Tejay Van Garderen Discussion Thread

[RedheadDane]

Actually he wasn't too bad yesterday. Finishing just 25 seconds off the front, after - apparently - having helped Hermans in the finale.
Maybe that's the way for him to regain some morale, at least in this race; give him a new purpose - helping Hermans - rather than having him continue with the - failed - purpose of being a GC rider.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Actually he wasn't too bad yesterday. Finishing just 25 seconds off the front, after - apparently - having helped Hermans in the finale.
Maybe that's the way for him to regain some morale, at least in this race; give him a new purpose - helping Hermans - rather than having him continue with the - failed - purpose of being a GC rider.

The climbs were not hard yesterday. Tomorrow is the opposite. But then tomorrow will test many riders.

 

[RedheadDane]

^ Seems like they have to take it baby-steps with him right now. First thing would be to allow him to feel like he can be of any use.
Unfortunately he's not exactly known for being brilliant right after a rest day, is he?

 

[Galic Ho]

Re: Re:

There are many factors but ultimately power to weight/watts per kilograms is key. The solution is important, not the variables, ie: Naro vs. Tom at the GdI, Their weight and watts are different, but I bet that they are both in the 6 w/kg range. Note: I don't know what to 'trust' in determining this number for pros.

So Tejay: I think that when he gets down to the weight that he thinks a GC rider should be, his w/kg are at the tipping point. In training he can produce a good w/kg test so he thinks all is well. After several days of hard racing though, I think that his w/kg has dropped enough that he is no longer able to stay with the front group. Most of us here, me included, keep referring to how he is a better one week racer than GT guy. Now that I am reflecting on that, IMO, the reason he does well at those event is because he hasn't gotten down to his GT weight. All of his good results have come when he is heavier. Even his wins on US roads have come when he isn't GT ready.

Fair enough jmdirt.

I looked at Tom Dumoulin yesterday for a size reference.

He looks, for a pro cyclist, to have a decent amount of mass in his core. His core would be his shoulders, back and belly down to his pelvis.

His limb circumference looked relatively alright for a cyclist.

Just a quick observation, but in terms of having extra energy reserves, right now, 2 weeks into the Giro, he looks quite physically, without mentioning his actual riding, good to go.

What I am saying, is Tejay's base weight, that he rides the season opener at, needs to jump up at least 5kg.

His threshold and total power should go up. His watts/kg might stay the same, but his climbing ability will actually suffer on steeper climbs. But he is not great on them anyway.

Libertine discussed parcours on the last page...Tejay is not going to get a favourable outcome there.

He literally, has to change or adapt his bodies mechanical efficiency and increase energy surplus. So he puts some muscle mass on.

I disagree that this can be done mid season. That's not easy to do with a full racing and training load.

RedheadDane...what you've said is the nucleus of why I hold BMC to blame. If they ran the probability of last year and the year before's Tour incidents occurring again, where would that have left Tejay if it occurred this season? In a really crappy position.

Last time I checked, he was 26 minutes behind his own domestique. Nobody wants to be in that position.

He should finish the Giro, then hopefully allowed to go back to the USA, maybe race Utah, then have a go at the Vuelta where the team reconsiders their plans after the Tour. In no way, should he make the Tour squad.

Based on BMC's sticking with him, in training or testing, Tejay is probably the strongest rider at BMC. Except, that's the form for starting a race in. Get to the end and that picture is vastly different.

Anyway...hopefully he gets better.

 

[RedheadDane]

Last time I checked, he was 26 minutes behind his own domestique. Nobody wants to be in that position.

They might have entered the Giro with the plan that Hermans was to be the domestique of TJ. However, as the situation is now, TJ is the domestique of Hermans.

About his physique: It seems than rather than it being a matter of him being too thin to be a climber, he simply doesn't have the physique to be thin enough as required for a climber.

 

[Galic Ho]

Re:

Last time I checked, he was 26 minutes behind his own domestique. Nobody wants to be in that position.

