Teams & Riders The marvelous Victor Campenaerts, cult hero, thread

[Boes]

Ha, he is going to ride Paris-Nice because he heard Ganna would do Tirreno. There's some honesty.

Tbh, I like this new Campenaerts. He finally realizes he misses the talent to compete with the 3-4 best TT specialist, so he goes for the TT's he can win.
He's also going to try and tackle the opening classics of the season with Omloop and KBK. I've always wondered why he didn't try this sooner. He'll never win Flanders or Roubaix, but I am curious to see how far he can get in those semi classics.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Tbh, I like this new Campenaerts. He finally realizes he misses the talent to compete with the 3-4 best TT specialist, so he goes for the TT's he can win.
He's also going to try and tackle the opening classics of the season with Omloop and KBK. I've always wondered why he didn't try this sooner. He'll never win Flanders or Roubaix, but I am curious to see how far he can get in those semi classics.

Huh? He's always realized he doesn't have the talent of Dumoulin, Dennis or more recently Ganna, Evenepoel etc. Which is exactly why he's always focused so much on perfecting everything and making it his niche in the first place.

 

[memyselfandI]

Super motor but he just needs to stay upright and not hit the floor so easy. Tony Martin in the making, just add some stripes.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Victor Campenaerts toont begrip: "Allerbeste tijdrijders moeten naar de Spelen" | sporza

Remco Evenepoel en Wout van Aert krijgen de voorkeur op Victor Campenaerts voor de olympische tijdrit. De werelduurrecordhouder begrijpt de keuze van de bondscoach. "Het is niet omdat ik het tijdrijden in ons land op de kaart heb gezet dat ik een selectie verdien. Dat zou ik zelf niet willen"...

sporza.be

National coach Vantourenhout told the press that normally, Wout and Remco would be going to Tokyo for the Olympics. Campenaerts responded today, that he completely understands the decision. "I'm not an owl (idiot), Wout and Remco simply have more power". He thinks they both could end up on the podium.

The article (not just the part i spoke of above) also shows that the idea some people have about him, of being arrogant, is completely off base. He's a very down to earth guy and knows that his abilities are limited.

 

[jmdirt]

Congrats VC!

 

[Panda Claws]

Well-deserved after five 2nd place finishes at the Giro, four of them in time-trials too.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Very happy for him, well deserved. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

 

[BlueRoads]

Just came to me again how he has really had a very good season, proving he's not just a time trial specialist working on his own and for himself, but a very good helper for his teams and a classics rider who has to be considered, with the Giro stage win as a cherry on top. I wasn't sure that "switch" that he wanted to do would go so well.
Hopefully Paris-Roubaix on Sunday will be nice for him, too.

 

[Leinster]

I’ve stopped looking for him in TT results, he’s clearly decided that the new generation of TT specialists (well, Ganna) are too much for him, but he’s putting his engine to good use for some road results.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492523324181778434

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/NaichacaCycling/status/1492523324181778434?cxt=HHwWhMC4zceDwbYpAAAA

Well look it here, our man Victor Campenaerts has a better time than the one and only Tadej Pogacar on the Coll De Rates.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

He's the new Ayuso, version 2.0

 

[Samu Cuenca]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492523324181778434

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/NaichacaCycling/status/1492523324181778434?cxt=HHwWhMC4zceDwbYpAAAA

Well look it here, our man Victor Campenaerts has a better time than the one and only Tadej Pogacar on the Col De Rates.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492522237190197252

View: https://twitter.com/CafeRoubaix/status/1492522237190197252

 

[Bonimenier]

With Bernal out the way to a TdF podium is wide open.

 

[IndianCyclist]

He cramped his way to the top

 

[Leinster]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492522237190197252

View: https://twitter.com/CafeRoubaix/status/1492522237190197252

 

[Krzysztof_O]

He's the new Ayuso, version 2.0

Had he been Spanish the media would state 7 w/kg power.

 

[42x16ss]

413 watts for 24 mins is roughly in line with his Hour Record form, maybe 3-5 watts below, maximum. This could be a good season for him if he's dropped a little weight as well.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

He is very strong, but every time I see him in a classic I can't stop laughing because of his strange look on the bike and his utterly hopeless tactics.

I'm still a fan though, I can't help but like him

 

[Black Betsy]

Had he been Spanish the media would state 7 w/kg power.

How's that coffee, amigo?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Out of the remaining spring classics with a broken vertebra sustained in today's crash at Bredene-Koksijde. Even if he seems to crash more than the average rider, it's really unfortunate - just about the worst possible timing...

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Out of the remaining spring classics with a broken vertebra sustained in today's crash at Bredene-Koksijde. Even if he seems to crash more than the average rider, it's really unfortunate - just about the worst possible timing...

Yeah, I already noticed in Nokere he crashed three times.

He had a strange schedule, and didn‘t ride one single stage race this year. Normally he‘s a rather good bike handler.

I don‘t know his positioning, but as an attacking WT pro, he‘s normally at the front end of the peloton, I guess. So the weaker opponents, like CT riders in races like Nokere or Kooksijde, should not be a problem, because CT riders ride at the back end.

Of course everyone is disappointed now, because we would have loved to see him in the next weeks. And every crash is a loss for every rider, even if it‘s not his fault.

In his best years, Armstrong never crashed. The same with Boonen. Lotto Dstny is so strong at the moment, they should be able to make sure that leader Campenaerts doesn‘t crash. Or at least that he crashes less often than recently.

It‘s just sad because Lotto and Campenaerts have invested money, time and passion since autumn, just for spring of 2023. Now he‘s out for weeks with broken vertebrae.

 

[Andy262]

Great ride yesterday. Just looking back through his record surprised I could only see him having ridden Roubaix once. Could have missed one but definitely not a regular.

Surely a race that would suit his engine. I’d have seen him as an ideal rider to get out in a break.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Rolf Sørensen always has hit pet peeves, and Victor is one of them. He's always critical of how he rides and just attacks from the gun. Yesterday though, he complimented him a lot - I wonder why!

 

[tobydawq]

Rolf Sørensen always has hit pet peeves, and Victor is one of them. He's always critical of how he rides and just attacks from the gun. Yesterday though, he complimented him a lot - I wonder why!

I don't think you can fault Rolf there... Rolf was one of the most tactically astute riders of his time, and I'm quite sure he didn't race like Campenaerts...

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Combativity Stage 18 Bourg-en-Bresse.