Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

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Sep 20, 2017
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Why?

Apart from Van Aert catching Covid, the outcome of the race was entirely the cause of Pogacar wielding his power.
With no Van Aert and QS at an all-time low, there wasn't a single team capable of shaping the race in any way with their numbers which is unusual for Ronde. Makes it a lot easier to brute force your way to a near-victory like Pogacar did. Having said that, the fact that he had that brute force to begin with means he's going to be a threat pretty much any year he targets the race, although he will need to find a way to either drop or outsprint both Van Aert and Van der Poel to convert that into a win.
 
Nov 16, 2013
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With no Van Aert and QS at an all-time low, there wasn't a single team capable of shaping the race in any way with their numbers which is unusual for Ronde. Makes it a lot easier to brute force your way to a near-victory like Pogacar did. Having said that, the fact that he had that brute force to begin with means he's going to be a threat pretty much any year he targets the race, although he will need to find a way to either drop or outsprint both Van Aert and Van der Poel to convert that into a win.

Fair enough. And Jumbo isn't only strengthened by Van Aert going into this year.

QuickStep will be interesting to see where they stand.
 
Feb 20, 2012
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Why?

Apart from Van Aert catching Covid, the outcome of the race was entirely the cause of Pogacar wielding his power.
Because if you ask me, Pog, MvdP, WvA, Alaphilippe and Evenepoel are the 5 best guys on that parcours, and 3 of them weren't there and 1 of them barely managed to scrape a peak together for de Ronde. Now Evenepoel doesn't appear likely to contest it in the near future, but the stars already aligned for him and he didn't win.

I do rate his chances to be in the 1st group again on any given year, but in a Ronde sprint field I really don't fancy his chances.
 
Sep 20, 2017
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Because if you ask me, Pog, MvdP, WvA, Alaphilippe and Evenepoel are the 5 best guys on that parcours, and 3 of them weren't there and 1 of them barely managed to scrape a peak together for de Ronde.
Absolutely not, Evenepoel doesn't go well on the cobbles at all. Even those in Brabantse Pijl were enough to sink him last year.
 
Nov 16, 2013
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Because if you ask me, Pog, MvdP, WvA, Alaphilippe and Evenepoel are the 5 best guys on that parcours, and 3 of them weren't there and 1 of them barely managed to scrape a peak together for de Ronde. Now Evenepoel doesn't appear likely to contest it in the near future, but the stars already aligned for him and he didn't win.

I do rate his chances to be in the 1st group again on any given year, but in a Ronde sprint field I really don't fancy his chances.

Asgreen is absolutely better than Alaphilippe and Remco on that parcours.
 
Apr 13, 2021
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Because if you ask me, Pog, MvdP, WvA, Alaphilippe and Evenepoel are the 5 best guys on that parcours, and 3 of them weren't there and 1 of them barely managed to scrape a peak together for de Ronde. Now Evenepoel doesn't appear likely to contest it in the near future, but the stars already aligned for him and he didn't win.

I do rate his chances to be in the 1st group again on any given year, but in a Ronde sprint field I really don't fancy his chances.
The best 5 are MVDP, Pogacar, Alaphilippe, Asgreen, and Van baarle
 
Feb 20, 2012
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Asgreen is absolutely better than Alaphilippe and Remco on that parcours.
Absolutely not, Evenepoel doesn't go well on the cobbles at all. Even those in Brabantse Pijl were enough to sink him last year.
With Evenepoels results on moderately hilly parcourses I don't buy at all that what little cobbles de Ronde has would prohibit him from winning.

Asgreen over Alaphilippe could be okay I guess. But Asgreen was also mighty *** last year so that point still stands.
 
Sep 20, 2017
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With Evenepoels results on moderately hilly parcourses I don't buy at all that what little cobbles de Ronde has would prohibit him from winning.
However, Evenepoel himself very much buys it
It was a day to forget. It was really difficult. I have learned that I don’t want to do the Flemish classics. Here [in Brabantse Pijl] I already struggled with two cobbled sectors, in Vlaanderen there are so much more.
But I’m sure you know more about Evenepoel’s potential in Ronde than he himself does…
 
Feb 20, 2012
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However, Evenepoel himself very much buys it

But I’m sure you know more about Evenepoel’s potential in Ronde than he himself does…
I'm probablay #1 on this forum for thinking I know better than the riders, so...

To me all it says is he's not a natural on the cobbles and he was super tilted cause he was used to everything else being easy.

He also used to be a complete meme descender until this year happened and there was no problem.
 

l'Equipe are quite sure he will do the unfathomable double of Strade > Paris-Nice, and that his presence in the latter is to remain a secret between UAE and ASO for God knows what reason(s).
 
Nov 16, 2013
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l'Equipe are quite sure he will do the unfathomable double of Strade > Paris-Nice, and that his presence in the latter is to remain a secret between UAE and ASO for God knows what reason(s).

That would be a nice variation of his usual schedule.
 
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