They might have entered the Giro with the plan that Hermans was to be the domestique of TJ. However, as the situation is now, TJ is the domestique of Hermans.

About his physique: It seems than rather than it being a matter of him being too thin to be a climber, he simply doesn't have the physique to be thin enough as required for a climber.

If that were the case, he would not have an energy deficiency. He has stated repeatedly, that he goes from being strong in a stage race, like Romandie which his team mate Porte won and he actually outperfomed several GC rivals in the top 10 currently at the Giro (going out of the second rest day), to having a major crisis where he simply cannot perform.

Too heavy is your suggestion. I don't believe so. His ITT would be MUCH stronger. Porte beat him at Romandie. He'd be closer to Tom Dumoulin as well and Froome. His chrono has actually gone backwards. He use to be much better.

He simply cannot maintain his wattage after a certain amount of time...that's after 7-9 days. Sometimes that gets closer to 15-16. But when he blows, he blows big chunks of time.

 

[HelloDolly]

Blame BMC ? And let TJ ride here and ride there and try this race and try that ....yeah he is the only rider in the team !!

And he is probably the strongest rider at BMC ? Porte and GVA and nearly all other riders are stronger now. He will be lucky if they ride him at all and he has a contract if he doesnt do somethng

No BMC pushed poor TJ into a leadership role...wtf

And why should BMC not send other riders esp up and coming riders to the Vuelta and give others a chance/ The whole team is not built to find TJs form

Cycling is a hard sport with new riders coming through all the time. Better riders than TJ are riding as doms ...he needs to take this fact on board

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

There is a part of blame for BMC.

Dumoulin and Sunweb looked at losing weight, but found out that if tipping the scale too much, Dumoulin lost too much power (at the Tirreno ITT for example). They found out it's better to be a bit heavier and just train more on climbs and on specific wattages he has to keep on 30/40 minute efforts on climbs, rather than focus on losing more weight.

I think with Teejay there's been too much focus on weight and not much good involvement from the team

 

[lenric]

Re:

There is a part of blame for BMC.

Dumoulin and Sunweb looked at losing weight, but found out that if tipping the scale too much, Dumoulin lost too much power (at the Tirreno ITT for example). They found out it's better to be a bit heavier and just train more on climbs and on specific wattages he has to keep on 30/40 minute efforts on climbs, rather than focus on losing more weight.

I think with Teejay there's been too much focus on weight and not much good involvement from the team

It's possible.
One has to bear in mind that different organisms will react differently to the same stimulus.

However, he has had the same weight over the last years (including 2014, when he was 69 kgs according to this) and he rode the 2014's Tour successfully, so I'm relatively skeptic about that argument.

Moreover, there are a lot of riders performing better than him with the same build. Froome, Zakarin, Van Den Broeck (before knee injury), Bardet, Pinot (albeit being 5 cms shorter, he's 6 to 7 kg lighter), Kreuziger, etc.
I know they are different type of riders and have different type of organisms (hell, even Bardet has a completely different type of diet), but one should wonder: if BMC has screwed immensely with his diet and training regime, why haven't TJ done something to counter it? Or is he just the type of guy who does whatever his team tells him to do, whether he thinks they're wrong or right?
If that is the case, it still doesn't bode well to him and about him.

 

[jmdirt]

Re: Re:

There are many factors but ultimately power to weight/watts per kilograms is key. The solution is important, not the variables, ie: Naro vs. Tom at the GdI, Their weight and watts are different, but I bet that they are both in the 6 w/kg range. Note: I don't know what to 'trust' in determining this number for pros.

So Tejay: I think that when he gets down to the weight that he thinks a GC rider should be, his w/kg are at the tipping point. In training he can produce a good w/kg test so he thinks all is well. After several days of hard racing though, I think that his w/kg has dropped enough that he is no longer able to stay with the front group. Most of us here, me included, keep referring to how he is a better one week racer than GT guy. Now that I am reflecting on that, IMO, the reason he does well at those event is because he hasn't gotten down to his GT weight. All of his good results have come when he is heavier. Even his wins on US roads have come when he isn't GT ready.

