Teams & Riders The "MVP" Mathieu Van der Poel Road Discussion Thread

[IndianCyclist]

A character flaw? Being human?

Its is not being human to confront and assault a kid. People usually approach the hotel staff or confront the parents. Its not human to spit at somebody which is considered disgusting and also infectious especially after covid. He said he knew it was wrong but still did it, it was deliberate but there are other ways.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Today he rode with anger.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Today he rode with anger.

Why is he so angry

 

[Salvarani]

Dropped Van Aert on first lap and won easily.

 

[zlev11]

why do euros respond so strongly to booing? it's a normal sports thing here in the US and nobody really cares. certainly not enough to do something as dumb as spitting on someone.

 

[AmRacer]

why do euros respond so strongly to booing? it's a normal sports thing here in the US and nobody really cares. certainly not enough to do something as dumb as spitting on someone.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was seen on video as he appeared to throw a drink into the crowd at EverBank Stadium near the end of the team’s 26-0 loss to the host Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

In the viral video circulating on social media, a visibly frustrated Tepper is seen in a suite at the stadium, along with Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer, when he appears to empty his drink into the stands before tossing away the cup.

https://us.cnn.com/2023/12/31/sport/nfl-carolina-panthers-david-tepper-video-drink-toss-spt/index.html

 

[kingjr]

why do euros respond so strongly to booing? it's a normal sports thing here in the US and nobody really cares. certainly not enough to do something as dumb as spitting on someone.

I think it also makes a difference if you're part of a team that's being booed, or if you're specifically being targeted, as an individual.

 

[Berniece]

Its is not being human to confront and assault a kid. People usually approach the hotel staff or confront the parents. Its not human to spit at somebody which is considered disgusting and also infectious especially after covid. He said he knew it was wrong but still did it, it was deliberate but there are other ways.

I disagree.

 

[Sciatic]

Whatever the provocation, this is the 2nd incident where he has gone over the top. It appears to be a character flaw and i doubt he will change since he has got off lightly both times. Maybe he should get some earbuds next time to block out the insults. Its not as if these people will throw insults when he is not present. His team needs to take action if they want to avoid further more serious incidents

I don’t think it makes sense to throw the term “character flaw” at someone we don’t know. I think there’s some evidence (mainly the hotel thing) he has some impulse-control issues. I don’t approve but it’s not entirely unusual for high-performance, highly driven people (mostly men) in competitive settings.

 

[Sciatic]

Kolsch!

A good American microbrewery should always have their version of "Kolsch" available in the tap room for those first timers.

Thanks goodness since that’s the best option if they don’t have a Pilsner (sorry, never been an IPA fan)

 

[Bolder]

why do euros respond so strongly to booing? it's a normal sports thing here in the US and nobody really cares. certainly not enough to do something as dumb as spitting on someone.

Plenty of American athletes have let booing get under their skin. https://www.si.com/nba/2022/05/10/n...cations-chris-paul-draymond-green-joel-embiid

 

[noob]

Marty & Jeremy called it out on commentary during the race, so Im guessing its a common enough thing when you see liquid being thrown, they arent chucking beer away.

as to why VdP doesnt mention it immediately post race, dont know, why has no one asked him that either ? also dont know, but he's not the most eloquent of riders even before spending the best part of an hour racing like that

the fact that he is not eloquent is probably part of his issues...

 

[noob]

Its is not being human to confront and assault a kid. People usually approach the hotel staff or confront the parents. Its not human to spit at somebody which is considered disgusting and also infectious especially after covid. He said he knew it was wrong but still did it, it was deliberate but there are other ways.

It's human. Human oftentimes does very wrong things. Doesn't mean it's excused. ( IE I agree with all you said, but would use different words especially (as an autistic that (theoretically) could've acted in a similar way. It's called meltdown ❤️).

 

[scribers]

I’m surprised about the issues raised about booing (as a separate behavior than throwing things). Are there some cultural differences (between countries or continents) about the acceptability of booing and verbal abuse of opponents? These are completely normative, and for some fans, the looked-forward-to aspect of attending NFL, NBA, NHL games—and their equivalents in college and even high school.

Though I’ve never attended one I’ve certainly read plenty about fan verbal abuse of players at European futbol matches. So is it that pro cycling is closer to tennis or golf in expectations of fan behavior?

Robert Ficker (look him up) is like a test case for the limits of verbal engagement in American sports venue. The guy was like an extra opposing player.

Disorderly conduct relating to alcohol might be a more relevant issue relating to all of this.

All distinctions difficult to prove. Especially across cultures. What’s not difficult to proves is physical assault, which the exchange of bodily fluids is a part of

 

[Sciatic]

Robert Ficker (look him up) is like a test case for the limits of verbal engagement in American sports venue. The guy was like an extra opposing player.

Disorderly conduct relating to alcohol might be a more relevant issue relating to all of this.

