UAE-Team Emirates thread

[Lequack]

Great win by Gaviria today, shame about the three team members that had to leave the race because of the virus scare.

 

[BlueRoads]

Great win by Gaviria today, shame about the three team members that had to leave the race because of the virus scare.

I know I'm just a judgemental voyeur, but I'd really like to know who it was they had contact to and whether they broke the rules or were not careful or whether it was entirely not their fault...

 

[Colonel]

I know I'm just a judgemental voyeur, but I'd really like to know who it was they had contact to and whether they broke the rules or were not careful or whether it was entirely not their fault...

They did not break any rules and it was not their fault. They were in contact with someone who after negative tests, returned a positive. No on knew at the time the person was positive.

What is reassuring is that immediately it was made known and action was taken correctly by the riders and the team.

At anytime anyone including you and me can be around someone who tested positive. Is that your fault? No.

 

[BlueRoads]

They did not break any rules and it was not their fault. They were in contact with someone who after negative tests, returned a positive. No on knew at the time the person was positive.

What is reassuring is that immediately it was made known and action was taken correctly by the riders and the team.

At anytime anyone including you and me can be around someone who tested positive. Is that your fault? No.

I did not mean to place blame on them, I was really just curious. After all Sunweb sent somebody home because he went shopping on his own.

 

[Sciatic]

They did not break any rules and it was not their fault. They were in contact with someone who after negative tests, returned a positive. No on knew at the time the person was positive.

What is reassuring is that immediately it was made known and action was taken correctly by the riders and the team.

At anytime anyone including you and me can be around someone who tested positive. Is that your fault? No.

Good for them. Too bad Major League Baseball can’t be as smart about about handling virus cases. Their lack of a sufficient plan is a disaster, even if they do manage to keep playing☹️

 

[SHAD0W93]

Good for them. Too bad Major League Baseball can’t be as smart about about handling virus cases. Their lack of a sufficient plan is a disaster, even if they do manage to keep playing☹

MLB needs to have like this first baseman I saw who gave all the runners hand sanitizer.

 

[Lequack]

They seem to have signed Trentin

 

[Lequack]

They have signed Rafal Majka for next year.

 

[Leinster]

If they have as big a budget as has been suggested, they might bring in more stars. What they really need is to bring in better support for whoever they have leading. You can’t send a sprinter and a GC man to the Tour and have the sprinter surf wheels and the GC man take a stage after being invited to follow his old team’s wheels. At least one of them has to get serious support.

Some retrospectively great posts on page 1 of this thread, but this one in particular is a doozy.

It does look like the improved management made a massive difference to the squad.

 

[Lequack]

Some promo pics

 

[Lequack]

Also a switch to disc brakes this year for Colnago. Last year we saw GT winners Colnago, Bianchi and Pinarelli all still on rim brakes. This year only Pinarello seems to stay on rim brakes.

 

[tobydawq]

Does the addition of Hirschi make Kristoff the biggest favourite for De Ronde? The past two years he was third, and if he can have Hirschi and Trentin to ride defensively for him in the finale, it will be quite difficult to keep a gap for anyone.

And I think the only time he has lost a sprint after a long, hard race was to Sagan in Bergen. Otherwise, he always, always, always wins sprints for minor placings in the classics.

 

[OlavEH]

Does the addition of Hirschi make Kristoff the biggest favourite for De Ronde? The past two years he was third, and if he can have Hirschi and Trentin to ride defensively for him in the finale, it will be quite difficult to keep a gap for anyone.

With Van Aert and Van der Poel at the start list. No way! Those guys are either way the two biggest favorites and have out outmaneuver each other like they did in GW if somebody else is going to win. RVV is also a race where it's more difficult for tactictal victories than most other one-day classics.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Does the addition of Hirschi make Kristoff the biggest favourite for De Ronde? The past two years he was third, and if he can have Hirschi and Trentin to ride defensively for him in the finale, it will be quite difficult to keep a gap for anyone.

And I think the only time he has lost a sprint after a long, hard race was to Sagan in Bergen. Otherwise, he always, always, always wins sprints for minor placings in the classics.

