World Championships 2024: Men's Road Race (September 29)

[scribers]

Giro/Tour/WC, or the 'ciciban triple' as they're calling it in knowledgeable circles nowadays. The real one with the Vuelta could be physiologically impossible given how good you have to be in the tour to win nowadays, even Pogacar said his body shut down.

Pogi doesn’t have to go as deep as he did to win in both GTs this season. If he were to dial it back with sufficient measured efforts he could cross all three GTs effectively with the same condition as this year.

And the treble of GTs never crossed the minds of anyone as a goal until now because it was unthinkable. Two others did the same season GT double in literally half the entire history of cycling. Fair enough the veulta wasn’t always positioned well on the calendar or significant as a race in cycling history. But it has been quasi possible in more recent history.

 

[Samamba]

Of course the pros are the only category than won't have to ride in the rain

 

[rghysens]

@mou has been extremely active on twitter. He has said multiple times pogi is going to 50k solo

Mou isn´t the only one who thinks that. Penultimate lap, attack on Zurichberg and continue the whole stretch to Wittikon.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Pogi doesn’t have to go as deep as he did to win in both GTs this season. If he were to dial it back with sufficient measured efforts he could cross all three GTs effectively with the same condition as this year.

And the treble of GTs never crossed the minds of anyone as a goal until now because it was unthinkable. Two others did the same season GT double in literally half the entire history of cycling. Fair enough the veulta wasn’t always positioned well on the calendar or significant as a race in cycling history. But it has been quasi possible in more recent history.

Did he go deep?

 

[Berniece]

Did he go deep?

Apparently since he was too tired for the Olympics

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Of course the pros are the only category than won't have to ride in the rain

Thanks Adam Hansen!!!!

 

[Froome]

Let's go Van der Poel!

 

[Stubb]

Looking a bit closer to the circuit and, well, how is this considered a Liege-like route when the longest >7% stretch is less than 1 k? Kwaremont+paterberg could be a harder combo despite having 60 m or so less in heiight difference. The plateau is probably the most interesting part, with some steep ramps and narrow roads while the longest climb witikon is definitely not as hard as i tought.
Can't really see anyone exept for pog being able to drop MVPD, and he still needs a hard race like in ronde '23; a "fresh" mathieu in the last 2-3 laps could be game over for everyone. Slovenia and belgium should try to cook the big guys (lazkano, pedersen, mvdp) on the first two hard climbs hoping the pace will be high enough to keep them away until 3-4 laps to go.
Seeing the national teams full of climbers and this route, maybe i'm in the wrong here, but can't imagine a climber or a gt guy winning this wc.
So, jorgenson or healy winning from the morning breakaway would be my ideal scenario, remco pog and mvdp have already won their fair share this year.

 

[Tim Cahill]

The great road conditions of the Swiss will make the main climb look pretty easy, always knock a % or two off, someone dastardly like Pello Bilbao will get away on one of those anonymous hills in the middle whilst everyone looks around I think, you need a stacked team to make it hard enough.

 

[jmdirt]

What does event X mean for the legacy of athlete Y. First Take, Undisputed levels of discussion that seemed nonexistent in Europe until recently.

Absurd to blame that on any country, but especially "America"/USA. The tripple crown has been discussed since before most USAers even knew that people raced bikes for a living. "The Greatest" cyclist have been discussed long before the USA had any dog in the fight. "Nonexistant in Europe until recently"? I guess that depends on what you mean by recently, but that kind of talk has been coming out of Europe at least since the '80s (I can only refer to my awareness of it, but I can safely bet that it goes much farther back).

 

[SHAD0W93]

Looking forward to MVDP riding top 10 to show again he knows nothing and should be ignored

MVDP isn’t winning barring something happens to Pogacar and Evenepoel, but he has a chance to podium. Definitely a bad take.

