Team Ineos Discussion thread

[Sciatic]

That looks like 4 leaders plus a potential future GT winner who could pull a Pogacar and podium in his first GT…how do you manage all those ambitions? I’m pretty sure every one of those riders is gaming out how they’ll become sole leader by week 2…

This year’s route might help with the sorting: the combustion of a TT for stage 1 and a pretty significant murito on Stage 3 means we’re going time differences by then. I guess if you’re someone is isn’t clearly defined team leader but you have aspirations to be one you’d better be ready and primed before Stage 1 begins.

ed. That was supposed to read “combination” but perhaps combustion isn’t too far off the mark?

 

[Pinot's goat]

That looks like 4 leaders plus a potential future GT winner who could pull a Pogacar and podium in his first GT…how do you manage all those ambitions? I’m pretty sure every one of those riders is gaming out how they’ll become sole leader by week 2…

Pidcock has not raced more than 3 days consecutively at pro level.

 

[Bolder]

Pidcock has not raced more than 3 days consecutively at pro level.

True, but l haven’t yet seen the edge of his envelope as a rider. I guess we’ll know more in a few weeks…

 

[Sciatic]

True, but l haven’t yet seen the edge of his envelope as a rider. I guess we’ll know more in a few weeks…

Makes for an another interesting story to follow throughout the Vuelta, regardless of where he is in GC standings.

 

[will-10]

That looks like 4 leaders plus a potential future GT winner who could pull a Pogacar and podium in his first GT…how do you manage all those ambitions? I’m pretty sure every one of those riders is gaming out how they’ll become sole leader by week 2…

I think it's fairly straightforward: if Bernal has his Giro level he will be the leader. If not, they have cards to play in Carapaz and Yates. I don't see anyone else doing GC and I really hope Sivakov gets through unscathed

 

[Stringer Bell]

Their tactics in Poland this week have been bewildering. They seem to ride the same way every stage with the same results. The definition of insanity and all that. There has to be someone there with an original thought.

 

[SafeBet]

Their tactics in Poland this week have been bewildering. They seem to ride the same way every stage with the same results. The definition of insanity and all that. There has to be someone there with an original thought.

It was mind boggling. They came in with the strongest team on paper but Moscon and TGH lost time on the very first stages and then they kept drilling it for a Kwiatkowski uphill sprint while it was clear Kwiatkowski would never win a sprint against this field.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Their tactics in Poland this week have been bewildering. They seem to ride the same way every stage with the same results. The definition of insanity and all that. There has to be someone there with an original thought.

It was like an animal without a head

 

[roundabout]

Tom Pidcock comes through 'horrible' Vuelta a España opener

British rider makes Grand Tour debut with tough opening time trial

www.cyclingnews.com

That makes one wonder how exactly the season planning went

 

[Escarabajo]

Tom Pidcock comes through 'horrible' Vuelta a España opener

British rider makes Grand Tour debut with tough opening time trial

www.cyclingnews.com

That makes one wonder how exactly the season planning went

I heard from a commentator today that the Olympic medal celebration went very well!

 

[samhocking]

He's only there for the GT experience,

Tom Pidcock comes through 'horrible' Vuelta a España opener

British rider makes Grand Tour debut with tough opening time trial

www.cyclingnews.com

That makes one wonder how exactly the season planning went

His season isn't planned around La Vuelta, as far as I know he's pulled right back after Tokyo in order to target the Worlds off 3 weeks in La Vuelta. La Vuelta's just for the experience and to see if/when he wants to target GC or not.

 

[Escarabajo]

When I saw Pidcock coming out of the ramp sprinting I thought to myself, he is going to destroy everyone. And then they didn't show him anymore until he arrived literally cruising at the finish line. I was going what the hell happened in between????

 

[roundabout]

He's only there for the GT experience,

His season isn't planned around La Vuelta, as far as I know he's pulled right back after Tokyo in order to target the Worlds off 3 weeks in La Vuelta. La Vuelta's just for the experience and to see if/when he wants to target GC or not.

it's just seems very ad-hoc, but maybe I am being too harsh and 'do nothing after Tokyo and then go to the Vuelta' was always part of the plan

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Still lost less time than Landa which is quite hilarious. But that interview is interestingly honest in comparison to the usual Ineos PR stuff. Looks like he's kinda interested to learn the GT experience yet questions himself if he really should drag himself through 3 weeks of melting hot Spain. Can't blame him for these thoughts just after winning Olympic gold.

