Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2023, stage 15: Pamplona - Lekunberri, 158.3k

[Ilmaestro99]

Plan: watch break form, go for a run, harass Netserk and watch the finale.
Reality: watch Orla talk shite, collapse from the heat, miss Formigal 2.0

One of the best race thread posts this year.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Jumbo Visma need to forcefully take pacing duties off these random Alpecin track pursuit riders or we're about to see the back-to-back Landises from Evenepoel, like something you read about in 1950s races.

Unfortunately it will take four, even five Landises to get back into proper contention.

 

[Samamba]

Thomas crashed

 

[Red Rick]

Thomas crashed

G should just go home to Croatia

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Thomas continues to be rather more prone to G-forces than your average rider.

 

[HelloDolly]

Feel sorry for G...no luck whatsoever

Never really rode the Vuelta before (for GC)
Doubt he will be back

 

[Samamba]

Hamilton really likes killing himself

 

[Aimar16]

Hamilton really likes killing himself

He likes Remco to chase him

 

[MotorRouleur]

Enrol this winter:
The Geraint Thomas School of Fine Bike Handling

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Feel sorry for G...no luck whatsoever

Never really rode the Vuelta before (for GC)
Doubt he will be back

Again, he falls often enough that it's not just luck at this stage.

And he's a middling Classics rider who is going to retire with a maillot jaune on his palmarès - one that he only got the chance to go for because his teammate who he would have been domestiquing for did the Giro first because of riding under a cloud and not knowing if he'd be able to start the Tour. That's the precise opposite of unlucky.

 

[Red Rick]

Jumbo need to start doing this snail *** with Alpecin guys and Gesink.

 

[AmRacer]

Enrol this winter:
The Geraint Thomas School of Fine Bike Handling

Primož Roglič

 

[Samamba]

Alpecin really wants to empty their riders it seems.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

He likes Remco to chase him

What a story for the grandkids!
«I was attacking and on my way to victory, but the World Champion chased me down»

 

[RedheadDane]

Enrol this winter:
The Geraint Thomas School of Fine Bike Handling

We have a whole thread about stuff like that:

Page 14 - Cycling Classes with the Pros.

Page 14 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.

forum.cyclingnews.com

What a story for the grandkids!
«I was attacking and on my way to victory, but the World Champion chased me down»

Former.

 

[Andre]

When will Remco do his solo?

 

[HelloDolly]

Again, he falls often enough that it's not just luck at this stage.

And he's a middling Classics rider who is going to retire with a maillot jaune on his palmarès - one that he only got the chance to go for because his teammate who he would have been domestiquing for did the Giro first because of riding under a cloud and not knowing if he'd be able to start the Tour. That's the precise opposite of unlucky.

Totally disagree ...he is a talented bike rider with many olympic and world medals on the track
He transitioned to road alot better than most and has a very good palmares despite spending most of his road career as very loyal gregareio. Nothing lucky about this palmars. You can like or dislike who you like but please dont hide the truth behind your own slanted bias

GC Tour De france (18)
2nd GC Tour de France ('19)
2nd GC Giro d'Italia ('23)

GC Paris-Nice ('16)

GC Tour de Suisse ('22)

GC Critérium du Dauphiné ('18)

GC Tour de Romandie ('21)

E3 Harelbeke ('15)

2x GC Bayern Rundfahrt ('14, '11)

2x GC Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta ('16, '15)

GC Tour of the Alps ('17)

 

[Netserk]

What a story for the grandkids!
«I was attacking and on my way to victory, but the World Champion chased me down»

Van der Poel is not in the race.

 

[AmRacer]

Totally disagree ...he is a talented bike rider with many olympic and world medals on the track
He transitioned to road alot better than most and has a very good palmares despite spending most of his road career as very loyal gregareio. Nothing lucky about this palmars. You can like or dislike who you like but please dont hide the truth behind your own slanted bias

GC Tour De france (18)
2nd GC Tour de France ('19)
2nd GC Giro d'Italia ('23)

GC Paris-Nice ('16)

GC Tour de Suisse ('22)

GC Critérium du Dauphiné ('18)

GC Tour de Romandie ('21)

E3 Harelbeke ('15)

2x GC Bayern Rundfahrt ('14, '11)

2x GC Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta ('16, '15)

GC Tour of the Alps ('17)

3rd GC Tour de France ('22)

 

[houtdffan]

Van der Poel is not in the race.

Remco is a current world champion

 

[RedheadDane]

Remco is a current world champion

In the ITT, sure. Not on the road...

 

[Red Rick]

Remco is a current world champion

Are they riding a time trial?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Totally disagree ...he is a talented bike rider with many olympic and world medals on the track
He transitioned to road alot better than most and has a very good palmares despite spending most of his road career as very loyal gregareio. Nothing lucky about this palmars. You can like or dislike who you like but please dont hide the truth behind your own slanted bias

GC Tour De france (18)
2nd GC Tour de France ('19)
2nd GC Giro d'Italia ('23)

GC Paris-Nice ('16)

GC Tour de Suisse ('22)

GC Critérium du Dauphiné ('18)

GC Tour de Romandie ('21)

E3 Harelbeke ('15)

2x GC Bayern Rundfahrt ('14, '11)

2x GC Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta ('16, '15)

GC Tour of the Alps ('17)

I still think he was very, very lucky to have the chance to go for GC at the Tour in 2018 and even luckier that Froome's case meant that he did Giro-Tour back to back meaning Thomas didn't go in as secondary leader but as co-leader, which gave him the chance to win.

I also think it's absolutely an untruth to say he's an unlucky rider because he crashes a lot, because a lot of the crashes are his own fault and those that aren't, the fact that it's become a big pattern with him - just like with Roglič - speaks to a problem in terms of his placement of himself in the bunch, attention being paid in the péloton etc.. Pack skills are a very underrated part of the things a road racer needs, and I think Thomas's are inferior to many of his peers and competitors, and that this is a large part of why he gets involved in so many incidents.

If he was constantly getting hit by the team cars like Flecha and Hoogerland, or being speared by a rider not paying attention like Marta Cavalli, I'd believe that was an abnormal amount of bad luck going his way, but just getting involved in general crashes or falling due to his own mistakes, just because they're at inopportune times doesn't make them bad luck.

 

[Netserk]

Are they riding a time trial?

I'm sure he would point out the same for Pidcock.

 

[Salvarani]

Go Jimmy!