Yeah, I don't think any current rider is particularly likely to ever win all 5 Monuments.
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Yes, also this bit I found odd - yes he’s powerful and he has a killer instinct etc, but it’s his technical skill that separates him from the competition in cx
Van der Poel is different: highly skilled technically, of course, but not to a degree that separates him from top-level competition a la Shiffrin or Biles.
- Jan 7, 2017
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Many road journalists completely miss the technical skills aspect of his success; in CX, he is far better technically than his rivals, and its not close. I've always stated his seasons in 2017-19 on the MTB made his even better technically.....
- May 18, 2023
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MVDP has won twice Flanders and once Roubaix. And once the worlds. Van Aert none. "With a bit of luck" ? Come on.
The main reason not to perform at his best after the Tour is that he ends the Tour exhausted every year. And the spring classics ? Maybe due to his to intens CX-program. Last year he was ill the days before the worlds CX. Still ended second in the same time of VDP. Later, he got covid during the trainingcamp on the Teide. That was kept secret. Then he had to train forcibly to reach another level. But just not enough to beat Pogacar and VDP.
This winter he trained to narrow his thighs and bottom. But at the same time he has a much too heavy upper body, making it globally look heavy. The theory is that narrowing the thighs and buttocks is still difficult during the season (and has to be done in winter). The excess kilos on the upper body could easily be trained through the ultimate preparation, also by dieting. I hope this is the right approach for him. He turns thirty in September. Afterwards, in his
thirties, he can still win Roubaix, but Flanders, the worlds and the olympics (in 2028). I don't think so.
I'm not a believer in Pogacar winning Roubaix, and even MSR will be a challenge as long as Mathieu and Wout are racing and still strong. I think Mathieu can win Liege, but Lombardy will remain out of the question.
I'm the last person to suggest Wout is the equal of MVDP in the big races (I'm a bit of a fanboy as my posting history will suggest), but even if Mathieu's photo-finish Flanders win had gone the other way Wout would not get have the stick that he does from Belgian media for coming up short in the big moments. Maybe that's not luck but the margins have often been small (I suspect we would have had a two-up sprint at Roubaix without Wout's flat).
- Nov 16, 2013
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Wout isn't racing this year, though. MvP will be tough to crack and it's not usual that the main aggressor actually wins MSR, so Pogi will probably have to play it differently to last year. His problem is that everybody will look at him. His favour is that since 2008, no rider has won the race twice, so at some point it must be his turn (that doctrine didn't work for Sagan however).
- Oct 30, 2023
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It would’t surprise me if mvp doesn’t bother racing Lombardia or LBL at all, much less win them. I feel like that journalist probably posts here and is frequently taken to the woodshed for their dumb ideas .
- Oct 30, 2023
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What can he do differently?
1. Save energy and try to make the jump at the top of the poggio like mvp last year
2. Come in hotter and make the gap up the poggio
3. Follow wheels and hope to out sprint the selection
4. Go at the cipresso and stay away for the glory
- Oct 30, 2023
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The question should be asked. Would the peloton more likely look at mvp @ Lombardia or pogi @ P-R and say “what are you doing here?”
Some of the proposed rule changes are ridiculous.. MVDP is now being asked to start a day later to give riders extra time. And those fans and " competitors " demanding the Mathieu stop each lap to get a mandatory haircut, rebuild bottom bracket, headset and swap out his chain is a bit much!! There has got to be a way to give others a chance and let someone else win...he didn't win by the same margin, still great!! And dry conditions made a clean jersey at the finish a nice change!! Guy is fantastic!!!
- Jun 6, 2017
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He did them both already, 6th at Liege and 10th at Lombardia. He'll try Liege for sure, Lombardia maybe...
He wasn't really in the mix in Lombardia 2020 tho, and it was a relatively weak field. That was when George Bennett was looking like a world beater. Weird calendar as the race was in mid August.
I do not think he can win Lombardia unless he specifically trains for climbing. And even then he's gonna be at a disadvantage VS a top level GC climber like Pog, Roglic or one of the Yates brothers. He will have to attack early and then somehow hold on. But who is going to work with him in a break or long range attack?
I honestly wonder if future appearance fees include a stipulation that he can’t hit the gas until lap 4, just to make the race “look” competitive for a time.
That’s certainly what it looked like today! - Jun 4, 2009
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I'm not surprised if he goes for Liege this spring, he's good to go for that. For Lombardy he needs maybe small weight drop, but he does not need to be a Wiggo, not even close.
- Jun 6, 2017
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The best thing would be if he could somehow manage to win Liege, although I think it will be a mighty hard task for him with the opponents like Pogacar and Remco. The he would have rest of his career for Lombardia, and I'm sure he would try it seriously , multiple times, including some serious weight drops and specifical climbing training.
If you had to fill in cartoon thought bubbles above the other racers " there he goes" " I hope I finish in time to see him on the podium " today was little funny, cyclocross is officiated differently because of series points.. Today a rider in mostly black kit was in the camera view as MVP lapped him..it's comical that an issue for Mathieu is lapped rider traffic!!I honestly wonder if future appearance fees include a stipulation that he can’t hit the gas until lap 4, just to make the race “look” competitive for a time.
I watched the last 4 laps of the women's race and it was great, the dry conditions and intentionally sandy sections made dismount and running as important as any race I have watched this year.. Solid quality race..
Why in the hell would MVDP want to become a "weight weenie" to win Lombardy? Much rather see him do what he is born to do - win races that require sheer power, explosiveness, aggression, and sublime bike handling skills - PR, RVV, WC's (when the course is right), MTB, and CX. Who cares if he wins Lombardy or LBL. Just keep racking up wins and putting on a show on how to ride a bike for us hacks out here.
- Oct 30, 2023
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These guy care about legacy achievements. 5 monuments would be an amazing accomplishment and puts them into a special conversation
Tying or beating the record of three RVV wins would be another meaningful accomplishment in the same category, though a lesser one.
I was thinking the same thing.I honestly wonder if future appearance fees include a stipulation that he can’t hit the gas until lap 4, just to make the race “look” competitive for a time.
- Feb 21, 2019
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Let's not underestimate how legendary would be for a rider to win all the five monuments in modern cycling. Van der Poel is one of the two riders in the current peloton that can achieve this but unlike the other, Pogačar, he can't win Grand Tours so apart from those off-road titles, the major one-day races on the road are the kind of races that can put him as one of the all time greats.
Don't get me wrong, if he continues to win his usual monuments plus something like the Olympic gold this year he is going to have a legendary career but in order to become one of the all time greats, I think he needs to win the five monuments and I don‘t think that LBL is impossible even though beating Pogačar and/or Remco is always going to be very difficult and as for Il Lombardia, well, I would say that he has no chance at his current weight with the last routes but if he has an easier route like in 2009 or 2010 and drops 2 or 3kg, then he becomes a serious contender and ironically I think this would help in the MTB too.
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Armchair Cyclist
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- Mar 22, 2010
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Rik van Looy says hello.
I suppose it could be a target for MvdP to equal the top acheivements of both De Vlaemincks: complete set of Monuments and 7 CX WCs
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