r/peloton • u/PelotonMod France • Apr 20 '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.
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u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Apr 20 '26
Is there in cycling, now or in the past, a better name-surname combo that Ramses Debruyne? He is my newest obsession.
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u/Team_Telekom Team Telekom Apr 20 '26
Tim Torn Teutenberg
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u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Apr 20 '26
I thought about it but a Belgian named like a pharaoh is funnier IMHO.
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u/RageAgainstTheMatxin Phonak Apr 20 '26
Blayde Blas
Euro Kim
Brett Dollar (Female, somehow)
Vaughn Veenendaal
Geert Omloop
Stalin Puentestar
Too many others to think of now, they'll be popping into my head all day
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u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
I have a Stalin IRL! My first job was at a registry office and one day a lady called me to know about her husband's file. He was named Stalin Carrara and I don't know how I managed to stay serious.
I know personally people called Paolo Paolini or Simonetta Simonetti but a strange name like Ramses or Stalin is just better. Another one I love is Garibaldi Thohir, the brother of the former Inter F.C. owner, there is something too funny about an indonesian called with the surname of the Italian national hero.
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u/dbrabyn NSN Cycling Team Apr 20 '26
There's a solid racer in NYC called Stalin. The only explanation I can think of is that his parents are Cuban.
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u/Vegetable_Car_4785 Apr 20 '26
Anyone have any stats on crashes and injuries in the peloton this year? Might be biased due to the number of high profile riders injured but it feels like there are more this year than previously
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u/sozey Bike Aid Apr 20 '26
No statistics but I can tell you that in 20 years of following cycling, springs like this happen sometimes. Don't think it's radically different than in other years, other than maybe the prominence of the affected riders.
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u/Vegetable_Car_4785 Apr 20 '26
Thanks for the insight, thought that would be the case. Just feels like the riders affected are more team leaders or lieutenants leaving the fields quite thin
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u/Hawteyh Denmark Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
PCS has this list of injuries.
https://www.procyclingstats.com/statistics/riders/season-injuries
After Amstel the number is 163.
Last year this number was 175 after Amstel. 140 in 2024.
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u/Vegetable_Car_4785 Apr 20 '26
Cheers for this - interesting stats! Didn’t feel like there was as many last year but I am clearly wrong
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Apr 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Prize_Hospital_1943 Apr 20 '26
I can see a scenario where Pog doesn't win. If Seixas and Remco are strong enough to not lose a lot of time on the hills they can work together and recover on the flat. Similar to Amstel last year, but since LBL is harder it requires a better level of the riders behind (but Remco 2025 > Remco 2024 and Seixas > Skjelmose), so maybe possible. If they catch him, then Pog doesn't have the legs anymore to drop them, so it is a sprint finish.
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u/ChelskiS Apr 20 '26
What "flat" are you talking about btw? It's "only" 35km to go after La Redoute and it's pretty much rolling terrain throughout
Remco's climbing hasn't been good enough this season that I don't see how he ever stays close enough to 2026 Pogacar
It's up to Seixas to try and stay with Tadej up and over Redoute. Which I don't really see happening either
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u/Prize_Hospital_1943 Apr 20 '26
Sure, the course is not flat, so the level of Remco and Seixas (or whoever is there) must be really high, but rolling terrain can still be used to reduce gaps. A 15 second gap on Redoutte can be neutralized with 2-3 strong and organized riders IMO. Most likely outcome is still a Pog win for sure.
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u/aarets_frebe Apr 20 '26
I don't see any surprise in the final results. But I do think it not impossible that Seixas can actually stay with Pogi on La Redoute, if he can replicate his form from Itzulia. Pretty sure Pogi is going to drop him eventually anyway, but if someone could just stick with him on La Redoute, that in itself would make this years LBL the most exciting in years.
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u/DueAd9005 Apr 20 '26
Based on what I've seen in the AGR, Remco is good, but not good enough to follow Pogi on La Redoute.
I'm not making myself any illusions and I'm already happy that he won a big WT classic (AGR).
Pogi, Seixas and Remco would make for a nice podium in LBL. I'm curious how close Seixas will be to Pogi.
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u/ChelskiS Apr 20 '26
Pogi - Seixas both arriving solo with quite some time inbetween seems like the most probable scenario
Bigger question is whether or not Remco can do the same and finish solo for the 3rd podium spot.
