Teams & Riders The official Egan Bernal is the new Egan Bernal thread

[rick james]

Re:

Bernal can win the Tour this year if these three conditions are fulfilled:

1. He stays consistent over three weeks.

3. Thomas isn't as good as last year.

agree

 

[Red Rick]

I don't think it's inconceivable that Bernal could beat Thomas uphill even if the latter is as good as last year. Bernal won't lose too much in a single ITT, bonus seconds on major climbs suit him and I really doubt he has to sit pretty until Thomas gets into trouble.

 

[pink_jersey]

Re: Re:

His climbing this race isn't even that special, because the opposition is pretty poor and stayed close.
However, 11th in a pan flat time trial is something else. This guy is gonna be close

Quintana et all need to drop him which I don't know since he'll better them in the TTT and even in the ITT.

That's the scariest thing about him in this year TdF.
Besides Thomas, I'm not sure that the others contenders will gain time on him in TTs(TTT included).

 

[Salvarani]

Its pretty simple I think...

Thomas will go as captain and Bernal as a pretty good insurance.

If Bernal finds him in the same position as Thomas last year. Being stronger than his captain and being ahead on GC/having the lead, Im sure the team will ride for Bernal. Similar to Carapaz and Movistar in this years Giro. And as last years TdF, as mentioned.

Either way, I think it sorts itself out.

 

[Moviefan1203]

There’s no hiding at the Tour. Thomas’s form will reveal itself.

 

[Velolover2]

I think he might have won the Giro without the crash.

We don't know for sure, but it seems to me that he is the new Contador. He is going so smooth on the climbs.

 

[Escarabajo]

Chapeau Bernal. Great win. He looks good. They had good weather in the last stages. Good preparation race.

 

[spalco]

I don't like this comment:

I'm just 22 years old so I think that I have a lot of Tours in front of me."

It's not wrong per se of course, but Quintana or Andy Schleck probably thought that too at some point. If you got the chance to win the Tour you must grab it with both hands.

I hope he's cutthroat enough to fulfill his potential.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I don't like this comment:

I'm just 22 years old so I think that I have a lot of Tours in front of me."

It's not wrong per se of course, but Quintana or Andy Schleck probably thought that too at some point. If you got the chance to win the Tour you must grab it with both hands.

I hope he's cutthroat enough to fulfill his potential.

Yep, you MUST take any opportunity to win. Strike when the iron is hot. You never know with crashes, sickness, new prodigies, clinic stuff etc etc. There are way too many variables in cycling and especially when it comes to a race like TdF, stuff happens.

 

[Red Rick]

It's not just he's 22. He's Colombian who are generally notorious early bloomers. Quintana didn't get any better after he was 23, and Bernal's rise was faster than that.

 

[staubsauger]

Yeah, he's been raced quite hard already by both Savio & Brailsford as well. While that certainly thoughened up a young Pantani at Carrera it still might favor an early fade away from Bernal.

Anyway, it's nearly impossible that Thomas arrives at the Tour de France in any kind of shape. That guy has raced a single race, the Tour of Romandie, in condition this season. A track cyclist dominating the Tour without proper preparation would be a disgrace for the race.

 

[pastronef]

Re:

Yeah, he's been raced quite hard already by both Savio & Brailsford as well. While that certainly thoughened up a young Pantani at Carrera it still might favor an early fade away from Bernal.

Anyway, it's nearly impossible that Thomas arrives at the Tour de France in any kind of shape. That guy has raced a single race, the Tour of Romandie, in condition this season. A track cyclist dominating the Tour without proper preparation would be a disgrace for the race.

you mean the current TDF title holder, Paris-Nice winner. Dauphiné winner.

race accidents can happen. he has 26 days or racing this year. he had 29 last year.
Bardet has 34, Uran 19 (injured), Kruijswijk 26

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Yeah, he's been raced quite hard already by both Savio & Brailsford as well. While that certainly thoughened up a young Pantani at Carrera it still might favor an early fade away from Bernal.

