Geraint Thomas is future Tour de France winner
Comments
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Essex Rouleur wrote:I mentioned a few times that Thomas was never going to win the Tour, and at best win a classic but was always doubtful and i got shot down on here something chronic.
i wasnt just saying it to stir, it was just a gut feeling having watched him race. I just never got or get the impression that he has (for want of a better word) 'the X factor'. Sure, a good bike rider, good on track, but a Tour winner? no...a rival to Cancellara and Boonen in the classics? not a chance. Hes always on his backside for a start.
I think a lot of people have watched all the Sky documentaries, heard all the fluff from Brailsford and co, and for whatever reason we've all been brainwashed into thinking hes the next big thing, but ive just never bought it.
So i will say it again, with no animosity or anything against G whatsoever, but he will never amount to a serious contender for anything. Be happy to be proven wrong but i just dont think hes anything special.
would you care to define your parameters for 'anything'? would that extend to winning a stage race?0 -
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Richmond Racer wrote:Essex Rouleur wrote:I mentioned a few times that Thomas was never going to win the Tour, and at best win a classic but was always doubtful and i got shot down on here something chronic.
i wasnt just saying it to stir, it was just a gut feeling having watched him race. I just never got or get the impression that he has (for want of a better word) 'the X factor'. Sure, a good bike rider, good on track, but a Tour winner? no...a rival to Cancellara and Boonen in the classics? not a chance. Hes always on his backside for a start.
I think a lot of people have watched all the Sky documentaries, heard all the fluff from Brailsford and co, and for whatever reason we've all been brainwashed into thinking hes the next big thing, but ive just never bought it.
So i will say it again, with no animosity or anything against G whatsoever, but he will never amount to a serious contender for anything. Be happy to be proven wrong but i just dont think hes anything special.
would you care to define your parameters for 'anything'? would that extend to winning a stage race?
I dont class a stage race as 'winning' anything, i class walking off with the leaders jersey, be it pink, yellow, rainbow stripes, or a trophy like a cobble on a lump of wood as 'winning'. So in that respect i dont believe he will win anything. A stage? sure i'll give him that.
But then Maidstone United could beat Real Madrid in a single game but over two legs, still not 'win' anything or reach a final.0 -
But a stage race winner does walk off with a jersey - the GC one
So is it that you regard only GT jersey winners, the World Champions, or the winners of P-R as amounting to anything?
Just trying to understand.0 -
Seeing mention of the Nationals a bit here, does anyone have any links to the courses for the main events?
Edit... just looking on here http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20140318-Testing-course-for-2014-National-Road-Championships-is-revealed-00 -
Richmond Racer wrote:But a stage race winner does walk off with a jersey - the GC one
So is it that you regard only GT jersey winners, the World Champions, or the winners of P-R as amounting to anything?
Just trying to understand.
The title of this thread is 'Geraint Thomas is future Tour de France winner'. A lot of people have put on here he will be and some have put he wont be. Im saying he will never be a TDF winner, or for that matter, a winner of 'anything' significant, ie: Giro, Vuelta, P-R, Spring classics...
We both know that a GC jersey isnt the same as walking off with a GT jersey or winning any event outright. Ask anyone if they would like a GC jersey and a listing in the TDF book of all time stage winners, or a yellow jersey and a listing in the TDF book of all time winners. Im guessing the domestiques might be happy with the former but its only the winner of the later that are ever considered true winners. Nobody talks of Cavs few stage wins from last year for example, but they will compare it to what he achieved when he won the Green jersey. In fact ask yourself why did Cav leave Sky if he was happy with 'stage wins'? because the simple fact is he wasnt, he wanted overall wins ie: green jersey.
Ive nothing against Thomas at all, hes a good rider, but i just dont believe he is the rider a lot of us are led to believe he is.
If i look at Kwiatkowski for example, i see a rider who could possibly be a Tour winner, but Thomas? no, i just dont. As i say, i said two years ago (not on here) that Thomas wouldnt do much on the road and i havent been proven wrong yet. Every year we hear hes going to be the next classics star, but when will that be? he still hasnt won anything and its not looking likely this year either. A good place to start for him would be to actually stay 'on' the bike.0 -
Righty-o!0
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mfin wrote:Seeing mention of the Nationals a bit here, does anyone have any links to the courses for the main events?
Edit... just looking on here http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20140318-Testing-course-for-2014-National-Road-Championships-is-revealed-0
The TT course is testing - only 12 miles so I assume 2 loops and it's lumpy. The start and finish is about 3 miles from my house and the roads are the same ones I use on virtually every non-commuting ride. The start and finish is within the Celtic Manor golf courses and the last mile features a very steep climb from the 2010 clubhouse back to the hotel (from what I can tell). It will be a fantastic backdrop and I've been hoping to use that final climb for a closed road hill climb at some point if I can find the right person to talk to. The wife won't be happy though, her route home from work will be closed as it's on the course
I'll comment on the road race course once I've looked at it in more detail but again I know the roads well. 0 -
So it's settled then: all round to Pross's for tea, buns and a comfy seat till his cross missus gets home from work and boots us all out...0
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Pross wrote:mfin wrote:Seeing mention of the Nationals a bit here, does anyone have any links to the courses for the main events?
Edit... just looking on here http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20140318-Testing-course-for-2014-National-Road-Championships-is-revealed-0
The TT course is testing - only 12 miles so I assume 2 loops and it's lumpy. The start and finish is about 3 miles from my house and the roads are the same ones I use on virtually every non-commuting ride. The start and finish is within the Celtic Manor golf courses and the last mile features a very steep climb from the 2010 clubhouse back to the hotel (from what I can tell).
I was going to ask if anyone had local knowledge. Think I'll be coming over.0 -
I was chatting with the rider who has done the promo video of the TT course on the official website (Alun Owen who was a top amateur in the 90s and just starting racing again). I was joking about the lack of footage of the climb, apparently he had a few issues with it as his new TT bike was fitted with a smallest gear of 42 x 19. It's over 15% at it's steepest! There's plenty of other lumps and bumps on the course too, it's definitely a roadie course over an out and out tester.0