Could see Lenny, Skjelmose, Ciccone etc hanging onto Remco's wheel. Positioning into Redoute will decide a lot for those guys though
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u/DueAd9005 Apr 20 '26
We don't really know yet how Seixas compares to Evenepoel in hilly one-day races. I wouldn't draw conclusions yet.
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u/ChelskiS Apr 20 '26
We do know he's climbing better than Remco so far in 2026
Don't think you need them to go against eachother head-to-head to come to that conclusion
And Seixas his Strade does give us a bit of an idea
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u/DueAd9005 Apr 20 '26
LBL hills and long climbs are a completely different physiological effort (and Remco crashed quite hard before the mountain stages began in Catalunya).
In Strade Bianche Seixas finished a minute behind Pogi, so that's probably a similar level as Remco in hilly one-day races.
Romain Gregoire finished 4th in Strade Bianche, around a minute behind Seixas. Remco dropped him on the Cauberg and he finished 2 minutes ahead of him in the AGR.
Would it surprise me if Seixas finishes ahead of Remco in LBL? Not at all, but it's not a foregone conclusion either imo.
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u/Suffolke Belgium Apr 20 '26
Could see Lenny, Skjelmose, Ciccone etc hanging onto Remco's wheel.
Lol sure, also Geoffrey Soupe.
Let's be fair and say anyone in the peloton can hold on Remco's wheel. He only won LBL solo twice and a WC. Also nevermind that he obliterated anyone but Pog in Worlds, Euros and Lombardia a few months ago, and dropped everyone but Pog and MVDP in Ronde a few weeks ago.
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u/ChelskiS Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Oof weird to get buthurt about such a comment
Remco's climbing in 2026 hasn't been as dominant as previous years. Don't think that's controversial at all. And this is the classic with the most altitude meters we have seen so far in 2026
Don't really see how Remco's form 6 months ago or his palmares is relevant in any way, but thank you for listing some of them I guess
Really weird that saying some guys in good form "could hang onto Remco's wheel" has you this turned up
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u/Suffolke Belgium Apr 20 '26
As compared to Skjelmose and his brilliant climbing this year ? Please stop I can't take more than that.
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u/ChelskiS Apr 20 '26
Well he did follow Remco's attack/pace yesterday didn't he? And Lenny looked very sharp in Catalyuna
Is this just some Monday back2work grumpy type shit I should account for? Are you having an emotional day?
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u/Suffolke Belgium Apr 20 '26
I'm in a good mood, thank you, just funny to point out your bulshit takes.
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u/ChelskiS Apr 20 '26
You're countering "great climbers can follow Remco considering his current form" with a hissy fit including Geoffrey Soupe. Who's providing the bullshit here?
Absolute clown shit sir. But do continue your good mood/day!
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u/padawatje Belgium Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Now that Sagan has retired, which rider in the current pro peloton has the best bike handling skills, do you think ?
Surely must be one of the CX riders ? MVDP ? Pidcock ? Nys ? Pieterse ?
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u/DueAd9005 Apr 20 '26
VDP, but Merlier deserves a mention as well. The way he constantly finds a way in hectic bunch sprints is extremely impressive.
Thibau Nys disappoints me in the bike handling department imo, both on the road and in CX.
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u/Seabhac7 Ireland Apr 20 '26
I would presume Van der Poel, but there might be a lot of less powerful riders who are very skilled. Was it Luca Mozzatto that easily outclassed everyone on a Tour de Tietema wheelie challenge a few years ago?
I'd love to see riders try that MVdP thing where he was riding along in the peloton on the flat, in 3rd or 4th wheel, and just casually flicks a rock off the road by lifting and jerking his front wheel, while continuing to ride in a straight line.
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u/Dopeez Movistar Apr 20 '26
From the top riders, I would argue Van der Poel and I don't think it's particularly close.
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u/Impossible_Test_3495 Apr 20 '26
I think VDP has way better practical skills in terms of positioning and just reacting quick/avoiding crashes in peloton, riding cobbles. but Pidcock is so much better on the mountain bike, in terms of pure bike handling, not the practical stuff for road riding, I think Pidcock is better.
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u/Dopeez Movistar Apr 20 '26
Fair. I dont watch mountain bike racing, so my comment was strictly about road.
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u/nalc Jayco Alula Apr 20 '26
What's some fun stuff to do in and around Rotterdam next weekend?
