State of the peloton 2022

[Riek s]

Just something Pog related:



He hasn't done an individual time trial in competition since early March (Tirreno). I'm maybe way off the mark here but looking back at all previous TdF winners (Pog included), that seems like an eternity for someone who is favorite to win the TdF (& do well in the ITT's as well... or even smash them).

Dauphiné ITT, Suisse ITT, Romandie ITT & national championship ITT etc. are the usual warm-up races for TdF contenders & winners. It always seemed 'normal' (as much as stuff can be normal in the pro peloton) for Tour contenders to at least test their TT equipment, positioning etc. in an actual race before the TdF.

But as Pog apparently isn't doing the Slovenian National Championships, he's going into the Tour with very little time on the TT bike in a real race this year.

It could be nothing but I still find this unusual.

Isn't Pog also said to not train a TT oriented position on the TT bike since he favours to have more power instead of Aerodynamics?
I thought that was the explanation that was given when a roflstomped Roglic in the final ITT.

Same jubberish as Wiggens being better @ 90% for a whole year then peaking..

 

[Rackham]

Yeah, it's a long time indeed and he's done only 22 km of TTs this year on top of that

The final 40km ITT is the day before Paris.

My bet? Pog & his team believe they'll A/have won already & B/It'll be down to recuperation anyway.

It's just the TT is a very special discipline in cycling which we're told requires a huge amount of work (wind tunnel testing, equipment, positioning etc.).

It's also the part of Pog's arsenal which shows the highest & lowest spikes in terms of performance. If he was any other rider I'd say he should struggle in the TdF in the ITT (because that would make sense, based on his form so far this year & lack of prior TT racing), but as others have posted, I suspect the complete opposite will happen.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

It's also the part of Pog's arsenal which shows the highest & lowest spikes in terms of performance. If he was any other rider I'd say he should struggle in the TdF in the ITT (because that would make sense, based on his form so far this year & lack of prior TT racing), but as others have posted, I suspect the complete opposite will happen.

Pog only did short dead flat TTs this year and he did them really well even mentioning that he had his best ever TT watts. Obviously on a rolling TT these watts will be even more valuable in his case. Plus we don't know if he didn't practise TT during training (it's possible, opposite to stage races one doesn't need a company in this case).

 

[BR2]

Let's be honest, Pogacar doesn't need any special training, he does have some other special stuff. Or maybe he's just a super responder, anyway. What he did in training or some prep races doesn't matter.

 

[Ripper]

Pog only did short dead flat TTs this year and he did them really well even mentioning that he had his best ever TT watts. Obviously on a rolling TT these watts will be even more valuable in his case. Plus we don't know if he didn't practise TT during training (it's possible, opposite to stage races one doesn't need a company in this case).

And dope

 

[Rackham]

And dope

Yeah, this is what I'm getting at.

His time trialling is the obvious elephant in the room. A bit like Contador in 2009. Basically a mundane "okay" TT rider becomes God at the TdF when he's juicing it. Pog's TT is mundane as well... except in the TdF.

It's a shame really because even just for the sake of appearances he should put more effort into the overall 'presentation' of himself as the new superman of modern cycling, instead of leaving these "WTF" isms which have no explanation other than clinical.

 

[Ripper]

Yeah, this is what I'm getting at.

His time trialling is the obvious elephant in the room. A bit like Contador in 2009. Basically a mundane "okay" TT rider becomes God at the TdF when he's juicing it. Pog's TT is mundane as well... except in the TdF.

It's a shame really because even just for the sake of appearances he should put more effort into the overall 'presentation' of himself as the new superman of modern cycling, instead of leaving these "WTF" isms which have no explanation other than clinical.

I'm anticipating whatever level of BS the team wants to spout. I'm also anticipating he will obliterate everyone, even after sandbagging in Slovenia.

For what it is worth, I think everyone who does well in a time trial does some training on their time trial bike. That includes van der Poel. But that doesn't change your point about less amazing time trial results in other events during the year. I simply don't buy what Pogacar and UAE are selling.

 

[roundabout]

His less amazing time trial results are 3rd and 4th on power courses in WT level stage races this year.

Many riders would like to be this "mundane" .

 

[Ripper]

His less amazing time trial results are 3rd and 4th on power courses in WT level stage races this year.

Many riders would like to be this "mundane" .

He doesn't need to practice time trials, he just wills himself faster than everyone else, and then smiles and plays rock paper scissors. It's all good, there's absolutely nothing to see here

 

[roundabout]

He doesn't need to practice time trials, he just wills himself faster than everyone else, and then smiles and plays rock paper scissors. It's all good, there's absolutely nothing to see here

Is there anything to suggest that he doesn't train time trials?

 

[Ripper]

Is there anything to suggest that he doesn't train time trials?

If you read my previous post, you will see I state "I think everyone who does well in a time trial does some training on their time trial bike" and that I don't believe what riders or their teams say

 

[Mayomaniac]

Lutsenko looks like a shell of the classics rider turned gc rider that we saw last season. Maybe it's related to people not getting payed regularly at Astana atm, but with him being their big Kazakh star he's probably one of the few who's still getting his money on a regular basis.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Yeah, this is what I'm getting at.

