Teams & Riders The Great Big Cycling Transfers, Extensions, and Rumours Thread

[Roku]

Bennett is ahead of McNulty for now and just behind Almeida. If UAE are smart they'll get Bennett and Pogacar working together similar to Sastre and Basso at CSC in the GTs

I guess you mean Almeida right?

Because there's no way Bennett can reach a Sastre-like level (not even the 2010 Giro level). Bennett is only good for stage hunting in Giro/Vuelta. Not even for domestique duties, since he is usually too selfish to work hard for other riders.

 

[tobydawq]

Almeida for Ackermann, Pogacar for Hodeg!
On a serious note I think they still have some spots for 22 left, so there might be more signings in that department. And Gaviria and Molano are not signed for next year yet?

Do we know that Hodeg is actually faster than Pogacar, the guy who almost beat Van Aert, the Champs-Élysées winner, in a sprint?

 

[Froome]

Not sure why any big team would consider Bennett as a potential leader or a co-leader at this point of his career. Will be 32 next year with a career best of 8th overall in a GT and 6th in a major one week race and a failure on his last attempt to a GT leadership in this year's Giro.

Certainly he will be a domestique for pogacar in the tour, and probably they will buy 1 or 2 more climbers.

 

[BlueRoads]

Do we know that Hodeg is actually faster than Pogacar, the guy who almost beat Van Aert, the Champs-Élysées winner, in a sprint?

Are you suggesting Hodeg should work for Pogacar? Crazy! Why would he go to UAE if he would just have to work for Pogacar? Clearly he will be a leader in that team! In next year's Tour everything will be about Hodeg #youcanquotemelater.

 

[Rackham]

It is written in the stars that George Bennett will lose the Tour 2022 as domestique for Pogacar after he lost the Tour 2020 as domestique for Roglic.

... & Roglic will be the winner of the Tour 2022.

That's how sport often throws a lovely curveball onto the respective fates of different athletes.

 

[RedheadDane]

It is written in the stars that George Bennett will lose the Tour 2022 as domestique for Pogacar after he lost the Tour 2020 as domestique for Roglic.

... & Roglic will be the winner of the Tour 2022.

That's how sport often throws a lovely curveball onto the respective fates of different athletes.

So, you're saying that having G. Bennett on the TdF squad curses Slovenes?

 

[Rackham]

So, you're saying that having G. Bennett on the TdF squad curses Slovenes?

lol, I don't know, but I remember the Tour documentary broadcast on dutch TV where they followed the Jumbo Visma team last year & one quote from George Bennet himself, i.e. "f*cking Peyresourde man!" (because that's where Pogacar clawed the time back which he'd lost in a previous echelon).

So it would just be funny (& ironic) if he's on Pogacar's team... & also loses.

 

[Salvarani]

It is written in the stars that George Bennett will lose the Tour 2022 as domestique for Pogacar after he lost the Tour 2020 as domestique for Roglic.

... & Roglic will be the winner of the Tour 2022.

That's how sport often throws a lovely curveball onto the respective fates of different athletes.

He was in his team when Roglic won his two Vueltas though

 

[yaco]

Kelland O'Brien who is one of the members of the Aussie Team Pursuit squad will join Bike Exchange - Announcement coming soon - He's a talented rider who should become an all-rounder.

 

[staubsauger]

Lutsenko, Fuglsang and Boaro to Qhubeka according to Tuttibiciweb?

If I was Lutsenko I would rather end my career than to sign up for Qhubeka.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Lutsenko, Fuglsang and Boaro to Qhubeka according to Tuttibiciweb?

If I was Lutsenko I would rather end my career than to sign up for Qhubeka.

Things seemed to be running better when Michaelsen was at Astana (at least better than now), so it could make sense for them to go there.

 

[RedheadDane]

He was in his team when Roglic won his two Vueltas though

Such is the nature of the Bennett Curse; it's specifically about the TdF.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I guess you mean Almeida right?

Because there's no way Bennett can reach a Sastre-like level (not even the 2010 Giro level). Bennett is only good for stage hunting in Giro/Vuelta. Not even for domestique duties, since he is usually too selfish to work hard for other riders.

Is that really the product of his selfishness, though, or is that, like with Kuss, the product of Addy Engels' galaxy brain tactics that take a cohesive unit all riding together and somehow make them less use for their leader than a domestique corps comprised of seven clones of John Gadret?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Such is the nature of the Bennett Curse; it's specifically about the TdF.

Maybe they just want to make sure that Pogacar can win the Vuelta at some point?

