Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta 2020, Portugal, February 19 - February 23

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I'd love to know what this is about. Is Evenepoel mocking Jakobsen because his shirt is sponsored by Cofidis?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO58QscP9MA

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1230559014708072452

View: https://twitter.com/ybenrajeb/status/1230559014708072452

 

[sir fly]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1230559014708072452

View: https://twitter.com/ybenrajeb/status/1230559014708072452

The trend is obvious.
And the distribution at the top is pretty similar in the two last editions. Like everybody's managing to produce equal numbers... using congruent methods.
Everybody but Ineos... they seem to be building the season up differently this time around.

 

[jaylew]

That was an incredible acceleration from Schachmann at the end. Started it too late though.

 

[GuntherL]

How long until you guys realize he is the favorite for the Giro? After he wins Tirreno?

It all depends on the last week which is the most challenging one in this Giro. We have no idea whether he can maintain his level that long. The pressure, obligations and media attention will be something else. He will also take on one of Italy’s most popular riders, so he won’t have the majority of the support. That’s a lot to deal with for a 20 year old.

 

[Naico]

Please don‘t try to throw your money at Almeida, Ineos. Thanks.

 

[Bolder]

That was really impressive. Clearly he knew he wasn't going to win a sprint from that bunch so he just did what he does best -- TT away, even if it was only in the last 500 meters or so. I'm curious to see what happens on GT-level HC or Cat 1 climb after 15 days of racing, but I haven't seen anything to indicated that he won't adapt his style somehow.

What was also interesting is that we (or at least I) have been saying that he's gonna be a marked man this year. And yet, in a bunch with some quality riders, they just let him go. Which means that A) he's a lot stronger than last year or B)there are still some skeptics -- I bet D. Martin or Schachman arent one of them any more.

 

[Naico]

That was really impressive. Clearly he knew he wasn't going to win a sprint from that bunch so he just did what he does best -- TT away, even if it was only in the last 500 meters or so. I'm curious to see what happens on GT-level HC or Cat 1 climb after 15 days of racing, but I haven't seen anything to indicated that he won't adapt his style somehow.

What was also interesting is that we (or at least I) have been saying that he's gonna be a marked man this year. And yet, in a bunch with some quality riders, they just let him go. Which means that A) he's a lot stronger than last year or B)there are still some skeptics -- I bet D. Martin or Schachman arent one of them any more.

I think it was a combination of different things.Schachmann and others were first looking at MAL to follow him and then counted on Rui Costa to chase for a bit. There also was a very strong headwind. And based on previous races some may have thought that their punch vs Evenepoel‘s could make a difference in the last meters.

 

[spalco]

Aside from obviously Remco, I was impressed by Schachmann delivering on the expectations too. Does he even have his won thread yet in this forum?

 

[Faserr]

Schachmann said that he was bit surprised by the attack and then was blocked for a few seconds and couldn't react in time.

 

[manafana]

I see Remco generates interest busy thread

 

[Earns1985]

Remco looks fantastic now. Will win overall 100%.

Wouldn´t say 100%. The only TT in which Schachmann participated in 2019 he won at the Itzulia Basque Country. Without his mistake in not following Evenepoel immediately I think he would have won yesterday. Perhaps he can gain a few seconds on saturday and then for sunday it will be open...

 

[Breh]

Did he not ride the TdF ITT?

 

[Earns1985]

Did he not ride the TdF ITT?

Like van Aert he crashed during the ITT of the tour last year. In the same curve just a few minutes later..

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Wouldn´t say 100%. The only TT in which Schachmann participated in 2019 he won at the Itzulia Basque Country. Without his mistake in not following Evenepoel immediately I think he would have won yesterday. Perhaps he can gain a few seconds on saturday and then for sunday it will be open...

Yeah nice that Schachmann won his only TT.
But Evenepoel is 2nd in the world, European champion TT, and stomped Ganna and others with easy just a few weeks ago.

No way that Schachmann stays even remotely close, if a TT expert like Ganna can't

 

[Earns1985]

Yeah nice that Schachmann won his only TT.
But Evenepoel is 2nd in the world, European champion TT, and stomped Ganna and others with easy just a few weeks ago.

No way that Schachmann stays even remotely close, if a TT expert like Ganna can't

Well, the time will tell us!
I compare Schachmann as a rider type a bit with Alaphilippe. And also nowbody though before the ITT at last years tour that Alaphilippe will win this.

