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Vuelta a España 2022: Pre-race discussion/hype tread

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I think this race means more to Patrick Lafevere. Quickstep has always excelled at having a team identity and sticking to it. Remco has thrown that for a curve. Are they classics team? Are they a team building around a young GC rider? They don't have the budget of an Ineos or Jumbo so they have to make choices. While Remco is teetering on the edge of being a GC guy, Quickstep is kind of losing the focus on what made them so great. Remco could make Patrick's life a lot easier if he shows once and for all that he is a GC guy. However if he fades Quickstep will probably stay in limbo because you can't write off the ambitions of someone Remco's ago. Anyway, between that and the teams chasing points, this Vuelta is as important to the teams as any in recent memory.
Why did you write this now? You should have held onto it for now so you can sell it to Eurosport when, during the super-boring third week of the Vuelta, ES has run out ideas to invent drama.
 
I think this race means more to Patrick Lafevere. Quickstep has always excelled at having a team identity and sticking to it. Remco has thrown that for a curve. Are they classics team? Are they a team building around a young GC rider? They don't have the budget of an Ineos or Jumbo so they have to make choices. While Remco is teetering on the edge of being a GC guy, Quickstep is kind of losing the focus on what made them so great. Remco could make Patrick's life a lot easier if he shows once and for all that he is a GC guy. However if he fades Quickstep will probably stay in limbo because you can't write off the ambitions of someone Remco's ago. Anyway, between that and the teams chasing points, this Vuelta is as important to the teams as any in recent memory.
What does his “ago” (his ego?) have to do with anything? He’s a 22 year old with more wins and more big wins than anyone else his age. If the team he’s on wouldn’t support his GC ambitions he needs to change teams. Obviously they’ve already agreed to do so, or he wouldn’t have signed with them. Any team would be thrilled to have him, he’s a huge star, and a huge talent. The rest of what you said makes sense but this has nothing to do with anyones ego, it’s just facts. He’s one of the biggest talents in the peloton.
 
What does his “ago” (his ego?) have to do with anything? He’s a 22 year old with more wins and more big wins than anyone else his age. If the team he’s on wouldn’t support his GC ambitions he needs to change teams. Obviously they’ve already agreed to do so, or he wouldn’t have signed with them. Any team would be thrilled to have him, he’s a huge star, and a huge talent. The rest of what you said makes sense but this has nothing to do with anyones ego, it’s just facts. He’s one of the biggest talents in the peloton.
Just a guess but I’m pretty sure he meant age, not ego. Pretty telling though that you assumed ego!
 
I think this race means more to Patrick Lafevere. Quickstep has always excelled at having a team identity and sticking to it. Remco has thrown that for a curve. Are they classics team? Are they a team building around a young GC rider? They don't have the budget of an Ineos or Jumbo so they have to make choices. While Remco is teetering on the edge of being a GC guy, Quickstep is kind of losing the focus on what made them so great. Remco could make Patrick's life a lot easier if he shows once and for all that he is a GC guy. However if he fades Quickstep will probably stay in limbo because you can't write off the ambitions of someone Remco's ago. Anyway, between that and the teams chasing points, this Vuelta is as important to the teams as any in recent memory.
Hate to break it to ya, but the new sponsors want to take the GC route, even if Evenepoel turns out to be a no-show. So the dilemma you are picturing isn't really a thing.
 
Just a guess but I’m pretty sure he meant age, not ego. Pretty telling though that you assumed ego!
I wondered about that as well, but... "you can't write off the ambitions of someone Remco's age". You can't write off the ambitions of someone who's 22? Not sure how that makes any sense.

All that it would be telling of is that people bang on about his ego constantly. And that would be a weird thing to say about someone's age.
 
I wondered about that as well, but... "you can't write off the ambitions of someone Remco's age". You can't write off the ambitions of someone who's 22? Not sure how that makes any sense.

