Slavique Nuke
BANNED
Did you think in April 2021 that Vingegaard would be in contention for the TdF podium? And don't forget Jorgensen already won this year's Paris-Nice.
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Slavique Nuke
BANNED
Time for a bump.
Current GC in the Dauphiné with one stage to go:
I get people saying "Kuss is a GT rider, not a one week racer" or "Kuss has never been on form just before the Tour". Fine, soit.
But this is a whole different level of suckage to levels unseen, i.e. certainly when he isn't even riding in support of anyone (which was mainly the reason why he'd ship serious time in some stages, i.e. riding support for Vinge or Rog).
I've been following this rider for 5 years now & I can't remember him ever being this bad.
Current GC in the Dauphiné with one stage to go:
| 38 | 42 | ▲4 | KUSS Sepp | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 30:55 |
I get people saying "Kuss is a GT rider, not a one week racer" or "Kuss has never been on form just before the Tour". Fine, soit.
But this is a whole different level of suckage to levels unseen, i.e. certainly when he isn't even riding in support of anyone (which was mainly the reason why he'd ship serious time in some stages, i.e. riding support for Vinge or Rog).
I've been following this rider for 5 years now & I can't remember him ever being this bad.
The whole supply of gummiberry juice being given to someone else, as we speak...
I mean... he's giving me some serious "Andy Schleck late career paniagua" vibes.
Or maybe he's just burned out? There's a point where alarm bells need to go off, surely? He's gone from GT Monster to Froome in 8 months.
Who wants to bet? Not that I have any currency here but I'll go ahead anyway: I think he's got a serious problem & no, I don't think everything is fine.
This isn't 'normal' Kuss suckage like in previous years in a one week race (like back in 2021 when he finished the Dauphiné 13 minutes down), this is literally "Kuss is sh*t".
He climbed that last col today like someone dragging a huge sack of potatoes.
What exactly is your theory? Is he removed from team's doping program, switching teams, facing burnout or suffering from mental issues?
Nothing overly dramatic or ''conspiracy' like, actually.
I think doing 3 GT's exhausted him physically & mentally. I don't think 'the program' is entirely a magic bullet, i.e. a rider still needs to do the training, the dieting & all the rest. He's also been married now for a couple of years as well.
He just strikes me as a very unhappy person on the bike... & off it as well tbh. He displays absolutely zero zest, enthusiasm or zeal for his job. Remember the smiley Kuss from a couple of years ago? Yeah, he's MIA.
Slavique Nuke
BANNED
Vingegaard was 45 minutes from the winner in the 2021 Dauphiné and finished second in the Tour. There is still plenty of time for Kuss to start glowing green in the dark.
As I posted in the race thread, it was mentioned yesterday that he had been sick and had done very little volume training for a couple weeks leading into this race.
Everyone who doesn't perform is always sick or has problems according to 'the team'.
Kuss literally exploded in Catalunya when his team thought he was fine & Kruijswijk was pulling on the front for him.
It's hardly rocket science or armchair psychology. The dude is literally a picture of glumness on the bike & off it.
Compare that to Kuss in previous years & sure, I notice the difference.
Slavique Nuke
BANNED
His "team" didn't say it. Take a look at his Strava going back a couple weeks. Other than a couple big rides spread apart, he hasn't ridden much. And yes, he does post all of his rides minus the power.
Edit: he has done a fair amount of climbing, even in his shorter rides. Maybe the announcer was full of crap.
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Vingegaard did finish second in Les Gets behind the legendary Mark Padun. So he wasn't totally anonymous, i.e. he did stretch his legs a little.
Plus a little context helps insofar as Vingegaard was designated as Jumbo's "secret weapon" in the 2021 TdF to crack Pog via two pronged attacks with Rog. Aka they were keeping him under wraps on purpose.
Meanwhile why would Kuss be riding around like a geriatric since September last year? I don't know (no one really does) but I seriously doubt he'll be miraculously fine in 3 weeks time.
Slavique Nuke
BANNED
Kuss' strava - https://www.strava.com/pros/254096 He did the same preparation in Granada as Jorgensen
See my edit above. The announcer was probably full of crap.
Slavique Nuke
BANNED
Wait until tomorrow, maybe he is saving himself to finish second behind the legend Derek Gee.
Btw, my guess is that the team knows that Vingegaard is in pretty decent shape and they doesn't want Kuss wasting energy in this race. He will bring his usual super-domestique form in the Tour.
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This is my prediction for now as well.
1. Kuss will magically find his climbing legs during the Tour.
2. Fisherman will resurrect from serious injury into "show the world..." level.
3. Pogacar - fresh as a daisy after the fastest Giro in the history will appear as a genetic freak.
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