-
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!
its ok...you dont understand cycling gc races yet....some riders are told to preserve themselves until the last week...their perceived weakness, and the criticism that follows, it proof that the tactic works...Kuss will appear differently in last wk or so
cause Jumbo played a lot of cards yesterday , they kept Kuss for today .
pogicar will get his glycogen and energy topped off, and we will see again why he is so strong. he lost no time today...funny how the forum pendulum swings...his level above everyone over last 2 yrs is not an illusion...this tour is not over. i am a roglic fan...but as i have said i dont dislike any of these guys...and i dont not ever discount pogicar. its a bike race though...can be wrong...they are human..so am i lol...but yesterday was , imho, due to pog not being able to take in food due to action...i doubt that will happen again.
He was already riding for GC as Roglic had crashed two days before.
Congratulation to Tom Pidcock for winning the queen stage.
As more or less expected this was a typical GT stage. JV controlling, Kuss at the end bringing them to the finish line. No stomp.
Stage 11 won't happen on this race anymore. If it happens in lets say next 10 years. Then good. Better to save a recording of it and just watch it again from time to time. It was not due to some special tactics that made this race. JV staff went to Roglič and said can you blow yourself up for Jonas tomorrow? And Rogla said why not. Knowing his injuries won't enable him to win this Tour edition he made the sacrifice. That made the stage. Delivering half beaten Pogačar to the half of the hill and the rest is history.
There is still potential for one good stage. And that is if the other Slovenian decides and does just that. Chances are in my opinion realistic as Pogačar vs. Vingegaard mano-a-mano on a week long stage race plus a long flat ITT. Well in my opinion he can take 3 minutes in such scenario. Will he do it? I guess best to anticipate it and see.
As more or less expected this was a typical GT stage. JV controlling, Kuss at the end bringing them to the finish line. No stomp.
Stage 11 won't happen on this race anymore. If it happens in lets say next 10 years. Then good. Better to save a recording of it and just watch it again from time to time. It was not due to some special tactics that made this race. JV staff went to Roglič and said can you blow yourself up for Jonas tomorrow? And Rogla said why not. Knowing his injuries won't enable him to win this Tour edition he made the sacrifice. That made the stage. Delivering half beaten Pogačar to the half of the hill and the rest is history.
There is still potential for one good stage. And that is if the other Slovenian decides and does just that. Chances are in my opinion realistic as Pogačar vs. Vingegaard mano-a-mano on a week long stage race plus a long flat ITT. Well in my opinion he can take 3 minutes in such scenario. Will he do it? I guess best to anticipate it and see.
In my opinion Sepp Kuss is very similar to Wout Poels from about five years ago. On his best days one of the top 5-10 climbers in the peloton, but not with good enough consistency or recovery to be considered for the general classification. Jumbo will be hoping that he is recovered again for the two big days in the Pyrenees.
If it's more like today's Sepp and not like the role he's been playing for most of the last couple of years... I'm all for it. No complaints today. This is what they should have been using him for all along.
GT principal guys rest on many stages just by not taking tempo past their comfort zone. Hard to do that when you're ferrying bottles and expected to scramble back to the front every time there is action. That could be most of it.
Magnus Cort about his Alpe d'Huez experience with the massive crowd:
"When I got to the barrier sections - just before the finish - I had to click down two gears because I was no longer getting nudges from the spectators. That's how much of a difference they made."
"When I got to the barrier sections - just before the finish - I had to click down two gears because I was no longer getting nudges from the spectators. That's how much of a difference they made."
its called saving him for the second half of the Tour
2nd place does not mean anything to him. He will attack this remaining TDF everywhere possible but if he will be sucessfull is there to be seen.
I just hope this does not change his approach racing GT after TDF. It is fun to watch cyclist who isn't affraid to take risks in order to achieve his goals. Win or lose.
The doubt it casts for himself is something he can deal with but only he knows how many other race circumstances he was bluffing so he wouldn't have "that day". So far JV has been the only squad with the strength to test him and break him. Can anyone think of a GC podium candidate that might make it to the last week and do the same? Geraint, if fresh has most of the skills and his team would be behind him. It doesn't seem to be a deep list after that?
Exactly. I believe if Ineos does not start mixing things up the writing is on the wall. Vigo wins due to his current form and sheer strenght of JV team. The only two contenders to Vigo in my book are only Pogi (based only on his individual strenght because I doubt UAE team can be anything more than food, water and ice supply carrier at this point) and Thomas (although he does not posses the same punch as other two looks fresh and if Ineos finally starts the sacrifice game of their other GC contenders anything can still happen).
