The official Great Bauke Mollema thread

[Afrank]

Sprinting for the win is different. Ask Mark Cavendish or Oscar Freire.

Yes it is, but if it's a sprint, you should be sprinting full out. That's the whole point of a sprint, that you leave it all out there in the final. Even if you don't know if it's for the win.

 

[Taxus4a]

I am a little dissapointing with him today, even he was the strongest in the climb maybe, but at very similar level than other 3 riders.
I hope a lot for him this TDF, but he is not a very reliable rider. He is not at top shape anyway, for sure...

 

[Taxus4a]

I am a little dissapointing with him today, even he was the strongest in the climb maybe, but at very similar level than other 3 riders.
I hope a lot for him this TDF, but he is not a very reliable rider. He is not at top shape anyway, for sure...

 

[Netserk]

Yes it is, but if it's a sprint, you should be sprinting full out. That's the whole point of a sprint, that you leave it all out there in the final. Even if you don't know if it's for the win.

If I sprint for the win I wouldn't mind risking to crash. If I sprint for second... not so much.

 

[Red Rick]

I am a little dissapointing with him today, even he was the strongest in the climb maybe, but at very similar level than other 3 riders.
I hope a lot for him this TDF, but he is not a very reliable rider. He is not at top shape anyway, for sure...

I d like to see this 6 years later in Paris:

Is that obese Froome?

 

[roundabout]

Don't know about Froome, but Gautier looks positively chunky there

 

[Afrank]

If I sprint for the win I wouldn't mind risking to crash. If I sprint for second... not so much.

It was only 3 guys, was there a really serious risk of crashing? I couldn't see too much of a risk. Maybe in the final couple corners, but they looked fine going through them. And he didn't go full out in the sprint because he though it was for 2nd, doesn't sound like the risk of crashing figured into it too much.

 

[Taxus4a]

Don't know about Froome, but Gautier looks positively chunky there

I was wrong, sorry, I thought I edit quickly the message, Molelma was fourth that day, for that reason my mistake, Gautier look a litte Mollema there, the flag could be Netherlands but it put France...

 

[nick101]

the mtt is 15kms flat and and the climb is just brutal - 11kms @ 12%
someone who can put out an ok tt but climb well will win. molema fits that criteria very well. I hope he can do well enough to take the win but costa and roy can also tt ok. would be nice to see andy win also imho

 

[Kwibus]

It was only 3 guys, was there a really serious risk of crashing? I couldn't see too much of a risk. Maybe in the final couple corners, but they looked fine going through them. And he didn't go full out in the sprint because he though it was for 2nd, doesn't sound like the risk of crashing figured into it too much.

Not really the point. It's just that very few people can give their utmost all if they know they are going for a 2nd place. Unless that person usually is material for a lot lower positions.

You are right, but you also know it's not that simple.

 

[maltiv]

Apparently Mollema is ****ed of at his DS. He had told him that Simon Spilak was in front, so Mollema thought he was sprinting for 2nd place, not for the victory

Simon Spilak was in fact 22 seconds behind

 

[Netserk]

Apparently Mollema is ****ed of at his DS. He had told him that Simon Spilak was in front, so Mollema thought he was sprinting for 2nd place, not for the victory

Simon Spilak was in fact 22 seconds behind

That's what we've been discussing since post 170 in this thread

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Mollema was very angry with his DS Blijlevens today.

Lol, that guy is so dumb.

I like Mollema's character, and his technique of course. How old is he now? 25/26? His best is yet to come.

 

[Netserk]

Lol, that guy is so dumb.

I like Mollema's character, and his technique of course. How old is he now? 25/26? His best is yet to come.

Date of birth: 26/11/1986

So 26½

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Lol, that guy is so dumb.

I like Mollema's character, and his technique of course. How old is he now? 25/26? His best is yet to come.

Look at his face ... doesnt look like a guy who is very bright

 

[Kwibus]

Lol, that guy is so dumb.

