I guess we'll see how Almeida goes next year if it's the team doc. I don't look forward to Almeida "improving"
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Hirschi's example is interesting in that regard.I guess we'll see how Almeida goes next year if it's the team doc. I don't look forward to Almeida "improving"
Probably.i still think that hirschi had to lay low for some time
This is it IMO. Same with Thomas during his Tour win, it's like he got the upgradeThink the other riders are simply not on that program, whatever the reason is.
Yup I know. So if Almeida would improve like crazy I'll cry. I'll cry either way. He's much more fun at QS. I like QS. I like Almeida. I don't like that the same people are always winning. It makes it all boringOn the other hand, riders who leave DQS tend to fade away abit. Almeida's development should be interesting.
Yeah, but it seems to have less of an effect on gc riders, the main focus of their "preparation" seems to be more geared towards sprinters and one day racers.On the other hand, riders who leave DQS tend to fade away abit. Almeida's development should be interesting.
This is why you watch cycling. Hopefully he will not be with Tadej next year, even if in the same team. <3After letting today sink a bit I have to say I don't know why I'm watching this sport. This is a joke. It's worse than Lance.
After letting today sink a bit I have to say I don't know why I'm watching this sport. This is a joke. It's worse than Lance.
"I disconnected my radio and power meter and i had a good feeling in my legs and my goats. My goats were pushing me on... i mean guts. ." Pogacar the GOAT.I guess he's so likable so the doping to the point that he might be spreading gills is all okay.
Waiting for the quote that he was having fun today, with a big smile and his hair sticking everywhere.
After letting today sink a bit I have to say I don't know why I'm watching this sport. This is a joke. It's worse than Lance.
I get where you're coming form, i.e. the French have a saying: "la glorieuse incertitude du sport". It translates as exactly that aka the glorious uncertainty of sport.
Watching that race yesterday presented us with an implacable reality: Pog was going to win as soon as the real racing started. And on that sort of race profile (239km, 6 main climbs with a final descent towards finish with some flat & then a small punchy climb 3km out), it's remarkable to make it so predictable.
I was rooting for Rog for what it's worth, but even I could tell before the Ganda climb he wasn't well (his positioning on the previous descent was a tell-tale sign). And that's the issue here: being a Rog fan, Alaphilippe fan, WvA fan, Mathieu van der Poel etc. offers no guarantees of success unless the route is absolutely tailor made for their specificities (& even then, sh*t happens all the time). These riders might win a lot, but there's always that feeling they're on the ragged-edge & things can go wrong at any time. And I suppose that's where a lot of the excitement comes from (& makes victories satisfying).
With Pog meanwhile he just turns the power on in the biggest races & wins, no matter the profile, whether it's a climb finish, climb with descent finish, hilly TT or even a flat TT. On these big occasions, it doesn't matter, he just wins (he probably would have won Liège last year as well with Alaph's error). And that's what he has in common with Lance. His Tours were predictable & his wins absolutely precise when it mattered.
I guess Pog & his staff probably think he's being magnanimous & "sharing" by leaving so many other races for his rivals to fight over (i.e. hence doing wheelies right at the back of the Emilia classic when Rog won the race last weekend). But the big races? He just casually scoops them up like ice-cream, one after the other.
It's ok to ask questions regarding Pogacar's performance but the same applies to your fave, who just a few days ago was toying with his opposition in uphill finishes, he was toying with them at the Vuelta and crushed them at the Olympics TT. And what kind of form did he prepare for the Tour? (judging by his post-crash performances it was probably his peak level, maybe on par with Pog). Speaking of Pog always winning his goal races, he was not even close to his best at the Olympics.
I realize you are disappointed that Rogla didn't perform well/had bad luck in monuments and at the Tour but his performances in other races he were outstanding. And we probably wouldn't even have this conversation had Roglic stayed on his bike at the Tour and had an tight battle with Pog.
Rog's season was a rollercoaster with huge ups, big downs & flat at the end. I can pinpoint stages & days when he was either exceptional, level with the others, or below par. And none of them seem to happen in a specifically targeted or controlled manner (like he can have really good days when it's less important & have really below par days when it's very important).
The same happened last year as well, i.e. people might forget but there's stages like the Angliru & Formigal in the Vuelta 2020 for example (very similar to what we saw yesterday). It happens. And it's not always related to the distance either (which is a pattern now with Rog but it's not exclusively the issue). I mean yes, I don't want to come across as a hypocrite or whatnot who's merely moaning because his favorite got beaten, but I've only ever seen Roglic do what Pogacar did yesterday in one race: the Covadonga stage in the Vuelta where he went with Bernal in the rain 60km out.
Basically the crux of the matter is despite Rog's phenomenal performances, there's an element of uncertainty involved where we just don't know which Roglic is going to show up.
Pog meanwhile... as soon as he looks totally committed (or his team UAE want it badly enough), it's game over for the others. And I don't think the Olympics were really that high on his list of priorities either. I guess we'll find out more next spring & specifically one race which will tell us a lot about what we can expect for the coming years: Liège 2022. If he comprehensively wins that again, it'll say a lot about what to expect later.
So your main point is that Roglic's best performances have more random distribution compared to Pogacar's (which seem more targeted). I don't think the sample is big enough to state it definitely. Roglic's peak this year was disturbed by crashes (and it was surely targeted for the Tour) but it can't be denied that his top performances also happened during most important races (Vuelta stage and Olympics TT).
I mean I get it, i.e. there's probably just small variations in terms of the "dark arts" preparation between what UAE does & what Jumbo does
Roglic' only super clutch performance was arguably the Olympic ITT where he had a clear advantage over riders that went hard in the road race, as well as a very favorable route, and probably the Col de La Loze stage in the Tour.So your main point is that Roglic's best performances have more random distribution compared to Pogacar's (which seem more targeted). I don't think the sample is big enough to state it definitely. Roglic's peak this year was disturbed by crashes (and it was surely targeted for the Tour) but it can't be denied that his top performances also happened during most important races (Vuelta stage and Olympics TT).
Roglic' only super clutch performance was arguably the Olympic ITT where he had a clear advantage over riders that went hard in the road race, as well as a very favorable route, and probably the Col de La Loze stage in the Tour.
Roglic absolutely did not need to do that.Vuelta rainy stage says hi, his best performance of the year in most important race.