Tour de Romandie 2023, April 25-30

[postmanhat]

Nice to Max Poole's season gathering momentum after his crash in February. I think he's got a lot of potential, but maybe this race will come a bit too early for him?

 

[Salvarani]

After his WC title I immediately said he won't win a Protour TT this year. Although he was close in the prologue.

Maybe not as strange, as you may think. Just looking at the past winners in recent times.

Wiggins only won one ITT in 2015, after winning it in 2014.

Kriyenka only won Chrono des Nations in 2016, after winning it in 2015.

Tony Martin only won the national title in 2017, after winning it in 2016.

Tom D. won two ITTs in 2018, after winning it in 2017.

Rohan Dennis won an ITT in Tour de Suisse and worlds again in 2019, after winning in 2018.
No win in 2020.

Best is Ganna who won 5 times, including worlds again, after winning it in 2020.
Unless, you also wanna add the three wins in the 2020 Giro which was after Imola... making it 8 in total.
In 2022 he won 4 ITTS + 2 prolouges.

So disregarding Ganna, who has been quite exceptional, you will probably have to go back to Cancellara and earlier Martin to find as many wins.

We are talking some of the best time trialists we have probably seen with the three of them.

Back to Foss, it doesnt seem too much out of the ordinary. 5th, 2nd in a prolouge and now 8th are good results so far. Still enough time left to add a win somewhere during the season, which seems to be pretty normal. Even if you are a really good time trialist, it could be difficult winning much.

 

[HelloDolly]

Ayuso wins his first World Tour race in the same town as Alberto Contodor won his....going to be a big big star

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Ayuso wins his first World Tour race in the same town as Alberto Contodor won his....going to be a big big star

That was Contador's second WT win, he won a short TT in Itzulia shortly before it.

 

[Sciatic]

There will also be a lot of confusion when Remco is not going too badly on a descent - because we've all seen pictures of his wife.

Ha!

 

[Red Rick]

Jumbo pretty bad overall, I'm not sure the Cervelo TT bikes are as good as the ones they had before.

 

[Sciatic]

So can Jorgenson, at 18" back on GC, find the time on tomorrow's stage?

Tomorrow is a monster climbing day—can’t recall if he’s performed well on such a parcours? Also weather could be a factor, forecast rain and for 3 -5 C at the top?

 

[Sciatic]

Froome faster than the 2019 ITT Pan-American Champion. Shape is improving.

Well, we all know the kind of impact his wife can have . . .

 

[theyoungest]

Jumbo pretty bad overall, I'm not sure the Cervelo TT bikes are as good as the ones they had before.

You mean compared to Bianchi, or compared to previous Cervélo bikes? I don't know who you expected to get a result here, other than Foss.

 

[Tonton]

I wasn't quite expecting Ayuso to win the day...hats off to him.

For my Frenchies, Lenny did best, it wasn't a good day for Bardet, and pretty good ride by Pinot.

I can't wait for tomorrows' stage.

 

[search]

Tomorrow is a monster climbing day—can’t recall if he’s performed well on such a parcours? Also weather could be a factor, forecast rain and for 3 -5 C at the top?

the Swiss forecast (which was correct today as well) only has rain in the morning and 6°C for the time it's scheduled to finish.

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Should be okay, I guess. Looks better than last time actually.

 

[Netserk]

I don't understand how you can spend years and years going for GCs and still be as horrible at TTs as Woods is.

Meanwhile Martinez does probably the best TT I've seen anyone in his weight class do since that mythical Pozzovivo Vuelta TT a decade ago, at age 19.

In the end he was 16th in a sub-45 km/h ITT, beaten by Tejada. Purito has done better than that.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Maybe not as strange, as you may think. Just looking at the past winners in recent times.

Wiggins only won one ITT in 2015, after winning it in 2014.

Kriyenka only won Chrono des Nations in 2016, after winning it in 2015.

Tony Martin only won the national title in 2017, after winning it in 2016.

Tom D. won two ITTs in 2018, after winning it in 2017.

Rohan Dennis won an ITT in Tour de Suisse and worlds again in 2019, after winning in 2018.
No win in 2020.

Best is Ganna who won 5 times, including worlds again, after winning it in 2020.
Unless, you also wanna add the three wins in the 2020 Giro which was after Imola... making it 8 in total.
In 2022 he won 4 ITTS + 2 prolouges.

So disregarding Ganna, who has been quite exceptional, you will probably have to go back to Cancellara and earlier Martin to find as many wins.

We are talking some of the best time trialists we have probably seen with the three of them.

Back to Foss, it doesnt seem too much out of the ordinary. 5th, 2nd in a prolouge and now 8th are good results so far. Still enough time left to add a win somewhere during the season, which seems to be pretty normal. Even if you are a really good time trialist, it could be difficult winning much.

Foss is at a very different point in his career to the five riders mentioned who were very much towards the end of their careers.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

In the end he was 16th in a sub-45 km/h ITT, beaten by Tejada. Purito has done better than that.

