The official Great Bauke Mollema thread

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

I agree with others, that this a thing to respect, when a rider knows his limitations and rides according to them. The only thing to dislike about Mollema is his terrible style on the bike.

Mancebo, Leipheimer and pre-2011 Evans did exactly the same and yet they were panned day-in day-out by most cycling fans.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

He's important for sponsors but at the you don't notice him because you see him, you notice him when you look at the stage results. He's a waste of space in the peloton if you ask me

Howso? He won Alberta last year, which is important for a bike brand like Trek that is from that continent, he brings in points and is possibly one of the most followed (by dutch media) Dutchies in the peloton. This basically means a lot of publicity for Trek in The Netherlands. Something they wouldn't be able to do if they had someone like a Slagter or Weening in their team. These are great cyclists but don't get nearly as much screan time on ducth TV.

His presence never has an effect on the race. Dutch media always overhypes the riders that top 10 the Tour. Or they speculate on Mollema winning the AGR even though he's gonna wheelsuck his way to 9th place. Dutch media are bunch of massive July fans. Only nice thing was the hype for the Vuelta last year.

I do agree about Alberta though. Those are nice wins for him. I wish he had realised his own niche a while ago. He can do great in smaller, mountainious races.

 

[pink_jersey]

Re: Re:

I agree with others, that this a thing to respect, when a rider knows his limitations and rides according to them. The only thing to dislike about Mollema is his terrible style on the bike.

Mancebo, Leipheimer and pre-2010 Evans did exactly the same and yet they were panned day-in day-out by most cycling fans.

Fixed . After 2009 WC, Evans was one of the most attacking riders in the peloton. In 2010 he rode with balls from the beggining of the year - Down Under(that breakaway with Valverde, LuLu and Sagan in the Willunga), to Ardennes(he blew the race apart in Amstel but Kroon didn't have the legs to finish it. Gilbert was magical that day) and finally, in Giro where he won that epic sterrato stage.

 

[Taxus4a]

Last season he passed unnoticed for much of the year, and he has an ugly riding style. But when you look at his results he was competitive at the beginning of the season, culminating with a very respectable 2nd place at Tirreno. Then IIRC he was injured, causing him to be sub-par in the Ardennes. Invisible in the Tour, but also isolated and with a weak team, his 7th place is uninspiring but again more than respectable. Then finished the season strong again with wins in Alberta and Japan and top-10's in San Sebastián and Québec.

This year he's had a quieter start to the season, but also with good results already in Andalucía. Rarely the best but consistent throughout the season, I respect that

Unnoticed?

Mollema beated Contador in Tirreno. Just the best climber of the world beated him.

He started the year second in Murcia and finished wining Alberta and Japan Tour.

 

[Mr.White]

Re: Re:

I agree with others, that this a thing to respect, when a rider knows his limitations and rides according to them. The only thing to dislike about Mollema is his terrible style on the bike.

Mancebo, Leipheimer and pre-2011 Evans did exactly the same and yet they were panned day-in day-out by most cycling fans.

Which doesn't mean they weren't good riders...

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

I agree with others, that this a thing to respect, when a rider knows his limitations and rides according to them. The only thing to dislike about Mollema is his terrible style on the bike.

Mancebo, Leipheimer and pre-2011 Evans did exactly the same and yet they were panned day-in day-out by most cycling fans.

Which doesn't mean they weren't good riders...

Leipheimer really could've won a gt.

Mollema? No way!

 

[classicomano]

I think for Mollema its best to go to a team where he doesnt have to be the top GC guy so he can go on breakaway adventures in the mountains. In a team like Trek he has to carry the full weight to deliver in a big GT. With delivering meaning doing a Zubeldia.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

He has been a disappointment so far in terms of his palmares. A rider who can finish top 4 in the Vuelta, top 7 in the Tour, 2nd in the Tour de Suisse and also has many top 10s across all four of the major hilly classics should have racked up a significant number of wins. Such a rider should not have the Japan Cup as the biggest (and only) one day race on his palmares and the Tour of Alberta as the biggest (and only) stage race. Nor should he have just six pro wins by halfway through his 30th year.