 

[roundabout]

It's a bit odd to me that a team probably lining up with the aim of winning the race has 1/8 of it treat it as a training camp

 

[samhocking]

They've done similar before. Couple of years ago they didn't take any leaders to Giro, just sent a crazy young team of Sivakov, Tao, Dunbar, Sosa & Narváez to have fun and experience it. Tao ended up winning a Giro and I think a lot of that was him and Sivakov already got to play GC without having to deal with the pressure of a leader tag.

 

[Sciatic]

They've done similar before. Couple of years ago they didn't take any leaders to Giro, just sent a crazy young team of Sivakov, Tao, Dunbar, Sosa & Narváez to have fun and experience it. Tao ended up winning a Giro and I think a lot of that was him and Sivakov already got to play GC without having to deal with the pressure of a leader tag.

True, but since Carapaz is the runner-up from last year and Bernal has a chance to complete the GT slam, I suspect their focus is very different (I.e., focused on winning) this year, and thus roundabout’s point that bringing him here just to “practice” at GTs doesn’t make sense, especially with team sizes now at 8 riders.

 

[samhocking]

True, but since Carapaz is the runner-up from last year and Bernal has a chance to complete the GT slam, I suspect their focus is very different (I.e., focused on winning) this year, and thus roundabout’s point that bringing him here just to “practice” at GTs doesn’t make sense, especially with team sizes now at 8 riders.

Has to be done at sometime and Le Tour not generally a riders first 3 week race . Clearly he will lose some top end with 3 weeks off but he'll still be a very useful rider I think both in the team and no doubt will be allowed to go for a stage at some point.

 

[BlueRoads]

Maybe if you already won the Tour you can treat the Vuelta as a camp for next seasons... but if you missed out on that one you just shouldn't, in my opinion. And then there's the thing that they have so many possible leaders who deserve better than some non-support / or getting their spot taken from them by someone who hasn't prepared for this at all.

I guess it shows that Pidcock is really important for them, probably because of his talent and also his nationality, but first I wonder how much Pidcock can actually take from this if he's not in form.
Of course, if the result is "I wasn't really prepared and it still went amazing", okay. But if it doesn't go so well he won't know if it's because he has problems with three weeks or because he wasn't prepared properly.

-> With Ineos having so many great riders I don't really get why they had to push for Pidcock to be here. Or he was just keeping expectations low.

 

[BlueRoads]

Their tactics in this last year or so have really been extremely bad, like they only know one plan and nothing else and they apply that plan to pretty much every race no matter what.

 

[BigCoward]

Their tactics in this last year or so have really been extremely bad, like they only know one plan and nothing else and they apply that plan to pretty much every race no matter what.

They won 2 and podiumed 2 of the last 4 grand tours and won loads of 1 week races. The thought that people online think they know more than proffesional teams who have access to more information about their riders wellbeing and form is a source of constant bafflement to me.

 

[BlueRoads]

They won 2 and podiumed 2 of the last 4 grand tours and won loads of 1 week races. The thought that people online think they know more than proffesional teams who have access to more information about their riders wellbeing and form is a source of constant bafflement to me.

They also have riders 3-15 times the quality of the other teams, not least since they have been buying them up for many years.
And it's not like we do not constantly see big teams making tactical mistakes. It also baffles me, but obviously that's the way it is. Not that I wouldn't make a thousand mistakes in such a position, but it's not like they are, eh, always tactically perfect.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

It's a bit odd to me that a team probably lining up with the aim of winning the race has 1/8 of it treat it as a training camp

When 1/8 has the talent Pidcock has, it's almost certainly a worthwhile investment, even at the detriment of potentially weakening the team for this race. The guy is a mega-talent, who will improve with a GT in his legs - it's such a no-brainer.

 

[BigCoward]

When 1/8 has the talent Pidcock has, it's almost certainly a worthwhile investment, even at the detriment of potentially weakening the team for this race. The guy is a mega-talent, who will improve with a GT in his legs - it's such a no-brainer.

Also, he may only need to perform on 2 or 3 days and really drill it, and his top end at that may make his inclusion justified on that alone.

 

[Summoned]

As a hypothetical, if Pidcock abandons at the first rest day, does that make his selection for the Vuelta a mistake?

He sounded in the interview after the stage as though he thought the lack of power could be a one-time issue, but if he really does not have the legs right now, and what he said in the interview does not rule that out from my perspective, then abandoning after a week seems a real possibility.