why does P Rolland not create more buzz?
specialgueststar
Posts: 3,418
Rolland just doesn't seem to attract the kind of interest other riders with his palmares might. I think he is very overlooked - at 28 with his attacking style and palmares - especially GT - he is any teams potential top 5.
Maybe he just doesn't do it by the book? I think he would do better tour and vuelta rather than giro /tour??
He is getting a better deal next year?
2x stage Tour de France ('12, '11)
GC Vuelta a Castilla y Leon ('15)
4th GC Giro d'Italia ('14)
8th GC Tour de France ('12)
2x 10th GC Tour de France ('15, '11)
11th GC Tour de France ('14)
2nd stage Tour de France ('15)
Maybe he just doesn't do it by the book? I think he would do better tour and vuelta rather than giro /tour??
He is getting a better deal next year?
2x stage Tour de France ('12, '11)
GC Vuelta a Castilla y Leon ('15)
4th GC Giro d'Italia ('14)
8th GC Tour de France ('12)
2x 10th GC Tour de France ('15, '11)
11th GC Tour de France ('14)
2nd stage Tour de France ('15)
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Comments
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He's French and attacks at stupid times.
They're not panache attacks, they're just stupid.
If he was American he'd be all over the place.0 -
He's French and attacks at stupid times.
They're not panache attacks, they're just stupid.
If he was American he'd be all over the place.
he might do but at 28 almost 5 top 10's in GT's? And some queen stages0 -
He's a massive bell end.
He also features as my No.1 irrational dislike in the pro peloton. Having to explain this is almost as irritating as watching him ride.
Voilá.0 -
I picked him for my fantasy team and he sort of "came good" (as much as he ever was going to in the Alps) In terms of GC he seemed poorly prepared and looked to be saving himself for individual stage glory amounting to a couple of decentish back to back days0
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You can predict with reasonable accuracy, where and when he is going to attack.
So if a bloke on a sofa in Peterborough can see it coming, you suspect the pro peloton would as well.0 -
He's a pale immitation of Andy Schleck, except maybe without the tendency to go on benders.0
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You can predict with reasonable accuracy, where and when he is going to attack.
So if a bloke on a sofa in Peterborough can see it coming, you suspect the pro peloton would as well.
The Prophet of the Fens0 -
He's a massive bell end.
He also features as my No.1 irrational dislike in the pro peloton. Having to explain this is almost as irritating as watching him ride.
Voilá.
this is true. I think the INRNG guy's statment about "another Pierre Roland energy wasting attack" sums him up. He's obviously strong uphill, but he's also a knob.0 -
If the top boys were particularly worried he would be kept on a tighter leash. By then he is usually a few minutes down anyway (in a Hesjedal kind of way).
And if there's an ITT and a TTT, that's several more minutes.0 -
sky will probably sign him and all of a sudden he will be a GT winner0
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Wait, are we calling rider knobs and bellends because they aren't using their energy wise enough now?0
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Wait, are we calling rider knobs and bellends because they aren't using their energy wise enough now?
It's how you waste your energy.
Keep up.0 -
sky will probably sign him and all of a sudden he will be a GT winner
Supported by strong teammates, with the best training methods, Rolland could have been a very good rider at a top team.0 -
Rolland is a very good rider. And yes, if he had a decent team around him his results could be very good indeed.sky will probably sign him and all of a sudden he will be a GT winner
Supported by strong teammates, with the best training methods, Rolland could have been a very good rider at a top team.
He was more than 10 minutes down on Froome at the end of stage 5 which, given the level of team support is understandable. He lost another couple of minutes in the team time trial. On the final rest day he was 15th overall. His 'energy wasting attacks' helped to animate the race in the Alps, gained him and his team plenty of needed exposure and moved him up to a top ten GC finish.
