Did Remco ride any other Ardennes races before LBL last year? I find it strange that he won't this year, as even with one eye on the Giro, who doesn't race 2 weeks before a monument. And I'm assuming he won't ride Tour of the Alps or Romandie either. Never understood why it's considered sensible - or even essential - preparation to race Dauphne or another stage race 2-3 weeks before the Tour, yet a similar schedule is considered bad preparation for the Giro?
No Tour of the Alpes, no Romandie, just as he didn't do a stage race after Swiss before the Vuelta last year. And shortly before the Vuelta he rode (and crushed) San Sebastian, which would be his la Doyenne to the Giro this year (it remains to be seen with what result, however). Evidently they're trying to stick, as much as possible, to the same formula that got him ready so effectively for the Vuelta: Catalunya replaces Swiss, Liege San Sebastian, with altitude in between. I'm curious to see if he will be flying after coming down from altitude at Liege, the way he was in the same circumstance at San Sebastian last year. Not every period/response is the same, however. In theory yes, so Soudal is banking on a similar outcome. I'd just consider that la Doyenne is a monument, the last in Belgium during the season, so the pressure and mental aspect for Remco shall surely be more intense than the festive, sun-drenched atmosphere at post-Tour San Sebastian in Spain. This could be a performance factor in terms of how his body reacts to the abrupt end of a period away from competition, which might result differently than his late summer reentry last year. I'm not saying it will be, but just curious to see how it plays out this time. However, if his performance in Liege doesn't meet expectations, doubtless people will question his whole buildup to the Giro. So it should be interesting.
I think a race like the Dauphine has usually been considered an essential part of a rider's pre-Tour preparation, mostly because it's a long period from the end of the classics to the Grand Bouclé. So in theory one needs a hard stage race circa 3 weeks out to build fitness and see where form is before July. And there is still time after the Dauphine to put the final touches on one's form before the Tour. By contrast, the Giro arrives very quickly after the first part of the season from Tirreno/Paris-Nice through Liege, thus there isn't much time to insert another stage race before la grande partenza (which, in any case, can't be the length of the Dauphine). Consequently, many will choose to forego say the Tour of the Alpes and stick to a program at altitude, if they have raced sufficiently in the spring. In fact, only guys like Thomas, who hasn't raced much this season, are going to the Trentino-based race before the Giro.
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