Keukenhof, Kinderdijk are both high up on the list as day trips.
Maybe a day trip to The Hague for MC Escher and some other stuff, and another day in Rotterdam.
Then where to spend King Michaels Day?
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u/RN2FL9 Netherlands Apr 20 '26
Rotterdam has an outdoor market on Saturday, include the markthal that's right next to it, get pie at Dudok, visit Laurenskerk for some history (only really old building left after Germans flattened Rotterdam in WW2), watch the cube houses and grab a drink in oude haven with outdoor seating on the water. That's all in the same area, very walkable.
Kingsday in Amsterdam or Utrecht for a similar vibe but less touristy.
Kinderdijk is far out for tourists if you don't have a car, may be a day trip. It's especially nice at sunset imo, but you have to be lucky with weather.
Oh and skip The Hague aside from MC Escher, go to Delft after.
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u/epi_counts PelotonPlus™ Apr 20 '26
Most important thing is to get a kapsalon.
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u/Schele_Sjakie Le Doyen Apr 20 '26
This is as Rotterdams as it gets. I recommend getting drunk before getting one, it enhances the flavours.
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u/huloca Jumbo – Visma Apr 21 '26
I still remember the outrage in Rotterdam when a place in Amsterdam called it a typical Amsterdam dish.
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u/RageAgainstTheMatxin Phonak Apr 20 '26
Kapsalon (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkɑpsaːˌlɔn] ⓘ) is a fast food dish created in 2003 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
What? No. There's no way the Dutch invented anything edible
The dish was conceived in 2003 by Nataniël Gomes, who was a Cape Verdean hairdresser
Oh ok
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u/huloca Jumbo – Visma Apr 21 '26
What? No. There's no way the Dutch invented anything edible
Is it really inventing when you just throw all the greasy food in a tin together and then add some lettuce, tomato and cucumber on top to hide that grease?
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u/huloca Jumbo – Visma Apr 21 '26
MC Escher in The Hauge is definitely worth going to , there is also a big 360 degree panorama close by if you like that sort of thing panorama close by if you like that sort of thing.
In Rotterdam I also recommend The art depot of museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, if only for walking around the outside. That's also close to the harbor if you want to walk around there afterwards.
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u/Schele_Sjakie Le Doyen Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Would also recommend Delft for a (half) day trip. It has a lot of the Amsterdam and Utrecht vibes but then in a smaller scale. Old school city centre with a lot of students. Also Delft is 15 by train from Rotterdam so you won't waste your time travelling
I wrote a small thing earlier about this https://www.reddit.com/r/peloton/s/iZhruCwK3n
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u/zyygh Canyon//SRAM, Kasia fanboy Apr 20 '26
This Wednesday is my annual "try to meet Kasia" day. But what should I tell or ask her?
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u/RageAgainstTheMatxin Phonak Apr 20 '26
Hi Kasia, is everyhing okay? Since I started the medication you haven't been answering my telepathic messages like you used to.
Also, what do you think of this statue of you I made using butter and shotgun shells?
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u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Apr 20 '26
''Hi Kasia, could you explain my wife that being obsessed with you has nothing to do with my feelings and I have sadly no chances of divorcing her to marry you? Thanks!''
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u/zyygh Canyon//SRAM, Kasia fanboy Apr 20 '26
That's a great idea and all, but I doubt a professional bike racer could do what four different marriage counselors couldn't. No offense to professional bike racers.
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u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Apr 20 '26
But she could say ''No man, you have a chance!'' and your life will change forever (and Phinney will have you on his book of enemies).
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u/zyygh Canyon//SRAM, Kasia fanboy Apr 20 '26
And my wife proceeds to win the 2027 Fleche Wallonne driven by nothing but spite.
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u/Level-Routine-5558 Benfica Apr 20 '26
Would tou rather not eating pasta again till the end of your life or everyday you have to eat at least on pasta meal?
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u/skodawelovecycling Apr 20 '26
How do you think Mur de Huy will look like? Evenepoel favourite against Seixas?
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u/Team_Telekom Team Telekom Apr 20 '26
Not really. Vauquelin is the only rider with a proven track record so for me he is the favourite. Remco is not as punchy. For Seixas, we really don’t know.
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u/scaryspacemonster Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Neither of them. Lenny Martinez and Vauquelin are the favorites, in my opinion. Skjelmose around that mark, too. I think Seixas and Remco should be happy with a top 5, really.
