- Jun 7, 2011
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The sad thing about it is that despite Yates being apparently in top form he couldn't cope with Pogacar. It seems that it's all between Pogacar and Roglic nowadays, no one left besides those 2.
Maybe the only one that could stand a chance at GT was Bernal but now that he is recovering I can't think of any one left. There's those 2 and then maybe 10 riders (Carapaz, Almeida, Evenepoel, Mas, Landa, Vingegaard, Yates brothers, Vlasov, Gaudu, Bardet) that are a level below for GT contest.
Maybe the only one that could stand a chance at GT was Bernal but now that he is recovering I can't think of any one left. There's those 2 and then maybe 10 riders (Carapaz, Almeida, Evenepoel, Mas, Landa, Vingegaard, Yates brothers, Vlasov, Gaudu, Bardet) that are a level below for GT contest.
Yates was better in 2021 than 2022 but was supreme in 2020. Apparently ,Yates will ride the TDF this year.
@yaco
Likely due to not watching this races in much detail i thought i remembered that Yates got dropped at UAE Tour in 2021. At the Jebel Hafeet stage. Based on all the discussion i rechecked and indeed that was not the case. Both Pogačar and Yates ended in a rather similar fashion. In that case indeed we can say it was more of an replay in 2022.
Likely due to not watching this races in much detail i thought i remembered that Yates got dropped at UAE Tour in 2021. At the Jebel Hafeet stage. Based on all the discussion i rechecked and indeed that was not the case. Both Pogačar and Yates ended in a rather similar fashion. In that case indeed we can say it was more of an replay in 2022.
- Jun 7, 2011
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How? I'm simply repeating the arguments made when Evenepoel got dropped on a steep climb 3 weeks ago.
Just being coherent i guess
I respect that but I still think that he can develop at those steep climbs. Not sure if he isn't already at his peak despite being only 25 years old. If he is already reached his full potential I will agree with your opinion but I will need to see more from Vlasov before i can make my judgment about his conditions for being a top GC rider.Same opinion about Evenepoel potential to face those steepest climbs, I need to see more of him before making my judgment. If the belgium wonder improves in that he will be at Pogacar level and will dominate with the Slovenian for years to come.
- Jun 7, 2011
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It was sarcasm.Just being coherent i guess
- Apr 10, 2019
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Zoccarato finishing ahead of Masnada today is pretty surprising to me.
I again checked today‘s results and still cannot believe what Luke Plapp did today. I know, it‘s Hafeet, and the stage had only this one climb, which was not to steep and too long, but this result of Plapp is nothing less than a sensation.
He, in the past, hardly ever raced up a mountain in a bike race. Here, after a very fast stage, and after six days of racing, he clearly beats a Vlasov, who is already super good, and has years of experience racing the hardest mountains in cycling.
Plapp‘s performance of today is one of the strangest, but also most impressive performances I saw in watching 25 years of road bike racing. I admit, Pogacar maybe could have raced even faster if he wanted to, or had had to. But Plapp lost only sixteen seconds to him!… Plapp MUST have an enormous amount of space to still improve. Will he be then, soon, be the strongest in the world, at least in stages like todays?
He is rather known as a powerhouse, strong in ITTs. He wasn‘t known for climbing at all, before this week.
How can you explain this result? And what did riders like Mäder, Konrad or Dumoulin do in the last months, since November?…
He, in the past, hardly ever raced up a mountain in a bike race. Here, after a very fast stage, and after six days of racing, he clearly beats a Vlasov, who is already super good, and has years of experience racing the hardest mountains in cycling.
Plapp‘s performance of today is one of the strangest, but also most impressive performances I saw in watching 25 years of road bike racing. I admit, Pogacar maybe could have raced even faster if he wanted to, or had had to. But Plapp lost only sixteen seconds to him!… Plapp MUST have an enormous amount of space to still improve. Will he be then, soon, be the strongest in the world, at least in stages like todays?
He is rather known as a powerhouse, strong in ITTs. He wasn‘t known for climbing at all, before this week.
How can you explain this result? And what did riders like Mäder, Konrad or Dumoulin do in the last months, since November?…
- Apr 10, 2019
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Last year Plapp was setting tempo for Porte on Willunga Hill in an Aussie race and they dropped everyone, he can climb.
https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=14937&y=2021&e=03
He's listed at 72kg and is a track cycling guy, so he probably can still loose some weight.
The UAE guys are probably all in great shape already because this race is really important for the team, some others might prefer a slower start and I guess that the Australian's have been riding at home with nice weather during the European winter.
Ok, that‘s interesting… I for example didn‘t know about Willunga.
Your aspects explain it certainly well… I am super curious how Plapps development will look like from now on. I would love to see him as a contender for the GC in stage races.
He‘s maybe as good as Remco, but there‘s zero hype around Plapp…
Nothing compared to the TT of the past. Indeed. But te same hard mountains of the past. So, no balance at all.
- Apr 16, 2009
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- Oct 10, 2015
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Plapp could of beaten Porte last year on Willunga, he was riding better but gave it to Richie. Plapp also won the nationals this year on a hilly course and it was also quite warm. He’s got a big engine and plenty of room to improve, not sure what type of rider he’ll end up being but looks like a rider who could compete for the GC in the one week stage races.
You are very much exaggerating. Plapp was an amazing talent already before UAE. The fact that you didn’t know that doesn’t make it less true.
Ok, in this case, I‘m quite glad I learned now, in UAE, that he‘s someone to watch on each terrain.
If his ITT this past week would have gone differently (with ITT bike etc.), he would have ended this UAE Tour on the podium, certainly. He lost 16secs on Jais and 16secs on Hafeet. In ITT, over 9kms, flat course, he should be as fast as Pogacar is…
Anyways, a great WT race debut for him. Looking forward to see more from the guy…
- Apr 30, 2011
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The individual mountains are as hard as ever, as is the whole set of them. The MTFs are harder than they used to.
The hardest mountain stages are easier, that's it. Less endurance, but not less mountainous.
- Jun 7, 2011
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Plapp certainly did go through a transformation. In 2018 before Innsbruck i checked his results, and they were not as impressive in hilly TTs as they were in flat ones. During the RR, he got dropped rather early and caught a cold when the eventual winner who was involved in a crash, blast past him. At that moment a sprinter like Ghirmay was still at the front.
So i too was surprised to see him power on uphill last year in GP Porte. After that, his results this week don't shock me, but they still very much are remarkable.
So i too was surprised to see him power on uphill last year in GP Porte. After that, his results this week don't shock me, but they still very much are remarkable.
- Nov 16, 2013
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Girmay > Pogacar confirmed.
- May 8, 2014
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