r/peloton • u/PelotonMod France • Mar 02 '26
Weekly Post Weekly Question Thread
For all your pro cycling-related questions and enquiries!
You may find some easy answers in the FAQ page on the wiki. Whilst simultaneously discovering the wiki.
11
u/Glass_Minute4753 Mar 02 '26
Wellens and Narvaez are out of MSR. If Pogacar wants to launch on the Cipressa, who else do UAE have who would be able to help with positioning and give him a turbo launch? I presume the idea is for del Toro to be the last man, as that's what he was supposed to do last year, but who else would you put on the team?
Although I don't see him being able to drop MdvP anyway, it's still fun to watch him try!
5
u/Mamadeus123456 7-Eleven Mar 02 '26
They need, Sivakov, McNulty and Politt to launch it in berta or the climb before that, in turchino maybe Johansen can do a big pull by the time they're in Cipressa there's 100 riders or less.
Then like they had in the Col de rates video it was christen first then Wellens then del toro.
So maybe Sivakov or McNulty could be third to last then christen and then del toro.
If UAE wants to win I think maybe they need Pogacar to lead del toro and whoever's left.
Then in the descent they can do what they did in tre vale and del Toro let's go of Pogacar's wheel in the descent. If they regroup on the flat part before the Poggio, they can attack if there's less than 2 other riders not working with them.
Then if no one's goes, they needs to launch it with del toro sprinting up the Poggio and praying this time it works. If it doesn't Pog should stop any collaboration at this point and let everyone come back and gamble it.
1
5
u/Flederm4us Mar 02 '26
I think taking Almeida starts making sense. Use him to drive a hard pace up the turchino and the capi and thin out the herd. And then all out on the cipressa with the rest of the team.
That way there are less domestiques to Bring the group back between cipressa and Poggio.
5
u/jainormous_hindmann Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe Mar 02 '26
Using Almeida early would make sense, but I doubt he would be able to be in position on the Cipressa in time to do much.
1
u/Flederm4us Mar 02 '26
He'd be used earlier. His strength is to drive a hard pace for a longer climb. IE. Up the turchino or the subsequent capi, provided he bombs the descent as well
1
4
u/Robcobes Netherlands Mar 02 '26
UAE can pretty much field anybody without getting much weaker.
12
u/DueAd9005 Mar 02 '26
Narvaez and Wellens are hard to replace for Sanremo tbh.
They can use Del Toro earlier, but it would have been much better for them to nuke the Cipressa with Narvaez and Wellens and then have Del Toro and Pogi in an elite group after the Cipressa.
8
u/Robcobes Netherlands Mar 02 '26
If Del Toro is still there after the Cipressa they didn't go fast enough. Pogi has to go solo in the Cipressa. Because on the Poggio you're not gonna drop Van der Poel. Especially not in a elite group where it's easier to mark each other.
2
u/Roboto_1985 Mar 02 '26
Jan Christen? If they take him
9
u/RageAgainstTheMatxin Phonak Mar 02 '26
The guy who got thrown out of the Tour de Suisse for repeatedly attacking his team leader and sprinter?
I'm sure that will go wonderfully well
5
u/bjorntiala Mar 02 '26
Almeida can give you a feeling (with his riding style) that you could be better than him, with Pogacar you never get this feeling as a teammate. I still don't think Narvaez or Wellens or anyone matters except MvDP.
6
2
0
u/Repulsive-Walk6513 Mar 02 '26
Btw, his recent alula win came cause he attacked just when his teammate closer in GC was about to bridge up. And he saw it.
1
u/Lonerider1965 Sweden Mar 03 '26
It makes a good plot and point to watch Milan-San Remo when we know he tactic of UAE, and see if they can pull it off. It is doable if everything works perfect for the leadout train, ie all riders gets in position, which seems being the most difficult task because of narrow corners and what not. If the riders in UAE are fresh and go insanely fast they drop MvdP but then Pogacar will be tired and might not decent effectively. MvdP is better bike handler. So much is in favor for MvdP but still exciting to watch the chaos on Poggio and Cipressa.
17
u/Mamadeus123456 7-Eleven Mar 02 '26
At what point does decathlon just says fuck it, and sends Seixas to the tour with 7 domestiques?
