The Grand 2022 Wollongong UCI Road World Championships Thread, September 18th-25th

[waku waku]

I'm sure Pogacar is overjoyed with the results he has achieved in big races this season that have allowed him to win the UCI Ranking. Pretty sure he'll celebrate it harder than if he won TDF.

 

[Bonimenier]

I'm sure Pogacar is overjoyed with the results he has achieved in big races this season that have allowed him to win the UCI Ranking. Pretty sure he'll celebrate it harder than if he won TDF.

He still has a lot of points at stake with Il Lombardia coming up.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

He still has a lot of points at stake with Il Lombardia coming up.

Pogacar vs Masnada round 2 coming up! That's exciting, I hope Pogacar gets plenty of sleep in the hotel rooms to be at his best for the fight

 

[Ilmaestro99]

You already got a bad start with misspelling his name.

I think this deserves a little bit of a campaign before we reach an election day.

Man I already loost the Danish vote with that, and it's like 75% of the forum. Was not a good idea .

But I'm sure most would agree with me that winning Tour de France stage is more prestigious than winning Gookse Pijl

 

[Big Doopie]

I'm sure Pogacar is overjoyed with the results he has achieved in big races this season that have allowed him to win the UCI Ranking. Pretty sure he'll celebrate it harder than if he won TDF.

as others have pointed out, if he does not win Lombardia or get enough points he can still drop below Remco.

also, not so sure he is "overjoyed with the results he has achieved in big races this season". He failed to win the TDF. He was amazingly exciting, won three stages and finished second. But for him at this point anything other than winning GC probably does not make him overjoyed. His other wins are good, but UAE and TA are very close to the start of the season (he has won them before) and they don't have the heightened reputation of many races later on in the season. Montreal was a great win/race but -- again -- not one with that much prestige (despite the UCI points). Winning Lombardia again - now that would probably be his best win of the season.

To me, he had two remarkable performances: Strade and in my mind probably his most extraordinary performance (even though not a win) in the Ronde.

 

[Samamba]

Remco will als lose 365 UCI points from last years Italian races and Chrono des Nations.

Luckily he's that interested in getting first on the UCI ranking that he's riding in Bunche next week to get the easy .1 points!!!

Pogacar will be defending 625 points. He's around 120 points up right now so if he just does decent in the Italian races he's riding he should still be in first at the end of the season.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Late to reply, but I understand why people are frustrated. That being said the beauty of Remco he puts everyone to the sword.

Either you are willing to put it on the line from 50k in or you lose.

While others have had 50k solos no one in the world is as good at it as Remco.

Not sure why the favorites weren't towards the front, but once 100km threshold had been broached they needed to stay near the front. They didn't and the race was over.

That's the gist of racing when Remco is in the field. You either hope he has bad legs and/or you have to be willing to go solo with him for 50km+.

There isn't anyone in the world who can consistently do that aside from Remco.

 

[Bonimenier]

Remco will als lose 365 UCI points from last years Italian races and Chrono des Nations.

Luckily he's that interested in getting first on the UCI ranking that he's riding in Bunche next week to get the easy .1 points!!!

Pogacar will be defending 625 points. He's around 120 points up right now so if he just does decent in the Italian races he's riding he should still be in first at the end of the season.

Isn't van Aert quite close as well? And I don't think he has to defend any points (unless PR21 points are somehow only deducted in October)>

 

[Danskebjerge]

In all seriousness declaring your own superiority in intelligence anonymously on the Internet is quite funny, especially on such a non-intellectual topic .

I'm not only more intelligent but also much better at identifying a joke than you are.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I'm not only more intelligent but also much better at identifying a joke than you are.

I did identified the joke , I said it was funny.

But to be honest most jokes go over my head on the Internet when sarcasm is involved

 

[tobydawq]

I did identified the joke , I said it was funny.

But to be honest most jokes go over my head on the Internet when sarcasm is involved

I didn't mean it that there should be an election day.

 

[Kwibus]

Not sure if was mentioned before in this thread, but Eenkhoorn allready congratulated Evenepoel with 3 rounds to go. He also wondered openly to Evenepoel how 'fat' the envelope of Senechal would be.

Eenkhoorn also said that van Baarle for example didn't even know until late that Evenepoel was in the first group.

 

[Samamba]

Isn't van Aert quite close as well? And I don't think he has to defend any points (unless PR21 points are somehow only deducted in October)>

No points to defend but is he even doing any races? Paris Tours? Don't think that would be enough. Atleast not if Pogacar does decent.