 

[Oldermanish]

Absurd to blame that on any country, but especially "America"/USA. The tripple crown has been discussed since before most USAers even knew that people raced bikes for a living. "The Greatest" cyclist have been discussed long before the USA had any dog in the fight. "Nonexistant in Europe until recently"? I guess that depends on what you mean by recently, but that kind of talk has been coming out of Europe at least since the '80s (I can only refer to my awareness of it, but I can safely bet that it goes much farther back).

Let's not discount the amount of new, younger fans. The fixation with scientific power numbers as a measure of equitable effort/results, for example. Fans that have watched many races and maybe participated in a few know that, at some point; the heart of the competitor is more important. Extrapolating Pantani's "numbers" against modern winners who: a)don't have quite the pharma advantage enjoyed by early adopters b)riders of previous times don't have as much data or as refined equipment, dietary analysis and coaching.

The NBA/NFL parallel is a newer thing from my perspective. It can make for some enlightening review of past accomplishments but you correct. Every good Belgian is compared to Merckx; by Belgians. Always have been.

 

[Oldermanish]

Looking forward to MVDP riding top 10 to show again he knows nothing and should be ignored

You mean the current WC? If he finishes a solid top 3 would you offer him an apology? How about if he won?

 

[Peyroteo94]

The great road conditions of the Swiss will make the main climb look pretty easy, always knock a % or two off, someone dastardly like Pello Bilbao will get away on one of those anonymous hills in the middle whilst everyone looks around I think, you need a stacked team to make it hard enough.

Don't underestimate the effect of 274 km in their legs.

 

[Oldermanish]

The great road conditions of the Swiss will make the main climb look pretty easy, always knock a % or two off, someone dastardly like Pello Bilbao will get away on one of those anonymous hills in the middle whilst everyone looks around I think, you need a stacked team to make it hard enough.

+ 1 one the roads. You pretty much can run brakes-off on descents that look to be made for cycle racing. Gotta help the lighter riders to some degree as well. If wet; that presents a challenge.

 

[Berniece]

You mean the current WC? If he finishes a solid top 3 would you offer him an apology? How about if he won?

To who do I need to apologize?

 

[Pannenkooky]

Newb question: are there DSes for the world championships? Do the coaches for each country act as such?

 

[Potomac]

Page 11 and the race is three days away.

Very impressive.
I won't actually read the previous pages. That way I will stay impressed.

 

[Peyroteo94]

I think we are more excited to this race than for the Tour

 

[scribers]

Page 11 and the race is three days away.

Very impressive.
I won't actually read the previous pages. That way I will stay impressed.

Shrewd move!

 

[Lequack]

Primoz Roglic:
"Tadej wins or at least plays the main role in all one-day races. I myself appear in them much less, but this year I feel strong at the end of the season. The selector has studied all possible scenarios, how we will race and who we have to cover."

 

[Tim Cahill]

Primoz Roglic:
"Tadej wins or at least plays the main role in all one-day races. I myself appear in them much less, but this year I feel strong at the end of the season. The selector has studied all possible scenarios, how we will race and who we have to cover."

So Roglic follows Van Gils moves and sticks to Evenepoel if he tries

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Primoz Roglic:
"Tadej wins or at least plays the main role in all one-day races. I myself appear in them much less, but this year I feel strong at the end of the season. The selector has studied all possible scenarios, how we will race and who we have to cover."

No fair, Slovenia has Doctor Strange as national team selector

 

[ice&fire]

I think we are more excited to this race than for the Tour

Yeah, this is only second to Burgos 2020

 

[Berniece]

Primoz Roglic:
"Tadej wins or at least plays the main role in all one-day races. I myself appear in them much less, but this year I feel strong at the end of the season. The selector has studied all possible scenarios, how we will race and who we have to cover."

Basically saying he won’t ride for Pogacar, not even in the last lap or after the last climb. So there’s Tratnik left who is friends with Roglic, assuming Novak has dropped already.