UAE Tour 2023, February 20-26 (women's race February 9-12)

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Nah, Blythe would have mentioned Pidcock or some other Brit in the same breath as Pogacar and Vingegaard...

What's he going to be like when he commentates on a race with Josh Tarling in it?

 

[Jungle Cycle]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628374077457985536

View: https://twitter.com/CyclingOpinions/status/1628374077457985536

 

[Mayomaniac]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628374077457985536

View: https://twitter.com/CyclingOpinions/status/1628374077457985536

The whole thing got blown out of proportion. Einer Rubio was a first neopro riding his first gt, while Thomas was a veteran stagehunter. Him just trying to hang in there on a tempogrinder wasn't something shameful and Ganna would have beaten them either way...

 

[tobydawq]

Rubio is 1m29s down in GC.

And 1m29cm tall. What a coincidence.

 

[Berflamand]

The whole thing got blown out of proportion. Einer Rubio was a first neopro riding his first gt, while Thomas was a veteran stagehunter. Him just trying to hang in there on a tempogrinder wasn't something shameful and Ganna would have beaten them either way...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628379406312828933

View: https://twitter.com/DeGendtThomas/status/1628379406312828933?cxt=HHwWisCzjamclZktAAAA

 

[Berniece]

Serry was spent after his puncture. Missing link for QuickStep. Don't know what Vervaeke was doing.

Vervaeke also had a puncture

 

[Escarabajo]

Remco having a strange way of showing he's dead, by sprinting an entire peloton on 1 second.
Vingegaard beat Pogacar on here in 2021.
Pogacar won here last year, with guys like Ganna 3 seconds behind.

What are you talking about.

Remco wasn't that good. Maybe I misread the race completely. But I don't think good Remco would have done what he did today. Seriously you think he was good?
Vingegaard good in February. I forgot completely about that. My bad.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Remco wasn't that good. Maybe I misread the race completely. But I don't think good Remco would have done what he did today. Seriously you think he was good?
Vingegaard good in February. I forgot completely about that. My bad.

Plapp said the pace on the climb was actually "quite comfortable" and actually slowed down in the final km.
Evenepoel said the plan was to sprint from the beginning, and he had been training on his sprint the past few weeks. But two of his guys had a puncture on the climb which is why they couldn't catch Rubio and get the pace high enough.

So i do think you are misreading the race.

 

[Big Doopie]

Remco wasn't that good. Maybe I misread the race completely. But I don't think good Remco would have done what he did today. Seriously you think he was good?
Vingegaard good in February. I forgot completely about that. My bad.

what one can observe is that he is better than at San Juan.

and for him to outsprint an entire pack and gap them (when he is little known for his punchiness), means that he was by far the freshest at the end of a long (albeit gradual) climb.

fresher and stronger than Adam Yates who had already gone to altitude to prepare and was Pog’s equal pretty much last year.

Every year is different and in a two up sprint with Pog I too would favor Pog, but I think that the only conclusion one can make is that Remco appears to be on the right track for his season goals.

 

[search]

no wonder Remco wanted to get rid of this

 

[Lequack]

Remco interview

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628409810793414658

View: https://twitter.com/VelonCC/status/1628409810793414658?s=20



Movistar interview

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628413113698770944

View: https://twitter.com/VelonCC/status/1628413113698770944?s=20

 

[Lequack]

So now we have to put up with 3 flat stages in a row. No real wind as well.

 

[topcat]

So now we have to put up with 3 flat stages in a row. No real wind as well.

You don’t have to put up with anything. I let go myself and my season starts with Omloop.

 

[Extinction]

So many riders in bad shape ATM. Yes, this is the climb that tempo and pacing would do the trick, but let's be honest when Rubio attacked who thought that He would have made it to the finish first? nobody. The truth is that after a few kilometers you could tell that someone or more than one key rider was having a hard day. Too many riders dragging their legs. No way that Remco in good form, or even Adam, would not have tried to distance each other on the final kilometers. The reality is that they looked both dead at the end.

