On Dumoulin
frenchfighter
Posts: 30,642
As you know this Dutch chap is not someone I can back and not someone who generates much emotions for me. Largely due to him being the TT GC rider.
However, this lad has really impressed me and has shown himself to be a breath of fresh air in terms of GC riding and has what seems to be the qualities paramount to being a Great Champion at the end of his career.
It is worth noting that he has effectively done all this without a GT team, both in terms of riders and set-up and probably didn't train specifically for taking the Vuelta GC.
He can crush time trials yet can hold top climbers or limit the damages very well
He is calm and efficient and doesn't panic
He is brave and not afraid to assume the mantle of leader
When off the back on the climbs he manages his gap well. It is ever so easy to give up when you see them disappear to sort of give up and that gap balloons
Now, assuming this is not a one-off performance, he now knows he has the ability to be right up there and will target and train accordingly and will hopefully get a complete team to help him. He is still young and has many years to develop and specialize. I wouldn't be surprised to see this guy crushing the GT scene for many years to come.
Please post on any articles, interviews or pictures of Mr Tom.
However, this lad has really impressed me and has shown himself to be a breath of fresh air in terms of GC riding and has what seems to be the qualities paramount to being a Great Champion at the end of his career.
It is worth noting that he has effectively done all this without a GT team, both in terms of riders and set-up and probably didn't train specifically for taking the Vuelta GC.
He can crush time trials yet can hold top climbers or limit the damages very well
He is calm and efficient and doesn't panic
He is brave and not afraid to assume the mantle of leader
When off the back on the climbs he manages his gap well. It is ever so easy to give up when you see them disappear to sort of give up and that gap balloons
Now, assuming this is not a one-off performance, he now knows he has the ability to be right up there and will target and train accordingly and will hopefully get a complete team to help him. He is still young and has many years to develop and specialize. I wouldn't be surprised to see this guy crushing the GT scene for many years to come.
Please post on any articles, interviews or pictures of Mr Tom.
Contador is the Greatest
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Imagine how good he could be if he can get his weight down under 100 kg.
Shame you don't have it in you to be magnanimous whilst 'you men' aren't winning, but better late than never I suppose. :roll:0 -
FF giving Dutch wiggins love, are you going down with something? He's very big mig however I think a sky like team is the best option for himeating parmos since 1981
Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Aero 09
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You can respect someone's performance without liking them!Contador is the Greatest0
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Underneath it all I knew you loved big Tom reallyGiant Trance X 2010
Specialized Tricross Sport
My Dad's old racer
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Cycling needs a dutch star like rugby needs a good national welsh team. He added a new dimension to this vuelta and I think it is fair to say that without him the race could have fallen flat with just a few grimpeurs riding defensively through to the end.
He certainly gave the time trial more importance than it otherwise would have had.
Built like he is though he should be mashing classics. I'm surprised Ettix haven't moved in to get him in teir squad of Titans for the Spring0 -
great performance . not sure how he`d do against an in form Quintana or froome though. hopfully we will find out next july.0
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What a hero, and speaks so well too.0
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Christ, that is, in retrospect of all the stage threads, some cheesy s***.0
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What a hero, and speaks so well too.
Who - FF?
I'm waiting for post 30,000 when he reveals he has finally given in to his suppressed man crush on Bradley and can't carry on with the pretence of loving Latin climbers.
FF - in all honesty, if you do go I'll miss your photos and wind-ups, interspersed with great observations and bollx.0 -
FF giving Dutch wiggins love, are you going down with something? He's very big mig however I think a sky like team is the best option for him
Yeah i thought of him as big mig style too. Its painful to watch these guys get so close and then lose it. I hope he doesn't do a rasmussen0 -
I agree with FF. We need more 50kg super doped Italians coming through. :roll:0
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Christ, that is, in retrospect of all the stage threads, some cheesy s***.
+1Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.0 -
Three blocked posts on here which I saw as I wasn't auto logged in. There could have been some praise for Tom or something interesting for others to read but clearly you thought posting rubbish would be a more worthwhile contribution to this thread and of greater interest for the people reading it. I pity you for your immaturity and clear lack of intelligence. I certainly wont miss those mind numbing and useless posts and posters when I'm gone.Contador is the Greatest0
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So Dutchies, is Dumoulin a better hope to win a GT than the previously more obvious Gesink or Mollema?
I think this may prove the one GT where he found himself in a position and clung on, rather than the start of a GT career.0 -
Three blocked posts on here which I saw as I wasn't auto logged in. There could have been some praise for Tom or something interesting for others to read but clearly you thought posting rubbish would be a more worthwhile contribution to this thread and of greater interest for the people reading it. I pity you for your immaturity and clear lack of intelligence. I certainly wont miss those mind numbing and useless posts and posters when I'm gone.
I thought you were selling Contador is the Greatest T shirts. Now I realise you are counting down your posts!0 -
Three blocked posts on here which I saw as I wasn't auto logged in. There could have been some praise for Tom or something interesting for others to read but clearly you thought posting rubbish would be a more worthwhile contribution to this thread and of greater interest for the people reading it. I pity you for your immaturity and clear lack of intelligence. I certainly wont miss those mind numbing and useless posts and posters when I'm gone.
As you sow, so shall you reap.Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.0 -
Sorry, but I'm with ThomThom on this. You spent the entire Vuelta slagging him off, insinuating he was dodgy, calling him out for wheelsucking. It's a bit late, and a bit patronising, to be all magnanimous now.
Perhaps instead, next time you comment on a spoiler thread, or elsewhere on the forum, you could remember that the world doesn't revolve around you and your "My Men", but that there are plenty of other riders out there, fighting hard, doing their best, using the talents and abilities they have to perform the roles assigned to them in their team, and that some of us on the forum like watching them doing so.