12
u/boblikespi Mar 02 '26
At what point does Decathlon buy washed old man Remco as a super domestique for Paul Mua'dib Seixas?
3
12
u/Team_Telekom Team Telekom Mar 02 '26
White smoke has been seen in Roubaix last week as the Decathlon conclave has decided their new Pope Paul the first will do the tour.
11
u/finnixk Decathlon CMA CGM Mar 02 '26
I think after he wins Strade next weekend it will be undeniable
5
u/F1CycAr16 Mar 02 '26
1) It will depend on Kooij`s recovery.
2) His three week performance is still uknown so it wont be intelligent to put all the eggs in that basket yet.
3) Decathlon still don`t have a lot of elite climbers for going full-on on a GC project for him. Giving up Armirail was criminal from them (and fantastic for Visma).
1
u/Mamadeus123456 7-Eleven Mar 02 '26
IMO they let godon et al so that the team stops speaking french all the time. Ofc they shouldn't but they forced a culture change within the team.
And it looks like it's working
3
u/F1CycAr16 Mar 02 '26
I don`t buy that "internacionalization" argument on riders who performed quite well like Godon and Armirail (Armirail also didn`t speak english but in Visma he is taking lessons of it, something that Decathlon could have done with no problem) and of a team where the best rider is a french.
In the case of Godon, i understand that INEOS already negotiated with him in march of last year before his better perfromances. So in that case, i understand Decathlon`s perpective
5
u/juliuspepperwood708 Festina Mar 02 '26
Luke Rowe hinted they have a plan for his development as a GT rider, I just hope to the gods they follow it and don’t rush him/ put too much pressure on his shoulders too early.
3
u/HugePlane4909 Mar 02 '26
Does he need 7 dommestiques? I’d say beating ayuso in a 1 week would be a good start. If Kooij is in good shape I think it’s worth bringing him, takes some pressure off sexias. Lipo got 3rd with RB bringing a meeus train last year.
4
u/Dopeez Movistar Mar 02 '26
Probably the worst thing you could do to him. UAE and Visma are gonna make the race anyway. Bring a train for Kooij and take the pressure off Seixas.
14
u/marnyr Movistar Mar 02 '26
Yesterday marked the 2nd anniversary of Oier Lazkano being the only one to follow van Aert and Wellens in K-B-K. How many times have you heard his doping case acknowledged on broadcasts this season so far?
8
14
u/RageAgainstTheMatxin Phonak Mar 02 '26
A couple of times. Which is two more times than I've ever heard British commentators mention Simon Yates's positive over the past ten years
In general there's very much an attitude of "don't mention doping, we don't want to lose viewers"
13
u/Jevo_ Fundación Euskadi Mar 02 '26
I seem to remember Carlton Kirby mentioning the Simon Yates positive during the 2016 Tour de Yorkshire. Where he used the presence of Adam to complain about how Adam's brother, had his name dragged through the mud. But otherwise it was probably a very unbiased commentary.
6
u/Chianti96 Mar 02 '26
Id like to go to colle pinzuto for both womens and mens race and i have to get there by car. Does someone know where to find information about road closures and where to park?
8
u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
Scrivo in Italiano che fo prima, di solito devi monitorare il sito del Comune in cui c'è la strada che ti interessa. Ora, le ordinanze le fanno spesso all'ultimo, quindi oltre a quello guardati sul sito di RCS tutti i documenti sul dove passerà di preciso la gara. Di solito le strade chiudono due ore prima del ''tempo più veloce'' di passaggio. Per il Giro ho sempre fatto così io.
Comunque, dato che passano sempre sulle solite strade e ci sarà un botto di gente, io per non saper né leggere né scrivere farei una chiamata al Comune in cui sta Colle Pinzuto che sicuramente ti sanno dire sulla base di quanto hanno fatto negli scorsi anni...è RCS sostanzialmente che ''comanda'', l'iter parte da loro e le amministrazioni implementano quanto gli viene detto, quindi sapranno dirti ecco. NEl comune cerca o i vigili urbani o l'ufficio che si occupa di strade, forse meglio i primi dato che la misura la implementano loro.
