That's a very reserved opinion considering he easily put a minute on Mathieu today in NM.
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MvdP beat everybody he beat at Nove Mesto in 2019; unfortunately for him, he can't beat somebody who is so light, and can climb, and has technical ability.
The De Ronde Behind the Scenes from his Flanders win is finally up:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESNeRrkrf9M
As much as I know and was trying to verify he seems to be on the startlist. Which info is confusing for you?
I don't know where I saw it when anymore, he was on then he was off then he was on... but I guess he's simply doing it now.
And this was what I call a pure class!
The man hardly touched his road bike in last two months, and he wins like this...
The man hardly touched his road bike in last two months, and he wins like this...
I can confirm after today i'm 100% certain i saw him in the race.
I'm not sure about that. He did two weekends of dirt, but did road camps before and after that.
Depends on what discipline really. In MTB Pidcock is far ahead. In road we don't know, VDP simply didn't ride high level road races at age 21. So there is no way of knowing what he might have done.
In cx Pidcock is way behind what VDP had done at age 21.
That sentence was mainly about MTB, as I was reffering to his performance in NM on that particular day. I completely agree with you as for the other disciplines. Also I generally find making such comparisons, that x rider is better than y rider was at that age, rather pointless as there are too many variables coming into it.
Apart from that, you need to remember than in MTB you also have different kinds of routes and as far as I can see Pidcock being far ahead on the courses with long climbs, I don't think he's that much superior to Mathieu on the more interval ones.
It's also simple physics with them. Pidcock is 50kg compared to Mathieu 75kg. Pidcock has a huge huge advantage on longer climbs. And can even best him on shorter climbs if they are steep enough I'd say.
Mathieu on the other hand has the advantage in pure raw power, especially peak watt efforts (interval) on flatter or light hilly terrain. Which is also logical given his physique. He is also far more muscular than Pidcock (look at his arms for instance). They will end up winning very different kind of road races. And they will clash on terrain like AGR/FW which is a mix of both their abilities.
Mathieu on the other hand has the advantage in pure raw power, especially peak watt efforts (interval) on flatter or light hilly terrain. Which is also logical given his physique. He is also far more muscular than Pidcock (look at his arms for instance). They will end up winning very different kind of road races. And they will clash on terrain like AGR/FW which is a mix of both their abilities.
Ok, but Pidcock isn't 50kg. Not even if PCS were to claim so again (just checked, they're not). Currently at 58kg. Still a huge advantage but less dramatic.
Impressive return to the road. He looked powerful and waited for the right moment. It would be awesome if he could win a stage in the Tour. I don't know what his chances are in the Olympics, but he'll face some strong Austrian and French mountainbikers there.
Good summary. I think VdP in the long run (if he isn't hampered by injuries or sickness) will be the best overall classics rider and win a bunch big one-day races, while Pidcock either will be more of an allrounder, or aim for the GC while also doing hilly classics like Roglics does. Given his light frame and his results in last year's Baby Giro, I think the latter is most probable.
Hmm.. in the last 2 World Cups the best Austrian rider was 41 year-old Karl Markt with 30th place.
Olympics will be more like a bunch of estabilished mountainbikers who will have to face two CX/road young talented guns.
Imagine what those guys, who are full-time mtb riders, perfecting every aspect of this discipilne for years, with world champs and world cups in their palmares, must feel when suddenly they're only able to compete for the 3rd place. Just because of the two youngsters, who sit on their mtb bikes few weeks in a year between winning road classics and cx worlds titles.
I strongly suggest this picture as the background photo of this thread as it apparently lacks one.
source: View: https://www.instagram.com/p/CP1FOWbBTM_/
source: View: https://www.instagram.com/p/CP1FOWbBTM_/
Meh. One-trick pony.
Seriously though. It was as if the world champ was standing still. Painful to watch. What a beast. I understand Matthews complaint but not even he believes that it would have made a difference. To be fair I think that currently no one in the pro peloton beats Mathieu on such a finish when he's in form. No one.
Seriously though. It was as if the world champ was standing still. Painful to watch. What a beast. I understand Matthews complaint but not even he believes that it would have made a difference. To be fair I think that currently no one in the pro peloton beats Mathieu on such a finish when he's in form. No one.
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