I like Mollema's character, and his technique of course. How old is he now? 25/26? His best is yet to come.

He started racing late, so yes he is adutch rider of which i think he didnt peak at the age of 24

 

[maltiv]

That's what we've been discussing since post 170 in this thread

Wups, didn't see it, guess I'm as big a failure as the blanco DS then!

I guess the seemingly random Froome picture and following discussion of how fat he used to be put me off...

 

[theyoungest]

Lol, that guy is so dumb.

I like Mollema's character, and his technique of course. How old is he now? 25/26? His best is yet to come.

Most of these Dutch DSes are total dumba.sses. Mollema is quite uncharacteristic for a Dutch cyclist, taking up cycling as a university student. When he's not riding his bike he's reading a book.

I can understand it can be quite frustrating for him to work with guys like Blijlevens. The former national coach Leo van Vliet also said he couldn't communicate with Mollema. Probably because Mollema has a vocabulary larger than 100 words.

 

[Taxus4a]

the mtt is 15kms flat and and the climb is just brutal - 11kms @ 12%
someone who can put out an ok tt but climb well will win. molema fits that criteria very well. I hope he can do well enough to take the win but costa and roy can also tt ok. would be nice to see andy win also imho

More or less 11 about 8 %

What you said is more than Mortirolo, Angliru, Zoncolan,...



It is a good ITT for the strongest man, he could be Mollema, who has show potential sometimes in ITT, Rui Costa or TVG,... but Kreuziger won a MTT in TDS once, the problem with him is that he dont look so strong, and he is very unpredictable at ITT.
Even for Pinot is a good ITT.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Most of these Dutch DSes are total dumba.sses. Mollema is quite uncharacteristic for a Dutch cyclist, taking up cycling as a university student. When he's not riding his bike he's reading a book.

I can understand it can be quite frustrating for him to work with guys like Blijlevens. The former national coach Leo van Vliet also said he couldn't communicate with Mollema. Probably because Mollema has a vocabulary larger than 100 words.

Yeah, funny is that. These guys earn quite a nice salary, see Gesink, and are being led by utter, fill in the blanks. Blijlevens is a typical 'Brabantse boer', we sometimes raced as a junior. He really is not very bright, to keep a bit civilized, he is funny though. That said, how is he going to be of any tactical help? He was driven to the front of the peloton to do his thing at 250 meters from the finishline.

Leo is from a different category, he is like Peter Post was; dont wine, just ride you lazy bone idled w@nkers!

To be fair to the Dutch DS's, I dont think it is nationaly bound, cyclisme has quite a history for being a poor man's/uneducated sport. Ludo Dierxcens springs to mind

 

[nick101]

maybe the site I used is wrong ?? says 10.8 @ 12%
http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Flumserberg&qryMountainID=11461
for pinot it is a very good tt, same with mollema, not sure the climb suits teejay or costa. pinot will probably climb better than mollema imo so it just depends on how much mollema gains on the flat 15kms and loses on the climb to pinot

 

[Netserk]

maybe the site I used is wrong ?? says 10.8 @ 12%
http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Flumserberg&qryMountainID=11461
for pinot it is a very good tt, same with mollema, not sure the climb suits teejay or costa. pinot will probably climb better than mollema imo so it just depends on how much mollema gains on the flat 15kms and loses on the climb to pinot

 

[nick101]

if its more gradual then costa may just have enough to take the win . thatd suit him more

 

[roundabout]

50+ minutes of effort. Not sure how the guys who are used to getting chauffeured up climbs will handle it.

 

[theyoungest]

To be fair to the Dutch DS's, I dont think it is nationaly bound, cyclisme has quite a history for being a poor man's/uneducated sport. Ludo Dierxcens springs to mind

I do think in the Anglosaxon world there's a change of IQ in the teams. Blijlevens, Dekker, Maassen were good cyclists, but just too stupid for words. They wouldn't get a job on Garmin or wherever. Whereas a guy like Wegelius wasn't great as a cyclist, but seems to be starting out quite well as a DS.