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Bonimenier
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Bonimenier
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How dare I be against grown men laying hands on children?!
I have a teenage daughter (14). I promise you that there is no way she would ever be playing "doorbell ditch" in a f'ing hotel. She's been raised to respect others, and also to know that some really bad things can happen to "kids" that put themselves in bad situations. I agree that MVDP overreacted and was wrong, but the reality is that he probably taught these girls a valuable lesson that their parents have neglected to. And don't worry, I back my daughter up just fine when needed.
Finally back to racing. I hope MVDP let's it all out on Sunday. Wish it was a bit more hilly/technical, but you take what you can get. Not sure why he isn't racing tomorrow at Chimay - maybe doesn't want to steal Evenpoel's thunder.
Just ignore comments like that. They are made purely to get replies like this.
It's kind of behaviour those girls had. Trying to provoke a reaction.
Well, let's see what happens from here. The big races can't come soon enough. 5th CX WC at home, RVV/PR double, whatever the goal is on the MTB, and the WC road race. And of course win the ultimate CX race at Namur - again - just like Senna won the ultimate F1 race pretty much every time he raced in Monte Carlo.
It looks like he was genuinely happy for his trade teammate Gianni Vermeersch winning the UCI Gravel Worlds even though they are from different countries. They did the recon of the course together in the week leading up to the race. I'm guessing he would have chased him down if it was CX, MTB, or Road Worlds.
He almost certainly won't race in Namur this year as it's being held in less than a month time due to hosting the European Championships.
To get MvdP to his best levels, his team needs to allow him freedom to choose his objectives. And MvdP needs to quit bowing to the pressures from team, media and fans to do all these stage races. He is a one day race wonder and anything else just causes him less joy, more pressure, and less results.
I'm hoping he will find the desire to race some CX this winter just for joy and training diversity. Last CX season was terrible...showed up for the muddiest, tractor pull race of the season with a bad back and tried to hang with Wout. That was his one and only CX race he finished last year.
I'm hoping he will find the desire to race some CX this winter just for joy and training diversity. Last CX season was terrible...showed up for the muddiest, tractor pull race of the season with a bad back and tried to hang with Wout. That was his one and only CX race he finished last year.
Yeah, I don't think stage races are his thing. There will be stages in these races where he can do something; but there are also lots of flat sprint friendly stages, or Mountain stages....
If he still has designs on the Olympic MTB race in 2024, then he'll need to start racking up points to qualify. And that means a proper MTB campaign, not 2-3 races. Let's see what happens. I think the first round at Valkenburg might be a target, he has unfinished business there......
Since winning the CX Worlds in January 2021, he's only done a handful of CX/ MTB races.....winning two of the XCC races.
If he still has designs on the Olympic MTB race in 2024, then he'll need to start racking up points to qualify. And that means a proper MTB campaign, not 2-3 races. Let's see what happens. I think the first round at Valkenburg might be a target, he has unfinished business there......
Since winning the CX Worlds in January 2021, he's only done a handful of CX/ MTB races.....winning two of the XCC races.
So lame, loyalty to trade teams and national teams is too much and makes for poor racing. He should have gone all in for the win, but that is not just his decision but others within the group that weren't chasing for similar reasons.
boring stuff.
I also don't think him doing stage races is very exciting for anyone. He is not participating in mass sprints -> no Green jersey for him. He is a worse climber/TTer than Wout -> so again no glory there. Obviously he can win some stages but what does it add compared to the classics? Very little, I would say.
Hmm.
I guess you do have a point but I would think that as long as he doesn't have as appalling a shape as in the Tour, he can always add something to a race. And stage wins are not meaningless (how many cross wins would equal a Tour stage?).
Not going because Wout is better is certainly not a good reason.
I want to see him do a few CX races in the winter, take a break, hit the spring classics, take a break, do some MTB races in the summer, take a break, do the Road and Gravel Worlds in the fall, take a break....repeat!
I'd also love to see him team up with Sam Gaze and do the Cape Epic in South Africa one year for grins.
I'd also love to see him team up with Sam Gaze and do the Cape Epic in South Africa one year for grins.
Oh yes for the Cape Epic.......that would be something......That could be brutal....