All distinctions difficult to prove. Especially across cultures. What’s not difficult to proves is physical assault, which the exchange of bodily fluids is a part of

Yeah, quite familiar with Flicker, though he’s an extreme.

You’re so right about mix of alcohol and sports fan aggression. Even though Mariner’s baseball games are pretty tame crowds compared to most US pro sports, if it’s crowded game vs big-draw opponents, I sometimes get tickets in the no-alcohol sections. Not that I don’t enjoy a beer myself, but I can go have one in plaza area and still avoid a-hole behavior in the seats around me.

 

[scribers]

A character flaw? Being human?

Yes. Those particular ones answer to laws in the form of punitive measures.

 

[Unchained]

Dropped Van Aert on first lap and won easily.

I know it's not true, but he looked like he was pushing a 54 tooth front ring and his power was breathtaking!! And the start was awesome!! I think in the end it was @1:55 over Wout..he was definitely angry about something. Really enjoyed the race of the top 5 they were really great!! As normal!!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

all mathieu's lap were under 10 minutes, and even his final lap was still a 9:39

to compare, wout's 1st lap was 9:39, and his fastest lap two, 9:36 (where Mathieu did 9:26, and the lap after9:17)

First time this season MVDP kept riding until the end. But I don't think it has something to do with anger. Just the fact he has a rest day after + with this hard of a course you're probably best of riding a good pace until the finish. Also earlier in the showers right?

 

[Oldermanish]

I don’t think it makes sense to throw the term “character flaw” at someone we don’t know. I think there’s some evidence (mainly the hotel thing) he has some impulse-control issues. I don’t approve but it’s not entirely unusual for high-performance, highly driven people (mostly men) in competitive settings.

You only need to watch some Women's tennis to see it's not an exclusive gender attitude.

 

[Sciatic]

You only need to watch some Women's tennis to see it's not an exclusive gender attitude.

That’s why I said “mostly”

 

[Hugh Januss]

Yes. Those particular ones answer to laws in the form of punitive measures.

Or at least civil suits.

 

[senna6541]

Baal was just a bludgeoning. Think we may be seeing the fully formed super freak that was promised in 2019 (especially on the road) when he was wasting watts like a drunken sailor and still making the best in the world look silly (RVV, blowing out AP at Brabanste Pijl, AG, etc.). If he can manage to stay healthy he's on his way to a level where he is strong enough to win his targeted races at an obscene clip over the next couple of years - only losing cause of a major mech or crash that holds him up.

 

[Boes]

Baal was just a bludgeoning. Think we may be seeing the fully formed super freak that was promised in 2019 (especially on the road) when he was wasting watts like a drunken sailor and still making the best in the world look silly (RVV, blowing out AP at Brabanste Pijl, AG, etc.). If he can manage to stay healthy he's on his way to a level where he is strong enough to win his targeted races at an obscene clip over the next couple of years - only losing cause of a major mech or crash that holds him up.

Just a few things are questionable to me:

- he seems to good to early in the season. I imagine he'll easily be able to push his form until MSR & Strade but Roubaix is still a long way out. If on the other hand he still has to improve towards the classics then he'll be a true monster on the bike.
- mountainbiking is big question mark to me. If he wants to be good in Paris, he'll have to switch to mountainbiking a some point and what will it cost him.

 

[Berniece]

- he seems to good to early in the season. I imagine he'll easily be able to push his form until MSR & Strade but Roubaix is still a long way out. If on the other hand he still has to improve towards the classics then he'll be a true monster on the bike.

I don't think these riders have that much difficulty keeping the level so high. Look at WVA, the reason why he's actually not as good as last year is mostly because he has issues mentally to keep his level that high, not physically.

 

[Bolder]

Baal was just a bludgeoning. Think we may be seeing the fully formed super freak that was promised in 2019 (especially on the road) when he was wasting watts like a drunken sailor and still making the best in the world look silly (RVV, blowing out AP at Brabanste Pijl, AG, etc.). If he can manage to stay healthy he's on his way to a level where he is strong enough to win his targeted races at an obscene clip over the next couple of years - only losing cause of a major mech or crash that holds him up.

He's been this good in CX before, as I said in the CX thread, neither Wout nor Pidcock is fully committed to CX this year, and the specialists just haven't improved their level except for Ronhaar and Niewenhuis (and maybe Eli although he's been ill).

What would be truly frightening is if he switched road teams to Trek or Visma, who could give him real support until the last 20 km of any classics race, or send someone credible up the road to take off any pressure. I wonder how much he's been offered outside of Alpecin, where's he's apparently only on a 2 mil salary? If Sagan was worth 5 mil at some point, surely he's worth 6 or even 7 million right now. If he wins the OGRR I wonder if UAE or Bahrain comes to him with an offer he can't refuse. Gotta keep making those Lambo payments!