Watched the last 40km live. Just watched 105km - 85km to see Mt Kigali and the mur and Remco's bike changes. A couple replies / echoes to posts I just caught up on, as well as some further thoughts at the bottom for anyone interested.
That's a thing?
Surely the riders who did finish shouldn't be punished because only a few did.
Totally agree. I would go further. Shouldn't riders who finished get
extra points?
Sack up, Del Toro. The "fans" will be coming for you too if you keep losing to Pogi. Can't have excuses like "stomach problems"
Oh wait...that only applies to Remco.
Interesting. Because he has a bit of a fit during a race, his explanations when asked direct questions in post-race interviews about what happened...are "excuses". But for others it's fine.
Makes sense.
Commenting on both of these at the same time. Look, I get Remco gets a lot of chatter, but do you really think that people only question Remco? I've read theories on this board that Roglic intentionally crashed in the 2024 Tour to get the same time as Remco due to the 3km rule, as if that would be more advantageous to him than just riding the next 3km with him. I've seen Wout called washed even with his knee looking like a bear mauled him. On and on...someone gives an excuse, someone on this board is going to challenge it.
The three main differences I see with Remco, and this is coming from a semi-fan, definitely not a hater:
- They happen a lot. (He also wins a lot, often in dominant fashion.) But when he doesn't win, it is often due to some sort of dramatic collapse.
- Those dramatic collapses are generally dramatic not just due to the magnitude of the swing in fortune (e.g., standing on the side of the road for 30 seconds today, dropping huge time in this year's Tour, the time Roglic attacked in the Vuelta and he just went poof), but also for the way in which he reacts. He kicks things, throws things, shakes his head, yells, gestures. I don't really mind it, as it comes from a competitive spirit, and I kind of like the passion that is never far from the surface, but I get why people react to this.
- He is very quick to say, I would have won if not for...I'm not sure he said that here, but he has said things like that on multiple occasions. Sometimes he has likely been right, but that shapes the narrative a bit.
- It is also not always clear that the mechanicals are real. Or that they should have impacted him the way they did. For example, in his gold-winning road race, he was convinced he'd had a mechanical when he had not. He had a flat tire in that 2022 Vuelta that was a little sus (saved by 3k rule). Today, honestly, I watched the replay looking for signs that his saddle was low and couldn't find any. His leg angle looked perfectly normal to me. What I did notice was that everyone around him was standing up, and he was still seated. On such steep grades with a low saddle, why wouldn't you stand up like everyone else? His second bike, which he was so adamant was off that he was willing to spend 30 seconds on the side of the road kicking air rocks, was not off (it was in his head).
My honest take is that the mechanicals were highly dramatized. He might have had a tiny slip of the saddle on the first bike, but nothing catastrophic. I think he thrives on being the attacker on the front and mentally when someone is pushing the pace on him and he feels discomfort, he has a really hard time mentally. It feels harder for him than the same pace would with himself pushing. It gets in his head. He searches for a reason. It must be the tires, the gears, the seat height. Once his head gets settled, if it does, he returns to force. We've seen this many times. He is unstoppable except by himself (and by Pogi).
I promise I'm not trying to slam Remco or read the worst in it for him out of hate. This is my honest take, coming from someone who voted for him in the poll and wanted him to win. (I didn't think Roglic was a serious candidate, so I didn't bother emotionally investing in him).
But Del Toro doesn't have football background, Evenepoel has. We can forgive him a bit hand waving and such things.
Oh, and complaining after the race, of course.
The soccer background honestly might explain a lot.
Fantastic Worlds! Rwanda delivered big time. I received a slap on my face with this people in Rwanda. I was expecting much more chaos, bad behaviours from fans but no, no one was on the road, too close from riders, massive crowds, many happy fans, music, smiles, great landscapes! I enjoyed and expect Worlds come here sooner than later!
Yes, the crows were amazing. European fans could learn a lot from them.
Rwanda, the crowds, the fans, the atmosphere was absolutely a 10. Great to see and good for the sport.
Yes, great for the sport and for Rwanda.
Some other quick takes:
- I'm not an Ayuso fan, but when he stuck to Pogi's back wheel, I was surprised to find myself feeling stoked and cheering him on. That took guts. And then he hammered down the other side. Beautiful. But then the way the wheels came off all at once, like just total collapse. And then to somehow still finish top 10. Strange, classic ride for Juan. Overall, it made me more of a fan in some ways.
- Del Toro. Probably just working for Pogi, but he might just be a year or two from having the strength to ride with him. Maybe he thought he was already there. Clearly, he is good at punchy efforts and can ride the cobbles. What a talent.
- Ben Healy, what a guy. Shame he seems more like an eternal gutsy podium rider than a Monument winner. Love his style.
- Some names I didn't expect in the top 10 for sure. Impressive work for a race that only 20% of the riders finished.
- Roglic - positioning always gets him. He was nowhere to be seen on Kigali, clearly chilling at the back, not helping Pogi or himself. Must have ridden it plus the mur pretty well because he was right there at the top of the mur. Seemed like he rode pretty well. Not totally sure what he was doing here, to be honest. I guess he disrupted the chase some. I wish he'd tried to ride with Healy and co. when they rode away from the chase, but I guess he didn't have the legs.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram