Tactical advice of the day!TJV should send Kuss back
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Tactical advice of the day!TJV should send Kuss back
I am. Nobody looks as good with a helmet as Sepp Kuss! And nobody can make it look like he doesn't even try when the gradient is 20+%.
(But isn't Libertine's take that he's used wrong, not that she doesn't like him?)
With Rogla leaving the race early this year, Sepp has had more freedom, and has either been invisible and inoffensive, or like he was today, stagehunting. I even posted in the stage 8 thread that I thought him going out to win stages and the GPM like Simon Yates in 2019 would be optimal usage of him given his skillset.Kuss' comments about stage 6 last year were absolute BS, but they were just stupid words put in his mouth probably by a DS. However, the way that Jumbo raced the rest of the race - and essentially every race since - actually kind of backed up that nonsense. He is not the reason for the evil, but he is the embodiment of it: this appalling role as the non-domestiquing domestique, whose role is solely to sit there doing nothing implying threat, rather than actually trying to attack or providing any assistance to his teammates. Because he's so strong in the climbs, he's usually there with all the bigs, but Jumbo never ask him to do a turn, so they just sit there with 10-15 in the group and nothing happening, because nobody dares attack because Kuss is still fresh to chase them down, but Kuss won't go on the front to thin the group out any further, resulting in tedious group rides, but without even the modicum of interest that Sky's train gave us where they could put the moto on the back of the group and watch people get dropped. When Sepp isn't working for Rogla or Dumoulin himself, he is less of a problem (although there was some hilarious mis-management of him by the team car in the UAE Tour too), but because he's too limited to be a GT leader in his own right, at least at this point in time, as soon as we get to the biggest races, he inevitably gets included, and he inevitably gets deployed specifically to prevent entertaining racing from happening.
Addy Engels is the orchestrator of this vicious assault against entertainment, but Sepp Kuss is the weapon with which this assault is perpetrated. When he is removed from the bunch, the action in the GC contenders' group improved, almost like clockwork.
You know how people countered the "neverending final set at Wimbledon" problem with just saying, ban John Isner, since his "all serve no substance" game was the main problem? One of the best ways to counter the ills of modern cycling is to prevent anybody playing the role that has been created specially for Sepp.
They went to Andy-Alberto levels of stop and go, so I can see that happening.Kuss climbed Beixalis faster than the GC guys
He man, will you get me a coffee from the kitchen, since you're obviously riding my jock?Tactical advice of the day!
2- Why Carapaz waited for the attack in the lower altitude climb???? LOL. What is the advantage of doing that?
One mechanical or crash for Jonas when he was isolated and it would have backfired. Having all 3 of the guys who can climb in the breakaway was a big risk, but in the end it worked out.
Still, it wasn't a tactical masterclass.
Wasn't there a stage a couple years ago (Roglic's first Vuelta GC win) when MAL attacked on a hard mountainous stage and the weather was really bad, and Kuss was there for Roglic for many kilometers of hard riding? --I could be mistaken (it happens more often lately).Yes please, keep him away from Roglič, it will be way better for both audience and riders that way. Sepp will have more freedom, and Addy won't handcuff him to Primož and be so defensive. How is Sepp with bad weather though? Serious question - pretty much every performance I've seen from him has been in the height of summer sun, and he's been absent or dropped on stages like Formigal.
They wouldn't shut up about it even when everyone was isolated.Do Ineos think they have yellow? Hatch and Kirby giving it all that Pog was isolated and they did what?
I was skeptical about Kuss, based on his performances this year. Obviously, he was much better than I believed him to b.They did indeed gamble big time. It could easily have gone all wrong, had Kuss not been the strongest (and after what he showed this year I would not have bet on that), had Vingegaard had a mechanical, had UAE not worked at all in the first half and Ineos not upped the pace so that the main group was pretty close in the end and Kruijswijk and van Aert not been in comfortable distance in the end...
They needed it all to play out, but, well, it did.
Ineos love to drop themselves.They wouldn't shut up about it even when everyone was isolated.
Isolating everybody including yourself only works if yellow is not the best climber
8 captains and crazy tactics. Before we know it Netflix will be talking to them about a documentary.Ineos love to drop themselves.
TJV should be all-in for Vingegaard from here.
Absolutely. Carapaz went then pulled off and expected Pog to pull. Wtf dumb AF.They wouldn't shut up about it even when everyone was isolated.
Isolating everybody including yourself only works if yellow is not the best climber
And today when others tried to get things going..sure there may have been a tiny bit of confusion because of the white jersey, but Vinegegaard sat on and predictably did nothing to contribute to chasing his teammate. And for Kuss to attack and hold off a champion like Valverde is fantastic..Sep indicating he is all-in for Vingegaard after today.
What happened to Boasson Hagen?
Maybe it would have been wiser to send Geoghegan Hart stage hunting, because Carapaz simply needs to drop Uran & Vingegaard anyway. So far he fails to do so ultimately. Not much to do for the train IMHO.8 captains and crazy tactics. Before we know it Netflix will be talking to them about a documentary.
"The most expected train"
What happened to Boasson Hagen?
So maybe you can explain to me why they had the riders in front of him? To attack in the last climb? the steepest one. That is crazy. You attack in the moment where it hurts the most, for you as well as your rivals. Especially when you have the altitude in your favor. That was the biggest opportunity that he will have in this Tour. That was a complete wasted opportunity. If by any chance he breaks the elastic he could connect with 2 of his teammates. And there, the false flat, is when you can use them the most. IMHO.Massive headwind on the Port d'Envalira.
So maybe you can explain to me why they had the riders in front of him? To attack in the last climb? the steepest one. That is crazy. You attack in the moment where it hurts the most, for you as well as your rivals. Especially when you have the altitude in your favor. That was the biggest opportunity that he will have in this Tour. That was a complete wasted opportunity. If by any chance he breaks the elastic he could connect with 2 of his teammates. And there, the false flat, is when you can use them the most. IMHO.