And yes Pogacar would have dusted everyone in this race. And it would not have been close. Last, I don't understand when people in here talk of Vingegaard like if he was on July's form in every race? Pogacar is the only one that I have seen been in top form from beginning to end. My 2 cents!

Nonsense

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Congrats to Rubio on a solo win on his birthday. Unfortunately no GC fight but the climb is aerodynamic and often doesn't produce gaps. Remco sprinted for the GC lead but the true (and only) mountain test in this race will be Jebel Hafeet with 7 pretty steep kilometers (avg 8%).

 

[yaco]

I am happy to get a line through the sprinters in the next three stages as none have impressed me so far this season.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Remco lost a mountain stage to rubio? That would never happens with pogacar.
Don't ever say that remco can climb at the same level of pogacar and vingegaard.

Remco wins, Pogacar and Vingegaard would have won by more. Remco hasn’t beat anybody of importance. Remco loses, Pogacar and Vingegaard would have dominated. Make it make sense.

 

[Escarabajo]

Nonsense

You don't have to agree with me. You can expose your opinion as well. I understand that we can all miss read the riders or have different perception. Thanks!

 

[yaco]

I find it strange that Groves who moved to Alpecin in a good contract as the second sprinter behind Philipsen is not at the UAE tour or the opening weekend BUT is being saved for le Samyn.

 

[Oldermanish]

Plapp said the pace on the climb was actually "quite comfortable" and actually slowed down in the final km.
Evenepoel said the plan was to sprint from the beginning, and he had been training on his sprint the past few weeks. But two of his guys had a puncture on the climb which is why they couldn't catch Rubio and get the pace high enough.

So i do think you are misreading the race.

The pacing looked ragged in the highlight I saw with UAE taking up the pace and not really having the horsepower to close Rubio's gap. QS and JV guys looked to enjoy the ride and Remco did what he should and take bonus time and 1 second on the following crew; many of whom looked like they hadn't even sprinted.
That's what you get when one of the most significant stages is an 1,100m climb with a max of 7%: all tempo. Rubio looked to have ridden the entire thing in the big ring.

 

[Extinction]

You don't have to agree with me. You can expose your opinion as well. I understand that we can all miss read the riders or have different perception. Thanks!

You said Remco wasn't good, yet he outsprinted his group for second after having lost 2 teammates to flats, which is why Rubio was not reeled back. There was a headwind, the climb wasn't steep, so its always better to stay on the wheels. Soudal won the TTT distancing further the most dangerous Yates, so there was no need to hazzard a longer range attack. Pogacar and Vingegaard in his position today would have done likewise. Thanks!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

idk how people can conclude anything from jebel jais, apart from maybep eople that dropped arent good enough.

It's a *** climb and has been for years. As pointed out earlier its the same climb where Vinge surprised Pogacar for the first time and last year Ganna was 3s behind Poga. The fact however that Evenepoel sprinted away 1 second from the rest while not being known for his punchiness tells me he had by far the most energy left.

 

[Berniece]

I am happy to get a line through the sprinters in the next three stages as none have impressed me so far this season.

You didn’t think stage 1 with all the echelons was interesting?

 

[Andy schleck]

idk how people can conclude anything from jebel jais, apart from maybep eople that dropped arent good enough.

It's a *** climb and has been for years. As pointed out earlier its the same climb where Vinge surprised Pogacar for the first time and last year Ganna was 3s behind Poga. The fact however that Evenepoel sprinted away 1 second from the rest while not being known for his punchiness tells me he had by far the most energy left.

Sadly he didn't have the energy to catch the super climber rubio.

 

[Andy schleck]

You said Remco wasn't good, yet he outsprinted his group for second after having lost 2 teammates to flats, which is why Rubio was not realed back. There was a headwind, the climb wasn't steep, so its always better to stay on the wheels. Soudal won the TTT distancing the most dangerous Yates, so there was no need to hazzard a longer range attack. Pogacar and Vingegaard in his position today would have done likewise. Thanks!

Remco is improving little by little.
On alto de colorado, he lost 29 seconds to the all mighty rubio. Today he just lost 14 seconds to him.
Trust the process.