Anyway, it's nearly impossible that Thomas arrives at the Tour de France in any kind of shape. That guy has raced a single race, the Tour of Romandie, in condition this season. A track cyclist dominating the Tour without proper preparation would be a disgrace for the race.

you mean the current TDF title holder, Paris-Nice winner. Dauphiné winner.

race accidents can happen. he has 26 days or racing this year. he had 29 last year.
Bardet has 34, Uran 19 (injured), Kruijswijk 26

You can also put it differently

A 32 year old former trackie/classics and TT specialists with a personal best 15th in a GT GC dominating the next two Tours out of nowhere is not a great look.

 

[pastronef]

Re: Re:

Yeah, he's been raced quite hard already by both Savio & Brailsford as well. While that certainly thoughened up a young Pantani at Carrera it still might favor an early fade away from Bernal.

Anyway, it's nearly impossible that Thomas arrives at the Tour de France in any kind of shape. That guy has raced a single race, the Tour of Romandie, in condition this season. A track cyclist dominating the Tour without proper preparation would be a disgrace for the race.

you mean the current TDF title holder, Paris-Nice winner. Dauphiné winner.

race accidents can happen. he has 26 days or racing this year. he had 29 last year.
Bardet has 34, Uran 19 (injured), Kruijswijk 26

You can also put it differently

A 32 year old former trackie/classics and TT specialists with a personal best 15th in a GT GC dominating the next two Tours out of nowhere is not a great look.

personal best twice 15th in TDF (2015 and 2016) both times working as a team mate and one of the best on the climbs, never the protected rider.
and again, winning Paris-Nice 2016 and Dauphiné 2018 and Tour of the Alps 2017, Algarve 2015-16, and 2nd in Tour de Suisse 2015, 3rd Tirreno 2018, all of that before getting the TDF title

check Bayern Rundfahrt mountain stage 2014 (he won the GC) he arrived with Bardet, few seconds after Pinot https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/bayern-rundfarht/2014/stage-2
check Suisse 2015 and the top10 https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-suisse/2015

 

[Red Rick]

99% of riders with those kinds of result in their 30s don't go on to win the Tour like that.

The fact that you're pointing at the freaking Bayern Rundfahrt is funny in itself. Yeah sure the Dauphine happened last year, but that was basically the same transformation and form peak as the Tour he won. He got roflstomped in Romandie a month before.

 

[staubsauger]

It's not even about the transformation.

You simply can't dominate the Tour de France with like zero races in condition beforehand and no proper preparation apart from training blocks. No matter if track cyclist, domestique or favorite. Normally it's impossible.

Even Armstrong always showed decent shape in Switzerland or at the Dauphine already. The only case that comes to mind would be Pantani in 1997. But the pirate in fact rode and completed the Tour of Switzerland to ride himself into condition.

If Thomas arrives at the Tour in winning shape, it puts the complete concept of the sport in doubt. Why race at all, then?

 

[pastronef]

Re:

99% of riders with those kinds of result in their 30s don't go on to win the Tour like that.

The fact that you're pointing at the freaking Bayern Rundfahrt is funny in itself. Yeah sure the Dauphine happened last year, but that was basically the same transformation and form peak as the Tour he won. He got roflstomped in Romandie a month before.

freaking Bayern Rundfahrt means he already climbed 5 years ago, with climbers. and he was preparing at Romandie. every rider chooses his way of nearing the main goal of the season and he was 3rd, while Roglic, on Giro form, won. Kruijswij and Woods (also racing the TDF) were behind him.

ps we might bring this to the Thomas thread. this is Bernal's

ps2. go Ineos!

 

[Arked]

Thomas is road cyclist, racing stage races since 2005 (first GT in 2007). Labeling him as track cyclist turned road cyclist is just... malice.