If Ineos does not "join the party" I expect Pogi to attack relentlessly with no avail (Vigo or his team just covering attacks) until going into red again.
It has been exciting tour so far and I really hope there is more real action to come.
Last edited:
In a way, maybe, but I think mainly because a long, hard day at high altitude just plays more into Kruijswijk hands, while that "easy" ridden stage yesterday with a steep climb in the end is what Kuss excels at. I didn't have the impression that Kuss took it easy on Wednesday.
love the excitement in this Hamilton interview at the finish yesterday, btw - or is this what he always looks like?! 
streamable.com
Hamilton excited by Alpe d'Huez crowds
Watch "Hamilton excited by Alpe d'Huez crowds" on Streamable.
I have a theory. (mostly joking)
Sepp Kuss doesn't like to go above 80% effort.
He does it for the money, and because it's his job.
Yesterday, he did his best to be dropped and to not come back to the front group without it being obvious.
"Oh look, I'm covering Mas, I can't come back to help you or I'll bring him back too".
But they were so slow Mas came back, and Kuss had to do his job AKA pacing as strong as a podium contender would.
Everytime Pog attacked, you could see joy on Kuss face,
On the Granon he had no orders from the teamcar, because on 9-10% he wouldn't be of much help anyway.
Also, important to remember on the Granon, JV wasn't GC leader yet, maybe on Kuss' contract, he only has to pace when his leader is in yellow.
Basically, yesterday was the first day he had to work, so he is very fresh. We will see him on the front a lot more from now on.
Fear the day Kuss goes 100% and realises that sweating isn't that horrifying after all. From that moment he'll get every KOM.
Personally i didn't see Kuss doing anything different than what Kuss does. Classy Kuss.
P.S. Minus the stomp at the end and i like the stomp version better.
P.S. Minus the stomp at the end and i like the stomp version better.
well, everyone got that wrong - i was very disappointed with the GC riders lack of fighting spirit but admite Froome and Pidcock's descending madness / skills . courage,
Even Froome didn't fancy some of Pidcocks lines/speed on the descents. He's got the talent but I could never get the worry of a mechanical out of my mind if I was going down at 100kph
What Kuss did two years ago on the climb where Pogi got dropped clearly showed he can dance about 20%. I would love to see him off the chain if that ever happens.
That's kind of the point. Sitting in the train looking cool and fresh and not working is fine up til the point where the previous rider shells everybody they can. For a long time, though, Jumbo have been happy to sit at the tempo of the third best climber, refusing to work them until they blow, leaving Kuss sitting on, fresh, just threatening to chase down attacks to stop anybody else riding, but not actually doing anything, leading to 15-man group rides on mountain after mountain as once Bennett, or Kruijswijk, or Dumoulin, or whoever has dropped everybody they're going to, they just rode in formation all the way to the last couple of hundred metres. Yesterday, however, Kuss turned into Sylwester Szmyd and Jumbo turned into vintage Liquigas, with first Roglič and then Kuss hitting the front and getting rid of as many people as possible. Kuss then rode himself until Pogačar attacked, then twice after the impetus was lost up front, he used Mas to pace him back to his leader, and then went back to the front and resumed doing his job killing himself for Vingegaard.
@Libertine Seguros
If Kuss is to bring the procession to the line. Like it happened on this stage. In that case personally i will take the addition of stomp any time over such finale. OK not necessarily every time. As that would be boring. But you get the picture.
If Kuss is to bring the procession to the line. Like it happened on this stage. In that case personally i will take the addition of stomp any time over such finale. OK not necessarily every time. As that would be boring. But you get the picture.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Teams & Riders The Remco Evenepoel is the next Eddy Merckx thread- Started by DNP-Old
- Replies: 29K
-
Teams & Riders The Great Big Cycling Transfers, Extensions, and Rumours Thread- Started by RedheadDane
- Replies: 11K
-
Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread- Started by Lequack
- Replies: 23K
-
-
-
Teams & Riders Everybody needs a little bit of Roglstomp in their lives- Started by johnymax
- Replies: 19K
-
Teams & Riders Jonas Vingegaard thread: Mountain Sprinter- Started by Samu Cuenca
- Replies: 7K
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram