Teams & Riders Vincenzo Nibali discussion thread

[SeriousSam]

My only issue is that so many people seem to want Nibali to go all out and burn himself up. Let him do what he thinks is best. Don't expect him to light up every race he starts.

 

[damian13ster]

Re: Re:

Posting factually supported opinions about Nibali in the Nibali thread is now considered trolling? Ooohhh-kayyyyy.

I think many on the forum would rather Nibali focus on other races so he is not as big of a GT threat to their favorite rider. Great show by him today in the rain. I don't think he will keep the jersey, but he put down a big marker on where his form is heading.

No, this was what I considered trolling

At least even if he wins he puts on a show instead of not winning a single stage and getting dropped.

Because the sole purpose seems to be to get Contador fans wound up.
FYI - damian13ster posted some stuff earlier about how it was pathetic that Contador did not win any stage and wasn't the best rider this Giro or something to that extent.

I said climber which makes a huge difference, but nice try. Nevertheless, the statements I made are true. Criticism of Nibali has zero merit since his wins are much more spectacular than anyone else's. Froome 2013 was also as dominant, but he did show weakness on one stage. Nothing else in past 4-5 years came close to the style that Vincenzo won GT's with yet he is the one criticized?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Yes, he's criticized because he no longer cares about any race but the Tour. Is that so hard to understand?

 

[Carols]

Ah so we find out what happened yesterday......'But I want to make it up for the bad day I had yesterday. My legs didn't respond as I wanted they'd do. So when Team Sky raised the rhythm, I chose to let them go.'

Bad legs, it happens to all of them. Today good legs, a Grand, Strong breakaway group and a MJ although he was looking for the stage win. Went a little to early.

 

[damian13ster]

Re:

Yes, he's criticized because he no longer cares about any race but the Tour. Is that so hard to understand?

Yes, because he is the most dominant GT rider in recent years. And remains most aggressive, attacking even with a lead and crushing everyone. Criticisism that is trolling, stating that he is riding much better than someone who doesn't win a single stage in GT and gets dropped multiple times during the race isn't.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Okay, whatever you say, mate maybe read some of the posts by Nibali fans like Angliru, SafeBet, pigoonse, Carols. Many people don't like a Tour-only approach. Saying that criticism of a Tour-only approach is trolling, because Nibali is the bestest/most dominantest/awesomest GT racer of the last century, makes no sense.

 

[The Hitch]

I wouldn't go too hard after nibali for that yet. He has done a giro vuelta schedule 50% of the time this decade. He has gone after the worlds and monuments. I might even say through his career he has been less of a tour only rider than Contador. Of course a few more seasons of this and that could change.

 

[HelloDolly]

For me Nibali is the best cyclist in the peloton at the moment because he can do all weathers (snow, rain , heat), all terrains (mountains, one day rolling classic stages and of course cobbles) and because he goes up well but comes down better...he is a complete cyclist

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

I wouldn't go too hard after nibali for that yet. He has done a giro vuelta schedule 50% of the time this decade. He has gone after the worlds and monuments. I might even say through his career he has been less of a tour only rider than Contador. Of course a few more seasons of this and that could change.

People are only saying they hate the way he has done almost nothing of note besides winning the Tour in the last 1.5 years. I don't see the issue with that.

 

[djpbaltimore]

Posting factually supported opinions about Nibali in the Nibali thread is now considered trolling? Ooohhh-kayyyyy.

I think many on the forum would rather Nibali focus on other races so he is not as big of a GT threat to their favorite rider. Great show by him today in the rain. I don't think he will keep the jersey, but he put down a big marker on where his form is heading.

No, this was what I considered trolling

At least even if he wins he puts on a show instead of not winning a single stage and getting dropped.

Because the sole purpose seems to be to get Contador fans wound up.
FYI - damian13ster posted some stuff earlier about how it was pathetic that Contador did not win any stage and wasn't the best rider this Giro or something to that extent.

Fair enough, but I think you are reading way too much into that passage. Contador wasn't even mentioned. You would have a better case if it was posted in the Contador thread.

IMO, many things that get posted in the Froome discussion thread are much worse than that and you recently told someone to 'grow a pair' in response.

I agree with SeriousSam. Nibali should ride what he wants to ride to get the best out of his ability. He has ridden more competitive Giri and Vueltas than Lance or Schleck ever did, so I don't think that is a fair comparison by any stretch of the imagination (edit The Hitch beat me to this point). By CQ, his final year placings since 2010 have been 1, 13, 7, 1, 3. I don't see a trend to hyper-focused specialization. If so, it seems to be a sport-wide phenomenon where fewer of the GT GC riders are lighting it up in the classics. (Except for Valverde of course)

 

[SeriousSam]

If you agree with me, that you agree with Laflorecita. That post of mine is verbatim copy of a post of hers in the Contador thread, except that I changed "Alberto" to "Nibali".


