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

Page 67 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
And then the next questions are: Okay, "amazing", but was it exciting - is this the way we want a world championship race to be?
I thought it was exciting. Good commentary helps a lot though. (And the coverage I watched via Tiz which featured Robbie McEwen was good.)
And the fact that Pog attacked w/ 100km to go meant the compelling part of the coverage was twice as long as I'd've expected.
 
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The only tactics in this race were bad tactics. Remco and MVDP should have been on Pogi's wheel every meter of this race, even when he was pissing in the bushes.
They had one job. Respond when he attacks. Instead they relied on lesser riders to reel him back, when they knew he had Tratnik infront to tow him.

Then solo from 50k... 220k into the race. At that point you either have to be stronger than him or cooperate well with other riders. Neither was the case here.
 
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Instead they relied on lesser riders to reel him back
Don't think they relied on anything. He was the top favourite. It was red alert when he attacked, and they knew it. They just couldn't follow him, and they couldn't catch him afterwards, even though they had 2-3 hours to do it.

It's happened a hundred times before - Pogacar goes early, and it's game over. And people have complained about the bad chasing in just as many cases. They just won't accept that there is something more important than tactics and cooperation, and that's pushing MANY more watts than all the others.
 
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Don't think they relied on anything. He was the top favourite. It was red alert when he attacked, and they knew it. They just couldn't follow him, and they couldn't catch him afterwards, even though they had 2-3 hours to do it.

It's happened a hundred times before - Pogacar goes early, and it's game over. And people have complained about the bad chasing in just as many cases. They just won't accept that there is something more important than tactics and cooperation, and that's pushing MANY more watts than all the others.
Neither Remco and VdP seemed to be in a great position to be able to respond in the first place. They werent paying attention.

So that they couldnt follow is something we will never know. They definitely should have either way.

Because you cant tell me the ones who tried... Bagioli and a rider from US, who was dropped, was stronger than Mvdp or Remco at the point of the attack. I doubt Pog would have dropped either and that first attack would have been neutralized.

They were out of position or thought it was foolish, but it quickly changed when their teammates disappeared while Pog was being towed by Tratnik and got help from Sivakov until 50k.
 
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It's happened a hundred times before - Pogacar goes early, and it's game over. And people have complained about the bad chasing in just as many cases. They just won't accept that there is something more important than tactics and cooperation, and that's pushing MANY more watts than all the others.
It has to be both these things. For any move like to work it needs the attacker to be super strong and for the others to make mistakes. Pog had the ability to ask the others a really big question and Belgium, and Evenepoel in particular, fluffed their response. Remco can say what he likes afterwards but he was visibly panicking for 20 or 30km after Tadej got away.
 
MVP made the race the way it was with his presence. By heading up the road alone pogi left those behind to deal with mvp rather than himself. There are only a few ways to drop mvp on a course like this given mvps condition. And you don’t want to drag him to the line either from leading postion or from the chase
 
Remco reminds me of Europa Universalis game player. As one of the majors, when up against the Vinge juggernaut (the military superpower of Prussia in the game), he allies himself with the unstoppable boss of the game, 18th century Ottoman Pog. But when the boss is threatening his interest, he leans himself towards another great power, van der Poel, maybe the Napoleonic France of the game. In process, he - the great emperor of Holy Roman Empire himself - throws tantrum and casus belli at will upon all the minnows around.

I don't dislike the guy, one hell of a bike rider that behave like an eternal kid, it's fine with me as far as entertainment goes.
until suddenly the surprise Ryukyu empire overthrows all
 
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Tratnik getting tips from race moto.. blatant moto doping if you ask me..
 

Tratnik getting tips from race moto.. blatant moto doping if you ask me..
That’s cool. I was wondering how he knew to drop back and just assumed the chalk board must have showed it somehow
 
Pfff... This was the most impressive solo in a WCRR since Hinault in 1980. Pogacar is rewriting the laws of modern cycling. Attacking more than 100 km before the finish seemed insane, but there's one guy who can do this. In the final lap he looked a little tired, but he probably saved a bit of energy on the climbs to go full again on the final flat and descending sections. At the end of the Tour he announced that this was his next big goal, so the opposition was warned. When Pogacar sets a goal, he usually makes it come true.