All the praise you now heap on Dumoulin was evident to the rest of us throughout the Vuelta. By spending the race slagging him off you make yourself look foolish, ignorant and biased.
I have no issue with you having favourite riders, we all have, but the constant sniping negativity to any rider not on your list is utterly depressing and sucks the joy out of racing for the rest of us. Isn't it enough to praise the rides of the riders you admire, without denigrating the efforts of those you are less keen on? We don't need to hear that Froome is a wuss for getting dropped (he had a broken foot) or that Cav is useless for losing a sprint (he lead a team-mate out). The combination of you being both so utterly wrong and at the same time so utterly mean spirited is toxic, it's why you get called out so often and it's why people end up baiting you. It drags the forum down to some facsimile of a football message board.
That's my tuppenceworth, over and out.Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
He'll have to change teams. Giant aren't set up to defend and control in the mountains like Sky did for Wiggins. With that and 70km+ of time trialling and he's their best bet.So Dutchies, is Dumoulin a better hope to win a GT than the previously more obvious Gesink or Mollema?
I think this may prove the one GT where he found himself in a position and clung on, rather than the start of a GT career.
Gesink has all the talent to win a GT but needs a stable period without disaster. He's the unluckiest rider in cycling.
Mollema is a natural 8th place rider. Kelderman is the new Mollema.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Arise Sir Bradley Wiggins 2.0, he must be top of SDB's shopping list after his performance in La Vuelta.0
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Good job NTA. As usual you think that writing an essay somehow increases the validity of your points. Yet much like Tom your start off well, hold that, then crash spectacularly. Not worth responding to what you say in the post above as we will go in circles, suffice to say I completely disagree with you and laugh at your attempt to judge me (once again massively incorrect).Contador is the Greatest0
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Gesink and Mollema are unlikely to win, top 5 maybe. They're at the peak of their career. Kelderman was the big hope, and probably still is; still only 24, like Dumoulin. Which of the 2 turns out to be the better GC rider, not sure. Like you say this could well turn out to have been Dumoulin's best opportunity. On the other hand, he didn't get his advantage through a lucky breakaway or so.So Dutchies, is Dumoulin a better hope to win a GT than the previously more obvious Gesink or Mollema?
I think this may prove the one GT where he found himself in a position and clung on, rather than the start of a GT career.0 -
So Dutchies, is Dumoulin a better hope to win a GT than the previously more obvious Gesink or Mollema?
I think this may prove the one GT where he found himself in a position and clung on, rather than the start of a GT career.
I'm inclined to agree with you Doug. Not least because he's never going to be able to quietly slip into the GC lead ever again. It was a weak field led by people who were either Tired from the tour or who did nt get their ass in to gear until the last stage.
Good on you Tom, you rode like a hero and it will go down as the Vuelta that you should have won whereas Aru's win will get forgotten. But....I'm not sure I see it happening again
The sadness that pervades through every piece of cycling commentary on twitter or elsewhere (except the Italian ones which is fair enough) is palpable
Edit - well said DocWe're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
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laurenstendam @laurenstendam
Astana rider salary in @lavuelta was more than the @GiantAlpecin team budget. Did @iwanspekenbrink watch the Oakland Athletics movie?
Like the movie. It takes time to build a team without the $ numbers. Tom was too soon too good.Chapeau to defend the jearsey till last day.
I think Laurens has a number 1 choice team for next year...
(I think by the Athletics movie he refers to Moneyball - which is on Netflix and a good watch for any sports fan)We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
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You do know Tom is the same height and more or less weight as Eddy Merckx ?
Not sure what this thread is about??
Going to take a bit of delight with the my man's end of year reports
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Was tough for him yesterday. You have to give him a lot of respect for the guts he showed to hang in on those steep climbs in the vuelta. He's obviously going to be a threat to other GCers in the TT but it'll be interesting to see how he goes on the climbs in the tour against the top guys.
Hats off to him in the Vuelta though and better team tactics putting men in the break might've taken him closer to a win.0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19702012#p19702012]SpecialGuestStar[/url] wrote:You do know Tom is the same height and more or less weight as Eddy Merckx ?
Not sure what this thread is about??
Going to take a bit of delight with the my man's end of year reports
And what did he ever achieve, the 900kg Belgian makeweight.Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.0 -
He'll have to change teams. Giant aren't set up to defend and control in the mountains like Sky did for Wiggins. With that and 70km+ of time trialling and he's their best bet.So Dutchies, is Dumoulin a better hope to win a GT than the previously more obvious Gesink or Mollema?
I think this may prove the one GT where he found himself in a position and clung on, rather than the start of a GT career.
Gesink has all the talent to win a GT but needs a stable period without disaster. He's the unluckiest rider in cycling.
Mollema is a natural 8th place rider. Kelderman is the new Mollema.[/quote]
Thats very harsh. He has a far better TT and will push on to be better than 8th place IMO.Scott Addict 2011
Giant TCR 20120 -
If only for their personalities and composure Dumoulin,Chaves and J-Rod have all been a pleasure ( unlike Aru's strop yesterday, though in fairness he normally comes across quite well).
Tom was amazingly sanguine yesterday which must have been a horrible day for him, both physically and emotionally.0 -
If only for their personalities and composure Dumoulin,Chaves and J-Rod have all been a pleasure ( unlike Aru's strop yesterday, though in fairness he normally comes across quite well).
Tom was amazingly sanguine yesterday which must have been a horrible day for him, both physically and emotionally.
Yes - I thought they all came across really well in the interviews.0