Agree - stage races, especially GT's, only to pick off specific targets (like the Yellow at TDF in 2021) and then just for training. No need to finish them. He'll never be a "JV/INEOS type "system" guy like Wout - doesn't need to be. He's basically taken a team on his back and gotten them to WT level on the road and the highest levels in CX and MTB. He'll reach his level again, and when he does it will be ugly for everyone else in the SB's, PR's and
Stage races only for specific goals (i.e. Yellow in 2021 for his Op
MVDP and Wout will ultimately be judged (on the road) by spring Monuments/Classics and to a lesser extent WC's (when it is a course for them). In a year where he was clearly and visibly a physical mess (see his second CX race) due to his back, MVDP managed to still win the most important race on the calendar - RVV. Green jerseys are kind've a joke, and honestly, Wout looked so "professional" at the TDF - like the rest of his JV teammates - that it is hard to take anything he accomplished there too seriously. MVDP will get back to 100%, and when he does folks will remember why all the other guys are pretenders. It was MVDP who started the whole "aggressive racing" style - not Wout, not Pogi, not EVP or whoever else.
Green jerseys are not a joke, lol.
Your over the top MvdP fanboy posts kind of are, though.
I dunno -- he lit up the first week of the TdF in 2021. That was seriously impressive stuff, especially on Mur de Bretagne. Going for the Giro this year was a huge mistake, however.
My ideal MvdP season for 2023 includes enough CX to qualify for world's at home, a rest until mid Feb, then Strade Bianche, MSR and a peak for Paris-Roubaix to win the damn thing, then a break, then part of the Tour (provided the first week offers chances), then the WC (in early AUgust, right?). then whatever he wants to do...I think he can win both MSR and PR if he's 100 percent and 100 percent focused. THAT would be a season to remember.
My ideal MvdP season for 2023 includes enough CX to qualify for world's at home, a rest until mid Feb, then Strade Bianche, MSR and a peak for Paris-Roubaix to win the damn thing, then a break, then part of the Tour (provided the first week offers chances), then the WC (in early AUgust, right?). then whatever he wants to do...I think he can win both MSR and PR if he's 100 percent and 100 percent focused. THAT would be a season to remember.
I'm going again to the perennial debate about road vs. MTB stuff, but given what we know of this year's TdF route so far, the two opening stages can suit him, but from there with the Pyrenees appearing quickly, the first week doesn't offer many opportunities.
We can't forget that next year is the important year for Olympic qualification and if wants to be in Paris 2024, he needs to perform during next year. With a home round of the World Cup in Valkenburg, he may be tempted to do it also.
So my preparation would be something like this (if not constrained by injury problems):
- CX from december until Worlds
(Rest)
- Spring Classics (Until Roubaix, no Ardennes)
(Rest)
Valkenburg + Nove Mesto MTB World Cups
Now comes the problem. There are two more blocks of WC MTB racing. Three races in June and 4 after World Championships.
He may skip the first block, do TdF, then Worlds and then the final block of MTB racing (as, without Worlds in September, there won't be many more big targets for him after August), but that can be a year too long.
But, is a full TdF the best preparation for Worlds? Or could he do something like:
Valkenburg+Nove Mesto
(Rest)
June block of MTB racing
(little rest)
Tour de Wallonie + Road/MTB Worlds
and finish the season with Vuelta?
We can't forget that next year is the important year for Olympic qualification and if wants to be in Paris 2024, he needs to perform during next year. With a home round of the World Cup in Valkenburg, he may be tempted to do it also.
So my preparation would be something like this (if not constrained by injury problems):
- CX from december until Worlds
(Rest)
- Spring Classics (Until Roubaix, no Ardennes)
(Rest)
Valkenburg + Nove Mesto MTB World Cups
Now comes the problem. There are two more blocks of WC MTB racing. Three races in June and 4 after World Championships.
He may skip the first block, do TdF, then Worlds and then the final block of MTB racing (as, without Worlds in September, there won't be many more big targets for him after August), but that can be a year too long.
But, is a full TdF the best preparation for Worlds? Or could he do something like:
Valkenburg+Nove Mesto
(Rest)
June block of MTB racing
(little rest)
Tour de Wallonie + Road/MTB Worlds
and finish the season with Vuelta?
It's certainly a dilemma; he's going to need to do most of the MTB World Cups to gain points, not only for Olympic qualification, but also if he decides on the MTB Worlds, and a decent starting position. With Discovery/ESO now running the World Cup, they've not scheduled any during the TdF.
Can he do the TdF, and pull out early again? Or will he be expected to drag himself around for 3 weeks? I'm not sure what he gets out of that.
The last two World Cups are in Snowshoe & Mont Saint-Anne, I wouldn't expect him to travel there, he hasn't previously.
Can he do the TdF, and pull out early again? Or will he be expected to drag himself around for 3 weeks? I'm not sure what he gets out of that.
The last two World Cups are in Snowshoe & Mont Saint-Anne, I wouldn't expect him to travel there, he hasn't previously.
I think that Van der Poel will end up riding a couple of MTB races in May after his classics campaign (Strade + MSR + RVV + Roubaix). Can't see him pulling out during Tour again as he would suffer quite some backlash and it could serve as an important block before the Glasgow championships.
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