Well, he's certainly up there among the favorites, but not because of Hirschi and Trentin. Hirschi is still unknown quantity in the cobbled classics and Trentin doesn't actually have that great of a track record in Flanders - or cobbled classics in general; In Flanders, his best result is a 13th place in 7 participations, and in 42 cobbled classics, he has 10 top 10's.

If Kristoff wins it's likely because of him being a great cobbled rider more so than it's because of his team. I would certainly rank Van der Poel, Van Aert and Alaphilippe above Kristoff.

 

[tobydawq]

If Kristoff wins it's likely because of him being a great cobbled rider more so than it's because of his team. I would certainly rank Van der Poel, Van Aert and Alaphilippe above Kristoff.

Yes, I would too, for sure, but I'm assuming Hirschi will be more than capable of lasting through the whole race. He did top 10 E3 in 2019 after all, and he has become just a tad better than back then.

I just don't think we have ever seen a capable team with such a big incentive to close down the race. I certainly don't hope they will be successful in that endeavour, though, and I would much rather see Hirschi duke it out with the crossers.

 

[pastronef]

it´s a wild dream, but if Kristoff beats VDP and WVA with the help of Hirschi in Flanders, well I´d remember it forever. it would be great

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Yes, I would too, for sure, but I'm assuming Hirschi will be more than capable of lasting through the whole race. He did top 10 E3 in 2019 after all, and he has become just a tad better than back then.

I just don't think we have ever seen a capable team with such a big incentive to close down the race. I certainly don't hope they will be successful in that endeavour, though, and I would much rather see Hirschi duke it out with the crossers.

Yeah, for sure you're right that we're probably safe to assume that Hirschi will be good in cobbled classics as well. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out and if UAE actually works together as a team in the scenario you outline. It could be the case, but they could also just ride their own chances with Kristoff as a backup - assuming Hirschi and Trentin gets up the road ahead of Kristoff that is.

 

[tobydawq]

Yeah, for sure you're right that we're probably safe to assume that Hirschi will be good in cobbled classics as well. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out and if UAE actually works together as a team in the scenario you outline. It could be the case, but they could also just ride their own chances with Kristoff as a backup - assuming Hirschi and Trentin gets up the road ahead of Kristoff that is.

Yes, they could, but I read in an interview with Peiper that he actually wanted to go for Kristoff because the past two years the only thing that had been missing was a few teammates that could drill it in the group behind.

Okay, last year would have been very difficult to reel in the crossers, but in 2019, he would have won for sure.

Peiper: This is our strongest team ever but we’re not going to race the Tour like Ineos or Jumbo

UAE Team Emirates DS on building a team for Pogacar's yellow jersey defence

www.cyclingnews.com

Hirschi isn't mentioned in that scenario, though.

 

[Lequack]

Whole team for 2021

 

[Lequack]

Interview with Rafal Majka:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1357279328732594176

View: https://twitter.com/TeamEmiratesUAE/status/1357279328732594176

Interview with Matteo Trentin:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1357706804755628034

View: https://twitter.com/TeamEmiratesUAE/status/1357706804755628034?s=20

 

[Offline]

How can Camilo Ardila be so bad? Complete gone for over a year. Has he been injured after the baby giro? Rarely seen a worst entrance to the world tour, especially for a baby tour winner by over 4 minutes.

 

[Mayomaniac]

How can Camilo Ardila be so bad? Complete gone for over a year. Has he been injured after the baby giro? Rarely seen a worst entrance to the world tour, especially for a baby tour winner by over 4 minutes.

Knee problems since the baby Giro.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Knee problems since the baby Giro.

I'm not the first to say this, but the way he rides, it won't be the last knee problems he'll have in his career. My brother in law is a McKenzie therapist and physio, he had basically predicted it when he first saw Ardila ride. Well, he wasn't surprised when i told him he 'd already had knee issues in the past.

 

[janraaskalt]

I'm not the first to say this, but the way he rides, it won't be the last knee problems he'll have in his career. My brother in law is a McKenzie therapist and physio, he had basically predicted it when he first saw Ardila ride. Well, he wasn't surprised when i told him he 'd already had knee issues in the past.

Does he use a too big gear? Or is it something else?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Does he use a too big gear? Or is it something else?

Yes. Insanely big gear.