The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to
In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.
Thanks!
Yeah.Sagan will need time to recover from covid. He isn't doing too badly in the easy stages. It's just that he's nowhere near classics shape. Maybe with the extra races he can still come in form but my guess is it will be too late for the classics.
Reading comprehension is not your forte. I saw the race live on television. Pogacar was uphill stronger than Van Aert, just as the dag before. And Pogacar is the deserved leader in the race. What I wrote and what I meant, is that Van Aert would have won, if the race had lasted 5 km longer. This is due to his resistance to long efforts and to cold and rain.Pogacar rode Van Aert out of his wheel with about 18 to go. A bit silly to barge in and tell us all what's what when you only watched the final 1.2 kms of a stage with action from 65 kilometres out.
I am very curious on Pogacar's performance. I know it is flat and short but he impressed me yesterday by distancing Wout on such a course. He will not beat Ganna but I wouldn't be surprised if he can keep up with WvA. That alone is scary enough.
On such a course ? The course was Pogacar-like and not Van Aert-like. A course similar with Liège-Bastogne-Liège or even Lombardia. Van Aert is a classic cobble rider, but with his talent and if training on climbing and losing weight, could play his role later in climbing classics. Even in grand tours. But at the moment, Pogacar has the advantage on those courses. But Van Aert is closing the gap on those courses. In reverse, I don't think Pogacar ever gonna play an important role in Flanders or Roubaix.I am very curious on Pogacar's performance. I know it is flat and short but he impressed me yesterday by distancing Wout on such a course. He will not beat Ganna but I wouldn't be surprised if he can keep up with WvA. That alone is scary enough.
There is more to it. He has been performing below his level for three years now. And he was 28 years old at that moment. And he is clearly overweighted since a few years. Since becoming the highest paid rider in the peloton, he has been performing well below his level. Not training enough and properly (in winter) and eating to much.He is 31 and had covid a month ago. Get a grip.
Reading comprehension is not your forte. I saw the race live on television. Pogacar was uphill stronger than Van Aert, just as the dag before. And Pogacar is the deserved leader in the race. What I wrote and what I meant, is that Van Aert would have won, if the race had lasted 5 km longer. This is due to his resistance to long efforts and to cold and rain.
Reading comprehension is not your forte. I saw the race live on television. Pogacar was uphill stronger than Van Aert, just as the dag before. And Pogacar is the deserved leader in the race. What I wrote and what I meant, is that Van Aert would have won, if the race had lasted 5 km longer. This is due to his resistance to long efforts and to cold and rain.
Your initial comment could both be understood in the way you wanted it to be, that van Aert gained time on Pogacar during the last 1.2 km of the stage, but also in the way that tobydawg did, that you had only watched the last 1.2 km. So there was actually no reason to insult him.
It's highly speculative whether van Art could have closed the gap or not if the race had been longer, but I really doubt that he could have done it. We are not sure whether Pogacar actually pushed all the way to the line either, and he certainly didn't look more bothered by the weather than van Aert.
I see what you did there.but also in the way that tobydawg did
How much time did WvA gain on VdP in the last 1.2km?
Yeah, my idea was 2 laps on a long circuit after Ventoux from Malaucene right at the start of the stage, something like this the day after a 2013 style Venoux MTF:Carpentras -> Sault
170.0 km, +4665 m. Bike ride in Carpentras, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azurridewithgps.com
Just a lazy mock-up with a gimmicky double (1½) Ventoux ascent to start the stage, but the point was to have Col de Lagarde-d'Apt as penultimate climb, as you get the short circuit trouble with Ventoux instead. The detour with Mur de Monieux adds 10 km, so it's not necessarily a net benefit to include it (without it you can do the 1½ Ventoux as last climbs). A better made stage would come from the east, I think.
It just really has an unfortunate location.
How cool must it be to have Gaviria in your team
View: https://twitter.com/TeamEmiratesUAE/status/1371769480708300803?s=20
Piste de Travignon is also an option, if you don't mind non-asphalted roads.Yeah, my idea was 2 laps on a long circuit after Ventoux from Malaucene right at the start of the stage, something like this the day after a 2013 style Venoux MTF:
https://www.cronoescalada.com/index.php/tracks/view/697754
I think there is only one person saying this. After watching 70 kilometers of intense racing and then you come up to that conclusion is crazy! Lol.Why does the speculation whether Van Aert would have won if there had been 5 more kilometres really matter? There wasn't and he didn't. If the stage would have finished up Zoncolan, I think Pogacar would have won. But there wasn't and he didn't.
If anything, Van Aert did a bad job and should have paced himself better if he had more left at the end then.
Headwinds have been banned this year.Looking at the first starters and their times it looks like we have tailwind during the first part of the ITT and a headwind during the 2nd part.