The Vikings are HERE! Be afraid. *possible spoilers* *definite pillaging *

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Stage 4 of Paris-Nice will have three different Vikings in leader's, mountain and points jerseys (Cort, Gregaard, Mads P)

    It's been a decent start to the season, with 12 wins at 1/Pro/WT level so far
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  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,659
    Probably the best place to discuss Mads P's lack of assistance throughout the cobbled season from Jasper Stuyven.

    Mads a level above Jasper but seemingly never got any help from him
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,847
    takethehighroad said:

    Probably the best place to discuss Mads P's lack of assistance throughout the cobbled season from Jasper Stuyven.

    Mads a level above Jasper but seemingly never got any help from him



    Tbf a mechanical in Arenberg will do that.
    _
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Thought I'd add Jonas's win at Itzulia Basque Country here for its dominance. 3 stages and the overall (plus points), finished the race with a 30km solo attack while in the leader's jersey. While Pog and Remco weren't in the opposition (nor Roglic, obviously) he had to see off Landa, Mas, S Yates etc. It's his first win in a WT level stage race other than the Tour
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  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,347
    He is definitely in form. Despite Pogacar's dominance at Paris Nice the Tour is hardly a done deal. Do you think Vingegaard has much improvement left, cause the W/kg currently are already massive?
    Pogacar seems to be able to ride the entire year almost at the same level Valverde style.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,133
    m.r.m. said:

    He is definitely in form. Despite Pogacar's dominance at Paris Nice the Tour is hardly a done deal. Do you think Vingegaard has much improvement left, cause the W/kg currently are already massive?
    Pogacar seems to be able to ride the entire year almost at the same level Valverde style.

    I'd read very little into any w/kg figures published on the internet, unless they were from the rider himself, his coach or his team.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Yeah, I'd no pay all that much attention to W/Kg stuff anyway. I think we could see that he was climbing and racing well though. I'm sure he's not supposed to be at peak form yet - he's skipping the classics so his next race will be a pre-Tour sharpener of some sort, think he's down for the Dauphiné

    As ever. we'd expect Pog to have the advantage in any sprint/puncheur finish, while Vingegaard might have the upper hand on longer climbs - especially if they're at altitude or hot. We'll see how it goes, I'd reckon 50-50
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  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,347
    Yeah I agree pretty much. I'd weight it 70-30 in favour of Pogacar though. Is Roglic doing the Tour? Without him it definitely reduces the efficacy of the JV team.

    I also don't really understand why UAE don't use both Almeida and Ayuso to support Pog against JV.

    Vingegaard is visibly going extremely well regardless of W/kg and he is in better shape than last year at this time. It's going to be a real battle for sure.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Roglic is doing the Giro, I doubt he's down for the Tour - unless he's fallen out of love with the Vuelta
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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,166
    m.r.m. said:


    Pogacar seems to be able to ride the entire year almost at the same level Valverde style.

    He usually doesn't race outside Slovenia between LBL and the Tour though. Basically taking two months off.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,659
    RichN95. said:

    m.r.m. said:


    Pogacar seems to be able to ride the entire year almost at the same level Valverde style.

    He usually doesn't race outside Slovenia between LBL and the Tour though. Basically taking two months off.
    These part timers eh? The cyclocrossers race 24/7/365
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,659
    I've not listened yet, but today's Kilometre Zero from the Cycling Podcast is about the Danes who came over to Tuscany around the turn of the century

    "One of the most numerous and powerful ex-pat communities was the Danes, particularly around Lucca. In this episode of Kilometre 0, our own Great Dane, Brian Nygaard, seeks out the pioneers of the migration, reflects on how it shaped his own life and ponders why the golden age of ‘Danesi Toscani’ came to an end."
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Mikkel Bjerg finally gets his first pro victory, th Dauphiné TT - by a solid chunk of time - and gets to ride in yellow for at least a day
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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    A quick update:

    Jonas Vingegaard took the Dauphiné overall and some stages by some sort of gap not seen since Hinault or something, he's now absolute top favourite for the Tour

    Meanwhile, local to me lad Mathias Skjelmose beat Remco and others on a mountain finish in the Tour de Suisse to take the stage (his first WT win) and is in the leaders jersey today
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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Mattias Skjelmose takes the Tour de Suisse, his first WT stage race. A difficult race with the tragic death of Gino Mäder, but as Mattias said, Gino's parents wanted the race to continue.