Fair enough jmdirt.

I looked at Tom Dumoulin yesterday for a size reference.

He looks, for a pro cyclist, to have a decent amount of mass in his core. His core would be his shoulders, back and belly down to his pelvis.

His limb circumference looked relatively alright for a cyclist.

Just a quick observation, but in terms of having extra energy reserves, right now, 2 weeks into the Giro, he looks quite physically, without mentioning his actual riding, good to go.

What I am saying, is Tejay's base weight, that he rides the season opener at, needs to jump up at least 5kg.

His threshold and total power should go up. His watts/kg might stay the same, but his climbing ability will actually suffer on steeper climbs. But he is not great on them anyway.

Libertine discussed parcours on the last page...Tejay is not going to get a favourable outcome there.

He literally, has to change or adapt his bodies mechanical efficiency and increase energy surplus. So he puts some muscle mass on.

I disagree that this can be done mid season. That's not easy to do with a full racing and training load.

RedheadDane...what you've said is the nucleus of why I hold BMC to blame. If they ran the probability of last year and the year before's Tour incidents occurring again, where would that have left Tejay if it occurred this season? In a really crappy position.

Last time I checked, he was 26 minutes behind his own domestique. Nobody wants to be in that position.

He should finish the Giro, then hopefully allowed to go back to the USA, maybe race Utah, then have a go at the Vuelta where the team reconsiders their plans after the Tour. In no way, should he make the Tour squad.

Based on BMC's sticking with him, in training or testing, Tejay is probably the strongest rider at BMC. Except, that's the form for starting a race in. Get to the end and that picture is vastly different.

Anyway...hopefully he gets better.

First bold: If his power goes up, his w/kg would also change (not stay the same).
Second bold: if they want to make change, now is the time, why wait. He shouldn't have any racing load until they figure this out. What's the point of just riding around at races? Like I said, use June, July and August to rest for the fall.

 

[Robert5091]

I'm an idiot who knows next to nothing about pro-cycling, but even I could guess TJ would lose minutes as soon as it got lumpy.

The man needs to sit down with someone outside of cycling and decide what he wants to do with his life.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

There are many factors but ultimately power to weight/watts per kilograms is key. The solution is important, not the variables, ie: Naro vs. Tom at the GdI, Their weight and watts are different, but I bet that they are both in the 6 w/kg range. Note: I don't know what to 'trust' in determining this number for pros.

So Tejay: I think that when he gets down to the weight that he thinks a GC rider should be, his w/kg are at the tipping point. In training he can produce a good w/kg test so he thinks all is well. After several days of hard racing though, I think that his w/kg has dropped enough that he is no longer able to stay with the front group. Most of us here, me included, keep referring to how he is a better one week racer than GT guy. Now that I am reflecting on that, IMO, the reason he does well at those event is because he hasn't gotten down to his GT weight. All of his good results have come when he is heavier. Even his wins on US roads have come when he isn't GT ready.

Fair enough jmdirt.

I looked at Tom Dumoulin yesterday for a size reference.

He looks, for a pro cyclist, to have a decent amount of mass in his core. His core would be his shoulders, back and belly down to his pelvis.

His limb circumference looked relatively alright for a cyclist.

Just a quick observation, but in terms of having extra energy reserves, right now, 2 weeks into the Giro, he looks quite physically, without mentioning his actual riding, good to go.

What I am saying, is Tejay's base weight, that he rides the season opener at, needs to jump up at least 5kg.

His threshold and total power should go up. His watts/kg might stay the same, but his climbing ability will actually suffer on steeper climbs. But he is not great on them anyway.

Libertine discussed parcours on the last page...Tejay is not going to get a favourable outcome there.

He literally, has to change or adapt his bodies mechanical efficiency and increase energy surplus. So he puts some muscle mass on.