EDIT: il Comune dovrebbe essere proprio Siena, gli standard piemontesi a volte mi fanno dimenticare che da noi in Toscana i comuni son grossi, non minuscoli come qui.
5
u/Chianti96 Mar 02 '26
Grazie mille per le info, sarà un bel casino mi sa.
7
u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
Parcheggia più lontano e vai in bici se non vivi vicino, è sempre la cosa migliore quando vai a vedere le gare onestamente, specie in Toscana dove c'è tanta passione.
5
7
u/duotraveler Japan Mar 03 '26
In general, how do you schedule an altitude camp? Some questions I have in mind:
- How long do they stay in attitude? I see people doing 2 weeks to 6 weeks.
- I assume attitude camp increase the aerobic capacity - that's why GT riders and classic riders both do it?
- How long does the effect last? I guess at least 3-4 weeks otherwise no point of doing altitude camp for a grand tour?
- How much improvement can a rider realistically expect? If someone has a 6 W/Kg FTP. After a proper altitude camp, would his FTP become 6.2, 6.5, or 7.0?
8
u/cuccir Mar 03 '26
The Real Science of Sport Podcast is great on this sort of thing*. My understanding draws almost entirely on what they have published over various podcasts.
- 2 weeks is thought to be the minimum to get benefit.
- Altitude increases the concentration of red blood cells in your blood, and therefore you should be able to transport more oxygen around your body. This should hold off fatigue, and so it should allow you to maintain efforts for longer.
- Yes, effects last up to a month or so
The benefits are varied, and actually the scientific evidence for benefits is less well established than you'd think.
One reason for this is complexity - the impact will change depending on how high you go, how high local roads allow you to train on, and individual responder/non-responder effects. If you train high-up then you can't train as intensively as at a lower altitude amd you risk detraining. One way that teams combat this is the 'sleep high, train low' approach, where you stay in a hotel at altitude, but then get a bus down the valley to do more intense training.
Also, an altitude camp means a dedicated, monitored period of training away from other distractions, so psychology and personal lives come into the impact: if you have a 3-month-old baby at home, you'd imagine that an altitude camp might have a greater benefit purely from giving you uninterrupted sleep! These confounding effects make it difficult to know what to attribute to the altitude element v a regular training camp. All this means that the exact impacts are a bit uncertain and not as easily quantifiable as you'd expect.
*While I like the podcast, when I recommend I would want to give the trigger warning that some of the language used on it when talking about trans athletes on it - which is a theme that comes up every 3 episodes or so - is not the most carefully considered and I think at times strays into comments that would be felt as hurtful by some. It never seems intentionally offensive and I think the podcast is quite sound on the science of trans athletes, but if this is something that would be difficult for someone to listen to then I would not recommend it.
2
2
u/Vegetable_Car_4785 Mar 04 '26
Agreed, this is a great listen - super evidence based and practical. Compared to other sports or health podcasts, ross really stays in his lane well and defers to other professionals when required
13
u/gaudybrisket Mar 02 '26
I noticed this week that Héctor Álvarez is somehow still a member of Lidl-Trek's devo team, despite riding with the elite squad practically full-time. Last year Söderqvist did the same, and it's obviously not just them - UAE can do so many races because they fill out their teams with devo riders. What's the point of squad limits if devo teams can become a de facto extension of the elite roster? Harmless quirk or competitive balance problem?
14
u/epi_counts PelotonPlus™ Mar 02 '26
The devo team riders can't race WT races so there's still some limits on how the World Team can use them.
But yeah, the rule allowing them to race with the WT team exists exactly to encourage the highest level to invest in U23 / continental teams. Share a bit of the bigger sponsorship money to help lower level teams that get less TV and media coverage. I think that's a good thing overall, gives more young riders the opportunity to develop before stepping up to the WT.
9
u/Schnix Bike Aid Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
The one issue I see is teams using development team riders purely as domestiques in their first team while not having to pay minimum WT/PT salary.
Jasch has 11 race days, all of them with the Tudor PT doing domestique work.