 

[42x16ss]

I think, it's become clear now that Bennett doesn't have Sastre's level though. He can be a great domestique, but it doens't look like he will ever be able to break into the top 5 in a GT, whereas Almeida was only fractions and failed team tactics away from doing that in both of his first two attempts, while possilby being the strongest rider on occasion.

For sure Bennett isn't quite Sastre's level. But at his best he's capable of doing a similar job as what he did in 03/04. Look at how he rode for Kruiswijk in 2019

 

[42x16ss]

I guess you mean Almeida right?

Because there's no way Bennett can reach a Sastre-like level (not even the 2010 Giro level). Bennett is only good for stage hunting in Giro/Vuelta. Not even for domestique duties, since he is usually too selfish to work hard for other riders.

Some obviously didn't watch the 2019 TDF then...

 

[42x16ss]

It is written in the stars that George Bennett will lose the Tour 2022 as domestique for Pogacar after he lost the Tour 2020 as domestique for Roglic.

... & Roglic will be the winner of the Tour 2022.

That's how sport often throws a lovely curveball onto the respective fates of different athletes.

Bennett almost singlehandedly dragged Kruiswijk onto the podium in 2019 (with a little help from Pinots torn quad)

 

[Roku]

Bennett almost singlehandedly dragged Kruiswijk onto the podium in 2019 (with a little help from Pinots torn quad)

Some obviously didn't watch the 2019 TDF then...

And it was probably you by the look of your posts... Kruijswijk's best domestique was De Plus. Bennett did not even pull for SK in La Planche des Belles Filles, pursuing his selfish placing that was never going to happen. The only stage where Bennett worked fine was Tourmalet. Iseran, Prat d'Albis and Val Thorens it was all about De Plus (in Val Thorens Bennett dropped when the pack was huge).

 

[Mayomaniac]

Is that really the product of his selfishness, though, or is that, like with Kuss, the product of Addy Engels' galaxy brain tactics that take a cohesive unit all riding together and somehow make them less use for their leader than a domestique corps comprised of seven clones of John Gadret?

You don't need 7 Gadret clones, you only need him, Visconti, Ion and Gorka, Fuglsang, Masnada andRui Costa...

 

[Salvarani]

I mean is it not kind of pointless to compare Bennett to what he has done before as a "domestic". He has ridden with own ambitions all up until now. He has been in that mindset.

He goes to UAE with zero to minimal own ambitions. Most likely he will only have a couple of races to race for a result of his own. Unless injuries or unplanned things happen.

He will have a different mindset to what his role will be within his new team, and if he is not good in that role then so be it.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

For sure Bennett isn't quite Sastre's level. But at his best he's capable of doing a similar job as what he did in 03/04. Look at how he rode for Kruiswijk in 2019

You said they should "work together", suggesting he could be used as a kind of co-leader like Sastre. As I said Bennett is a great domestique, but he isn't a solid GT leader like Almeida, mainly because he's bad a time trialer, and therefore I would never rank him just behind Almeida. Of course Bennett has also sacrificed his own chances quite a few times, which has probably kept him from achieving better results of his own, but whereas Almeida should only be working for Pogacar, Bennett could end up working for both Almeida and Pogacar in races.

 

[SafeBet]

Gallopin back to Trek

https://twitter.com/x/status/1425382103634567169

View: https://twitter.com/TrekSegafredo/status/1425382103634567169?s=19

 

[42x16ss]

You said they should "work together", suggesting he could be used as a kind of co-leader like Sastre. As I said Bennett is a great domestique, but he isn't a solid GT leader like Almeida, mainly because he's bad a time trialer, and therefore I would never rank him just behind Almeida. Of course Bennett has also sacrificed his own chances quite a few times, which has probably kept him from achieving better results of his own, but whereas Almeida should only be working for Pogacar, Bennett could end up working for both Almeida and Pogacar in races.

Sastre was never truly a co leader, let's be honest. Hamilton and particularly Basso were certainly stronger.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Sastre was never truly a co leader, let's be honest. Hamilton and particularly Basso were certainly stronger.

Sure, but Sastre was still able to finish in the top 10, which has been hard enough for Bennett to do even when he was the sole leader.

 

[42x16ss]

Sure, but Sastre was still able to finish in the top 10, which has been hard enough for Bennett to do even when he was the sole leader.

I don't disagree, I'm not saying Bennett is as good as Sastre, I'm saying that he could do a similar job as what he did in 03 and 04 in terms of mountain support and better than what we saw from most of UAEs domestiques this year.