Not in the past decade, he didn’t - the only TTs he finished better than 16th in in that timeframe were all sub-40 km/h. Also, Martinez is 6 kg lighter if PCS is correct, not sure if that qualifies as same weight class - it wouldn’t in many sports that actually use weight classes.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I guess if Ayuso Is really as cooked as he keeps saying he will be riding for Yates.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I think the old "Colnago TT bikes suck" narrative is no longer valid this year. Looking at the whole team today and in the prologue they have clearly improved.

 

[Netserk]

Not in the past decade, he didn’t - the only TTs he finished better than 16th in in that timeframe were all sub-40 km/h. Also, Martinez is 6 kg lighter if PCS is correct, not sure if that qualifies as same weight class - it wouldn’t in many sports that actually use weight classes.

Even if he was 17th, I think his ITT in the 2014 Vuelta was better than 16th here.

But when I wrote that Purito had done better, that was not about the past decade. More a measure of how even a lightweight notoriously poor TTer can have "good" results in slow ITTs.

 

[Red Rick]

Even if he was 17th, I think his ITT in the 2014 Vuelta was better than 16th here.

But when I wrote that Purito had done better, that was not about the past decade. More a measure of how even a lightweight notoriously poor TTer can have "good" results in slow ITTs.

I'm not convinced he doesn't mean Pozzovivo by 'last decade'

 

[Salvarani]

Foss is at a very different point in his career to the five riders mentioned who were very much towards the end of their careers.

Lets look at it again...

Martin won one ITT, the national title and worlds again in 2012. After winning it 2011. However... he was then pretty exceptional when it came to the ITTs 2013 and 2014.

Cancellara in 2011 won two ITTs and two prologues, after winning in 2010.

Both pretty much in their peak these seasons, but still had a couple of seasons like Ganna as well but they are three exceptional riders that has won multiple times! As mentioned.

BUT! Go back and look at Michael Rogers! He won three consecutive worlds titles, but outside of that he only won three ITTs and a national title in is whole career! So it can be the other way around as well.

Grabsch only won one ITT and a national title in the season after his win.

Botero won nothing in 03.

Ulrich didnt win a single ITT in 2000. 2002 he was out.

Olano in 99, four wins.

Honchar in 01, national title and one other win.

Jalabert in 98, two prologues and two ITTs.

Disregarding the three "aliens" Ganna, Cancellara and Martin, who has all had some seasons where they completely dominated, Foss could very well end up with some of the same numbers as the rest of the champions in the year after his win. Some of whom were in their "prime". Still I would say that finishing top 10 in all three chances he has had so far and one podium is very good.

Now I would also like to add that Foss, at 25, has probably not hit his "peak" just yet. Still a bit too early to call that. He got time on his side to show it was not a "fluke".

 

[Netserk]

Just get rid of the WCTT.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Even if he was 17th, I think his ITT in the 2014 Vuelta was better than 16th here.

But when I wrote that Purito had done better, that was not about the past decade. More a measure of how even a lightweight notoriously poor TTer can have "good" results in slow ITTs.

Not denying that Purito hasn't had better TTs at higher speeds, but the last of those was in the 2012 Vuelta and therefore doesn't invalidate what I said. The 2014 Vuelta TT is pretty marginal in terms of difference and definitely not worth having an argument about.

I'm not convinced he doesn't mean Pozzovivo by 'last decade'

I mean '[best TT Purito did] since Pozzovivo had that shockingly great TT in the 2013 Vuelta' which roughly corresponds to [best TT Purito did] in the last decade.

Either way, I'm actually wrong, but for a different reason - Pozzovivo finished 10th in the Jerusalem TT in the 2018 Giro, which would be the last better TT by someone Martinez's weight unless I've forgotten about someone else.

 

[Landeirovic]

fisher black is also making good progress this year. Is 21 year...

 

[Red Rick]

Not denying that Purito hasn't had better TTs at higher speeds, but the last of those was in the 2012 Vuelta and therefore doesn't invalidate what I said. The 2014 Vuelta TT is pretty marginal in terms of difference and definitely not worth having an argument about.

I mean '[best TT Purito did] since Pozzovivo had that shockingly great TT in the 2013 Vuelta' which roughly corresponds to [best TT Purito did] in the last decade.

Either way, I'm actually wrong, but for a different reason - Pozzovivo finished 10th in the Jerusalem TT in the 2018 Giro, which would be the last better TT by someone Martinez's weight unless I've forgotten about someone else.

I was just confused by saying "last decade" when the rider referred to has been retired for 7 years.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Sobrero was really the negative surprise of the day. Looking at the last Giro and the 2021 Italian NC he's actually good in hilly TTs and his form is good atm, but today he just didn't do well.

 

[SafeBet]

Sobrero was really the negative surprise of the day. Looking at the last Giro and the 2021 Italian NC he's actually good in hilly TTs and his form is good atm, but today he just didn't do well.

His form is good but he has stated he had troubles recovering after LBL.