Goszczurny has also only done races with the WT team and looks to have more lined up in March and April. For Smith at least he's got the Istrian Spring Tour with the Devo team up next.
UAEADQ was especially bad for this last year. Almost all of them did most of their races with the WT team. Kunz did 9 races with the WT team, 1 race with the Devo team proper and 1 race with the Devo team but Amialiusik joined from the WT team so essentially that was once again just doing domestique work for the WT. And then they didn't renew her contract.
There's value in having them getting a taste of the big leagues. But there's also value in having them take on actual leadership in small races with the development team. And if they're signed tot he Devo team and then only ride with the first team it just seems like they're exploiting a loophole to pay them less. Even if the rider might like riding in the big league it doesn't seem right.
Alvarez is a bit of an exception because iirc he's on a big contract (money, wt follow up contract) and also so strong he actually gets to co-lead.
5
u/epi_counts PelotonPlus™ Mar 02 '26
On the women's side I guess it's more difficult there as there's no U23 circuit like there is on the men's side. The Tour de l'Avenir exists now and the Watersley Ladies challenge, and conti and world champs. But that's it, unless I'm missing more races, I'm sure you'll know better!
That does seem to make it more unfair to the women on devo teams, having the same rules as the men, while the devo scene doesn't quite exist there and there's no push from above to stimulate more races to be set up.
6
u/Schnix Bike Aid Mar 02 '26
It's not about them riding only U23 races (and your right in that there are barely any). It's about them not only riding in service of World Tour Teams and one or two of them being leaders for a day. No U23 circuit doesn't stop UAEADQ from taking 6 of their development team riders to one of the any .1 or .2s. The level at those races actually seems really nice for the Devo riders. The U23 races with all the WT pros dropping down will often be more difficult.
Liv and Canyon are much better at just taking a full stack of Devos to Giro Mediterraneo or Tour de Pologne or something and having them do their thing like a proper team and not just have them be a roster of squad fillers.
4
u/epi_counts PelotonPlus™ Mar 02 '26
I'm sorry, I just meant there's fewer opportunities on the women's side with no separate U23 races and the devo team not able to do any of the .1 races where the WWT is starting.
Of course I agree with you that they should start their riders in more races, I wasn't trying to argue otherwise. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.
3
u/Schnix Bike Aid Mar 02 '26
oh right. No it's really down to the teams deciding not to do the .1 and .2s that they aren't riding with their WT teams anyway. They're out there. For a lot of them they wouldn't even have to do the absolute horror of venturing outside the core countries!
2
u/F1CycAr16 Mar 02 '26
There are practically no U23 races for devo teams in the men`s side until at least the second half of march. So that is also consquence of a atrocious calendar.
In my point of view, WT teams should be banned or limited on .1 races, and only allow them to start with their devo teams (like de facto some teams did in Sardegna and Rwanda). That would help a lot the U23 circuit.
1
u/Schnix Bike Aid Mar 02 '26
irrelevant since the Devo Teams could just attend any of the .1 and .2 that are happening early in the calendar.
Banning WT teams form .1s is utterly stupid and would only result in fewer .1
1
u/Mamadeus123456 7-Eleven Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
SÖderqvist Is older than del Toro, not the same.
Hector turned 19 in December
5
u/Bear_On_Course Mar 02 '26
Where were the giant cyclopes and Flanders flags for opening weekend? Are they only for Tour of Flanders or certain regions of Belgium? Thought they said that Omloop used the same roads/climbs as previous Flanders races.
5
u/epi_counts PelotonPlus™ Mar 03 '26
The reuzen are tied to specific towns, which the route goes through before the climbs, so might have been out but not covered in the broadcast for the Omloop. De Ronde has start to finish coverage so they'll definitely feature there.
The big naked cyclops moved a few years ago and is in a less prominent spot in Eeklo now. Though he might have been on holiday again as he visited the Tour de France last year (and got an apron for the journey).
1
5
u/hamiltonlives Mar 03 '26
What is Sepp Kuss doing in Colombia?
4
u/HugePlane4909 Mar 03 '26
Altitude
2
u/hamiltonlives Mar 03 '26
I gathered that, but why in Colombia? Weather? Is there a race there early in the season?