    That's Danes picking up the GC on both the main TdF warm up races...
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  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,133
    Is Skjelmose riding the Tour? Has to stand an outside chance of making the podium, no?
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    andyp said:

    Is Skjelmose riding the Tour? Has to stand an outside chance of making the podium, no?

    Yeah, I believe he's riding. Trek will try to balance having Mads P and Skjelmose, without the team being completely built around either.

    The third podium step is highly contested, with no clear favourite (assuming the top two are Pog and Vingegaard). Skjelmose has a shot at it for sure.
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  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,659
    It's one thing winning a week long race like the TdS but as Simon Yates showed in 2018, the step up to 3 weeks is a big one
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,133
    Not sure Simon Yates is the best example, given he's won a 3 week race.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,659
    He has now. But in the Giro he had to learn to manage his effort

    He essentially won 2x Tirreno Adriaticos back to back, but couldn't win 3

    One TdS win against slightly below par opponents on a benign course doesn't automatically translate to the podium of the TDF in my opinion
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,133
    I agree. But given how he handily beat Evenepoel, who was not at his best, and Ayuso, and that no-one from the Dauphine looked super bar Vingegaard, then the third spot on the podium at the Tour is wide open, assuming Vingegaard and Pogacar both start and perform as we'd expect.

    Skjelmose has a chance, albeit an outside one, of being part of that fight. As has Hindley, O'Connor, Yates (A and S) Mas, etc.

    The one team that, surprisingly, don't look like they will be in the mix are Ineos, as Dani Martinez has been well below his normal level this season, Bernal is still on the road to recovery and Carlos Rodriguez is unproven at this level.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,659
    Rodriguez is more porven at Grand Tour level, having completed one in the top 10 past year

    Would've been close to the podium if he'd not crashed too (although not crashing is a key part of finishing highly on GT GC)
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,659
    15 Danes scheduled to start the TDF, the highest ever (I think) and certainly the highest in a long time

    Including "podium contender" Skjelmose
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    takethehighroad said:

    15 Danes scheduled to start the TDF, the highest ever (I think) and certainly the highest in a long time

    Including "podium contender" Skjelmose

    It won't be 15, as we've already seen that Kron and Fuglsang aren't selected, max will be 13, probably ending up 12.

    Record is 11, in 2021.
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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Another name on the "one for the future" list

    16 year old Albert Withen Philipsen, JNR DK TT and Road champ + MTB and Cross titles

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Elite Men's RR team for Glasgow Worlds announced, looks pretty strong, though heavy on leaders. I might have had Chris Juul Jensen in there somewhere for absolute workhorse power, though others can do that job if they're not riding their own chances.
    TT is Bjerg and Asgreen. Not entering the mixed relay TTT this year.

    Mads Pedersen
    Mattias Skjelmose
    Kasper Asgreen
    Søren Kragh Andersen
    Magnus Cort
    Mikkel Honoré
    Mikkel Bjerg
    Michael Mørkøv
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,782
    That's a strong team. Not sure they really need workhorses and pretty much any of those can get into a break with a chance of winning then you have Mads who is more than capable of winning a reduced bunch sprint. They don't really need to do any chasing.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    Pross said:

    That's a strong team. Not sure they really need workhorses and pretty much any of those can get into a break with a chance of winning then you have Mads who is more than capable of winning a reduced bunch sprint. They don't really need to do any chasing.

    Yeah, the trouble comes if they miss the break. As an eight rider team they'll be forced to work
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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,955
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,344
    tailwindhome said:

    Still missing two, Asgreen and Bjerg!

    Decent Tour for the Vikings, this one. GC with Jonas, 3 stages with Jonas, Mads P and Asgreen, Lanterne with Mørkøv, "Domestique of the third week" for Skjelmose (yes, it's a thing, voted on social media, comes with €3000, so it's real!)
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