He has been focused throughout his career on making sure he takes home a respectable minor placing. That conservatism has probably helped him hold down a leaders position and a good pay cheque, which is fair enough as far as career decisions go, but from the point of view of a fan he should have won more.

It's not too late for him to step up though. Nowadays quite a lot of riders seem to get stronger at the end of their twenties. And even if he doesn't get any stronger, at his present level a greater willingness to lose minor placings could see him get more wins.

 

[jaylew]

Re:

He has been a disappointment so far in terms of his palmares. A rider who can finish top 4 in the Vuelta, top 7 in the Tour, 2nd in the Tour de Suisse and also has many top 10s across all four of the major hilly classics should have racked up a significant number of wins. Such a rider should not have the Japan Cup as the biggest one day race on his palmares and the Tour of Alberta as the biggest stage race. Nor should he have just six pro wins by halfway through his 30th year.

He has been focused throughout his career on making sure he takes home a respectable minor placing. That conservatism has probably helped him hold down a leaders position and a good pay cheque, which is fair enough as far as career decisions go, but from the point of view of a fan he should have won more.

It's not too late for him to step up though. Nowadays quite a lot of riders seem to get stronger at the end of their twenties. And even if he doesn't get any stronger, at his present level a greater willingness to lose minor placings could see him get more wins.

He is a great rider, and he showed last year in Tirreno how strong he can be, The problem is that there are a lot of good riders at his age, and most of them are working as domestiques, as Kreuziger, Intxausti, Poels, Thomas, Henao, or people very good as Uran, Gesink, Rui Costa, Rolland, Dan Martin....apart top riders of his same age as Froome or Porte.

There is not place for everybody on the top, but Mollema is a good rider and of course is not a dissapointment.

People here said he never atack, but he was the only one who attacked and who climbed better colma di sormano in the second Lombardia of Gilbert. I remember as well he won the stage of my town, Burgos, attacking in calle Vitoria, a false flat.

He has been top ten in la Tour the last 3 years, that is very important for sponsors, to have someone up there in the last group.. to attack when you have teams working as SKY or Movistar is just impossible.

You can say the mand who was seocnd an won this stage to that people is mediocre, http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=24521

I think there are lot of great riders, but just a few can be great champions.

I was about to reply saying I was with Taxus4a on this one, as he's arguably a top 30 rider and I that's about what I expected of him but Zinoviev makes good points. He's got a really nice palmares but you'd like to see more wins for someone wth his ability.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He probably could win a lot more if he decided to focus on it. Especially stages if he lets gc drop a bit. He's not like Gesink who really could not win a stage in a breakaway because Gesink is only a diesel.
Mollema is actually someone with a half decent sprint and some explositivity, especially if it ends uphill.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

He probably could win a lot more if he decided to focus on it. Especially stages if he lets gc drop a bit. He's not like Gesink who really could not win a stage in a breakaway because Gesink is only a diesel.
Mollema is actually someone with a half decent sprint and some explositivity, especially if it ends uphill.

Yes exactly. I think part of it is that he has spent his career on the two teams that seem to value consistent minor placings more than any others, Rabo-Lotto and Trek. Trek in particular just seem to love their riders to bring home bucket loads of invisible sevenths.

Of all the riders I consistently cheer for, he's probably the most frustrating one. I like lots of riders who would be justifiably overjoyed with a few of his placings, but Mollema has the ability to win races if he was more willing to throw away a safe eighth. I don't mean that he could win the Tour, but he could win a lot of smaller races and he has at least some chance to win any of the four main hilly classics.

 

[Der Effe]

Re:

There is always this guy that never even thinks about attacking and in the Tour, this is Mochama. Consistently the most uninspiring rider in the peloton come July coupled with his atrocious riding style makes him a rider everyone could live without (apart from the dutchies obviously). He has once again secured him a top 7-10 barring any crashes or sickness. What a rider!

