Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[James M]

Tour team looks good with Soler, Del Toro, Yates, Wellens and McNulty.

Add Sivakov and Politt... you have have a team with a ton of experience.

Obsessing over it in Feb is just hilarious.

Same thing last year on this topic by same culprint, no matter how ridiculous it looked compared to reality on the road when guys like Wellens, narvaez can isolate the entire peloton literally 3v1 for pog in both dauphine and tdf with their best dnf even. Im sorry but its getting to a point where its tiresome when its this made believed.

Next thing we gonne hear is Sivakov of all people is disloyal cause he got sick, why make up stuff theres no need.

Are we complaining about UAE will have the best climbing team in the Giro while taking on a superior rider in Jonas while simultaneously Pogacar will have the best support above all in the Tour? Exactly what are we crying over at this point besides just crying is what I wonder?

 

[KoopaCycling]

money, money, money must be funny, in the rich man's world

 

[hayneplane]

PCS just added Narváez to Giro.

This means that in the Giro, Almeida will have Jay Vine, and Yates and Narváez with fresh legs. Will UAE have a better mountain team than in the Tour? Nonsense.

With Vingegaard, in my opinion, it's a wastting efforts. Jay Vine and Yates aer enough. Almeida isn't going to beat a Vingegaard fresher than he was in the Vuelta. They're taking too many risks with injuries for the Tour, where they're favorites, not in the Giro.

Could see it as a sign of confidence both in the chances of Almeida at the Giro and of Pogacar not needing too much around him. Also a 4D chess move in terms of making the Giro harder potentially for Vingegaard although tactically this doesn’t work with Almeida in the way his rocket launcher leadout would with Del Toro.

 

[Cycling111]

Same thing last year on this topic by same culprint, no matter how ridiculous it looked compared to reality on the road when guys like Wellens, narvaez can isolate the entire peloton literally 3v1 for pog in both dauphine and tdf with their best dnf even. Im sorry but its getting to a point where its tiresome when its this made believed.

Next thing we gonne hear is Sivakov of all people is disloyal cause he got sick, why make up stuff theres no need.

Are we complaining about UAE will have the best climbing team in the Giro while taking on a superior rider in Jonas while simultaneously Pogacar will have the best support above all in the Tour? Exactly what are we crying over at this point besides just crying is what I wonder?

My comments are ridiculous, unlike saying Almeida was going to be superior to Vingegaard. Remember that?

 

[KoopaCycling]

My comments are ridiculous, unlike saying Almeida was going to be superior to Vingegaard. Remember that?

What surely never

 

[James M]

My comments are ridiculous, unlike saying Almeida was going to be superior to Vingegaard. Remember that?

Its only an issue when you just make things up for no reason, just why. You can ask anyone who was involved in that I never said that. Why youre creating your own take on that in your head, I really dont know why.

Saying someone was going to be close to someone more so than he was Pog (like he was) is not the same as saying Almeida were gonne be superior to Vingeaard ?Theres a huge difference in that notion..Surely you gotte see that?

You complain about some Remco fans when when they dont stick to objective facts, follow ur own advice, Ive tried now with good intentions take that as you want, im gonne mute you too if it keeps up its just tiresome and pointless nothing else and surely you gotte see the reasoning its becoming a broken clock on this.

 

[Salvarani]

Could see it as a sign of confidence both in the chances of Almeida at the Giro and of Pogacar not needing too much around him. Also a 4D chess move in terms of making the Giro harder potentially for Vingegaard although tactically this doesn’t work with Almeida in the way his rocket launcher leadout would with Del Toro.

UAE are just strong enough to field two good teams at both GTs.

Like if Soler, Yates, Del Toro, Wellens, McNulty and possibly Sivakov + Politt... is deemed as not needing much... I completely give up. I can only laugh at that. Not saying you are suggesting that, but how this conversation started.

Making it a big deal about Vine + Narvaez going to Giro with Almeida... is such a nonsense thing to discuss looking at the team that is still going to the Tour.

 

[hayneplane]

UAE are just strong enough to field two good teams at both GTs.

Like if Soler, Yates, Del Toro, Wellens, McNulty and possibly Sivakov + Politt... is deemed as not needing much... I completely give up. I can only laugh at that. Not saying you are suggesting that, but how this conversation started.