All that it would be telling of is that people bang on about his ego constantly. And that would be a weird thing to say about someone's age.
Maybe he meant at that age there is still plenty of time to work towards career ambitions the coming years.
 
Lafevere with his usual no-filter statements about Alaphilippe:
“I hope he doesn’t repeat his trick from last year. Then he rode the Tour de France in preparation of the world championships. You can do that once, but in principle, I don’t pay him for that,” Lefevere told De Morgen.

 
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Neither is it for who wins or podiums TA or PN for instance. Unless you think Van Aert or Soler would be getting on the podium of a GT anytime soon. Hart has only 1 GC win. The Giro. In one week races he is a non-factor more often than not. Based on his 1 week results, Hart will never win a GT... except that he already did.
Exactly, but wasn't your point at the beggining that he had won a lot of stage races, so we should consider him a GT favourite??? Or that he had beaten GC level competition there. But now when we agree that one week races doesn't matter that much when it comes to GTs, there is no reason to consider him a GT favourite. Winning Liege, San Sebastian or being second on TT Worlds is irrelevant on the same level if not even more than winning one week races.
 
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Sure, but i think we can all agree that Evenepoel is not just ''considering someone top GT favourite because of winning few one week races without GT level competition''. First of all, he beat GT level competition, i have no idea why people keep acting as if beating Carapaz, Landa, Gaudu, Lopez, Roglic, Kelderman, Vingegaard, Yates, Hart... are all nobodies when it comes to GT's. Because he has beaten all of them in GC races, most more than once.
Do you really think his performance in Itzulia (where he was the 8th best uphill in the mountain stage) and the way in which he beat Rogla there is a point in favour of his chances to win this Vuelta?

Seriously, what is the purpose of such a list? It's boastingly parading your partisanship. Goes well with your general level of aggression ...
 
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Lafevere with his usual no-filter statements about Alaphilippe:
“I hope he doesn’t repeat his trick from last year. Then he rode the Tour de France in preparation of the world championships. You can do that once, but in principle, I don’t pay him for that,” Lefevere told De Morgen.

I wholeheartedly agree with Lefevre. I have always found it extremely weird and tasteless when some riders basically sold an entire half of the season just to peak for a race where you as an employer basically gain nothing from. Sure, if you win the stripes and you're still on the team next year, then you obviously get exposure etc., but youre still not riding for your trade team which is what youre getting paid to. Im not really saying this is what applies to Julian btw, he obviously have had lots of back luck this year.

This is another reason I kinda like Vingegaard not going to Worlds. I like the fact that he prioritizes his team, because he could easily have went all-in on another peak for the Worlds and then just call it quits (a worlds that he have no chance of winning).
 
* * * * * - Rogla
* * * * - Mas, Yates
* * * - Evenepoel, Almeida, Carapaz
* * - Hindley, O'Connor, Higuita, MAL
* - Hart, Nibali, Valverde, Sivakov, Kuss
I already like this rating better than Axelgaards. But I think we will have to revise the model for exactly this race, because it doesnt make sense to me that theres such a gap between Roglic and Hindley/MAL who I consider capable of winning the race. Indeed, I think there are 8 possible winners which make it quite tricky.
 
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I wholeheartedly agree with Lefevre. I have always found it extremely weird and tasteless when some riders basically sold an entire half of the season just to peak for a race where you as an employer basically gain nothing from. Sure, if you win the stripes and you're still on the team next year, then you obviously get exposure etc., but youre still not riding for your trade team which is what youre getting paid to. Im not really saying this is what applies to Julian btw, he obviously have had lots of back luck this year.

This is another reason I kinda like Vingegaard not going to Worlds. I like the fact that he prioritizes his team, because he could easily have went all-in on another peak for the Worlds and then just call it quits (a worlds that he have no chance of winning).
Wolrd championships is maybe the biggest race of the year, certainly one of the biggest. You can't call yourself a cycling fan if you don't like riders peaking for it.

