Tour of the Alps 2022 (April 18-22)

[gregrowlerson]

Why did Porte stopped on the last climb? he looked good and all of a sudden started to look back and slowed down? I thought that was bad tactics. Now if he got tired and had to slow down makes it even worse. LOL.

New one week conservative, save himself for three week peak Richie

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Almost as cute as Gaudu and Madouas.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1517510902576254976

View: https://twitter.com/trivmviri/status/1517510902576254976

 

[RedheadDane]

No piggybacks here.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

No piggybacks here.

Wouldn't have been good for Pinot's back either.

 

[steffr222]

It was definitely pre-2011 when Danish TV2 made a top-3 of bad ITTs, and "Chris Froome from Kenya" smashing into that official at a World Championship was an entrance.

View: https://youtu.be/7DCe4QVO0PE

 

[tobydawq]

Seems crazy, but he is actually that old! Not that that's old...

Even more crazy; he's older than Quintana. It's just that Quintana has looked like an old man since he was in his earlier 20es, while Chaves perpetually looks like he's 15.

Situation

• 1
  
  
  

  1		12	DE LA CRUZ David	31:09
  2		21	AMADOR Andrey	23:36
  3		44	KÄMNA Lennard	13:11
  4		61	PINOT Thibaut	13:58
  5		144	ARRIETA Igor	26:56
  6		162	TRÆEN Torstein	44:30

• 2
  
  +0:52
  

  1		83	GONZÁLEZ Abner	12:27
  2		127	ZARDINI Edoardo	40:20
  3		157	ITURRIA Mikel	34:03

• 3
  
  +1:30
  

  1		93	BRENNER Marco	40:30
  2		103	COVILI Luca	30:00

• 4
  
  +2:01
  

  1		77	PICCOLI James	31:23
  2		102	CAÑAVERAL Johnatan	38:49
  3		113	CEPEDA Jefferson Alveiro	24:43
  4		131	BAIS Davide	41:56

• 5
  30
  
  +3:52
  

  1

That is old.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Monumental Arensman today.

Guess there is at least 1 dutch GC rider left who can fill the top 10's that Mollema/Gesink/Dumoulin/Kelderman will leave behind when they are gone

Putting Dumoulin in that company is not really fair..... when I think Mollena, its 2013-2014 Mollema struggling for dear life and dodging crashes to get into the top-10 in the ugliest kits for some weird Dutch teams that I cant even remember. Lets say Rabobank. Dumoulin, that guy could should've won more than one GT.

 

[gunara]

Putting Dumoulin in that company is not really fair..... when I think Mollena, its 2013-2014 Mollema struggling for dear life and dodging crashes to get into the top-10 in the ugliest kits for some weird Dutch teams that I cant even remember. Lets say Rabobank. Dumoulin, that guy could should've won more than one GT.

Come on, Mollema wasn't all that worse after Dumoulin's Vuelta raid and Giro win. Still each a couple of Giro top ten and Tour stage wins, even got much better in one day race, overall he became more interesting rider at least for awhile. It's just the hype have turned full meme.

Yes that Belkin jersey was hideous, but the team car looked even worse in that color.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Mollema won a monument and has a very nice palmares. Neither he nor Dumoulin belong on a list of anonymous underperforming Dutch top 10 GC guys,

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

it always - always - makes me happy when Pinot wins. And how typically Pinot is it to finally win again one day after heartbreak,

 

[AlfaLum]

Putting Dumoulin in that company is not really fair..... when I think Mollena, its 2013-2014 Mollema struggling for dear life and dodging crashes to get into the top-10 in the ugliest kits for some weird Dutch teams that I cant even remember. Lets say Rabobank. Dumoulin, that guy could should've won more than one GT.

If Dumoulin would have had only 50% of Mollemas mentality he would still be at the top.
I think Mollema is one of the guys who have really made the most out of their careers. Winning Lombardia was the crown on a very consistent career. Mollema never was the most gifted rider, but damn the guy always showed so much grinta.

I hope he gets his giro stage win next month. Would mean he has stage wins in all three grand tours.

 

[Red Rick]

If Dumoulin would have had only 50% of Mollemas mentality he would still be at the top.
I think Mollema is one of the guys who have really made the most out of their careers. Winning Lombardia was the crown on a very consistent career. Mollema never was the most gifted rider, but damn the guy always showed so much grinta.

I hope he gets his giro stage win next month. Would mean he has stage wins in all three grand tours.

