The official Great Bauke Mollema thread

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Mollema says they practiced switching bike and he is seriously contemplating riding the flat bit with a ITT bike and the mountain bit with a normal bike.

 

[nick101]

he'd lose ten seconds in the switch but would the gain be worth it?? in the usa pro challenge they rode on tt bikes for the vail mtt and for the giro mtt it was mixed so I honestly have no idea whether a road bike would make a massive difference or not. obviously in a tt like plan de corones the choice is obvious . as well as that im jw about mollema's choice of bike: he rides a more aero giant propel on road stages, so why does he choose that instead of using a lighter giant tcr which would make a difference in the road mountain stages??

 

[classicomano]

Blijlevens can perhaps teach him some fighting spirit

http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/42630/e0bcd778/zo_worden_ze_niet_meer_gemaakt.html

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Boom did the same in the Mediterraneen ITT which won it for him. ITT bike on flat bit -> normal bike on the final climb. He won a huge amount of time on the climb. And that's Lars Boom, not even a good climber at all

 

[gerundium]

Mollema says they practiced switching bike and he is seriously contemplating riding the flat bit with a ITT bike and the mountain bit with a normal bike.

this is the best idea i think. the split between flat part and climb is really interestingly done.

16 km's of flat at 48 km/h (maybe slower a bit maybe faster) is about ~20 minutes.
10 km's of climbing at 22 km/h is roughly ~30 minutes of effort.

Both of these are long enough to make it worthwhile to use the specific bike, so a switch is a net gain. especially if there is a real slow corner where they can make the switch before the climb.

 

[nick101]

either that or set up his aero giant propel with aero bars and medium dish wheels? most riders in a tt like this seem to use an aero frame with medium dish wheels which is a compromise between both....

 

[theyoungest]

either that or set up his aero giant propel with aero bars and medium dish wheels? most riders in a tt like this seem to use an aero frame with medium dish wheels which is a compromise between both....

I don't think the Propel is fast enough on the flat. He'll lose at least a minute to the guys on TT bikes. Gesink lost a lot of time as well, in the flat part of the Giro TT, and he's a much better TTist on the flat than Mollema.

A bike switch is definitely worth it.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Because Mollema started cycling late and struggled a bit with ilness in his early pro years, it's a bit of a mystery how much development he has left. He should keep on developing a bit longer than guys who al ready cycled all their life and lived like a pro and developed properly since espoir years, but exactly how much Mollema can develop is intresting to me. It seems like he has made a step forward this year though.

Hope this step forward is also noticable in his TT and in the TDF.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Because Mollema started cycling late and struggled a bit with ilness in his early pro years, it's a bit of a mystery how much development he has left. He should keep on developing a bit longer than guys who al ready cycled all their life and lived like a pro and developed properly since espoir years, but exactly how much Mollema can develop is intresting to me. It seems like he has made a step forward this year though.

Hope this step forward is also noticable in his TT and in the TDF.

Why not Vuelta or Giro? Anyways, I dont see this Tour de Suisse as a step forward.

Somehow he reminds me a bit of Hennie Kuiper, quite a compliment.

 

[Afrank]

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.

I can agree to that. There definitely isn't the same motivation sprinting for 2nd as opposed to sprinting for 1st. In a sprint you should always try to give it your all, but I agree it can be difficult to do if you don't have the motivation too.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

I can agree to that. There definitely isn't the same motivation sprinting for 2nd as opposed to sprinting for 1st. In a sprint you should always try to give it your all, but I agree it can be difficult to do if you don't have the motivation too.

Mollema's DS approves on that one.

#onzin

 

[Parrulo]

Lol excuses, he should consider himself lucky that publicity sign slowed Costa and TJVG otherwise he wouldn't even have the chance to sprint for "second"

p.s. Inb4 D_T with lame motorbike slowing down Mollema excuse

 

[theyoungest]

Lol excuses, he should consider himself lucky that publicity sign slowed Costa and TJVG otherwise he wouldn't even have the chance to sprint for "second"

p.s. Inb4 D_T with lame motorbike slowing down Mollema excuse

Hurt Portuguese pride... Mollema did say Costa was the strongest. He just didn't know he was sprinting for the win.