Ben O'Connor is an entirely different type: not the big natural phenomenon, but a stubborn fighter. Who would have thought he could finish high in three major races in one year?

MvdP says goodbye to his rainbow jersey honorably, by sprinting to bronze on a course that wasn't designed for him. Evenepoel was good too, but looked exhausted towards the end.

We're watching an incredible generation, but it's nice to see some of the old geezers still going strong as well: Bauke Mollema and Romain Bardet in his final world championship. Respect!

In spite of the lack of suspense for gold I have enjoyed this. We've seen some amazing performances, so this was a race to treasure.
Picture this: you get to see one of the most impressive performances in the history of the sport you like and someone few find a reason to complain about that too. I couldnt agree more what you typed and were truly lucky to witness this I sure am and what a time to be alive to watch cycling and that im young and appriciate something everyone will miss and be the measure mark for everyone to come when its all said and done and a rider that will be talked about for centuries to come. Chapeau. Its like getting to watch that Maradona goal live every person talked about for ages which younger generation never got to see live, its pure epic and were all incredible lucky thats all.
 
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Picture this: you get to see one of the most impressive performances in the history of the sport you like and someone few find a reason to complain about that too. I couldnt agree more what you typed and were truly lucky to witness this I sure am and what a time to be alive to watch cycling and that im young and appriciate something everyone will miss and be the measure mark for everyone to come when its all said and done and a rider that will be talked about for centuries to come. Chapeau. Its like getting to watch that Maradona goal live every person talked about for ages which younger generation never got to see live, its pure epic and were all incredible lucky thats all.

I think this is quite a forced take. It cannot be considered a surprise or unreasonable that many people think it a sad thing that the competitiveness of bike racing has taken a hit.

After all, this sport is, unlike most other get-to-the-line-first sports, by its nature a sport where high speed, wind resistance and duration allow for scenarios where the strongest doesn't always win. The fact that Pogi has somehow managed to almost circumvent that is of course lamentable to a lot of people and obviously takes something from the sport. People were not universally thrilled by Merckx' dominance either.

I myself will be watching Il Lombardia from 10 AM and also have a hard time understanding people who call themselves cycling fans who say they are not going to watch a monument at all but to disregard the sentiment that the sport has become poorer for the extreme dominance of a few riders is quite unreasonable.
 
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I think this is quite a forced take. It cannot be considered a surprise or unreasonable that many people think it a sad thing that the competitiveness of bike racing has taken a hit.

After all, this sport is, unlike most other get-to-the-line-first sports, by its nature a sport where high speed, wind resistance and duration allow for scenarios where the strongest doesn't always win. The fact that Pogi has somehow managed to almost circumvent that is of course lamentable to a lot of people and obviously takes something from the sport. People were not universally thrilled by Merckx' dominance either.

I myself will be watching Il Lombardia from 10 AM and also have a hard time understanding people who call themselves cycling fans who say they are not going to watch a monument at all but to disregard the sentiment that the sport has become poorer for the extreme dominance of a few riders is quite unreasonable.
Not at all. I can only speak for myself but I disagree I wouldnt watch so frequently if it was Nicki Terspra vs Hushovd sprinting to the line who won. Difference in what we like and prefer is okei. I like history and those special special talents who are so rare its a historic presence to watch em and thats what this is and in golden era cycling truly is in the best state its been in centuries is my take and ive read so many say, for me I take this over mediocrity any day of the week, to be able to watch and witness performances who are historic and this good thats why i watch sport afterall its 100x better for me than for instance -

wasnt it the Giro of last year anynone miss tha edition? I for my part cant understand why anyone would want that snooze fest over whats literally history but thats just my take on it difference in opinion and what like to watch is okei, just personally think there will always be those few who naturally like to complain no matter what aswell.
Ratings are extremely high though and climbing so theres that too.
 
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wasnt it the Giro of last year anynone miss tha edition? I for my part cant understand why anyone would want that snooze fest over whats literally history but thats just my take on it difference in opinion and what like to watch is okei, just personally think there will always be those few who naturally like to complain no matter what aswell.
Ratings are extremely high though and climbing so theres that too.


