jaylew said:
GuyIncognito said:
Given his characteristics I'll be amazed if he ever wins Roubaix. Flanders should be doable one day. Amstel as well.
The team said they'd look for invites to Dwars and E3 in 2019. This was a month or so ago.
Really? Why would you say that? He's a great bike handler, he's got good acceleration, good power, and a very good sprint.
I'm a month late, but I only just saw this.
He's got great acceleration and power in short bursts, especially on climbs, like any cyclo-crosser.
The things you need at Flanders that are mostly useless at Roubaix.
Museeuw and Rolf Sorensen among others have spoken at length of the difference between the two races. In the twisty roads and short climbs of Flanders you need:
- Intimate knowledge of the roads. That will come with time.
- Ability to climb short hills quickly and recover from those efforts quickly. He has that in spades
- Bike handling skills. Again, he has that in spades
On the flat stretches of Roubaix you need:
- Endurance. That may come with time. Maybe.
- A flair for riding the center of the cobble stretches with little wasted energy. To a small extent this is learned but mostly it's an innate ability. We'll know eventually if he has it. It's not related to cyclo-cross.
- Raw sustained power. Like most cyclo-crossers he's an explosive rider with little sustained power. In fact, he skips any race with a TT longer than a prologue. The Tour of Belgium had a TT of just 15kms, not long by any stretch, and even then he decided to not start the stage. Said he didn't see the point in "digging deep to maybe get a top 50" when he had a MTB race 4 days later.
He might win Roubaix one day. But it's unlikely. Flanders and Amstel on the other hand....and even Liege, if he can eventually improve his sustained power enough for climbs that are a little longer and the new race finish is flat as expected.