Teams & Riders Team Visma - Lease a Bike

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A complete shame not to see WVA on the MSR startlist. This is by far Visma's best chance to win a monument this year and they've been really lacking in the biggest one-days for a long time. What are they doing?
 
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A complete shame not to see WVA at the MSR startlist. This is by far Visma's best chance to win a monument this year and they've been really lacking in the biggest one-days for a long time. What are they doing?

Plugge is proving the need for a rule that the best riders should be required to ride the biggest races by not letting his best riders ride the biggest races and thus artificially creating a frustration about the lack of that rule.
 
Plugge is proving the need for a rule that the best riders should be required to ride the biggest races by not letting his best riders ride the biggest races and thus artificially creating a frustration about the lack of that rule.
I personally don't understand the sponsorship exposure strategy.. Wout rides typically on the front, and in a 289 kilometer race, win or lose Van Aert is best possible rider to show team colors.
Not sure of his health but if he is not injured, EF should start Rui Costa.
 
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Yeah I didn't quite get why Visma was chasing Rog there. It gave some Movistar versus Carapaz vibes.
Maybe they’re irritated since Roglic has gotten the last laugh on them repeatedly and want to try sticking it to him. Sure they got one over him in PN last year, but Roglic won the ToBC TT and beat Jorgenson in CdD. Vingegaard was most likely finishing ahead in the Tour and beat him this year VaAeB. Roglic then had a great performance in the Vuelta while Visma’s GC was squandered. They’re like the ex who’s upset you’ve moved on from them.
 
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What race was it last year that Roglic randomly wandered into the Visma team presentation? There's no hard feelings there lol

Visma were just trying to set up a Simon Yates attack.

The Vuelta last year. But Rog is still besties with Sepp and Van Aert.

No idea about the guys in the car though. On paper both Maassen and Reef should be fine with Rog but it still looked weird today. Yates went backwards on Montjuïc.
 
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There is something wrong within the Visma team. It has been evident for over a year now, and it doesn't look much better this year. I am benchmarking against 2023, but previous years, before 2023 has also been better.

When I listened to Johan on The Move I hadn't thought about his notion of how small details can take the joy out of simply riding your bike and what that fact does to an athletes mental state.

If everything is measured and (pseudo-)scientifically based then people collapse under the pressure of having any fun.

Any hot takes ?
 
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There is something wrong within the Visma team. It has been evident for over a year now, and it doesn't look much better this year. I am benchmarking against 2023, but previous years, before 2023 has also been better.

When I listened to Johan on The Move I hadn't thought about his notion of how small details can take the joy out of simply riding your bike and what that fact does to an athletes mental state.

If everything is measured and (pseudo-)scientifically based then people collapse under the pressure of having any fun.

Any hot takes ?

I have plenty of hot takes regarding 'formerly' Jumbo. It's a fun topic.

I mean straight off the bat it's sport. High level, no mercy, take-no-prisoners top level sport. Visma were the team to beat and now they're getting beaten. A bit like years ago Quick-Step were the team to beat in classics and now they're 'beaten'.

People are throwing around reasons right now and there's some truth in all of them (loss of Zeeman, injuries, overly scientific approach etc. and whatever else) but honestly I could throw in 'natural passage of time' as well.

Their riders might just not be as strong as they used to be for whatever reasons, i.e. also because it's really freaking hard to maintain that top level for so long. I mean Benoot looks semi cooked compared to a few years ago. Kelderman the same. Their entire TdF 'monster dream team' from 2022/23 looks bang average now. Yates has shown nothing since he joined (no progression) and Kuss has just totally collapsed from his 2023 level.

I also think Jorgenson is being misused (he won a major one day race last year so he's in the classics team when he really should be doing Catalunya/Itzulia and winning stage races. Maybe even doing the Giro as well).

Just my opinion.
 
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Taking bad luck into account, they are actually doing pretty well. Wout is obviously not at his best after that horrible crash at the Vuelta, but getting better. There are plenty more races for him to prove himself. Jonas suffered from a crash again, otherwise he would have 3 stage race wins already this season. Jorgenson is goind from strength to strength. Brennan and Behrens are the future classics stars and Nordhagen is the same in Grand tours.
 

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