This common to looking pretty prescient right nowI have a feeling neither are gonna win.
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This common to looking pretty prescient right nowI have a feeling neither are gonna win.
Physiologically he might be a top 3 favorite on quite the range of WC and monument routes but he's wasting so many opportunities with his horrendous positioning it stops being a meme and becomes actually sad instead.
I think that this season that schedule was particularly difficult as it was tailored to the Olympics. On top of that he had to race in the Tour as well. Regardless, I think his little adventure in XCO is nice and all, but I feel that the trade-off isn’t worth it in the end.It's obvious that he is going to have to plan his race calendar much better if he wants to be at the top of the races he enters. This jumping back and forth between road and MTB clearly isn't working for him. If he wants to keep competing in 3 disciplines, he needs to schedule dedicated blocks of time between each and with sufficient recovery after every block.
I feel that he’s going to rue the chances missed at the end of his career. Again, this RR WC was a great chance for him. He might never get a course as tailored to him than this one again. Now he’s empty handed; no XCO OL medal and no RR WC medal. Just a shame.
I think it's possible but the issue is a wear and tear it will have on you. Certainly the evidence has been time and time again that eventually there is a toll that must be paid.I agree that combining 3 disciplines is difficult but I think we saw the best MVDP ever in 2019 and in that year he combined them perfectly. But now, if he's gonna add a GT for season, it's probably more difficult to make space for MTB in the summer.
Regarding tailormade WCh courses, I think we're going to need to wait only more 2 years. Glasgow should be very similar to the one of the 2018 ECh.
I think we can see the actual "best MVDP ever" if he focussed on the road. Like I keep reiterating; there's an undeniable trade-off when focussing on 3 disciplines instead of one. Like has been mentioned before, it's taxing on the body and eventually will catch-up with you. It'd be a darn shame if that were to happen to an uber-talent like Mathieu. CX is fine because it has been proven to serve perfectly as training for the road season. It's more the XCO schedule which intertwines with the road one.I agree that combining 3 disciplines is difficult but I think we saw the best MVDP ever in 2019 and in that year he combined them perfectly. But now, if he's gonna add a GT for season, it's probably more difficult to make space for MTB in the summer.
Regarding tailormade WCh courses, I think we're going to need to wait only more 2 years. Glasgow should be very similar to the one of the 2018 ECh.
He needs to mature to fully reach his potential.I think we can see the actual "best MVDP ever" if he focussed on the road. Like I keep reiterating; there's an undeniable trade-off when focussing on 3 disciplines instead of one. Like has been mentioned before, it's taxing on the body and eventually will catch-up with you. It'd be a darn shame if that were to happen to an uber-talent like Mathieu. CX is fine because it has been proven to serve perfectly as training for the road season. It's more the XCO schedule which intertwines with the road one.
At the end of the day his legacy of doing 3 disciplines will only be remembered if, like someone already mentioned, he wins the WC in each discipline. Otherwise it'll be remembered as a "what could have been" on the road.
Of course I would love for him to achieve this goal, but he needs to evaluate at what cost he's willing to keep chasing this goal.
I think we can see the actual "best MVDP ever" if he focussed on the road. ...
I know he likes to venture out in other disciplines because he doesn’t like the one or two hundred km’s before the fireworks begin in a road race. My point is that the opportunity cost might likely outweigh this multi-discipline juggle.No, we wouldn't. Mixing disciplines keeps him motivated......only doing the most boring of the 3 would be a waste. He'd probably become jaded by the same routine.
You (and others like you) just want him to concentrate on the road.......
I said this before but I will repeat, "really hard week long stage races take a toll on MvdP". He had a drop in form after the Tirreno Stage Race in Italy this spring where he went deep to win two stages and he had a drop in form after his week long stent in the yellow jersey this summer at the TdF. He is not made to be a stage racer.
He's already had 3 peaks this year: CX World Championship, Strade Bianchi/Tirreno Stage race, and the Tour de France first week. He's done for the year...stick a fork in him. He needs a couple months off to recover and work on his core fitness/back. He can come back to CX in December/January for a little CX fun and better pick his targets for next year. He can't do it all. Both he and Wout need to do a better job in managing their energy IF they want to win the big races.The TDF was over two months ago.
thats a bit over dramatic. Van der Poels range in one day races is much bigger than people give him credit form. In absolute top shape I'd even rate him on LBL type courses.I think that this season that schedule was particularly difficult as it was tailored to the Olympics. On top of that he had to race in the Tour as well. Regardless, I think his little adventure in XCO is nice and all, but I feel that the trade-off isn’t worth it in the end.
I feel that he’s going to rue the chances missed at the end of his career. Again, this RR WC was a great chance for him. He might never get a course as tailored to him than this one again. Now he’s empty handed; no XCO OL medal and no RR WC medal. Just a shame.
He might never get another course like this again. Nothing overdramatic about it, just facts. He might get a similar course, but not likely one that is this tailored to his strengths, simple as. I never said anything about his ability to win on different courses or his “range” as you put it.thats a bit over dramatic. Van der Poels range in one day races is much bigger than people give him credit form. In absolute top shape I'd even rate him on LBL type courses.
But he has to be in top form. And I too think in MTB it's not gonna happen for him. He's still so ridicolously good physically that he can compete with the top there despite a weight disadvantage. But it's never gonna be his top discipline. But unfortunately he's still gonna continue up until 2024.
For CX I feel no need for him to drop that. He only did like 10/15 crosses? its was already very light.
This year it was just too much with the combo Classics + MTB intermezzo + tour + MTB olympics. That kinda killed him I think.
Again, if he doesn't make a fluky mental (nothing to do with physical stress from racing the MTB) error at the Olympics there is no reason he wouldn't have come into the WC on absolute top form for the road WC's. It's not like he's racing that many MTB races through the year. He came off the block of MTB races late in the spring right in the Tour Swiss and was unbeatabable - then right into TDF in top form. Elite pro road racing is by far the most dangerous/wearing of the 3 disciplines - if anything, he's minimizing his chances of burnout/serious injury by not being a slave to the system.He might never get another course like this again. Nothing overdramatic about it, just facts. He might get a similar course, but not likely one that is this tailored to his strengths, simple as. I never said anything about his ability to win on different courses or his “range” as you put it.
Furthermore, I’ve said on multiple occasions that CX is perfectly combinable with RR. When I say multi-discipline I mean CXO in particular. I think CX actually helps him to not lose that explosiveness he has as well as bike-handling skills. Not to mention the steady-state interval training.