BTW why do you think Mollema was lucky? Look at this picture, he had joined them already. He was slowed down more than Costa and Tejay.

 

[Afrank]

Costa had to unclip and they were coming into that corner right when it happened. By the time Mollema had gotten there they had already managed to lift it up and he was able to just ride through it. Obviously they were slowed down more than him.

 

[Parrulo]

Hurt Portuguese pride... Mollema did say Costa was the strongest. He just didn't know he was sprinting for the win.

Not really, saying "ya X was the strongest, but i didn't knew i was fighting for the first place" is pretty much the same as "Ya X was the strongest, but if i knew in was fighting for first place i might have beaten him."

Anyway its not that i have a problem with this excuse, i just thought it was funny to see this excuse on top of DT "motorbike" excuse and some other guy "publicity sign" excuse.

It almost seems like the whole universe is against Mollema if we take them seriously

 

[Parrulo]

Costa had to unclip and they were coming into that corner right when it happened. By the time Mollema had gotten there they had already managed to lift it up and he was able to just ride through it. Obviously they were slowed down more than him.

Not true, Mollema got off his bike and helped the organizers lift the sign for the next group to pass, then he got back up on his bike and since he is TGBM he still managed to catch Costa and almost outsprint him!!!!

LEGEND!!!!

 

[Afrank]

Not true, Mollema got off his bike and helped the organizers lift the sign for the next group to pass, then he got back up on his bike and since he is TGBM he still managed to catch Costa and almost outsprint him!!!!

LEGEND!!!!

How did I miss that! Incredible! He really is THE GREAT BAUKE MOLLEMA!!!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Don't overreact Parrulo, it doesn't suit you

 

[l.Harm]

Not really, saying "ya X was the strongest, but i didn't knew i was fighting for the first place" is pretty much the same as "Ya X was the strongest, but if i knew in was fighting for first place i might have beaten him."

Anyway its not that i have a problem with this excuse, i just thought it was funny to see this excuse on top of DT "motorbike" excuse and some other guy "publicity sign" excuse.

It almost seems like the whole universe is against Mollema if we take them seriously

You must be really stupid if you interpret that like that

 

[BigMac]

Not true, Mollema got off his bike and helped the organizers lift the sign for the next group to pass, then he got back up on his bike and since he is TGBM he still managed to catch Costa and almost outsprint him!!!!

LEGEND!!!!

#Respect #YOLO #SWAGgger Mollema

 

[Parrulo]

You must be really stupid if you interpret that like that

Yup, pretty much.

 

[theyoungest]

Portuguese Calimeros are worse than Belgians

I don't care one way or the other, the fact is that Mollema had almost closed the gap on Costa and Tejay before they reached the collapsed sign, and afterwards they were way ahead. So you can argue all you like that Mollema benefited from it, I don't believe you.

 

[Parrulo]

"Portuguese are calimeros"

"comes up with three different excuses for coming second"

http://www.steephill.tv/players/720/dailymotion/?title=Last+23+Km+of+Stage+7+-+Final+Climb+and+Descent&dashboard=tour-de-suisse&id=x10wgzl&yr=2013

44:20 for you. But since when have facts gotten in the way of a good excuse.

 

[BigMac]

Tejay and Costa are such loosers they actually sprint like that for second place. Seriously, if i was Bauke, i'd think for a moment and probably realise there was no suck thing as a Spilak in front of them.

 

[Pentacycle]

It's hard to tell what Mollema did at the collapsed arch in the replay, so after having seen that I thought Mollema was talking BS when he said he almost caught the two up front. The TdW photograph however gives us a better insight.