His time trialling is the obvious elephant in the room. A bit like Contador in 2009. Basically a mundane "okay" TT rider becomes God at the TdF when he's juicing it. Pog's TT is mundane as well... except in the TdF.

It's a shame really because even just for the sake of appearances he should put more effort into the overall 'presentation' of himself as the new superman of modern cycling, instead of leaving these "WTF" isms which have no explanation other than clinical.

I think we all forgot that he did a 50 km ITT at Strade Such a performance should be enough in France.

 

[Scarponi]

Just something Pog related:



He hasn't done an individual time trial in competition since early March (Tirreno). I'm maybe way off the mark here but looking back at all previous TdF winners (Pog included), that seems like an eternity for someone who is favorite to win the TdF (& do well in the ITT's as well... or even smash them).

Dauphiné ITT, Suisse ITT, Romandie ITT & national championship ITT etc. are the usual warm-up races for TdF contenders & winners. It always seemed 'normal' (as much as stuff can be normal in the pro peloton) for Tour contenders to at least test their TT equipment, positioning etc. in an actual race before the TdF.

But as Pog apparently isn't doing the Slovenian National Championships, he's going into the Tour with very little time on the TT bike in a real race this year.

It could be nothing but I still find this unusual.

Might have to request a 18km TT or so next year in Tour of Slovenia

 

[Scarponi]

Yeah, this is what I'm getting at.

His time trialling is the obvious elephant in the room. A bit like Contador in 2009. Basically a mundane "okay" TT rider becomes God at the TdF when he's juicing it. Pog's TT is mundane as well... except in the TdF.

It's a shame really because even just for the sake of appearances he should put more effort into the overall 'presentation' of himself as the new superman of modern cycling, instead of leaving these "WTF" isms which have no explanation other than clinical.

Contador holding off Cadel Evans in the TDF was already a bit of joke tbh

 

[Ripper]

I think we all forgot that he did a 50 km ITT at Strade Such a performance should be enough in France.

Those are the best! Nothing says supercharger like solo time trials that obliterate a peloton that is actually motivated to catch you.

 

[Extinction]

The state of the peleton is simply as it has always been, with more sophistication only preparing for the worst.

 

[pastronef]

check THIS about Vayer-Festinaboy and his pals. send it to everyone you know

In Cycling Veritas

Un chemin pour la vérité

incyclingveritas.wordpress.com

 

[markene2]

Lutsenko looks like a shell of the classics rider turned gc rider that we saw last season. Maybe it's related to people not getting payed regularly at Astana atm, but with him being their big Kazakh star he's probably one of the few who's still getting his money on a regular basis.

Thats more due to the fact that he cant stop crashing. Really strong during the start of the season. Lost his entire classic season due to a broken collarbone, and also crashed so hard that he ruined his entire suisse race. If he stays upright during the tour i expect a 5-7th in gc.

 

[pastronef]

2nd part of the Vayer-Festinaboy hoax saga https://incyclingveritas.wordpress.com/

 

[PhiLiz]

2nd part of the Vayer-Festinaboy hoax saga https://incyclingveritas.wordpress.com/

Finished reading everything.
Vayer is a joke and has been one for a while now but this guy is clearly overstating what he made them do. Aside from the AK47 tweet, he didn't got anything else aside from speculation.

That being said, and believing everything is true, the same way Vayer is ready to commit unethical acts in the name of his "French cleanz, others dirty" agenda, this guy is also clearly trying to throw some shade on them to serve his agenda: that any concern that might be raised is due to some nationalistic fervor and not out of wanting to fight doping.

Furthermore, the big hit here, that he "caused" the Bahrain investigation, has zero to do with the exchange they had which puts me on the back foot immediately.

 

[offbyone]

Reading about the big covid testing day...So if they now have protocols/staff to test everyone for covid, will that procedure carry over to doping control protocols?
Will the future be covid, doping, etc all in one process?

 

[ppanther92]

Reading about the big covid testing day...So if they now have protocols/staff to test everyone for covid, will that procedure carry over to doping control protocols?
Will the future be covid, doping, etc all in one process?

No one gets popped by tests anyway. Doping that is.

 

[Fergoose]

Pretty encouraged by the scenes at the end of the stage today. There was a lot of very good actors there looking authentically shattered and yet again this year, the stage won by a rider who appeared to have been emphatically dropped (i.e. the stage win was completely out of his hand). Obviously, if it was extremely hot that would be a contributing factor but I remain optimistic that a high percentage of the peloton aren't doing anything illegal to an extent that is radically transforming their performances.

 

[Riek s]

7 people doing sub 40min alpe duez is rather impressive. The time of 39:10 doesn't really seem impressive, but if you consider this was basically the tempo of Thomas. The other 2 could easily have gone faster.

Rather impressive given the everyone faster then those 3 is from before 2006. (Landis & Klöden) an ITT in 2004 (Lance & Ullrich), Lance or the 90ties.