I disagree that this can be done mid season. That's not easy to do with a full racing and training load.

RedheadDane...what you've said is the nucleus of why I hold BMC to blame. If they ran the probability of last year and the year before's Tour incidents occurring again, where would that have left Tejay if it occurred this season? In a really crappy position.

Last time I checked, he was 26 minutes behind his own domestique. Nobody wants to be in that position.

He should finish the Giro, then hopefully allowed to go back to the USA, maybe race Utah, then have a go at the Vuelta where the team reconsiders their plans after the Tour. In no way, should he make the Tour squad.

Based on BMC's sticking with him, in training or testing, Tejay is probably the strongest rider at BMC. Except, that's the form for starting a race in. Get to the end and that picture is vastly different.

Anyway...hopefully he gets better.

First bold: If his power goes up, his w/kg would also change (not stay the same).
Second bold: if they want to make change, now is the time, why wait. He shouldn't have any racing load until they figure this out. What's the point of just riding around at races? Like I said, use June, July and August to rest for the fall.

Trouble is that by then there are not many suitable races for TJVG. I think they will rest him up and put him in the Vuelta in August with Rohan Dennis who pulled out of the Giro early after a crash. They only put him in the Giro to support TJVG and see how he coped with the three weeks so I think BMC will put them in the Vuelta and see how they go in the TTs and maybe a stage win possibility. I doubt they will switch Dennis to the Tour now as they will probably want an experienced domestique to support Richie Porte and someone who will finish the race. Not sure if TJVG's contract is up at the end of this season but it will be interesting to see what happens with his next one.

 

[Galic Ho]

Re:

Blame BMC ? And let TJ ride here and ride there and try this race and try that ....yeah he is the only rider in the team !!

And he is probably the strongest rider at BMC ? Porte and GVA and nearly all other riders are stronger now. He will be lucky if they ride him at all and he has a contract if he doesnt do somethng

No BMC pushed poor TJ into a leadership role...wtf

And why should BMC not send other riders esp up and coming riders to the Vuelta and give others a chance/ The whole team is not built to find TJs form

Cycling is a hard sport with new riders coming through all the time. Better riders than TJ are riding as doms ...he needs to take this fact on board

That's the point genius.

Keep up please.

Who would select Tejay as a GC leader for a GT with the second largest budget in the Pro Tour (yes BMC have a lot of money) and just allow other riders options in the race to whither away.

A GC leader is protected and gets lots of workers. Workers who expend energy HELPING.

That's the point. Tejay should put some weight on and aim to be a better TEAM rider FIRST. His efforts last year IMO, warranted him not being allowed to go as a team leader this season.

Except, BMC still let him do that knowing the inevitable would occur. Then it repeated itself again, he had a bad run. Well, not as bad as Tom Dumoulin, but still, pretty bad.

 

[Galic Ho]

Re: Re:

There is a part of blame for BMC.

Dumoulin and Sunweb looked at losing weight, but found out that if tipping the scale too much, Dumoulin lost too much power (at the Tirreno ITT for example). They found out it's better to be a bit heavier and just train more on climbs and on specific wattages he has to keep on 30/40 minute efforts on climbs, rather than focus on losing more weight.

I think with Teejay there's been too much focus on weight and not much good involvement from the team

It's possible.
One has to bear in mind that different organisms will react differently to the same stimulus.

However, he has had the same weight over the last years (including 2014, when he was 69 kgs according to this) and he rode the 2014's Tour successfully, so I'm relatively skeptic about that argument.

Moreover, there are a lot of riders performing better than him with the same build. Froome, Zakarin, Van Den Broeck (before knee injury), Bardet, Pinot (albeit being 5 cms shorter, he's 6 to 7 kg lighter), Kreuziger, etc.
I know they are different type of riders and have different type of organisms (hell, even Bardet has a completely different type of diet), but one should wonder: if BMC has screwed immensely with his diet and training regime, why haven't TJ done something to counter it? Or is he just the type of guy who does whatever his team tells him to do, whether he thinks they're wrong or right?
If that is the case, it still doesn't bode well to him and about him.