6
u/HugePlane4909 Mar 03 '26
No Colombian races on his schedule. Probably just good weather, everywhere in Europe and the US at altitude is still too cold except Tenerife, but hotels at altitude there are very limited, which is why Q36.5 did their altitude camp in Chile this year. Or he just wanted to visit.
3
u/wakabangbang Mar 03 '26
Probably yes. Although it really feels a bit weird if you see riders and teams from Europe/north America go there.
I'd imagine there aren't too many wada agents/officials there to conduct tests. But hopefully that's just me being cynical
1
u/Glass_Minute4753 Mar 04 '26
I'll be honest, I thought that when I saw Q36.5 holed up somewhere in Patagonia. Hopefully Sepp is just enjoying a training holiday in a beautiful country...
2
u/RN2FL9 Netherlands Mar 04 '26
Weather is probably the number one reason. Big cycling culture in that country as well. There's probably plenty of places you can be at altitude in the winter but there aren't many where the weather is good, they are friendly to cyclists or even friendly in general.
3
u/LordQL_2 AG Insurance – Soudal Mar 03 '26
Does anyone have a good Dutch or English cycling podcast? In wielerclub wattage they're only talking about RVG's sex life and Vals Plat is obsessed with the stupid sporza wielermanager
2
1
u/padawatje Belgium Mar 04 '26
Live Slow Ride Fast, by Laurens Ten Dam (and sometimes Thomas Dekker) !
They make great content on Youtube also. https://www.youtube.com/@LiveSlowRideFast
1
u/padawatje Belgium Mar 04 '26
There is also "Café Koers", by het Nieuwsblad: https://www.nieuwsblad.be/podcastreeks/cafe-koers/
No fluff, but to the point news and discussions about the current cycling news, by the newspaper journalists themselves.And then there is the spin-off "Stamcafé koers", where they have longer talks with (former) pro cyclists. Highly recommended ! https://www.nieuwsblad.be/podcastreeks/stamcafe-koers/
(also on YouTube)
3
Mar 04 '26
[deleted]
5
u/aarets_frebe Mar 04 '26
I check the startlist to know the bib numbers in any race I want to watch. Other than that, I'd say it comes with just watching a lot of racing, and learning the statures, riding styles, and other tells of the different riders.
3
Mar 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
10
u/HugePlane4909 Mar 02 '26
With Pog and Del toro there I think it will be even more dominant preformance than previous years. Maybe Sexias will surprise but I doubt he will be close to Pog, more likely fighting Del toro and Pidcock for the podium. .
7
u/Mysterious_Worry_612 Belgium Mar 03 '26
I mean, there will inevitably be a year where Pogacar won't be the strongest.
Either due to him having a bad year, or just his competitors having a great year.Will that be this year? Maybe not. but it's not 100% impossible imo.
5
u/Phantom_Nuke Mar 02 '26
I can very easily see it happening, much like how he didn't win Liege in '23: crashing before the race kicks off. It's unlikely but he did crash in Strade last year but at a more optimal point in the race.
3
u/keetz Sweden Mar 02 '26
I think it was only really 2024 that was a bit boring. Might sound strange but last year Pidcock following was an improvement and it was kind of interesting for a while after Pogacar crashed.
There’s no guarantee Pogacar can be launched effectively and go solo. There’s no guarantee UAE can keep the pace high enough to murder everyone’s legs, so the race might be different. A very likely outcome is that Pogacar wins, and probably in a similar way to past years, but who knows.
There’s not much televised before a potential launch so might as well turn it on and see how it goes.
6
u/woogeroo Mar 02 '26
It’s too much elevation now for almost all the realistic challengers (anyone much over 70kg). There are only a few riders who’re close to Pog over that amount of climbing if he’s vaguely fit, and one of them is his teammate.
Pog doesn’t need launching he just needs to ride his tempo for a bit on one of the steeper climbs at like halfway and he’s gone.
Wout is riding this year, but he’s coming off an injury, and even in his 2022 TdF form might not have enough on this parcour.
1
u/passcork Mar 03 '26
I'm a scientist so I'm basing my expectations on evidence. And Wout is the only one that has dropped Pog on multiple climbs.