 

[SafeBet]

Aside from obviously Remco, I was impressed by Schachmann delivering on the expectations too. Does he even have his won thread yet in this forum?

https://forum.cyclingnews.com/threads/the-maximilian-schachmann-deserves-a-thread-thread.34493/

 

[spalco]

https://forum.cyclingnews.com/threads/the-maximilian-schachmann-deserves-a-thread-thread.34493/

Thanks, he seems to be developing very nicely. I don't know if he has any interest in going for GT GCs, but he looks like the most promising German rider in a while (excepting sprinters and TTers).

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I find the Schachmann talk a bit funny to be honest. There was one image yesterday, that showed a good angle, and you could see the gap was already substantial when Lopez blew his chain. From another angle, it's clear there was plenty of room to pass Lopez left and right, and it's not as if he went from 40k/h to 0 in 2 meters. If the gearing issue of Lopez was the problem why he didn't respond, then why did he cower in Costa's wheel for another 10 seconds before jumping? He was clearly more dead than Evenepoel when crossing the finish, tongue between his wheels. He simply couldn't have gone with Remco that soon, it was full on headwind. That's why he wanted Lopez and Costa to do the work for him. Had he followed Remco there, he would have been dropped 150m from the line. Remco even had an extra sprint in the final 100m to keep Schachmann at bay. The only scenario where he would have won was had Remco attacked later.

 

[Red Rick]

I find the Schachmann talk a bit funny to be honest. There was one image yesterday, that showed a good angle, and you could see the gap was already substantial when Lopez blew his chain. From another angle, it's clear there was plenty of room to pass Lopez left and right, and it's not as if he went from 40k/h to 0 in 2 meters. If the gearing issue of Lopez was the problem why he didn't respond, then why did he cower in Costa's wheel for another 10 seconds before jumping? He was clearly more dead than Evenepoel when crossing the finish, tongue between his wheels. He simply couldn't have gone with Remco that soon, it was full on headwind. That's why he wanted Lopez and Costa to do the work for him. Had he followed Remco there, he would have been dropped 150m from the line. Remco even had an extra sprint in the final 100m to keep Schachmann at bay. The only scenario where he would have won was had Remco attacked later.

Instead it's much easier to close a gap to Evenepoel's wheel in a headwind sprint?

Obviously Evenepoel is the stronger rider, but Schachmann messed up that finish.

 

[Breh]

Like van Aert he crashed during the ITT of the tour last year. In the same curve just a few minutes later..

Right! Forgot about that!

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Instead it's much easier to close a gap to Evenepoel's wheel in a headwind sprint?

Obviously Evenepoel is the stronger rider, but Schachmann messed up that finish.

Again, the gap was already made when Lopez' chain blew. Evenepoel knew he had to go there, because he doesn't have the topend speed in a "normal" uphill sprint. It wasn't about the timing, it was about not being good enough to go that early, which is why he was counting on Lopez and when that didn't work out, he waited as long as he could in Costa's wheel. Had he gone sooner himself, he would have been even more dead than he was now.

 

[Earns1985]

Again, the gap was already made when Lopez' chain blew. Evenepoel knew he had to go there, because he doesn't have the topend speed in a "normal" uphill sprint. It wasn't about the timing, it was about not being good enough to go that early, which is why he was counting on Lopez and when that didn't work out, he waited as long as he could in Costa's wheel. Had he gone sooner himself, he would have been even more dead than he was now.

Schachmann´s "mistake" had been that he wasn´t at Evenepoels wheel when he attacked, so that he could open a gap. If he would have been on his wheel he could have followed him by using his slipstream and outsprinting him in the end.

 

[WKA311]

Wouldn´t say 100%. The only TT in which Schachmann participated in 2019 he won at the Itzulia Basque Country. Without his mistake in not following Evenepoel immediately I think he would have won yesterday. Perhaps he can gain a few seconds on saturday and then for sunday it will be open...

While I agree that Schachmann has a good ITT in him, I don't think you can compare the Itzulia ITT to this one and draw conclusions other then that Schachmann is strong against the clock in general. The Itzulia ITT had a big, steep hill while this one is flat/rolling. And Remco is by far the favourite and stronger ITTer at the moment.

Concerning the gap and Schachmanns acceleration I think it's rather obvious that Schachmann and the others weren't expecting Remco to attack with such a kick. Thus Remco had a gap and Schachmann needed a few seconds to react after he realized that the others in front of him weren't able to. The way he did it shows us too that he probably would've been able to go with him in the first place if he didn't sleep a bit and waited for the others to react.
Reading things into the composure of riders is almost always pure speculation and Schachmann has this style with his tongue out while doing intense efforts while other like Remco don't. Doesn't say nothing about who was more at the limit. And of course as soon as Remco had his gap he was in the driving seat and had the advantage to react to riders coming up which is making Schachmann almost outsprintimg him after closing the gap even more impressive.