Ironically you are the Mollema of this forum

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

There is always this guy that never even thinks about attacking and in the Tour, this is Mochama. Consistently the most uninspiring rider in the peloton come July coupled with his atrocious riding style makes him a rider everyone could live without (apart from the dutchies obviously). He has once again secured him a top 7-10 barring any crashes or sickness. What a rider!

Ironically you are the Mollema of this forum

If that means I had the ability to top-10 in the Tour, I would take it!

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Re: Re:

There is always this guy that never even thinks about attacking and in the Tour, this is Mochama. Consistently the most uninspiring rider in the peloton come July coupled with his atrocious riding style makes him a rider everyone could live without (apart from the dutchies obviously). He has once again secured him a top 7-10 barring any crashes or sickness. What a rider!

Ironically you are the Mollema of this forum

If that means I had the ability to top-10 in the Tour, I would take it!

And you would ride the style you hate so much?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

There is always this guy that never even thinks about attacking and in the Tour, this is Mochama. Consistently the most uninspiring rider in the peloton come July coupled with his atrocious riding style makes him a rider everyone could live without (apart from the dutchies obviously). He has once again secured him a top 7-10 barring any crashes or sickness. What a rider!

Ironically you are the Mollema of this forum

If that means I had the ability to top-10 in the Tour, I would take it!

And you would ride the style you hate so much?

If that means riding uninspiring and having some kids on a forum like me critize him for not only that but the worst aesthetics in the peloton, probably yes. He could probably also net a job as a DS on Lotto after his career which definitely would be a nice bonus.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Looks like "the official Mollema: the New Zubeldia thread" would have been a better topic name

Another fantastic ninja 9th place in LBL, nobody has seen or heard him. Hell even other riders were surprised to find out after the race that Mollema was actually here and finished 9th. Must have learned some excellent tricks from ol' Haimar. Looks set for another shadow 10th place in this years Tour

 

[pablohidalgo7]

Looks like "the official Mollema: the New Zubeldia thread" would have been a better topic name

Another fantastic ninja 9th place in LBL, nobody has seen or heard him. Hell even other riders were surprised to find out after the race that Mollema was actually here and finished 9th. Must have learned some excellent tricks from ol' Haimar. Looks set for another shadow 10th place in this years Tour

Yes, zubeldia is a great master for the darkside of cycling, and mollema a great apprentice too.

In the past I used to like bauke, specially after la vuelta 2011, now...

 

[hrotha]

Mollema is worse than Zubeldia; Zubeldia couldn't sprint.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

The dumbest part is that all the races he actually won, was when he attacked. So why he waits I have no idea

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

The dumbest part is that all the races he actually won, was when he attacked. So why he waits I have no idea

The biggest problem is that there are so many riders like him. It's frustating.

 

[May0maniac]

Looks like "the official Mollema: the New Zubeldia thread" would have been a better topic name

Another fantastic ninja 9th place in LBL, nobody has seen or heard him. Hell even other riders were surprised to find out after the race that Mollema was actually here and finished 9th. Must have learned some excellent tricks from ol' Haimar. Looks set for another shadow 10th place in this years Tour

Yes, zubeldia is a great master for the darkside of cycling, and mollema a great apprentice too.

In the past I used to like bauke, specially after la vuelta 2011, now...

He freed Zubeldia from the ninja curse and became the new ninja.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Standing ovation!

Perhaps somebody finally explained to him that the "Haimar Zubeldia Bumper Book of Cycling Tactics" is not the only blueprint for successful bicycle racing. His two attacks today on an MTF, against the very best climbers in the world, were a couple of the best moments of his career so far. Good work Bauke!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I'm amazed. Zubeldia is heavily disappointed in his apprentice though.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

I'm amazed. Zubeldia is heavily disappointed in his apprentice though.

The Trek DS is probably shouting at him at the moment, demanding to know what he thinks he is doing by jeopardising his chances of 9th like that.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

I'm amazed. Zubeldia is heavily disappointed in his apprentice though.

I could hardly believe my eyes.