I I like the enjoyment the current, much stronger version of Nibali brings to Grand Tours.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Posting factually supported opinions about Nibali in the Nibali thread is now considered trolling? Ooohhh-kayyyyy.

I think many on the forum would rather Nibali focus on other races so he is not as big of a GT threat to their favorite rider. Great show by him today in the rain. I don't think he will keep the jersey, but he put down a big marker on where his form is heading.

No, this was what I considered trolling

At least even if he wins he puts on a show instead of not winning a single stage and getting dropped.

Because the sole purpose seems to be to get Contador fans wound up.
FYI - damian13ster posted some stuff earlier about how it was pathetic that Contador did not win any stage and wasn't the best rider this Giro or something to that extent.

Fair enough, but I think you are reading way too much into that passage. Contador wasn't even mentioned. You would have a better case if it was posted in the Contador thread.

IMO, many things that get posted in the Froome discussion thread are much worse than that and you recently told someone to 'grow a pair' in response.
\

I am not offended by it, I just get really annoyed by troll posts. Those Froome fans got offended by alien jokes, that's just silly.
I doubt I'm reading too much into it. I added that extra info at the end of my post specifically so you would have some background info about damian13ster's posting history about the matter.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

If you agree with me, that you agree with Laflorecita. That post of mine is verbatim copy of a post of hers in the Contador thread, except that I changed "Alberto" to "Nibali".

Lol but my post was in a way different context tbh

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

I agree with SeriousSam. Nibali should ride what he wants to ride to get the best out of his ability. He has ridden more competitive Giri and Vueltas than Lance or Schleck ever did, so I don't think that is a fair comparison by any stretch of the imagination (edit The Hitch beat me to this point). By CQ, his final year placings since 2010 have been 1, 13, 7, 1, 3. I don't see a trend to hyper-focused specialization. If so, it seems to be a sport-wide phenomenon where fewer of the GT GC riders are lighting it up in the classics. (Except for Valverde of course)

I see an issue here.
Many people are pointing to 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 as proof Nibali doesn't just focus on the Tour.
But the problem many people have with Nibali, is that he has become a Tour-only rider in the last 2 seasons.
If he would have ridden like this for his entire career then we could just agree that he is pathetic like we did with Andy Schleck.
But Nibali's fans know he can do better than this. That's why it's so frustrating.

Not to me, I don't really care. But I feel like people are misrepresenting the opinion of those fans.

 

[Rollthedice]

I bet Slongo's on the phone right now telling Nibs he's crazy, he is jeopardizing the Tour, what the hell was this, hope he doesn't get ideas to keep the yellow, this yellow not the July one, so he better drop at least on the last col tomorrow. They still have some work to do in Dolomites so he must be fresh.

 

[damian13ster]

Re: Re:

If you agree with me, that you agree with Laflorecita. That post of mine is verbatim copy of a post of hers in the Contador thread, except that I changed "Alberto" to "Nibali".

Lol but my post was in a way different context tbh

As you can see, other posters agree with me. You are just being hypocrite here since Nibali is by far the most versatile and most aggressive rider among the GT contenders, excluding Valverde and you being a fan of Contador calling Nibali out for his approach to cycling is quite comedic.




\

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

If you agree with me, that you agree with Laflorecita. That post of mine is verbatim copy of a post of hers in the Contador thread, except that I changed "Alberto" to "Nibali".

Lol but my post was in a way different context tbh

As you can see, other posters agree with me. You are just being hypocrite here since Nibali is by far the most versatile and most aggressive rider among the GT contenders, excluding Valverde and you being a fan of Contador calling Nibali out for his approach to cycling is quite comedic.

Yeah, sure, whatever floats your boat, dude. Better ignore all those Nibali fans who criticized Nibali

 

[damian13ster]

I have zero issues with Nibali fans criticizing Nibali.
I just find it funny that those who ideolize Contador, Froome, Quintana, Pinot, etc. can criticize his approach to cycling while not doing it in case of riders mentioned.

 

[Miburo]

Re:

I have zero issues with Nibali fans criticizing Nibali.
I just find it funny that those who ideolize Contador, Froome, Quintana, Pinot, etc. can criticize his approach to cycling while not doing it in case of riders mentioned.

Give me one example where Contador performed in the tour but didn't do anything else in the rest of the season?

That's the point, not the fact that nibali's goal is the tour. He's terrible in the rest of the races. Yea he attacks but his shape is way off. That's the issue, not that he focuses on the tour.

Hitch's point is completely irrelevant. It even strenghts the point made since nibali used to not be the guy hence the disappointment.

Last year you can make the argument that it was 1 year so whatever, can happen. But now again? Well at least he performed today, that's awesome

Such a shame, seeing his season in '12 and "13.