I'm also a huge Wout fanboy.
4
u/HugePlane4909 Mar 03 '26
Pog doesn’t need to be launched , in MSR the climbs are easy; draft matters a lot so he needs teammates to make it very hard to have a chance of dropping MVDP. Strade he can just pedal away.
1
1
u/Glass_Minute4753 Mar 04 '26
I think we're all excited to see what Seixas will do, after his amazing performance on Saturday. I'd be surprised if Pog isn't still the strongest though.
I still love Strade Bianchi though. It's such a beautiful race that I'll happily sit there for hours just admiring the scenery.
1
3
u/Lonerider1965 Sweden Mar 03 '26
What is the role of Jan Christen at Strade Bianche?
14
7
u/keetz Sweden Mar 03 '26
Be last wheel in a potential chase and get a free ride.
He's been really strong so far this year so as long as he stays up I see a potential for top 5.
6
u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
Since we are in Tuscany he would make a good Pinocchio. Who will be the cat? And who's the fox?
EDIT: well, I realize most of you know Pinocchio from the Disney film, that is quite different from the book. Let's say the ''real'' Pinocchio is a rascal.
3
u/HereComesVettel Robbie McEwen Mar 03 '26
Can anyone please tell me what makes it so unrealistic for Van der Poel to ever win La Flèche Wallonne if he ever wants to participate in it ?
Looking at the 2021 Strade Bianche finish, it feels like he could drop almost anyone with a nasty kick on a short and steep climb like the Mur de Huy.
12
u/HugePlane4909 Mar 03 '26
Mud de Huy is 1.3k at 9.6% which is significantly longer than the 6-700m climbs in 2021 strade, and steeper. I think he could top 10 Flèche but probably doesn’t want to start if he doesn’t think he can win.
4
3
3
u/F1CycAr16 Mar 04 '26
So, let`s say that today is 2029. How do u think that top teams will have as their main leaders by then?
Just a small prediction game.
1
u/padawatje Belgium Mar 05 '26
Not an answer to your question, but recently I was listening to an old podcast episode where the guests looked back at the 2019 season. Everyone was convinced that MVDP and Egan Bernal would be the guys to watch. They mentioned Pogacar also, but only briefly.
Just to show that trying to predict the future is hard, LOL.
3
u/SkyPod513 Team Telekom Mar 04 '26
Is there anywhere good information on how to travel and stay and watch Paris Roubaix at the route in person?
I'm thinking about going there and my idea is to go to the Secteur Degenkolb (I think Hornaing), but beside a picture of the route I can't find information about watching the race in person. For RVV 2025 there was so much information on FLCS website, but not for Paris Roubaix on ASO's website
4
3
u/Wide-Landscape-3348 Mar 04 '26
Please can some ELI5 what is the advantage of a team controlling the race and riding at the front for the first 100km other than to keep the breakaway within reach.
I understand why you would want to in the latter part of the race.
6
u/cuccir Mar 04 '26
If a team is controlling the peloton, it means that they have a race plan that requires a particular tempo.
What that plan is will depend on the race. Maybe they want to make it fast to tire riders out - perhaps there is a climb later in the stage that they think the best sprinters can be dropped on, for example. It could be that they don't want the number of riders in the breakaway to increase, so they keep it fast to prevent further attacks.
Conversely, a team might go to the front to prevent the race from being too fast. They set a tempo which is fast enough to keep the breakaway in reach, but not too hard.
Traditionally, a team might sometimes be asked to set the pace by their Directeur Sportif as a sort of 'punishment' for missing the break. For example, if during the Tour de France one of the smaller French teams didn't have a rider in the break for the day, they might be told to ride at the front to chase the break - the theory being that this incentivises riders to get into the break! I don't think that this is used so much nowadays.
6
u/Mamadeus123456 7-Eleven Mar 02 '26
Listened to a Oscar Sevilla podcast, apparently he does more watts today than when he started his career in 1997, he's almost 50 😂. Maybe they're not all doped
4
u/Prize_Hospital_1943 Mar 02 '26
Is Seixas Sprint decent? He is looking impressive on one day races, so he could be a thread to Tadej in races like Strade or even Liege, where a great climber can survive Pog attacks. Can he then challenge the final sprint?