He was not 69kg. Porte is also not 62kg as his stats claim. Try 4-5kg lighter easily for both of them.

I am was the same weight and height Porte's stats claim he is...I looked very similar in build to Uran when I was that weight in 2014-15...Porte is under 60kg. I don't believe his stats because he looks way lighter with less muscle than I did.

He'd need to actually show me his weight in front of me to believe that. So, I don't buy Tejay being high 60's. Try 65kg max and maybe as low as 61-62.

They overstate their weight. That weight would make him the same weight as Kruisjwijk, Froome and close to Dumoulin. They all have shown massively superior 3 week form to Tejay.

He actually reminds me a lot of Robert Gesink build wise...some people seem to handle being really thin, Tejay doesn't.

I gotta go with jmdirt here...he should put some extra weight on, increase his base weight and then drop at the end of a GC to his current starting weight. Ride that weight. If he doesn't climb...well, he doesn't climb now does he? But he'd finish and be a fairly strong asset for Porte.

Perhaps some who knows BMC and their American principles can comment as to why nothing has been done to seriously rectify Tejay's problems. The way he is going, only Cannondale will take him.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

Blame BMC ? And let TJ ride here and ride there and try this race and try that ....yeah he is the only rider in the team !!

And he is probably the strongest rider at BMC ? Porte and GVA and nearly all other riders are stronger now. He will be lucky if they ride him at all and he has a contract if he doesnt do somethng

No BMC pushed poor TJ into a leadership role...wtf

And why should BMC not send other riders esp up and coming riders to the Vuelta and give others a chance/ The whole team is not built to find TJs form

Cycling is a hard sport with new riders coming through all the time. Better riders than TJ are riding as doms ...he needs to take this fact on board

That's the point genius.

Keep up please.

Who would select Tejay as a GC leader for a GT with the second largest budget in the Pro Tour (yes BMC have a lot of money) and just allow other riders options in the race to whither away.

A GC leader is protected and gets lots of workers. Workers who expend energy HELPING.

That's the point. Tejay should put some weight on and aim to be a better TEAM rider FIRST. His efforts last year IMO, warranted him not being allowed to go as a team leader this season.

Except, BMC still let him do that knowing the inevitable would occur. Then it repeated itself again, he had a bad run. Well, not as bad as Tom Dumoulin, but still, pretty bad.

i am entitled to my opinion without your sarcasm

As for TJ and weight ..you dont that is the problem..you are as in the dark as anyone

Just cos you state it does make it so ...rude idiot

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

I am was the same weight and height Porte's stats claim he is...I looked very similar in build to Uran when I was that weight in 2014-15...Porte is under 60kg. I don't believe his stats because he looks way lighter with less muscle than I did.

He'd need to actually show me his weight in front of me to believe that. So, I don't buy Tejay being high 60's. Try 65kg max and maybe as low as 61-62.

I am 83 kg and I look way bulkier than a friend of mine who's 85kg. Also, I look leaner than a guy from my gym who's 78kg. And we're all about the same height.

It all depends on your body composition, liquid retention and a whole lot of other factors.

 

[Galic Ho]

Re: Re:

First bold: If his power goes up, his w/kg would also change (not stay the same).
Second bold: if they want to make change, now is the time, why wait. He shouldn't have any racing load until they figure this out. What's the point of just riding around at races? Like I said, use June, July and August to rest for the fall.

If his weight and power both go up, his w/kg would change. I agree...but if it's a uniform increase, then it may stay the same.

But probably not. He needs to get more total power. Shorter lactate speed. He has a solid engine. More actual watts, irrespective of watts/kg would change how he could potentially ride.

You said what I was thinking...if he adds weight, like you did, he'd feel a lot better.

As for how to do this? Not my problem.

I will add, Rohan Dennis is not a GC rider either. Very good time trialist and strong rider. Not a 3 week GC rider.

I remember Mike Tomolaris, the head host of the Aussie broadcasting station for cycling and the Tour, claiming Dennis track buddy, Jack Bobridge might be able to have a go like Cadel one day.

Jack routinely, back to back, finished last in the Giro on GC.

Porte is the ONLY Aussie rider known right now, who can podium or top 10 a Grand Tour barring a major miracle or race situation where they gain lots of time.

Granted how Porte rode Romandie and depending on how the Dauphine goes in a few weeks, BMC really need to leave Tejay off the Tour squad and jam pack that squad with their big guns.

 

[jmdirt]

Re: Re:

First bold: If his power goes up, his w/kg would also change (not stay the same).
Second bold: if they want to make change, now is the time, why wait. He shouldn't have any racing load until they figure this out. What's the point of just riding around at races? Like I said, use June, July and August to rest for the fall.

If his weight and power both go up, his w/kg would change. I agree...but if it's a uniform increase, then it may stay the same.

But probably not. He needs to get more total power. Shorter lactate speed. He has a solid engine. More actual watts, irrespective of watts/kg would change how he could potentially ride.

You said what I was thinking...if he adds weight, like you did, he'd feel a lot better.

As for how to do this? Not my problem.

Actual watts are the w in w/kg. I think that if he puts on even 2 kg of muscle weight, his watts will increase more than uniformly/proportionately.

If he's past the tipping point, 2 kg could result in an extra w/kg (if he is 350/68 now but adds 2 kg, he could end up 425/70), that is significant, and more importantly he might be able to maintain for more days.

Dead horse beaten!

 

[movingtarget]

14 minute drop by TJVG but picked up three places on GC. Marginal gains. He actually looked pretty good until the final climb.

 

[Galic Ho]

Re: Re:

I am 83 kg and I look way bulkier than a friend of mine who's 85kg. Also, I look leaner than a guy from my gym who's 78kg. And we're all about the same height.

It all depends on your body composition, liquid retention and a whole lot of other factors.

Actually I disagree. With a proper scientific reason.

Training stimulus combined with nutrition will give a particular build.

These guys are not lifting weights. They are all doing high volume cardio endurance training.

Their bodies will adapt along those natural pathways that exact stimulus gives. Hence, bar a few carrying extra pounds in fat, which literally no pro cyclist does, their builds can actually be compared.

This is not the same as comparing a competition power lifters build with a fitness model, or a CrossFit athlete. They all lift weights but look vastly different.

Comparing builds within a very specific physical stimulus, of pro athletes is fine.

I did some cycling and running, but mostly CrossFit at that weight I mentioned. Porte probably starts his season around 62kg, but by the time the Tour hits, he is 'probably' lighter. Contrast him with Uran...same height, same weight, but they look vastly different. Porte is not holding onto lots of body fat that could mask his weight.

I am simply stating, cyclists official weights are not to be trusted. Take that as their maximum weight and then deduct kilos to get their true competition weight. Other teams roughly know their power outputs and can calculate a rivals wattage based upon the available data for a stage (time, weather/wind, incline and gradient etc) leaving only a riders actual weight as the final attribute in the algorithm. You therefore state you're heavier than you are and that can throw a rivals calculations about you off...psychology stuff dude, they're subtly messing with rivals heads. You'd probably like that approach. Tejay could actually use that were he not having issues...that could really mess with rivals. Especially if they are super lean and dominant like Froome is.

Heck, I think it has been playing with riders. Dumoulin mentioned dropping weight and competing ala Wiggins...so, it is actually an element in play within the peloton. Again, I'll stress BMC should be careful with Tejay and this aspect of his career, because non performances WILL backfire.

Which brings in all you've said...which is valid. It needs to be addressed to reach a NEW better position for any rider going through that. Will it be rectified?