Vingegaard should do what he likes, he did his team the biggest favour possible by winning Tour de France
 
Seems like Remco is neverending discussion. If he wins, there will be "Weak field/S"*t route" etc.. If he fails it will be "But he is young, that's his first real GT and you know he's won in Poland and Algarve before" etc.

To me he has a bigger chance of winning than a top 6 or even top 10. And his result will be telling about his chances of becoming a GT rider, at least to me.

As for the race overall, Roglic has to be the favorite, Hindley and Remco's chances of winning are up there too Curious to see Ayuso.
 
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Wolrd championships is maybe the biggest race of the year, certainly one of the biggest. You can't call yourself a cycling fan if you don't like riders peaking for it.

Vingegaard should do what he likes, he did his team the biggest favour possible by winning Tour de France

I don't really get it, either. Of course people should peak for the World's.
 
Wolrd championships is maybe the biggest race of the year, certainly one of the biggest. You can't call yourself a cycling fan if you don't like riders peaking for it.

Vingegaard should do what he likes, he did his team the biggest favour possible by winning Tour de France
I think its hard, but I can totally see where Lefevre is coming from. It makes sense to me that you prioritize the Vuelta (as thats what youre getting paid for) in Alaphilippe's case and you'd want your star to show up, trying to win stages and potentially helping Remco, and not using Spain as a training ride and abandoning the race on the last rest day.
 
Winning Liege, San Sebastian or being second on TT Worlds is irrelevant on the same level if not even more than winning one week races.

In a vacuum yeah sure. That could be Tony Martin's palmares too (not liege probably, but that's not the point), but i don't think that fully explains Evenepoel.

Regardless, nobody's angry with you for saying 'i don't think Evenepoel will be even close to winning'. We are all speculating here.
 
I think its hard, but I can totally see where Lefevre is coming from. It makes sense to me that you prioritize the Vuelta (as thats what youre getting paid for) in Alaphilippe's case and you'd want your star to show up, trying to win stages and potentially helping Remco, and not using Spain as a training ride and abandoning the race on the last rest day.
In my opinion a balance can be found, and someone like Lefevre shouldn't really complain about Alaphilippe focusing on wolrd championships when he has done more for Quickstep in the last 10 years than 98% of Lefevre riders.

But of course, being in a strong condition for wolrd championships doesn't mean he can't help his teammates at the vuelta.

If Alaphilippe road on grupetto for 3 weeks, lefevre should be rightly angry. But he won't do that, and peaking for WC generally doesn't mean sacrificing half the season
 
Unlike others, I don't think Evenepoel has especially great variance. Is he more likely to "fail" than Yates or MAL? Are we more uncertain about his build-up than that of Rogla?

I think he is in the top-3 of most likely to make the top-5 (with Carapaz and Almeida).
 
In my opinion a balance can be found, and someone like Lefevre shouldn't really complain about Alaphilippe focusing on wolrd championships when he has done more for Quickstep in the last 10 years than 98% of Lefevre riders.

But of course, being in a strong condition for wolrd championships doesn't mean he can't help his teammates at the vuelta.

If Alaphilippe road on grupetto for 3 weeks, lefevre should be rightly angry. But he won't do that, and peaking for WC generally doesn't mean sacrificing half the season
I agree. Maybe my previous post was poorly worded, but there's definitely a middle ground where you do both, and that's obviously the best.
 
In my opinion a balance can be found, and someone like Lefevre shouldn't really complain about Alaphilippe focusing on wolrd championships when he has done more for Quickstep in the last 10 years than 98% of Lefevre riders.

But of course, being in a strong condition for wolrd championships doesn't mean he can't help his teammates at the vuelta.

If Alaphilippe road on grupetto for 3 weeks, lefevre should be rightly angry. But he won't do that, and peaking for WC generally doesn't mean sacrificing half the season
And in the Tour last year that he uses as an example, Alaphilippe won the opening stage and got yellow for a day. I clearly recall how hard to tried in the Ventoux stage, so I'm not sure what more he should have done.
 

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