Tour de France 2024 - The battle of the big 4

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shadowrider

May 18, 2023
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Mayomaniac said:
Waint, since when do whe have a big 4 when only 3 of them have won multiple gts?
If it's like the Thrash Metal big 4, then Remco is the Anthrax (the band) in this analogy...
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You are right with the criteria you use. But Evenepoel undoubtedly has other strengths, such as daring to attack (as Pogacar has). Once he has a lead, he is difficult to catch back. If the big three work together to crack Evenepoel, he will indeed not have a chance. But it remains to be seen whether Vingegaard, probably not yet 100%, will take the initiative (to chase Evenepoel). And the relation between Vingegaard and Roglic ? Hm... I'm not sure. And Pogacar, having made hughe impression during the Giro..... I think Vingegaard and Roglic will stay in the wheel of Pogacar... at least the first part of the Tour.
 
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Mayomaniac

Mayomaniac

Apr 10, 2019
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pablohidalgo7 said:
Vlasov? Come on Matxin... I think you're a better cycling analyst than that. Anyone with a minimum of cycling vision and analytical skills knows that in 3 weeks and specially in mountain stages with a great expenditure of kilojoules Vlasov is clearly below even Hindley (and Ayuso,Both Yates, Carlos, Carapaz, Mas, Maybe Bernal , etc.)
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Vlasov is a gc rider for a Vuelta with lots of unipuerto stages, not for the Tour or a proper Giro.
 
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Sciatic

Mar 4, 2011
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Mayomaniac said:
Waint, since when do whe have a big 4 when only 3 of them have won multiple gts?
If it's like the Thrash Metal big 4, then Remco is the Anthrax (the band) in this analogy...
Click to expand...
But “Big 4” is mental construct and will reflect what people think “big” means, and perhaps also what country one lives in. There’s no doubt in my mind that Remco is one of the Big 4 in terms of media attention and fan interest, even if GT palmares don’t match the others.
Folks may argue about what constitutes a Triple Crown in bike racing, but the parameters are narrower because they (wins) are tangible.
 
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Mayomaniac

Mayomaniac

Apr 10, 2019
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Sciatic said:
But “Big 4” is mental construct and will reflect what people think “big” means, and perhaps also what country one lives in. There’s no doubt in my mind that Remco is one of the Big 4 in terms of media attention and fan interest, even if GT palmares don’t match the others.
Folks may argue about what constitutes a Triple Crown in bike racing, but the parameters are narrower because they (wins) are tangible.
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Media and fan attention yes, just like Anthrax was part of the big 4 because they were among the top 4 Thrash Metal bands when it came to record sales.😉
Jokes aside, I get why people put him in that conversation.
 
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Scarponi

Apr 21, 2015
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shadowrider said:
Roglic was clearly losing the Vuelta 22 before dropping out. During the Vuelta 23 he never gave the impression that he could win it. He once attacked his own leader at that moment, Kuss, and his teammate Vingegaard. But he was only able to gain a lead of a few seconds and was easily caught by the other teams.

Still, I think he will compete for the final victory in the Tour. By grabbing a few seconds and bonus seconds here and there. If he does not have a breakdown and does not crash (that will be difficult for both him and Evenepoel!), then he may be able to benefit from the fact that Pogacar and Vingegaard will neutralize each other. So that he can always come back after an attack by either of them.

But then Roglic also has to ride a good time trial twice. That becomes more difficult.
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Everyone agrees Roglic was easily winning 2022
 
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tobydawq

tobydawq

Nov 16, 2013
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Red Rick said:
No, and no.

In fact, in tennis circles it's probably Nadal fans who meme his English the most, because his quotes stand out a lot and it's all in good fun.

And you may remember I've made jokes about Nibali speaking a full 2 words of English himself.
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Alright but I also remember how you mocked his injuries as if they obviously were nothing, which I'm entirely sure is a major misinterpretation on your part.
 
Rackham

Rackham

Jul 16, 2015
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Well I hate Rafael Nadal. There, I said it.

I loved Roland Garros when I was a kid (Gustavo Kuerten!) & then Nadal came along & made it the most dullest thing ever. All his victories were equally cr*p in my mind & I cheered for all the victims he executed in every one of his finals with the vain hope they'd somehow pull off a miracle.

Now imagine in cycling if someone won the TdF half of 14 times? It would be... sh*t. And it was sh*t, actually.

It's also why I'd always cheer against anyone who gives 'dominatrix' serial winner vibes in any sport, i.e. winning stuff a million times (& people inexplicably supporting that for xyz reasons) just doesn't appeal to me, at all. We need suspense, drama, 'unexpected' outcomes. That's what makes sport glorious. Not supermen.
 
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Tim Cahill

May 6, 2021
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Matxin in disguise sat on a random roadside in Tinges for the last month waiting for Jumbo Visma riders like

958b5d6aff52703dc45914daf827a263012fe428.jpeg
 
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