Tejay Van Garderen Discussion Thread

[RedheadDane]

LoL at that discussion about extra arms and legs a bit up-thread. Are you saying French people aren't spontaneously sprouting extra arms and legs?

 

[jmdirt]

Its good to see Tejay bag a victory! I hope that he can fight for the QC!

 

[movingtarget]

Finally some of the old Tejay TT form. Nice win.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Stinks he could not hold on to win. Hopefully he can do something in CdD or TdS and get stages in Tour and Vuelta if he rides it or GC in Utah and Colorado.

 

[Koronin]

I was hoping he'd have done better today, but he just isn't a good enough climber. I think at this point he would be best as a good domestique and maybe concentrate more on his time trialing.

 

[movingtarget]

He and the team should be reasonably pleased with his podium at the TOC. Not a bad result pre Tour.

 

[JosephK]

Re:

He and the team should be reasonably pleased with his podium at the TOC. Not a bad result pre Tour.

Great effort by Tejay. He won a stage and podiumed. He was beaten by a guy who is probably going to be winning grand tours . . . soon.

 

[DanielSong39]

Hopefully he will be an effective super-domestique for Porte!

 

[GuyIncognito]

So, now can we finally admit that he's the perfect Rabobank graduate: Some early promise followed by blow after blow of disappointment to his fans?

More seriously, can we admit he's done as a Grand Tour GC threat?

 

[Moviefan1203]

Re:

So, now can we finally admit that he's the perfect Rabobank graduate: Some early promise followed by blow after blow of disappointment to his fans?

More seriously, can we admit he's done as a Grand Tour GC threat?

I still believe in him. Team change is going to be really good for him.

 

[Koronin]

I think a change of teams would do him a lot of good. Is he done as a GT GC rider, possibly. I don't think he can handle that pressure. However, what I think he could be very good at is as a super domestique.

 

[The Hegelian]

I think he was done a while ago, but the Roubaix stage was the death blow - watching him not being able to hold the wheel trying to get back on was one of those unambiguous moments in sport. A GC threat has to get back on.

 

[Moviefan1203]

Rumor has him going to EF.

 

[Leinster]

Re:

Rumor has him going to EF.

I think it’s an obvious and potentially very good move for him. Vaughters has been a fan for a long time, and when he gets it right, he can reinvigorate a good rider’s career.

I don’t think he’ll ever turn into a GT winner, but he could pick up some big results given the right environment.


Regarding his performance yesterday, the Tour won’t always have 22km of cobbles, and he won’t always have a classics specialist teammate in yellow and a GC leader who crashes out. I’m going to say the Roubaix stage of the 2018 Tour is a unique circumstance for him, never to be repeated, and from which no sweeping conclusions ought to be drawn.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Rumor has him going to EF.

I think it’s an obvious and potentially very good move for him. Vaughters has been a fan for a long time, and when he gets it right, he can reinvigorate a good rider’s career.

I don’t think he’ll ever turn into a GT winner, but he could pick up some big results given the right environment.


Regarding his performance yesterday, the Tour won’t always have 22km of cobbles, and he won’t always have a classics specialist teammate in yellow and a GC leader who crashes out. I’m going to say the Roubaix stage of the 2018 Tour is a unique circumstance for him, never to be repeated, and from which no sweeping conclusions ought to be drawn.

He had an off day. Can happen to anyone. Hopefully he can do something better in the mountains and the TT or get in a break like he did in the Giro. A stage or top 20 is probably the best he will do in this race looking at the time already lost. The team change should be good for him.

 

[The Hegelian]

Re: Re:

Rumor has him going to EF.

I think it’s an obvious and potentially very good move for him. Vaughters has been a fan for a long time, and when he gets it right, he can reinvigorate a good rider’s career.

I don’t think he’ll ever turn into a GT winner, but he could pick up some big results given the right environment.


Regarding his performance yesterday, the Tour won’t always have 22km of cobbles, and he won’t always have a classics specialist teammate in yellow and a GC leader who crashes out. I’m going to say the Roubaix stage of the 2018 Tour is a unique circumstance for him, never to be repeated, and from which no sweeping conclusions ought to be drawn.

I agree that he can definitely win week long stage races + important MTF's in GT's.

As far as the sweeping conclusions go - well, I think the point there is that the Roubaix stage was more like the icing on the cake. The cake itself has been crafted over years now, such that weight of evidence is overwhelmingly in favour of the thesis that TJ doesn't have the characteristics to win a GT....and that icing was hard to watch; it looked like a problem between the ears as much as in the legs.

 

[jmdirt]

'Icing on the Cake' is a cliche' that indicates one more good thing happened, and his poor ride over the stones was not one more good thing. Who knows what he will do in the next few days? Maybe he will spread a little frosting.

Tejay is a talent, but not a GT freak. The media built him up to be the next LA, and he has never gotten that out of his head. Maybe JV can help him focus if he does end up moving there.

 

[The Hegelian]

Sorry for the poor analogy/cliche. How about: straw-camel-back?

There is a sense in which the Roubaix stage might be good though; once reality properly catches up with you, you have no choice but to live in accord with it. And in reality TJ still has a huge engine, is still capable of winning big races & still capable of being a huge asset to other team members.

 

[memyselfandI]

Re:

I really hope he's not taking EF. It's worst case scenario for him if he does it. Proper Euro team should make wonders to him, well only if he's up to it..If it's close to home and family and all that shat then retire straight away.

AG2R, Bora, Sunweb, Lotto..

 

[Anderis]

Re: Re:

Regarding his performance yesterday, the Tour won’t always have 22km of cobbles

Even if it does... I recall that he was very good on the cobbled stage in 2015. Made the split of the top8 riders on the last cobbled sector with Froome, Thomas, Nibali, Degenkolb, Stybar, Valverde and GVA. Could've ended up gaining time but Sagan worked hard for Contador not to let them go.

It's a matter of form, mental condition and luck.

 

[Bolder]

I hope TJ continues to fight for a good placing. He's about 4.55 minutes behind Froome/Yates/Landa (my "virtual" GC leaders) ATM. But, that doesn't mean that all is lost, if he hangs tough in the mountains and has a strong ITT, a Top 10 would be something to be proud of.

Looking at it from 10,000 feet, US cycling is really on a downturn. When your first- or second-best GT hope (Talansky) ditches the pro tour for triathlons, that's not a good sign. I suspect that TJ is feeling a bit lonely right now. I think having national camaraderie, especially among expats, is key.

I don't know what it would take for the US to produce a GT contender, let alone winner, at this point. Maybe a LeMond or Armstrong unicorn will come along. I haven't lived in the US for years but it's probably due to a lack of grassroots racing and clubs that just never materialized, largely for trust reasons after the USPS scandal.

 

[Jspear]

He should just go for a stage win or two. Better than a 10th place in the GC.

 

[movingtarget]

If the first mountain stage is any indication the top 10 won't be happening. His best hope is to drop more time which should happen tomorrow and then he will be allowed to go in a break like he was in the Giro and he can try for a stage win.

 

[Bolder]

Re:

If the first mountain stage is any indication the top 10 won't be happening. His best hope is to drop more time which should happen tomorrow and then he will be allowed to go in a break like he was in the Giro and he can try for a stage win.

Yeah, think you're right, unfortunately. I don't think he'll need to drop any more time to be allowed to get in a break ;(

 

[Anderis]

15 minutes is more than enough to be allowed to any break he wants.