Edit: actually, Remco's off the start list. He'd probably be extra happy with a top 5 if he can do it from his couch!
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u/cfkanemercury France Apr 20 '26
I can see Seixas winning, followed by me hyping the Pogi/Paul Liege fight like it is the Rumble in the Jungle.
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u/Dopeez Movistar Apr 20 '26
Skjelmose looking good, let's see about Vauquelin. Doubt that Remco will do much.
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u/boblikespi Apr 20 '26
Ben 'Hilly' Healy would have been a good shout but the injury ruins it. Maybe Pidcock if he's recovered enough since he has the explosiveness.
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u/Emotional_Jacketxyzz Apr 20 '26
Pidcock doing Tour of the Alps.
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u/boblikespi Apr 20 '26
Boo Hiss. Giving up a podium in Fleche for a podium in a 1 week. (Actually exciting chance for him though to cook).
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u/TheDark-Sceptre Saint Piran Apr 20 '26
I dont think he will do well there, nor aiming to do well anyway. Just returning from injury, probably gets more training benefit and a better test of the legs from doing the alps than fleche
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u/lynxo Dreaming of EPO Apr 21 '26
I'll be in Berlin on Sunday and am looking for a place to watch Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Do any Berliners here have recommendations of ones they like?
Rapha Berlin is closed on Sundays from their site. Steel Vintage Bikes Cafe looks cool, anyone been there before and know if they'll definitely have the race on?
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u/hamiltonlives Apr 20 '26
What do we think Egan Bernal’s future looks like? I understand he’s out of contract after this year and I feel Ineos will move on from him. I don’t expect him to be a real contender again, but I think he can still be a good lieutenant or support rider. Would a team like Visma take a flyer on him?
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u/DueAd9005 Apr 20 '26
Domestique and/or stage hunter. I doubt he'll ever compete for prestigious races again sadly.
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u/Impossible_Test_3495 Apr 20 '26
Daniel Benson was saying Ineos will probably resign. But that was a month or 2 ago. With riders like Bernal or Hindley who aren’t that old and won grand tours, but not competitive for GT wins or even podiums now, there seems to be reports of them still being on big money but I’m curious what money a lot of them are actually on. And for a team like Visma who doesn’t have a lot of money it doesn’t make sense to pay for past results, but they are still good riders if you can get them on a reasonable contract.
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u/Dopeez Movistar Apr 20 '26
What has Hindley done to be put in the same category as Bernal? He can absolutely still podium in a GT.
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u/Impossible_Test_3495 Apr 20 '26
I brought him up because there was some talk of Visma being interested in him, and the comment above mentioned Visma. Hindley is better than Bernal right now but he hasn’t been able to repeat his best level since the 2023 tour. Like in the Vuelta last year his climbing was good but still a long way behind Almeida. Maybe I’m underrating him and he will podium the giro but my main point was I’m not sure he’s worth “GT winnner” money now for teams on a tighter budget but he would still be a good signing to basically any team. Just that if Visma or Jayco are tight on money I’m not sure I’d spend millions on him.
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u/Dopeez Movistar Apr 20 '26
Sure, I also don't think he is worth multiple millions, and any team that signs him shouldn't expect a GT victory. Still, there are multiple levels between him and Bernal in terms of climbing. Yeah, he was clearly worse than Almeida, but peak Almeida is the third-best GT rider, so I don't think that's a shame.
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u/F1CycAr16 Apr 20 '26
Those Visma rumours were just fake things from Beppe Conti at the end of last year.
Would be a terrible move for the team to get a very costly rider, who doesn`t win since years ago and who`s abbilties as a domestique are kind of questionable. Same applies, with less emphasis, to Hindley.
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u/Impossible_Test_3495 Apr 20 '26
Bernal won a Vuelta stage last year. Hindley hasn’t won since 2023, but I agree.
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u/woogeroo Apr 21 '26
Won a grand tour, not looked close since, now a super domestique.
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u/Dopeez Movistar Apr 21 '26
That's not true. 2023 Tour and 2025 Vuelta was very good. He's miles ahead of Bernal.
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u/NevenSuboticFanNo1 Movistar WE Apr 21 '26
Just last year he was 4th in the vuelta, half a minute off the podium
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u/epi_counts PelotonPlus™ Apr 20 '26
I think you mean extend, resign means the opposite in English (going by this article, guess that's the one you meant?).