 

[Red Rick]

Not sure if was mentioned before in this thread, but Eenkhoorn allready congratulated Evenepoel with 3 rounds to go. He also wondered openly to Evenepoel how 'fat' the envelope of Senechal would be.

Eenkhoorn also said that van Baarle for example didn't even know until late that Evenepoel was in the first group.

Lmao what a shambles of a race.

 

[Billie]

Not sure if was mentioned before in this thread, but Eenkhoorn allready congratulated Evenepoel with 3 rounds to go. He also wondered openly to Evenepoel how 'fat' the envelope of Senechal would be.

When Senechal started working at the front Bardet came up to him and there was a short discussion between them where it was clear from the hand gestures they did not agree and Senechal continued to work.

Bardet quite clearly was the smartest in that group constantly on the wheel of Remco but never taking any pulls. They didn't really show Remco riding away but I think he lost it in the corners at about 1,7k from the line. After Bardet realised Remco had gone he was also the one with the most urgency to go all in to close the gap realising that was the race.

 

[KZD]

If Van Aert finishes the season as number 1 in the World Tour ranking at the end of the season it just shows how little sense it makes.

 

[Red Rick]

When Senechal started working at the front Bardet came up to him and there was a short discussion between them where it was clear from the hand gestures they did not agree and Senechal continued to work.

Bardet quite clearly was the smartest in that group constantly on the wheel of Remco but never taking any pulls. They didn't really show Remco riding away but I think he lost it in the corners at about 1,7k from the line. After Bardet realised Remco had gone he was also the one with the most urgency to go all in to close the gap realising that was the race.

So basically QS just racing like a trade team at the WC again. Damn.

 

[gavia88]

But I once found some video from the 2008 race, and I don't quite see the race as you describe it. The Italians were dominating and attacking again and again as the race came closer to the finish, and two Danes fought desperately to hang on, deservedly securing a bronze medal to Matti Breschel.

hmm, yes, the Italians made the course indeed. What I remember is that Bettini was the great favorite and everyone was looking at him. When the others discovered that Bettini never ever was going to get back to the front, for some other favorites the race was over as well. I remember Bettini cleary showing during the end of the race that he was taking goodbye to his win the year before. If I remember correctly Gesink was in the final move as well.

 

[Bonimenier]

If Van Aert finishes the season as number 1 in the World Tour ranking at the end of the season it just shows how little sense it makes.

It's pretty ridiculous he got over 1700 points in 5 racedays since the Tour. There are way too many points for grab in 1 day races that aren't monuments/WC.

 

[Red Rick]

It's pretty ridiculous he got over 1700 points in 5 racedays since the Tour. There are way too many points for grab in 1 day races that aren't monuments/WC.

Are you trying to convince me that Arnaud de Lie hasn't had a better season than Jai Hindley, Richard Carapaz, or Dylan van Baarle?

 

[Danskebjerge]

hmm, yes, the Italians made the course indeed. What I remember is that Bettini was the great favorite and everyone was looking at him. When the others discovered that Bettini never ever was going to get back to the front, for some other favorites the race was over as well. I remember Bettini cleary showing during the end of the race that he was taking goodbye to his win the year before. If I remember correctly Gesink was in the final move as well.

So often, the Italians have been met with high expectations - 2008 is one of the few years where they actually lived up to them (three in the top four). Gesink was in the top 10, yes:

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/world-championship/2008

I find the final kilometers extremely intense with all the attacks. One of the heroes of the day was the late Chris Anker Sørensen who quite remarkably finished 13th after all the work he had done for Breschel.

Btw, Bettini beat Zabel in the peloton's sprint!

 

[Panda Claws]

Getting rid of earpieces in those races has been a buff for riders like Evenepoel

 

[Armchair cyclist]

In a couple of years. Maybe the UCI will react to the criticism and change a thing here and there. That will postpone the effect a little.

I hope I remember this so that I can do a little opinion poll in 2024.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Getting rid of earpieces in those races has been a buff for riders like Evenepoel

Yeah, I agree. Team radio creates a kind of learned stupidity in riders and Evenepoel’s abilities and tactics are very well fitted to take advantage of that stupidity. Even with radios, having one of the very strongest riders in the peloton as a nearly perpetual long range attacker will force top riders to get better at split second decision making.

 

[Kwibus]

Getting rid of earpieces in those races has been a buff for riders like Evenepoel

I have always been pro no ear pieces, but only having no ear pieces at 1 race per year doesn't help that race at all.