- May 6, 2021
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Florian Vermeersch looking round with a big smile on his face wondering why everyone is mad about him winning is the funniest outcome so I'll go with that.
You seem to have a pretty narrow definition of what a good outcome would be, so could you specify it for us?
I think he didn't look that strong in Flanders. After the Molenberg, Pogacar pulled more within that group, after Kwaremont, Pogacar pulled 75%ish and harder, dropped MvdP on 3rd Kwaremont and made a big gap towards the finish. MvdP didn't impress me here but Roubaix is differentTo me Van der Poel level looked good enough vs Pogacar on cobbled bergs to think he shouldnt be dropped on flat cobbles (which makes him #1 favourite due to his sprint). He lost more time only when he was dropped (he was more tired after repeated uphill efforts).
I think he didn't look that strong in Flanders. After the Molenberg, Pogacar pulled more within that group, after Kwaremont, Pogacar pulled 75%ish and harder, dropped MvdP on 3rd Kwaremont and made a big gap towards the finish. MvdP didn't impress me here but Roubaix is different
Add rider mistakes. Small mistakes are typically punished big times in PR.Again big difference flat vs uphill and we saw how important drafting was for MVP during Flandres. Pogacar will be very strong but MVP engine on flat cobbles is too much. BTW I dont think MVP will drop Pogacar either. Then again its Roubaix so they can be separated in another way (crash or flat tire), its a part of PR game.
Probably the main reason why I favor MVdP. Just the best bike handling in the pelotonAdd rider mistakes. Small mistakes are typically punished big times in PR.
You save a lot more energy sitting on the wheel on the flat than pulling, especially if you only pull 1/4 of the timeAgain big difference flat vs uphill and we saw how important drafting was for MVP during Flandres. Pogacar will be very strong but MVP engine on flat cobbles is too much. BTW I dont think MVP will drop Pogacar either. Then again its Roubaix so they can be separated in another way (crash or flat tire), its a part of PR game.