And before you call me out being biased, i called out contador on his bs in 2013 with his i'm getting better and better in the tour....

 

[Jagartrott]

Nibali, for the first time in his carreer, really targeted the Tour last year and won it. He has to defend his title of course, and he probably chooses the same season build up like last year. Perhaps he really wants to shrug off the image that he only won last year's Tour because other greats weren't competing or abandonded. Seems like a pretty rational thing to do.

 

[cineteq]

Re: Nibali discussion thread

As always, the usual suspects come here to ruin the thread and talk about Contador. Are the admin going to ban these people any time soon? #OhWait they are too busy moderating

 

[Miburo]

Re: Nibali discussion thread

As always, the usual suspects come here to ruin the thread and talk about Contador. Are the admin going to ban these people any time soon? #OhWait they are too busy moderating

Didn't do a good job apperently, still not banned heh?

 

[Electress]

Re: Nibali discussion thread

Nibali: "Frankly, I was looking for the stage victory more than the yellow-blue jersey. I think I'm crazy."
http://www.letour.fr/criterium-du-dauphine/2015/us/stage-6/news/int/vincenzo-nibali-i-think-i-m-crazy.html

That is the Vincenzo that I and many here have been missing. His mindset, when he applies himself, is that of a rider from back in the day, like a jazz musician, improvising over the beat of the race's pulse.

Exactly this. I'd rather see this guy all season than have the version we've seen thus far even if racing the whole season means he never wins another Tour.

I disagree with you. At least even if he wins he puts on a show instead of not winning a single stage and getting dropped. Tour 2014 was spectacular, almost every single stage was interesting. He attacked on the cobbles, attacked more than 10km from the finish when having a huge lead, won 4 stages. It was a spectacle.
And he never lost his ways. He did attack in the classics as well, just wasn't strong enough to hold it. Its that people don't remember it because those attempts weren't successful.
So winning GTs in a style that he has and attacking in other races even if not in shape (some of them even successful such as today) >>>>>> attacking successfuly in one week races

Well, by all means disagree, but is it entirely necessary to be so hostile? Surprising though it might be, I like Nibali. (somehow, I manage to do this at the same time as liking Contador). But, as LaFlo. states, I have been disappointed at his performance since he focus on the Tour became so dominant. If I liked him less, I'd probably care less about the way he has approached the last two seasons. Frankly, the few riders I really dislike I'd happily never see race again (Froome an honourable exception, since he is a good rival and tenacious, and I respect that even if I don't like him).

It isn't a matter of 'wanting Nibali to burn himself out' so he arrives at the Tour in poor shape. AGain, this polarised 'in one camp or another' attitude is just daft. It just my preference that I'd like to see Nibali igniting in lots of races, even if they are lesser races than being super competitive in just one. I would, however, prefer that he could do a spring peak and be competitive, and also arrive strong for the Tour.

Now, I'll admit this is coloured by the fact that I prefer Contador, so that Nibali losing the Tour to Contador is what I want, ultimately. But since I also believe that Contador does not need Nibali to be crap to beat him, I actually think having Nibali and Contador in good form means a better race. And since I'd prefer Nibali to win over Froome, or the vast majority of other riders, having Nibali in good shape also goes some way to hedge my bets.

I find it disappointing how much liking one rider seems to translate into bitter hatred of their rivals. Liking Nibali and appreciating his skills doesn't require one to disparage Contador. Don't you see saying stuff like 'At least even if he wins he puts on a show instead of not winning a single stage and getting dropped.' is just unnecessary? It doesn't make your point any clearer, it actually weakens it. Because no matter how much you might dislike Contador, I don't think too many will agree with you that days like Mortirolo didn't provide a spectacle, even if Contador didn't win a stage.

But perhaps it is better I just vacate the thread.

 

[Carols]

Finally my service put up the replay and I just finished watching the last 45km of the Shark Attack!!!!! My goodness he rode strong for 100+km so there is some form lurking in there . Tomorrow he'll probably be a bit leg sore, but I hope he can defend, If he doesn't win the race I hope Tejay does.

BTW it is quite possible to like multiple riders and root for multiple riders. Yes Alberto is first on my list but I also like at least 10 others. Nibs is #2 and yes I'll admit it proudly, Bala is #3. I just don't understand all the relentless bickering and disparaging of riders that aren't ones favorites in order to set off other people.

 

[Angliru]

Re: Nibali discussion thread

As always, the usual suspects come here to ruin the thread and talk about Contador. Are the admin going to ban these people any time soon? #OhWait they are too busy moderating

Translation: "Waaaaaaaaaaaa! Waaaaaaaaaaaa! Waaaaaaaaaaaa! I'm always being unfairly reprimanded by the moderators!"