Today would have been a perfect day to utilize the move that Pogačar made had he had a full team. Just him attacking was never going to work. Even Landis (yeah, yeah I know) had a number of his Phonak teammates to soften the race and to launch him into orbit so far from the finish. Pogačar isn’t as good as he was last year, but he needs teammates, regardless how good he is and how strong the other GC men are.
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UAE needs more investments in the team, a co-leader would be an interesting solution. I'd say they need at least one strong all-rounder/ITT specialist and 2 mountain goats. The guys like Hirshi shouldn't be included in the Tour team.
Almeida would have been very useful.
Not as a co-leader or as a domestique but as a second GC rider targeting top 5. His presence high up in GC would always give Jumbo something else to watch & chase. They could have taken Ayuso as well if he'd prepared for the Tour.
In the end this is a very weak UAE team, made even weaker by Covid. Add the fact Vingegaard looked like he was on a casual Sunday ride on Pogacar's wheel yesterday (& on Alpe D'Huez) & Pog has an almighty uphill struggle to win this Tour against a rider who looks to be his equal (& maybe even stronger, which is crazy) & Jumbo's armada.
Dream thought; the third week contains a mini Flanders course to kind of bookend the PR one. Pogacar obviously drops Vingegaard. Can WVA keep him within two minutes?
But who are those guys on the market today? I don't know about them. Between Jumbo and Ineos the best gt support is on contract. Tadej seems to be in the Contador dilemma. His best mountain dom is even a certain polish rider past his prime, once Contador's leading mountain support. The real problem has been Tadej himself this time. He had a bad day at the worst moment, otherwise he finishes with Vingegaard on the Glandon and is still in the lead. If the bad climb was because of tactical and feeding mistakes on the Galibier that day, then unfortunately he only has himself to blame and he may well have lost this Tour because of it. Sure when it's all said and done, whatever the final outcome, if UAE wants to provide better support for Pogacar then it needs to invest in more fire power. The trouble will be in finding a new generation of riders fit for that task it can develop as Jumbo has done.
Yet Almeida was promissed a GT for himself, thus if that prospect doesn't change he won't be prepared to go for Tour gc, but at best only super dom capacity. For he won't have 2 GTs going for gc in him in one season. Ayuso for the next couple of years, however, could be developed into a great asset at the Tour for the team.
I mentioned on another thread that it also could be a sh*tshow if there are winds and bad riding. It happens quickly when sprinter teams need that only Tour win. As long as Vingo has a team bubble he should be OK. Output should be less jumpy which can be theraputic in a stage race. Tadej will have to guess and freelance to make much of it and he's better off chilling, too. Unless he makes a surprise break he's got to guess right on every effort or risk being swept back by a JV train.
If you by mini Flanders mean some sort of Benelux Tour style stage with Muur van Geraardsbergen, then very easily. I don't even think Vingegaard needs Van Aert for that.
I hope that super glue does not work in hard rain 
Waiting patiently for final week carnage
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/procycletrumps/status/1548371976498032642
Waiting patiently for final week carnage
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/procycletrumps/status/1548371976498032642
I think differently.
If Vingegaard is affected by the crash this Tour is over. He went down hard today
If Vingegaard is affected by the crash this Tour is over. He went down hard today
He seems to be using the opposite tactics of Armstrong. Much nicer guy. But he isn't really capitalizing on this personal trait. He rides with the same confidicene but even with a weakened Jumbo I don't see him bossing the field to do his bidding. Sometimes being the nice guy isn't a winners choice.
He for sure is affected. On this level any detail counts. Pogi just has to be patient for JV to finish their job.
It's not about Jumbo.
It's about Pogs entire package. If he's suddenly 2% better it's just leeway for Pog to go wherever he wants and increase the gap on descents and subsequent climbs with Vingegaards entire team evaporating overnight.
But Pogi likely won't be 2% better. To his usuall self. Not that half beaten version Rogla delivered to the last hill. Jonas might end up being 2% less good, though. As JV is working on that.
I’d take past-his-prime over the sulkily-sorta-doms-but-thinks-he-should-be-leader Majka that Contador had. As far as I can tell, he’s actually been quite good this Tour. Rode too hard on the Granon but I don’t think that was his fault.
Maybe Ineos will try to use numbers game on Pogi?
P.S. Only to lose the podium position after.
P.S. Only to lose the podium position after.
No, Wout is up the road cause he was promised the stage, Jumbo and stuff, googly googly.
Ineos will keep doing what they are doing, defend the podium with a team against lone rangers. I hope that Pog's team is serious and has a strategy. He needs it. There's work to do.
Tadej blew himself up, a bit like Merckx did in Pra-Loup in '75 a(nd lost Le Tour by 2'47"). There's a price to pay. One piece? Two pieces? Three pieces? How do you eat up the deficit? If someone can do it, he can do it.
Tadej blew himself up, a bit like Merckx did in Pra-Loup in '75 a(nd lost Le Tour by 2'47"). There's a price to pay. One piece? Two pieces? Three pieces? How do you eat up the deficit? If someone can do it, he can do it.
Outside of a 500m pull on a Paris Nice stage barely even remember Majka doing anything for Contador lol
Your point on available riders is well taken. The double problem is you need mature, experienced riders in GTs to manage the rough stuff and McNulty is a great example. He'll be that guy maybe next year and UAE will need two more. I'm having a flashback to saying this very thing a year or two ago.
The young guys are too busy stretching their wings and figuring out each new course so UAE will need to steal the support they need. They should go after Quinn Simmons and treat him like the next Wout. That shouldn't be a problem for that operation.
My memory of Majka’s “support” for Contador is painful. One stage when his leader crashed Mr Majka was gallivanting up the road for himself. Was that 2015? Not a team player. I sincerely hope Pog’s TdF doesn’t rely on Majka’s questionable support.
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