This has nothing to do with my point. Giro 2023 was an abhorrent race and doesn't at all encapsulate what I was talking about. 2024 was better but still not nearly as good as the Giri from 2015 to 2018.
 
I myself will be watching Il Lombardia from 10 AM and also have a hard time understanding people who call themselves cycling fans who say they are not going to watch a monument at all but to disregard the sentiment that the sport has become poorer for the extreme dominance of a few riders is quite unreasonable.
Dont think its that strange to not watch something you think you are not going to enjoy
 
Not at all. I can only speak for myself but I disagree I wouldnt watch so frequently if it was Nicki Terspra vs Hushovd sprinting to the line who won. Difference in what we like and prefer is okei. I like history and those special special talents who are so rare its a historic presence to watch em and thats what this is and in golden era cycling truly is in the best state its been in centuries is my take and ive read so many say, for me I take this over mediocrity any day of the week, to be able to watch and witness performances who are historic and this good thats why i watch sport afterall its 100x better for me than for instance -

wasnt it the Giro of last year anynone miss tha edition? I for my part cant understand why anyone would want that snooze fest over whats literally history but thats just my take on it difference in opinion and what like to watch is okei, just personally think there will always be those few who naturally like to complain no matter what aswell.
Ratings are extremely high though and climbing so theres that too.
And thus the Venn diagram becomes two seperate circles
 
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Dont think its that strange to not watch something you think you are not going to enjoy
I'm just saying that there's more to a bike race than just who wins it and you cannot be that interested in cycling if you miss a monument at your own volition.

To give an example, I don't call myself a big F1 fan and I certainly stopped watching last season when Verstappen won 90% of all races. Yet I imagine that real fans stuck with it and found other story lines to pay attention to.
 
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Not at all. I can only speak for myself but I disagree I wouldnt watch so frequently if it was Nicki Terspra vs Hushovd sprinting to the line who won.
Can't see any race in the 194 where they shared a startline when they finished in a two up sprint (only time they were both top ten outside of timetrials was 2009 Omloop; I have no strong recollection of that edition, but Omloop is normally a very watchable race.)

But a putative race in which they had been head to head at the end would surely have been tactically and by parcours an intriguing one that I would have wanted to see.
 
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Can't see any race in the 194 where there shared a startline when they finished in a two up sprint (only time they were both top ten outside of timetrials was 2009 Omloop, I have no strong recollection of that edition, but Omloop is normally a very watchable race.)

But a putative race in which they had been head to head at the end would surely have been tactically and by parcours an intriguing one that I would have wanted to see.
I would assume he meant Terpstra vs Kristoff at RVV a few years back.

Either that or just an imaginary situation.

Also, I guess Paris-Roubaix would have been the most realistic race to have had a possible head to head between Terpstra and Hushovd.

Both RVV and PR are obviously races which are almost always enjoyable to watch, especially if there is a two up sprint at the end which means the race hadn't been decided an hour before the end like this year.
 
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I would assume he meant Terpstra vs Kristoff at RVV a few years back.

Either that or just an imaginary situation.

Also, I guess Paris-Roubaix would have been the most realistic race to have had a possible head to head between Terpstra and Hushovd.

Both RVV and PR are obviously races which are almost always enjoyable to watch, especially if there is a two up sprint at the end which means the race hadn't been decided an hour before the end like this year.
Yeah generally speaking its not for everyone to get though. I love it and would rather watch insane performances rather than mediocer ones no matter sports, other might prefer somehing else thats fine too:tearsofjoy:. Who cares cycling is booming ratings are easy to read, someone like to watch that other prefer something else.
 
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I'm just saying that there's more to a bike race than just who wins it and you cannot be that interested in cycling if you miss a monument at your own volition.

To give an example, I don't call myself a big F1 fan and I certainly stopped watching last season when Verstappen won 90% of all races. Yet I imagine that real fans stuck with it and found other story lines to pay attention to.
I've stopped watching sports when the funding creates a lopsided advantage. I stopped watching when sky dominated everything for so long. As someone has said, Pogi is going to win even if the 7 dwarves are on his team, in spite of sportswashing oil grub. I don't mind at all witnessing this sort of strength and would have loved to be old enough to watch Merckx do it in real time.
 
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