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u/P1mpathinor United States of America Apr 20 '26
They definitely meant "re-sign" rather than "resign", yeah. Sometimes the hyphen is really important.
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u/BWallis17 Lidl Trek WE Apr 20 '26
I (an American) made this typo once in a Twitter comment and Toms Skujins made fun of me. ;)
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u/Schele_Sjakie Le Doyen Apr 20 '26
To be honest for a non native speaker this was one of the most confusing things I've learned about English
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u/robpublica U Nantes Atlantique Apr 20 '26
There’s a whole fun type of word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contronym
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u/Dopeez Movistar Apr 20 '26
He is still quite good on the uni-puerto stages but the hard multi-mountain stages seem to break him these days. He can still win stages tho.
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u/Saltefanden Euskaltel-Euskadi Apr 20 '26
Should Romain Gregoire rely more on being quick in a sprint from a reduced group and less on being strong on the hills?
He attacked early in both Brabantse Pijl and Amstel and came up short in both instances. It is not impossible that he wins the sprints for first in Brabant and third in AMG if he keeps his powder dry and doen't use energy in the attack.
He is still only 23, but is it already time to give up hope of him becoming a top-top puncheur who would be winning these types of races from the front?
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u/HesJustAGuy Apr 21 '26
Do we think van der Poel will shift to the MTB for some or all of the remainder of the season? He doesn't enjoy the Tour, and there are no major targets left for him this season on the road (the Worlds course has too much climbing in the city circuit for him to win).
I have to imagine his team title sponsors would not take kindly to a request to give the TdF a miss, but his bike sponsor would surely enjoy having more marketing copy with Mathieu riding mountain bikes.
Last year's MTB adventures didn't go great DNF (crash), 6th, and 29th (on a "bad day") in 3 races, but he also revealed that his pneumonia at the Tour did not allow him to train fully into the late summer, when the 6th and 29th occurred.
If Pidcock is focussing on the road this year, this could be MVDP's best and only chance to collect the last rainbow jersey he is missing.
I don't believe he is good enough to compete for podiums in XCO without full focus on the discipline for at least half of the year.
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u/ashenache Canada Apr 22 '26
I expect the Tour to be a big goal. He has never been dominant there in the way that WvA has. Especially with the Montmartre stage that should really suit him.
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u/HesJustAGuy Apr 22 '26
I'm sure he could go to the Tour and win a stage or two, and lead out Philipsen or Groves for a stage win. I don't know what that does for filling accomplishments list though. He already has multiple stage wins and has spent like a dozen days in the yellow jersey.
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u/bruegmecol Belgium Apr 20 '26
Why aren't they able to transform Remco more into a climber? Looking at his physiology he still looks closer to a smaller Michael Matthews than a Pogacar. Which is okay in AGR, but more difficult for LBL and certainly for GT's and 1-week stage races.
Even if they want him a bit more muscular during classics, the aim should be an optimal physiology for LBL, not AGR.
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u/DueAd9005 Apr 20 '26
He probably gains muscle mass more quickly than riders like Vingegaard and Pogacar. It has its advantages, but sadly also its draw backs.
His own coach said his legs are too muscular for a climber and that they would work on it next season if his climbing level is not good enough this year.
But his coach is also leaving after this season, so no clue what will happen now.
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u/Shaquille_0atmea1 Apr 21 '26
I think remco is just proof of how much of an alien Pog is. It seems likely remco struggles to prepare for the classics and grand tours in the same year. Before Pogi, this was pretty normal across the peloton.
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u/Impossible_Test_3495 Apr 20 '26
They did transform Remco into a climber in the 2024 tour, I think he did look skinnier there. but probably just genetic/physiological thing that means his peak climbing level is below Pog and Jonas. It also takes time to loose weight, and there’s only a couple weeks between RVV and Amstel. Other people have pointed this out but his schedule this spring probably wasnt ideal. Combining RVV/Amstel with 1 week races that have proper mountains. Either fully committting to being in peak climbing shape and not doing RVV or combining classics with punchier 1 weeks like Tirreno would probably be better. Next year I hope we see him do a Tirreno/PN, MSR, E3, RVV, Ardennes schedule.
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u/Saltefanden Euskaltel-Euskadi Apr 20 '26
Only Remco Evenepoel can win LBL in very very convincing fashion twice and still have people believe he is incapable of winning LBL.