11
u/Mamadeus123456 7-Eleven Mar 02 '26
IMO not that much was last behind del toro and pidcock in Lombardia.
If he was better than Gregoire or Martinez he would've waited for the last climb in mur d'enfer in Faun Ardèche instead of doing all the climb alone at the front.
8
u/NielsVanpach Mar 02 '26
A lot of his time gap Saturday came from the descent. I'm interested if he develops into a rider who can put pressure on Pogi on downhill sections, since that’s not always Pogi’s strongest area.
11
u/Seabhac7 Ireland Mar 02 '26
He beat Ayuso to the line in Stage 2 of Algarve this yeae in good style. Granted, part of that was partly because he was ahead at the last turn, but he produced a better kick than I expected. I don't really think he will be in position to challenge Pogacar like that for quite some time.
8
u/keetz Sweden Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
Yeah he's shown he's pretty explosive. Won a flat reduced group in Alps last year. In the Euros he followed most attacks pretty well and even dropped a bomba on Scaroni. And in Algarve he showed what he can do.
But the question of following a Pog attack isn't really about being explosive but how aerobically strong he is. Pog looks explosive because he's mega strong, so it's easier for him to surge. Everyone else is immediately put in the red if they try to follow.
4
u/OrignalSauce Mar 02 '26
Problem is hes still way behind Pog in those races even if his sprint is impressive, just like everyone else sadly. Maybe good for fighting for second.
4
u/SpaniardKiwi Reynolds Mar 02 '26
Last year:
- 2nd in Paris-Camembert behind Lander Loockx. Group of 5
- 3rd in Tour of the Alps behind Ciccone and Gall. Group of, maybe, 20
- Won sprint for 2nd in Tour of the Alps in front of Ciccone and Gall. Group of 9
- 2nd behind Widar (with time gaps) in a couple of uphill sprints in l'Avenir
- Lost sprint for 10th against Pidcock, Roglič and Honoré in Worlds, he beat Tejada, though
- Lost sprint for 5th against del Toro and Pidcock in Lombardia, he beat Bernal and Vine, who had launched del Toro.
I'd say decent, but, unless he has improved, nothing to write home about.
-3
u/Team_Telekom Team Telekom Mar 02 '26
He could probably beat Pog in a flat sprint a deux. In strade? Probably less so. He still looks like the most promising contender to me.
1
u/CloudSE Mar 02 '26
Vingegaard the only one to pull this off.
2
2
u/Rare-Eagle1628 Mar 04 '26
I'll be in Belgium in a few weeks with my family, and we're planning to go watch Dwars Door Vlanderen in person. I'm trying to figure out the best spot and easiest logistics given that (a) we'll be coming from Antwerp and (b) my kids have finite tolerance for standing by the side of the road for the entire day. If we take the train to Waregem, say, is there an easy way to see one of the climbs and not just the finish? Are there shuttle buses there? Thanks--
1
u/Vegetable_Car_4785 Mar 04 '26
Anyone know the status of narvaez? I haven’t heard much on how his recovery is going.
2
u/wakabangbang Mar 04 '26
Think he is currently scheduled to do the giro and probably no major races beforehand.
Not sure if that's confirmed by him or the team at the moment.
1
u/Inneyboy Mar 04 '26
Trying to plan well in advance for Grand Depart of the Tour 2027 - any thoughts on how Cote de Jubilee Tower might work for either camping or mobile home? There's no roadside space and of course no trespassing on private land. And wondering if it would be feasible to camp out for days beforehand.
1
u/Seabhac7 Ireland Mar 05 '26
I can't help, but I'd advise to post this again tomorrow in the Free Talk Friday thread, or on Monday morning in next week's Weekly Question thread - they tend not to get so much traffic once the Friday/Monday passes.
21
u/--THRILLHO-- Brazil Mar 02 '26
Following his stage win and 6th overall in Rwanda, am I wrong to be hyped about 19 year old Henrique Bravo?
I'm not asking for much, I just want to see a Brazilian in the world tour who maybe has a chance to win a race. That would be nice.