 

[Vasilis]

Fun fact regarding Bernal: his best GT result to date is also 15th place, just like Thomas before he won the tour

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

I don't like this comment:

I'm just 22 years old so I think that I have a lot of Tours in front of me."

It's not wrong per se of course, but Quintana or Andy Schleck probably thought that too at some point. If you got the chance to win the Tour you must grab it with both hands.

I hope he's cutthroat enough to fulfill his potential.

I thought the same things as it has happened before. Add Ulrich. But they don't have many choices in what to say anyway. He is trying to be the good teammate.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

It's not even about the transformation.

You simply can't dominate the Tour de France with like zero races in condition beforehand and no proper preparation apart from training blocks. No matter if track cyclist, domestique or favorite. Normally it's impossible.

Even Armstrong always showed decent shape in Switzerland or at the Dauphine already. The only case that comes to mind would be Pantani in 1997. But the pirate in fact rode and completed the Tour of Switzerland to ride himself into condition.

If Thomas arrives at the Tour in winning shape, it puts the complete concept of the sport in doubt. Why race at all, then?

This.

What is Bayern Rundfahrt? Is that a climbers classic?
Very strange indeed!

 

[jaylew]

Re:

It's not even about the transformation.

You simply can't dominate the Tour de France with like zero races in condition beforehand and no proper preparation apart from training blocks. No matter if track cyclist, domestique or favorite. Normally it's impossible.

Even Armstrong always showed decent shape in Switzerland or at the Dauphine already. The only case that comes to mind would be Pantani in 1997. But the pirate in fact rode and completed the Tour of Switzerland to ride himself into condition.

If Thomas arrives at the Tour in winning shape, it puts the complete concept of the sport in doubt. Why race at all, then?

I disagree with this. Geraint has already shown decent form this year in Romandie and in Suisse before going out and I don't see any reason why that would be an absolute prerequisite for winning the Tour anyway. Other guys have done it without looking great beforehand. Just off the top of my head, I'm sure Sastre didn't do much before he won.

 

[pastronef]

Re: Re:

It's not even about the transformation.

You simply can't dominate the Tour de France with like zero races in condition beforehand and no proper preparation apart from training blocks. No matter if track cyclist, domestique or favorite. Normally it's impossible.

Even Armstrong always showed decent shape in Switzerland or at the Dauphine already. The only case that comes to mind would be Pantani in 1997. But the pirate in fact rode and completed the Tour of Switzerland to ride himself into condition.

If Thomas arrives at the Tour in winning shape, it puts the complete concept of the sport in doubt. Why race at all, then?

This.

What is Bayern Rundfahrt? Is that a climbers classic?
Very strange indeed!

I linked the results of the mountain stage there, to show he climbed with Pinot and Bardet already in 2014

 

[shalgo]

Re: Re:

I don't like this comment:

I'm just 22 years old so I think that I have a lot of Tours in front of me."

It's not wrong per se of course, but Quintana or Andy Schleck probably thought that too at some point. If you got the chance to win the Tour you must grab it with both hands.

I hope he's cutthroat enough to fulfill his potential.

Yep, you MUST take any opportunity to win. Strike when the iron is hot. You never know with crashes, sickness, new prodigies, clinic stuff etc etc. There are way too many variables in cycling and especially when it comes to a race like TdF, stuff happens.

I completely agree. The chapter in Fignon's autobiography that discusses his second Tour win, at the age of 23, is titled "I'll win five or six then I'll stop." The title comes from a response he gave in an interview after that win about his career plans. You never know what the future holds.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

I don't like this comment:

I'm just 22 years old so I think that I have a lot of Tours in front of me."

It's not wrong per se of course, but Quintana or Andy Schleck probably thought that too at some point. If you got the chance to win the Tour you must grab it with both hands.

I hope he's cutthroat enough to fulfill his potential.

I think he's just being nice and political. Why become enemies with GT? Say the right thing now and be attentive during the race, don't lose time, and show who's boss in the mountains.