Give me his approach approach any day rather than the anonymous Mollema, Frank and (to a lesser extent, Gesink) whose tactic is merely to hang on to the group of favourites as long as possible.0 -
This is the best response. He needs better guidance. He's not a natural winner but he could he do the Richie Porte / G job for one of the top 4 GC's and/or win a Paris-Nice after a season of coaching.sky will probably sign him and all of a sudden he will be a GT winner
Supported by strong teammates, with the best training methods, Rolland could have been a very good rider at a top team.
Great rider, gets tv time off the front of the peloton but never in danger or winning a race.'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP0 -
I’m not sure about the above in bold – I question how much a ‘team player’ Rolland is.
This is the best response. He needs better guidance. He's not a natural winner but he could he do the Richie Porte / G job for one of the top 4 GC's and/or win a Paris-Nice after a season of coaching.
Supported by strong teammates, with the best training methods, Rolland could have been a very good rider at a top team.sky will probably sign him and all of a sudden he will be a GT winner
Great rider, gets tv time off the front of the peloton but never in danger or winning a race.
I suspect he lacks real ambition. He just seems to concentrate on a stage win and a moderately-good placing in the Tour. The rest of the season, he’s often well-placed, but evenso still half-anonymous. His 2014 Giro was the only time he behaved differently, having a good last week almost by accident.
And as Chasey says, he sometimes attacks at the wrong moment, e.g too far out for his ability/stamina, so in the longer mountains he then gets caught. He could do with a Tour containing several MTFs in the Vosges, Jura and Massif Central.0 -
He has an excellent palmares and does some very exciting moves. He was great in this year's Tour and his Tour win shown above was blood amazing.
Can't warm to him really though. He also has a very odd style of pedalling, ultra low cadence. Makes a nice change from the frenetic Froome though.
Contador is the Greatest0 -
He could do with a Tour containing several MTFs in the Vosges, Jura and Massif Central.
Which is where they are supposed to be going in 2016BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
Instagramme0 -
He is a very good rider currently with a team who are not the strongest but appear happy to allow him to try for stage wins on his terms. If he was to go to say Sky, Movistar et al he would be restricted at GT. Not everyone wants to be a Froome/Quitana/Valverde/Nibali whipping boy so perhaps he is happy being at a smaller team.0
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So what you're saying is he needs to ride for a low budget team. Like Europcar.He is a very good rider currently with a team who are not the strongest but appear happy to allow him to try for stage wins on his terms. If he was to go to say Sky, Movistar et al he would be restricted at GT. Not everyone wants to be a Froome/Quitana/Valverde/Nibali whipping boy so perhaps he is happy being at a smaller team.'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP0 -
Some (i.e. me) can't get over the 2013 TdF full-polka look. "Tres chic", apparently...0
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No
So what you're saying is he needs to ride for a low budget team. Like Europcar.He is a very good rider currently with a team who are not the strongest but appear happy to allow him to try for stage wins on his terms. If he was to go to say Sky, Movistar et al he would be restricted at GT. Not everyone wants to be a Froome/Quitana/Valverde/Nibali whipping boy so perhaps he is happy being at a smaller team.0 -
If he'd had the protection that Sky, Movistar et al could provide he'd probably have been top 5 in that tour. In hindsight he'd have been a much better bet for EQS as their GC punt than Uran.
No
So what you're saying is he needs to ride for a low budget team. Like Europcar.He is a very good rider currently with a team who are not the strongest but appear happy to allow him to try for stage wins on his terms. If he was to go to say Sky, Movistar et al he would be restricted at GT. Not everyone wants to be a Froome/Quitana/Valverde/Nibali whipping boy so perhaps he is happy being at a smaller team.0 -
You can predict with reasonable accuracy, where and when he is going to attack.
So if a bloke on a sofa in Peterborough can see it coming, you suspect the pro peloton would as well.
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I can't quite explain why but I find him quite dull. Perhaps when you're in a team with Tommy V everyone else seems dull?0
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Pierre Rolland signs for Cannondale-Garmin
French rider adds GC experience
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Clearly others do value him!'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP0