Making it a big deal about Vine + Narvaez going to Giro with Almeida... is such a nonsense thing to discuss looking at the team that is still going to the Tour.

On form over the past 2 years then Vine+Narvaez>>Sivakov+Soler however as you rightly say they are all high quality riders that will give UAE the strongest team no matter which combination is selected.

 

[Salvarani]

On form over the past 2 years then Vine+Narvaez>>Sivakov+Soler however as you rightly say they are all high quality riders that will give UAE the strongest team no matter which combination is selected.

Vine and Narvaez has a high ceiling but also been inconsistent and had problems. Crash prone.

Comparing them to Soler and Sivakov is wrong as they dont even have the same type of roles on the team or how they function in it. I would never exclude them two in favor of Vine and Narvaez.

Soler and Sivakov are two of the best doms in cycling. The disrespect and overlooking them has been strange in here. Been going on for too long. Two riders that should be automatic picks for the Tour for as long as they can be at current level, with probably Politt and Wellens as well.

The last three places... any combination of Almeida, Yates, Narvaez, Vine, McNulty, Del Toro... you cant really go wrong with.

I think it makes good sense in how they are setting up the team for both GTs, from what I see.

 

[Tim Cahill]

I was a little put out thinking The Tour was over after the last two seasons one-sided affairs, but reading exclusively on this thread that Johnny Narvaez isn't there I'm concerned now that he might not even top 10, looking around worriedly for Almeida with tears in his eyes, completely flabbergasted and spinning the pedals backwards because he doesn't know what direction clockwise is with nobody around to show him, as Louis Barre passes him easily on a shallow rise.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

If they sent him to the tour with a support team of Luke plap, Marc soler's dad, stijn vandenberg, Sam welsford, urska zigart, Lev Roglic and that guy who crashed Jonas in training, he'd still win.

 

[Red Rick]

If they sent him to the tour with a support team of Luke plap, Marc soler's dad, stijn vandenberg, Sam welsford, urska zigart, Lev Roglic and that guy who crashed Jonas in training, he'd still win.

I'm not so sure.

I think Lev may remember PdbF.

 

[rafa92]

del toro will be the key for MSR, what he did today was super impressive and shows he has probably improved. For cipressa at this point he has the key attributes to launch pogacar, because he can easily maintain an high pace for 3-4 minutes and then put down a huge acceleration. Only problem is positioning, last years he was useless in MSR, this year he's the only chance for pogacar

 

[Tim Cahill]

del toro will be the key for MSR, what he did today was super impressive and shows he has probably improved. For cipressa at this point he has the key attributes to launch pogacar, because he can easily maintain an high pace for 3-4 minutes and then put down a huge acceleration. Only problem is positioning, last years he was useless in MSR, this year he's the only chance for pogacar

Yes agreed, this time last year, positioning wise and also relative to power profile I don't think he was quite ready to be last man, but now watching that finish, the improvement has been so drastic that it almost now seems a waste to use him in that role. I'm curious to see how it's affected his climbing actually, whether there has been a trade-off or if this is just a generalised power improvement.

The goal of Ineos and Alpecin's teams should be to find ways to disrupt Del Toro and Wellens as much as possible going into the Cipressa. Their best chance is to affect the positioning of the UAE team, and the leadouts perhaps by bombing the Tre Capi descents and valleys and sending people back to block.

 

[Netserk]

Yes agreed, this time last year, positioning wise and also relative to power profile I don't think he was quite ready to be last man, but now watching that finish, the improvement has been so drastic that it almost now seems a waste to use him in that role. I'm curious to see how it's affected his climbing actually, whether there has been a trade-off or if this is just a generalised power improvement.

