Soudal - Quick Step Thread

[noob]

I wonder if it wasn't meant that Almeida should be at the front of that climb and possibly why he waved desperately (or whatever he did) to someone further back in the group.

In short, I wonder if Masnada was the one that should have been at that front according to the original tactics.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

So, after INEOS sitting there for most of the season it looks like DQS have topped the UCI rankings.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

So, after INEOS sitting there for most of the season it looks like DQS have topped the UCI rankings.

Every time i checked the past few weeks/months, it was DQT on top... Maybe i was checking PCS instead of UCI, not sure now.

 

[will-10]

I wonder if it wasn't meant that Almeida should be at the front of that climb and possibly why he waved desperately (or whatever he did) to someone further back in the group.

In short, I wonder if Masnada was the one that should have been at that front according to the original tactics.

Almeida was waving the motorbikes away.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Every time i checked the past few weeks/months, it was DQT on top... Maybe i was checking PCS instead of UCI, not sure now.

I think PCS. They were well ahead in that all season but around the time of the World Championships, Quickstep went ahead in UCI.
UCI rankings can fluctuate wildly as points can get deducted if the performance at the race was not as good as in last year's edition.
INEOS did well in the early part of the season as they won all those one week races where the Slovenians weren't riding

 

[noob]

I think PCS. They were well ahead in that all season but around the time of the World Championships, Quickstep went ahead in UCI.
UCI rankings can fluctuate wildly as points can get deducted if the performance at the race was not as good as in last year's edition.
INEOS did well in the early part of the season as they won all those one week races where the Slovenians weren't riding

Ineos also was pretty decent in the giro

 

[BlueRoads]

Deceuninck CEO takes swipe at Patrick Lefevere after switching sponsorship to Alpecin-Fenix

'We want to participate in women's cycling. We discussed that at QuickStep, but Patrick is Patrick'

www.cyclingnews.com

Didn't know where to put this, Alpecin don't have a thread?

Anyway, I thought this was not a ground-breaking, but a bit more detailed insight into a sponsor's thoughts about why to sponsor which team.

 

[Volderke]

Deceuninck CEO takes swipe at Patrick Lefevere after switching sponsorship to Alpecin-Fenix

'We want to participate in women's cycling. We discussed that at QuickStep, but Patrick is Patrick'

www.cyclingnews.com

Didn't know where to put this, Alpecin don't have a thread?

Anyway, I thought this was not a ground-breaking, but a bit more detailed insight into a sponsor's thoughts about why to sponsor which team.

Except it's only half the story.

 

[yaco]

It's straight forward - Lefevre does want the sponsor wants or the sponsor walks away.

It seems that Ineos is now the pariah of the peleton.

 

[Boes]

Cav signed for another year according to Lefevre in 'het nieuwsblad'

 

[Volderke]

It's straight forward - Lefevre does want the sponsor wants or the sponsor walks away.

It's the other way around though. Lefevere has what he wants, but from another sponsor.

 

[BlueRoads]

Except it's only half the story.

Of course it's one-sided, but still I think it's serious in what they were looking for: not a major commitment to a GC hunt, but a smaller one with less risk to fail but a broader base (winter and women).

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

lol, that Deceuninck CEO seems even more petty than Lefevere, hahaha.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Except it's only half the story.

I realise that you feel an automatic need to defend Lefevere, but it’s not even clear what you are defending him from here. The Deceuninck boss described a clear divergence of aims and priorities between sponsor and team. Are you suggesting that Lefevere isnt aiming for a GT win, that he does in fact want to set up a women’s team or that he’s about to set up a cyclocross operation?

 

[Volderke]

I realise that you feel an automatic need to defend Lefevere, but it’s not even clear what you are defending him from here. The Deceuninck boss described a clear divergence of aims and priorities between sponsor and team. Are you suggesting that Lefevere isnt aiming for a GT win, that he does in fact want to set up a women’s team or that he’s about to set up a cyclocross operation?

Are you suggesting that the sponsor is the driving force in changing teams…? And the sponsor isn’t spinning the PR story a bit so their loss of the quickstep team looks a bit better for the outside world? Ofcourse Deceuninck is happy to sponsor MvdP, a women’s team and have more exposure through CX summer and winter, but there is a fine line between choosing your plan A and having to choose plan B.
Deceuninck has plan B, and while it’s not a bad deal at all, CN claims that Deceuninck choose plan A because it serves their anti PL agenda. I’m not a PL fan but have more info about the team than CN ever is going to get. The only thing CN has, is a PL voodoo doll full of needles, and a picture of him on their darts board.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

December 6th they will do their usual team camp in Calpe.
Some (?) of them will be going to Tenerife a few weeks later, to return to Calpe after one or two weeks.

 

[Bonimenier]

Cavagna and Vansevenant were involved in an accident on training camp. Broken vertebra for Cavagna and broken thumb for Vansevenant.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Cavagna and Vansevenant were involved in an accident on training camp. Broken vertebra for Cavagna and broken thumb for Vansevenant.

I would give your post a thumbs up, but i feel that would somehow be insensitive towards Mauri.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Jason Osborne, a QS stagiaire in 2021, does not get a QS contract for 2022.

He actually rode strongly in his stagiaire months. I think it‘s sad he did not get a contract for 2022.

Now that Engoulvent (few years ago) and Gaudin (after 2021) have retired, there is only MVDP with pretty shoulders in the WT. Osborne would have been the second current WT rider with pretty shoulders.

Maybe the reason Osborne did not get a 2022 QS contract is Osbornes quite unfriendly facial expression. He almost never seems to laugh, and mostly looks a bit „unfriendly“…

I think he is probably stronger than, for example, Stijn Steels. Osborne, however, of course lacks experience in pro road races.

 

[RedheadDane]

Now that Engoulvent (few years ago) and Gaudin (after 2021) have retired, there is only MVDP with pretty shoulders in the WT. Osborne would have been the second current WT rider with pretty shoulders.

Ah, yes. Those all important shoulders.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

The shoulder look is undoubtedly the most important thing in a cycling race. We don’t need all that boring racing thing.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Does that mean that Adrien Petit is now the man with the 2nd most handsome shoulders in the WT?

 

[Wvv]

Jason Osborne, a QS stagiaire in 2021, does not get a QS contract for 2022.

He actually rode strongly in his stagiaire months. I think it‘s sad he did not get a contract for 2022.

Now that Engoulvent (few years ago) and Gaudin (after 2021) have retired, there is only MVDP with pretty shoulders in the WT. Osborne would have been the second current WT rider with pretty shoulders.

Maybe the reason Osborne did not get a 2022 QS contract is Osbornes quite unfriendly facial expression. He almost never seems to laugh, and mostly looks a bit „unfriendly“…

I think he is probably stronger than, for example, Stijn Steels. Osborne, however, of course lacks experience in pro road races.

No other team that would be interested in signing him?

 

[BlueRoads]

If I was allowed to discuss rider's looks here I would say something about those shoulders NOT being pretty while riding a bike! They are way too huge.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Petit‘s are not bad - I agree. They don‘t look super-super spectacular, but they look good.