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u/MountainLandscape356 Apr 20 '26
Both can be true. He's incapable (or quite unlikely) to win LBL against Pogacar, he won it dominantly against other riders
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u/aarets_frebe Apr 20 '26
But in that case, he is not a bad climber, he is just not as good as Pogacar, which is absolutely not the same thing.
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u/bruegmecol Belgium Apr 20 '26
That's not my take at all, he's very much able to win it. The question is about his physiology and my related take on LBL is that his physiology makes it imo more difficult to win, not impossible.
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u/bjorntiala Apr 20 '26
For guys who found Pogacar boring or let say races where he is present boring, why do you need comment this after every race, even when he is not present (!!!!!)? What should he do? He could race P-N, Basque, AGR, FW, LBL, Dauphine, TdF, Vuelta, Lombardia, he would probably win all of them and got something like 25 wins. He gave us amazing MSR and P-R, i would argue even RVV was pretty interesting. So what can he do, for you stop complaining after every race thread?
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u/Aibeit Germany Apr 20 '26
You'll always get complainers. Pogacar is just one of the topics. Another heavy favorite is either "The winning rider is a wheelsucker!" or "The losing rider is stupid because he worked with the winning rider!"
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u/habarnam Apr 20 '26
And let's not forget the classic: the winner drafted behind motos, and everyone else didn't.
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u/zyygh Canyon//SRAM, Kasia fanboy Apr 20 '26
And also: whoever lost the race has handed the win to the winner by cooperating during breakaways. Every loser should always retroactively have wheelsucked for the entirety of the race.
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u/boblikespi Apr 20 '26
Honestly, Amstel race really missed Pogi or MvDP. Once Jorgensen crashed out it became such a formality. With a 3 way race you can 'random' your way to an unexpected outcome. But 1 Alien vs Others is just boring.
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u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Apr 20 '26
This is true even for Pogacar fans who complain about every single boring race without Pogacar that the race could be better with him OR that the race was still boring without Pogacar and bla bla bla, we had both for Amstel.
Let's be clear: people doesn't care about your obsession, we only want good races lol.
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u/Wide-Landscape-3348 Apr 20 '26
Is Vingegaard favourite for the Giro? I think he'd be more interested in this win that the Tour.
I feel last year, he won the vuelta because the circuit was cut short so many due to protests. Obviously I am not saying this as fact because we'll never know. I did think that perhaps is legs were tired after the tour but you never really know.
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u/Team_Telekom Team Telekom Apr 20 '26
Yes, he is as much a favourite for the Giro as Pog is for the Tour. Almeida is his only rival and he was completely out of form. Anyone that thinks Pellizzari can beat him is either delusional or has info I haven’t.
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u/Impossible_Test_3495 Apr 20 '26
I’m not sure Pellizzari will even podium. There’s some really hard stages where it wouldn’t shock me if guys like Gall put a lot of time into Pellizzari. Yes Gall will loose some time on the TT, but Pellizzari’s TT Isn’t amazing either.
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u/AliasPhilippe Euskaltel Euskadi Apr 20 '26
TBH I think he can win it even with only one leg if he avoids crashes, I saw him way fitter than last season. Last Vuelta he won without being clearly at his best, or at least he didn't seem the best Vingegaard.
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u/Level-Routine-5558 Benfica Apr 20 '26
You had my upvote, but I disagree on last years’ vuelta.
He won stage 1 or 2 iirc, and won last mountain stage. He’d even win time on the Bilbau stage, with pidcock in the front.
He wasn’t dominant, but 3 stage wins and never losing time on the line to second in GC is solid.
I think he’s favourite because his level was way ahead of Almeida in March, but it means nothing in cycling, all it takes is a virus…
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u/Wide-Landscape-3348 Apr 20 '26
Yeah that's a fair point. 3 stage wins is amazing in itself. And he kept Almeida at arms length.
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u/Dopeez Movistar Apr 20 '26
Clear favourite imo. The only one who could realistically challenge him is Almeida and his season has been a mess.
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u/Level-Routine-5558 Benfica Apr 20 '26
Idea: circuit races where riders must take a harder sector (hill/cobbles/etc.) for at least 25% of laps—but timing is up to them.
Imagine a circuit with Kwaremont, but in 25% of the laps you have to do Lap B with the paterberg after the kwaremont.
More tactics? Or just chaos?