The goal of Ineos and Alpecin's teams should be to find ways to disrupt Del Toro and Wellens as much as possible going into the Cipressa. Their best chance is to affect the positioning of the UAE team, and the leadouts perhaps by bombing the Tre Capi descents and valleys and sending people back to block.

last year went as badly for uae at the entrance of cipressa as possible, i wouldnt count on that repeating, even if they get bossed around again

they should rather have someone like oliveira with the sole role of positioning for cipressa than someone like politt or novak

 

[Cycling111]

del toro will be the key for MSR, what he did today was super impressive and shows he has probably improved. For cipressa at this point he has the key attributes to launch pogacar, because he can easily maintain an high pace for 3-4 minutes and then put down a huge acceleration. Only problem is positioning, last years he was useless in MSR, this year he's the only chance for pogacar

I don't think he's a better launcher than Narvaez.The problem is the team's poor positioning. If they did well with Narváez, that would be enough. As the last launcher, I prefer Narvaez because of his experience (and Del Toro problems over 200km), and Del Toro can't pull before him, he'd leave Narváez coocked.

San Remo is a less demanding race, but unless he's improved, Del Toro is an improved version of Ayuso. He's very good for one-week races and moderately difficult mountain stages, but he struggles with long distances and accumulated fatigue and mountains.

Although, if he didn't have that problem, I think I'd still choose Narvaez.

I agree with the last comment. A rider like Oliveira is better for this race than a climber who positions himself poorly or arrives fatigued at kilometer 200.

 

[Cycling111]

It looks like McNulty will finally replace Narvaez.I´d have replaced him for Soler.

It´s obvious that UAE considers Vine's accidents a problem for the french roads because otherwise they would take him to the Tour, especially this year with the TTT.
That day they can be surpassed by BORA, Visma and LIDL. But it's a good team for the mountain, and McNulty is better than Narvaez for the flat.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2023743030117765256

View: https://x.com/lucasaganronald/status/2023743030117765256

 

[Salvarani]

As I expected and said.

 

[Cycling111]

Narvaez's launch last year was decisive at Hautacam.
I suppose Del Toro will take on that role this year, although we'll see how they handle it because I also imagine they'll give Del Toro freedom for the white jersey. It's UAE, theylways make those promises.

 

[Unchained]

I was a little put out thinking The Tour was over after the last two seasons one-sided affairs, but reading exclusively on this thread that Johnny Narvaez isn't there I'm concerned now that he might not even top 10, looking around worriedly for Almeida with tears in his eyes, completely flabbergasted and spinning the pedals backwards because he doesn't know what direction clockwise is with nobody around to show him, as Louis Barre passes him easily on a shallow rise.

It also looks like broken vertebra reports were a little overblown if Narvaez is on schedule for the Giro.

 

[Lequack]

 

[Cycling111]

For now, team's performance hasn't been good at ITT.
They were average in the Mallorca TTT, although they weren't the best team. In UAE Tour bad, although Del Toro seemed to have a mover wind .

Today was disastrous, with McNulty's mechanical issue as an asterisk. But the fact that the first UAE rider was beaten by the third rider from LIDL, who is a rider from their development team, is striking.

They have a lot of work to do for the Tour de France TTT. I rule them out as having any chance of winning; teams like BORA and LIDL seem far superior in this discipline, and Visma is also very good.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

For now, team's performance hasn't been good at ITT.
They were average in the Mallorca TTT, although they weren't the best team. In UAE Tour bad, although Del Toro seemed to have a mover wind .

Today was disastrous, with McNulty's mechanical issue as an asterisk. But the fact that the first UAE rider was beaten by the third rider from LIDL, who is a rider from their development team, is striking.

They have a lot of work to do for the Tour de France TTT. I rule them out as having any chance of winning; teams like BORA and LIDL seem far superior in this discipline, and Visma is also very good.

What kind of TTT will it be? Each rider with indivicual time? If so Pogi can smash the last two hills (one with superdoms probably) and limit the losses to absolute minimum.

 

[Cycling111]

What kind of TTT will it be? Each rider with indivicual time? If so Pogi can smash the last two hills (one with superdoms probably) and limit the losses to absolute minimum.

It's the same format as Paris-Nice. But the team will need to perform well to avoid starting at a significant disadvantage in the stage´s final part

 

[Krzysztof_O]

It's the same format as Paris-Nice. But the team will need to perform well to avoid starting at a significant disadvantage in the final stages.

I think the difference in the TTT on that 15 km flat section will be moderate at most and then Pog will reduce it at the end. Final stages? Pogacar will want to decide the race on stage 6 already and I don't know if anyone will be able to weather the storm (Vingo might).