Minutes off his goal in both races (podium).
And no, I'm not a hater.
And no, I'm not a hater.
true. But I think these may be the wrong silver-lining to be looking at. If we are to be honest, these were both disappointing results (perhaps even more so for him).
i think the better thing to focus on is how he never gives up and is willing to learn. And that resilience has been rewarded with his first Pro Tour TT victory when likely still not feeling his best (according to the post stage interview).
the question truly remains whether his stage race recovery is good enough, whether he can ever reproduce climbing exploits like picon blanco and Norway at Pro Tour level and, frankly, whether he has chosen the right team to guide him if GTs are his goal. These are all legitimate questions. Meanwhile I hope we do not miss out on what could be a number of stunning one day exploits.
- Sep 14, 2020
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Are any of the Quickstep DS's experienced enough to guide a GT contender to victory? They're mostly ex-classics guys iirc.
Is it relevant that the DS's were classic riders and not GC riders for their ability to lead someone to GT victory? A team like Ineos don't have ex GC riders either as DS.
No idea.
I mean it comes down to a whole mindset and prep. I realize that of course I am not seeing everything, but one thing that I have noticed is that I never see him collecting bottles from roadside team helpers. I see all the other GCers constantly getting supplemented. I know it seems crazy to think they could get that wrong. But stage 5 comes to mind when he clearly suffered from the heat.
- Sep 14, 2009
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I don't think that is overly relevant. What is relevant is that other teams might put a lot of focus on GC, but that has not been readily apparent at Quickstep
I thought maybe you were talking about the thread you were posting in. Crazy i know. Anyway, it was only meant as a bit of friendly banter.
- Jun 7, 2011
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Indeed. Simply an observation.
I'm actually starting to fear for Pelgrim's job, lol. They seem to have no idea what they are doing. His weight is all over the place and his "new ideal" weight has not had a positieve effect at all so far. He struggles on stages that are tailored to him. His level is even more inconsistent than it was in the Giro.
- Jan 31, 2016
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I agree wholeheartedly with the silver lining. His injury was severe enough to be a 2 year recovery before he could build back to his potential. He had a quicker recovery initially that doesn't necessarily accelerate the longer term strength planning for the most mature of riders. He's young and clearly tired from all he's worked on to get here.
I think the Vuelta will represent some stage opportunities but honestly; his best year will be next year for longer races if he plans appropriately. He needs some rest and then a buildup to Spain. The competition is not getting weaker, either.
I have exactly the same feeling. It's not just the weight that bothers me. I also believe that he doesn't get the proper support for a rider focussed on the GC ranking. While he has some control over his form and hasn't always made the best decisions (e.g. the lead outs he did for Alaphilippe), it's the team that is responsible to keep him fresh for the hard stages.
The team and Pegrim in particular still gets the benefit of the doubt from me. Maybe LBL and the Vuelta are the only things that really matter for them? We will find out in a few months.
The team and Pegrim in particular still gets the benefit of the doubt from me. Maybe LBL and the Vuelta are the only things that really matter for them? We will find out in a few months.
As I said, we just need a real GT route again, instead of these murito based GTs we have now
Get back to 100km of ITTs and Remco will have a chance
On the current routes, riders like Ullrich and Indurain would have no chance at winning. That is a major problem
Get back to 100km of ITTs and Remco will have a chance
On the current routes, riders like Ullrich and Indurain would have no chance at winning. That is a major problem
- Apr 13, 2021
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Ullrich and indurain were great climbers. Remco at this moment is just a reosanable climber.
Clearly Remco didnt perform as he should, not even compared to a week ago. Somethin is off, but it shouldn't be form since he had that. It shouldn't be fatigue since this is second race after a brake (his first race was 1 and a half week earlier)
He started strong, went bonkers, and finished stable. (not strong or super, but seems to have recovered a bit from his bonkers.
Don't think we can make any guesses on this for the future though... Thomas stating this was the harded race he did due to the heat, might really have been the cause.
Don't think this has anything to do with preparation or weight. A week long race should be no problem for him, even being dropped by vlasov on a HC climb is well acceptable. Being dropped by Kung on a climb... there is more wrong then when he raced in Italie last year after stage 10.
Also what he said in all the 3 last stages (including the TT) I could ride a strong tempo, but nothing more. Seems his body didn't have any reserves/short time fuel available/capped by something.
He started strong, went bonkers, and finished stable. (not strong or super, but seems to have recovered a bit from his bonkers.
Don't think we can make any guesses on this for the future though... Thomas stating this was the harded race he did due to the heat, might really have been the cause.
Don't think this has anything to do with preparation or weight. A week long race should be no problem for him, even being dropped by vlasov on a HC climb is well acceptable. Being dropped by Kung on a climb... there is more wrong then when he raced in Italie last year after stage 10.
Also what he said in all the 3 last stages (including the TT) I could ride a strong tempo, but nothing more. Seems his body didn't have any reserves/short time fuel available/capped by something.
Ullrich would have won the '97 Tour without any ITTs. I think he would have had a chance on the current routes.
- Apr 13, 2021
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Lol remco fans, remco detractors over anaslysing and deluding themselves.
Saying that Remco can win a grand Tour if it had more ITT. Lol. The guy didn't even finish a grand tour. Even somebody like Roglic in all his dominance and rapid development took 4 grand tours to get his first podium.
Remco is a 22yo and raced only for 5 years , not every pedal stroke means something. Some of his rivals have been racing 30 years.
He cannot get close to win a grand tour right now but it doesn't mean it will never happen.
He is already a great rider having won a monument in brilliant fashion with an attack in a place that fans have wanted for years.
I can't be a huge fan of him because I don't like his arrogant nature and attitude, but I like him for the way he rides and his passion and the respect he has for the sport.
With a more diplomatic and gracious rider at his side like Fausto, hopefully that will improve.
In la vuelta, we will see Fausto and Remco running amok, hopefully Fausto will be leader
Saying that Remco can win a grand Tour if it had more ITT. Lol. The guy didn't even finish a grand tour. Even somebody like Roglic in all his dominance and rapid development took 4 grand tours to get his first podium.
Remco is a 22yo and raced only for 5 years , not every pedal stroke means something. Some of his rivals have been racing 30 years.
He cannot get close to win a grand tour right now but it doesn't mean it will never happen.
He is already a great rider having won a monument in brilliant fashion with an attack in a place that fans have wanted for years.
I can't be a huge fan of him because I don't like his arrogant nature and attitude, but I like him for the way he rides and his passion and the respect he has for the sport.
With a more diplomatic and gracious rider at his side like Fausto, hopefully that will improve.
In la vuelta, we will see Fausto and Remco running amok, hopefully Fausto will be leader
as everyone knows I am a huge supporter of putting back many more TT kms. However, I am also of the belief that Remco still needs to prove more in terms of high level climbing and recovery. Shipping 30-45 seconds at the top of every MTF could be made up in longer TTs if you recover consistently. But dropping 3-4 mins on one mountain stage basically would put you out of it. I fear that PRESENTLY that would be the case. And then u have the issue that he is not gaining much (if anything) on Pog in a GT TT.
So still work to be done and the future is ambiguous.
I also agree with @Oldermanish. Basically Lemond use to say that whatever time you were out due to injury or sickness, double that to figure out how long it will be to ride yourself back. It could be the reason for the high highs and low lows. I also think his team needs to respect the opposition and realize that he cannot ride every race and so many races to win. He needs to do a few more races like G or Pinot and others have done. Hitting the training goals and perhaps targeting one stage. Exciting as it was, how stupid was it to have him attack as much as he did riding for GC at Itzulia while also doing huge lead outs for Ala. sure you can argue that it paid off at LBL but is that really the best way…?
- Jun 24, 2013
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Ullrich really underrated as a climber. Only Pantani, Armstrong and Basso were able to drop him in the mountains.
Pantani was able to drop Ullrich. Even Vierenque was close to dropping him at times.
Neither knew how to ride a TT bike. The overwhelming majority of Ullrich's time gains were in the TTs
can we all make an effort not to make comparisons with riders whose abilities were enhanced by more than nature? One simply cannot have this conversation here.
frankly, Dumoulin is a better comparison, perhaps Merckx after his Blois crash when he could no longer dominate in the mountains. Or Hinault.
and, RIGHT NOW, Remco has not demonstrated either of Merckx or Hinault’s resistance to pure climbers at the top level. I still live in hope however. ;-)
Please please I beg you no comparisons with pantani and Armstrong or Berzin and the buffalo gonzalez or basso or luttenberger or riis or Virenque (!!).
They are absolutely meaningless.
They are absolutely meaningless.
But that leaves only comparisons before the 90ies and most people, myself included, weren't present or watching cycling back then
But that leaves only comparisons before the 90ies and most people, myself included, weren't present or watching cycling back then
haha!! I totally understand.
time to read up on cycling history pre-1991 then.
corticosteroids, amphetamines and even cyanide were in use but they largely did not alter the natural hierarchy over time.
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