I agree on Mollema.

But Dumoulin was completely mismanaged at Giant and they got the absolute least possible out of him, and that just exacerbated the weaker mentality in the first place.

And he's had some really bad luck as well.

 

[AlfaLum]

I agree on Mollema.

But Dumoulin was completely mismanaged at Giant and they got the absolute least possible out of him, and that just exacerbated the weaker mentality in the first place.

And he's had some really bad luck as well.

I agree with you there as well. It’s also not meant as an insult against Dumoulin, because it is very hard to maintain the right mentality over so many years even in difficult times.

It is meant as praise for Mollema, who in my opinion is one of the strongest in the peloton when it comes to his mentality.

 

[tobydawq]

Come on, Mollema wasn't all that worse after Dumoulin's Vuelta raid and Giro win. Still each a couple of Giro top ten and Tour stage wins, even got much better in one day race, overall he became more interesting rider at least for awhile. It's just the hype have turned full meme.

Yes that Belkin jersey was hideous, but the team car looked even worse in that color.

Lol, two second places in Giro and Tour in the same year doesn't really qualify as "a couple of Giro top ten and Tour stage wins".

But yes, Mollema has a fine one-day race palmarès.

 

[Bolder]

Lenny Martinez 14th. Let the hype commence.

 

[Red Rick]

Lol, two second places in Giro and Tour in the same year doesn't really qualify as "a couple of Giro top ten and Tour stage wins".

But yes, Mollema has a fine one-day race palmarès.

Mollema had this weird ability to be kinda *** for decent parts of the season but then he'd show up and be really good in the big one day races. He's also a really smart rider. It was really funny how hard he tried to box in Pogacar at the Olympics.

Meanwhile Dumoulin has a decent amount of unfulfilled potential as a one day racer.

 

[armchairclimber]

Where's the guy who was a massive tibopino fan gone?

 

[gregrowlerson]

Where's the guy who was a massive tibopino fan gone?

Tonton is still here.

Unless you are referring to Macbridle

 

[armchairclimber]

Tonton is still here.

Unless you are referring to Macbridle

Yeah, just seen tonton on the tibopino thread. Glad for him. Too many years of hurt.

 

[gunara]

Lol, two second places in Giro and Tour in the same year doesn't really qualify as "a couple of Giro top ten and Tour stage wins".

But yes, Mollema has a fine one-day race palmarès.

I didn't say they're equal. I just pointed out that it's not fair to think of Mollema as just 2013/2014 Mollema, and he - in relation to Dumoulin - still had his shows even after the emergence of Dumoulin as a serious, and yes better, GT rider.

 

[Red Rick]

I didn't say they're equal. I just pointed out that it's not fair to think of Mollema as just 2013/2014 Mollema, and he - in relation to Dumoulin - still had his shows even after the emergence of Dumoulin as a serious, and yes better, GT rider.

The exact amount of times Mollema showed more potential as a GT rider than Dumoulin is 0.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yes, Mollema as a GC-rider is hot garbage compared to Dumoulin, no discussion. Like cmon now. Now Kruijswijk and Gesink showed more promise and potential than Mollema, especially Gesink IMO, but it never really materialized

 

[Tonton]

Yeah, just seen tonton on the tibopino thread. Glad for him. Too many years of hurt.

Slowly emerging from covid and its nasty impact on my job situation, two rough years, like Tibo's 1.007 days of struggles if you will. Super happy for Tibopino. Too bad he doesn't go to the Giro: in July, all he can expect is to be the best non-Slovenian GC rider. Unless he goes for stages and polka-dot...meh...

 

[woodburn]

I agree on Mollema.

But Dumoulin was completely mismanaged at Giant and they got the absolute least possible out of him, and that just exacerbated the weaker mentality in the first place.

And he's had some really bad luck as well.

He hasn't been a GT threat since the knee injury in the 2019 Giro which was right in his prime and after finishing second in the Giro and TDF the year previously. Something was obviously amiss in his recovery and seemed to fracture the relationship with Giant.

He won seven GT stages, plus a TT world championship before that, too. If that is the least possible then you rate him as the best rider of his generation.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Mollema, Gesink, and Kruijswijk could have won a Grand Tour if luck went there way. Wilco was that perineal top 10 rider and that’s better then like Ten Dam of just scratching the surface.

Crazy that with Menchov, Levi, Mollema, Gesink, and Kruijswijk that Rabo/Jumbo had the most success with Roglic.