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The official Great Bauke Mollema thread

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**** happens. Already said in the ITT stage thread that I wonder if going for the new ITT bike was a good choice.
Without training, already fatigued.. this was a disaster waiting to happen.

Still people are overly critical. A clearly not 100% Mollema fought his way to top 10 where many others would have given up eventually.

Next year he'll clearly go to Trek, seeing Zeemans ****ed off reaction it only confirms it.
 
Aug 16, 2011
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hrotha said:
What bothers me about Mollema is that his stated plan was following wheels for three weeks. Might as well have let go and try for a stage win, but nooo.

That's seems to be just how he rides for the most part. He's one of those GC guys that tries to hold on as long as he can and he just happens to be good enough to get in the top 10.
 
hrotha said:
So why try again, right.

I'm very skeptical of any claims that a guy who finished in the top 10 (comfortably so, if not for that disaster TT) couldn't possibly do anything in the breakaways.

Depends on the form of the rider. To win a stage in the Tour you must be 100%. He clearly wasn't. From the guys in that breakaway he was outclimbed by Majka, Visconti and De Marchi :eek:
 
The stage he went in the breakaway proves attacking would have done him even less good. As stated above. He couldn't follow far lesser climbers (normally)

After the stomach flu in the first week he has never been at 100% form. He had to seriously over-exert himself to even limit the damage in the Arenberg as a result and that kind of effort left him one step behind at every turn.
Only in the last stages of the mountains he looked like a glimpse of his 2013 self.

But too late by then. Combine that with an awkward ITT...

I hope people are not stupid enough to call him a bad itt-er now. Then they forget very quickly the timetrials he did in the last few years.
 
Come on, GC riders going for stage wins after finding out they're not even close to being in top shape is a very common occurrence. Hell, look at Purito, and he was clearly a lot worse than Mollema. Hell x2, look at Mollema himself at the Vuelta last year!

Mollema is dull at the Tour. A Dutch Zubeldia.
 
Mar 13, 2009
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He certainly has nothing to lose, neither does Trek. Last year they got a top-10 at the tour but where completely anonymous after stage 2 when Jensie lost the polka dot jersey. So they might as well attack, even if it doesn't work out, at least they've animated the race.

But Trek don't have such a bad team after all, with Schleck, Zubeldia, Arredondo and Zoidl all slotted for the Tour Mollema should have some decent help. I will be interested to see what Mollema can do outside of the Tour, like in Tirreno, Ardennes and Suisse. Again, Trek were completely anonymous in most of those races, Mollema is definitely going to change that
 
Jspear said:
So he is aiming for the podium this year. IMO he dreaming a little to much...I don't see him ever doing better than a top 5. Anyone think he can pull it off?

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/01/news/treks-bauke-mollema-eyes-tour-podium-vows-attack_358403

With half the top 20 contenders crashing yearly everything is possibly. But there's a lot of if's.

I do think he'll do better than at Belkin. He also said in a diferent article in Netherlands that he noticed at Trek that he has been almost standing still for years at Belkin/Rabo.
 
Dekker_Tifosi said:
With half the top 20 contenders crashing yearly everything is possibly. But there's a lot of if's.

I do think he'll do better than at Belkin. He also said in a diferent article in Netherlands that he noticed at Trek that he has been almost standing still for years at Belkin/Rabo.

I thought he only mentioned last season.
 
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Christian said:
He certainly has nothing to lose, neither does Trek. Last year they got a top-10 at the tour but where completely anonymous after stage 2 when Jensie lost the polka dot jersey. So they might as well attack, even if it doesn't work out, at least they've animated the race.

But Trek don't have such a bad team after all, with Schleck, Zubeldia, Arredondo and Zoidl all slotted for the Tour Mollema should have some decent help. I will be interested to see what Mollema can do outside of the Tour, like in Tirreno, Ardennes and Suisse. Again, Trek were completely anonymous in most of those races, Mollema is definitely going to change that

Zubeldia would be a great leader for the Giro, the long ITT would be great for him and he could try to get a top-5.
 
Re:

Mayomaniac said:
Christian said:
He certainly has nothing to lose, neither does Trek. Last year they got a top-10 at the tour but where completely anonymous after stage 2 when Jensie lost the polka dot jersey. So they might as well attack, even if it doesn't work out, at least they've animated the race.

But Trek don't have such a bad team after all, with Schleck, Zubeldia, Arredondo and Zoidl all slotted for the Tour Mollema should have some decent help. I will be interested to see what Mollema can do outside of the Tour, like in Tirreno, Ardennes and Suisse. Again, Trek were completely anonymous in most of those races, Mollema is definitely going to change that

Zubeldia would be a great leader for the Giro, the long ITT would be great for him and he could try to get a top-5.

Zubeldia has been a consistent GT rider but his top 5 days are long over I think. Younger guys are coming through the ranks now. Zubeldia is from the Evans, Basso generation. I think a top 10 would be possible but Zubeldia has always been top 10.
 
Decent short ITT. Though even at Belkin/Blanco he did better time trials in the Tour 2013 when he was just outside the top 10 in both long tests.

however he looked more steady on the bike. Also liked that he attacked in the mountain stage. Hope he shows more of that in 2015.
 

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