Rui is perfect for that.Molano is an interesting selection. Presumably they rate his sprinting as an attribute to help the team win or at least hold their own in the positioning battles for the first 5/6 cobbled sectors.
Rui is perfect for that.Molano is an interesting selection. Presumably they rate his sprinting as an attribute to help the team win or at least hold their own in the positioning battles for the first 5/6 cobbled sectors.
Just looked him up and was a DNS for DDV and not raced since so maybe he is ill.Rui is perfect for that.
I didn't see any news about that.Just looked him up and was a DNS for DDV and not raced since so maybe he is ill.
Nor me but realistically how often do you see news about the workhorse domestiques that do much of the unseen work before the cameras start.I didn't see any news about that.
I'm portuguese and our portuguese commentators on Eurosport talk regularly with our WT riders.Nor me but realistically how often do you see news about the workhorse domestiques that do much of the unseen work before the cameras start.
I expect the other Vermeersch will spend more time nearer the front of the race than Florian.Cant wait to see Vermeersch with Pog on sunday.Florian data looks promising.for all that money team performance is subpar around tadej.hopefully some day del toro/ ayuso can be monsters in tour next to tadej.pogacar is greatest atrition racer in history and his talents are wasted by just going solo all the time.
I don't think so. I think UAE will send Vermeersch in a strong break, before Arenberg.I expect the other Vermeersch will spend more time nearer the front of the race than Florian.
I think both will have a key influence on the shape of the race.I expect the other Vermeersch will spend more time nearer the front of the race than Florian.
Alpecin, Visma, UAE, Lidl are very good teams to be honest. What will decide the strongest are probably crashes.Florian looks in good form - he and Pollitt will be the key domestiques albeit of course Gianni is excellent for Alpecin too for this race
But competition was weaker (the difference between first and last was massive).It's often said that in Merckx' heyday the whole peloton rode all the same races to diminish him. Yet, is that actually true?
Even back then there were very few riders that could consistently combine GT wins and classic wins. Let alone combining cobbles with GT's.
They need to threat them with Nils and Florian.I'm curious to see what UAE will do to mess with Alpecin, specially with threats like Philipsen and MVP.
Alpecin has a deadly team. Gianni is also very good, I think the only chance of UAE is by being well positioned and a crash happens in front of Alpecin.They need to threat them with Nils and Florian.
And imho VDP will follow the attack depending on the part of the race.
If UAE can isolate him with Pog and Florian, then attack non-stop in every cobblestone sector.
Let's see the Hunger Games.
Alpecin has a deadly team. Gianni is also very good, I think the only chance of UAE is by being well positioned and a crash happens in front of Alpecin.
This is why I think Pogacar is a favorite to win PR. Not the biggest but I would put him in the top3. His engine is just superior, even comparing with guys like Ganna. He is a better TT rider b7t on a 260 km race, I would pick Pogacar any day.[content deleted]
In Pog we trust.
P-R is a war of attrition, not a race of sudden moves. The terrain may be flat, but the brutality is relentless. It’s not just the cobbles — it’s the mental and physical erosion, the constant tension, the bike handling under fatigue.
Pog’s endurance, resilience, and race IQ might be his biggest weapons here. He doesn't need a sharp climb to make the difference — he just needs the race to get hard enough, for long enough. And let's be honest, if there's one guy who could turn Roubaix into a battlefield of attrition and still have something left in the tank at Carrefour de l’Arbre, it's him.
MSR is easier and a poker, P-R is a horrible race for the riders, a death by multiple cuts.
If Pog can hang on through the chaos and stay upright, he might just do something historic.
I am confident. Can't wait anymore.