 

[Galic Ho]

Re:

14 minute drop by TJVG but picked up three places on GC. Marginal gains. He actually looked pretty good until the final climb.

Ben Hermans had a DNF.

So, in the end, Tejay was stronger.

Not that it counts for much in 26th place on GC is it?

 

[Galic Ho]

Re: Re:

i am entitled to my opinion without your sarcasm

As for TJ and weight ..you dont that is the problem..you are as in the dark as anyone

Just cos you state it does make it so ...rude idiot

Ok. Sorry.

But what is the definition of stupidity?

Doing the same thing and getting the same result.

I notice patterns. It's how my brain works.

Tejay, has had this crisis arise as a noticeable and discernible pattern, in his racing for races that go longer than a week. It's been visible and tangible (so it can measured) since 2014 in the Tour de France.

With knowledge, regarding cycling physics and human metabolic pathways (this means eneryy systems) and how they impact endurance cycling, yes I can state it's energy related. It has to be.

Why? Because extreme fatigue present after 2 weeks of cycling is not present during 1 week cycling races. Tejay does not have a 1 week racing problem. Evidence? Look at the Tour de Romandie. He beat Zakarin quite easily there.

Comes to the Giro, is outperforming him up until stage 9, where he suddenly cannot perform. That's an energy and metabolic issue.

So I will attest to you, that not knowing this simply means you've not been educated in these details. They are fun, but complicated. Take Dumoulin and his dump issue last night, that was energy related, aka, food digestion and issues with the process inside his body caused his reaction.

So you not knowing this, means you're uneducated, not an idiot.

Maintaining the mental standpoint that nothing is wrong and he's all good, is naive, stubborn and yes, IMO makes one a fool aka stupid. So if you'd like to stand in that corner...knock yourself out. BMC might even have a job for you!

 

[King Boonen]

Please stop the personal insults now. Anymore will result in more people getting a holiday.

 

[JosephK]

I am possibly in the minority among posters on this forum in that I like Tejay as a rider and really hope he can find himself again. Okay, I'll admit I don't like to dislike any riders . . . I even find it in my heart to like Froomie on occasion, as during his great battle with Contador in the Vuelta a few years back (2014, yes?), when he battled so hard on that final mountain stage, knowing he would not be able to shake Alberto, and nonetheless grinded all the way up the hill till that last kilometer, when the Pistolero inevitably charged ahead and sealed his rightful grand tour victory. Froome looked human, then, and still courageous. Tejay is not, and never has been, on the same physical level as those two other riders, but he did muster one very courageous TDF performance in 2014, when he cracked badly in the third week after the final rest day (we've seen that a few times, eh?), but then, during subsequent days and very hard stages, managed to claw his way back to be among the leaders and finished fifth in the Tour. Yes, the field wasn't as strong as in other years, with both Contador and Froome having crashed out, but Tejay's performance was still great because is there any doubt that he suffered mightily, always on the limit, knowing the podium was not going to be in reach ... and still, he was willing to suffer to do his very best? I have since wondered whether the specter of the suffering to come was maybe just too much for him the following year, when he started the third week of the Tour in third position, behind only Froome and Quintana, and the first mountain on the first stage after the final rest day was the straw that broke the camel's back? It could well be a metabolic issue, as some have speculated, and it could well be a psychological/emotional issue, as others have speculated, and it could be a comingling of both things. There's something happening there, a mystery for all who are not Tejay himself. I don't think it's in any way fair to question his character over these collapses, though. I am sympathetic to all of the riders on the world tour; there is so much that every one of them must endure in the grand tour events. It's no sin to have a breaking point when it comes to suffering -- that's for each person to determine for himself/herself. To those of you who have endured your own suffering to make it to the end of this long, windblown spiel, I salute you! Chapeau as well to the current leading combatants in the Giro, which is shaping up to be very, very entertaining.

 

[RedheadDane]

I like Tejay too (but then, I practically like everybody), and I'm glad that it seems he's gotten his fight back in the last few days.