keep going and try to win the Galibier stage. Although that sounds nice. Like I said, Vuelta & Italian fall classics should give him a new focus and potentially a successful end to a horrible season!

What's the plan for Latour? Presume he'll be #1 for the Vuelta

 

[lartiste]

I noticed during past 2 stages, that he has always earphone out of his ear. Any bad relations between him and the team?

 

[staubsauger]

It certainly didn't look like that on Saturday when all team members were sorrounding him!

 

[fantomas]

"Tomorrow my finish line will be Col d'Izeran."

Nice to see him enjoy a bit of success. He'll go for the jersey now, he just said.

 

[wirral]

He might have won the mountains jersey by default. I think there are only 42 points maximum available now. If a break takes the final mountain stage with, say, Barguil winning it and maybe Kreuziger second, he has the jersey. However, if the GC guys take it and Bernal wins, then Bernal very probably has it.

I am assuming Romain does not score.

 

[staubsauger]

Hopefully Bernal takes the stage win and the polka dot jersey in Val Thorens!

As much as I love Bardet and wanted him to follow the Virenque plan, he hasn't won a single mountain prize... Somehow he just doesn't deserve the jersey, unless he wins in Val Thorens today!

 

[Alexandre B.]

Not the brightest way to win the polka dot jersey, that much is clear.

At least he chased it, and that's something to accommodate his meager palmares.

 

[Valv.Piti]

The least deserved polka dot I have ever seen. Featured in one good breakaway and was probably the 15-30 best climber in the race. ASO needs to look at the points awarded for these climbs, this makes no sense.

 

[Finn84]

The scaling between HC and 1st category is too big. With all HCs being worth of double points due to 2000m rule, it meant that sixth place in HC climb was better than winning 1st category climb.

 

[Northerner]

Re:

The scaling between HC and 1st category is too big. With all HCs being worth of double points due to 2000m rule, it meant that sixth place in HC climb was better than winning 1st category climb.

Wouldn't Tim Wellens have won without the HC bonus?

 

[staubsauger]

Certainly Voeckler and eventually even Chateau won the polka dot jersey more prestigious!

When Quintana & Yates sat up its their stupidity, especially Quintana and you can't really blame Bardet for it though!

If in this weak shape he can still win the mountains classification, maybe it gives him the encouragement to make it his new focus at the Tour de France from now on!

 

[Finn84]

Re: Re:

The scaling between HC and 1st category is too big. With all HCs being worth of double points due to 2000m rule, it meant that sixth place in HC climb was better than winning 1st category climb.

Wouldn't Tim Wellens have won without the HC bonus?

Yes. Here's the double point bonuses. I've counted Tourmalet and Val Thorens doubled as normal since finish climbs have been doubled for longer time.

Caruso 30
Bardet 30
Quintana 26
Bernal 20
Lutsenko 16
S Yates 15
Barguil 12
Bernard 12
Woods 12
De Plus 10
A Yates 10
Kämna 10
Kruijswijk 8
Thomas 6
Benoot 6
Buchmann 4
Nibali 2
Pauwels 2

 

[luckyboy]

It's nice to see him to salvage something from the Tour but man, it was an uninspiring KOM this year. I guess the stage alterations didn't help, otherwise Bernal would probable be winner.

Bardet led the race over one climb – Port de Lers – and took all his points on just two stages, 15 and 18.

In the past three Tours, Majka took points on five stages, Barguil and Alaphilippe took points on eight stages and all of them took over double the KOM points Bardet did.

 

[Tonton]

Just like for Nibali, I'm happy that Romain didn't leave this Tour empty handed. Giro (as hinted) and Vuelta next year could rejuvenate him, refresh him, but before committing to a schedule, he (more than many) has to look at how much ITT is in the route. And work a ton on track in the winter.

 

[TMP402]

I wonder if Romain missed Pierre Latour's presence.

 

[oldcrank]

Nice to hear the lad is still open to learning about the sport and has been doing some riding on the track. Bodes well for his future.

 

[Tonton]

Nice to hear the lad is still open to learning about the sport and has been doing some riding on the track. Bodes well for his future.

Not so sure. He's biting on the TdF carrot again. Giro, refresh is the way to go. Romain needs what Pinot got: less media, race days, have fun, be in the mix without being the best of the rest, a super Meintjes. Win. Bardet is not used to winning. ITT training is huge, but winning from the front is what gives confidence.

 

[Red Rick]

If Bardet wants to win a big race next year he should be all in on the Olympics and Worlds.

 

[Alexandre B.]

If Bardet wants to win a big race next year he should be all in on the Olympics and Worlds.

These two races are his top priorities for 2020.

So I think (and hope) that he'll race the Giro for GC and maybe race the Tour for stage win(s).