Talked up but constantly poor / underperforming riders

13

Comments

  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,718
    inseine wrote:
    Nicolas Roche

    Good shout. For someone who has been a GC rider a couple of Vuelta stages is a poor return. Seems to have featured in numerous winning breaks without being the won that won.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • cruff
    cruff Posts: 1,518
    Wellens. Other than two Giro stages he's won nothing of any consequence, and should be one of Red Lotto's mainstays in the classics.

    Agree with Porte. He's not a GC rider - he can't put three weeks together & still be at the pointy end and never has been able to.

    Vanmarcke. So much promise. So little end product.
    Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
    Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
  • amrushton
    amrushton Posts: 1,249
    Who 'bigs' the riders up tho', the agents/team/other riders?. Froome was average until Sky, Wiggins was v.good pack fill but superb on the track until Garmin/Sky. Adam Yates seems to underperform. Valverde is still good vfm for Movi. He is always in the mix - same with Sagan (on his money he should be!). Perhaps certain riders just have a shelf life. Roche has ridden high level (Saxo,Sky, Sunweb) for a long time so must have qualities that we can't see.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    Steve Cummings.

    Has won a few races, but spoken of in hushed tones as some kind of breakaway ninja. Hasn't won a WT race for three years.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    amrushton wrote:
    Who 'bigs' the riders up tho', the agents/team/other riders?.
    With Sep Vanmarcke it's mostly Rick Chasey

    I think with Roche, who you mentioned, it was his surname.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,229
    RichN95 wrote:
    amrushton wrote:
    Who 'bigs' the riders up tho', the agents/team/other riders?.
    With Sep Vanmarcke it's mostly Rick Chasey

    I think with Roche, who you mentioned, it was his surname.

    Being the Leif Hoste of your generation is a serious challenge.


    I often think Cummings is overrated.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    RichN95 wrote:
    amrushton wrote:
    Who 'bigs' the riders up tho', the agents/team/other riders?.
    With Sep Vanmarcke it's mostly Rick Chasey

    I think with Roche, who you mentioned, it was his surname.

    Being the Leif Hoste of your generation is a serious challenge.


    I often think Cummings is overrated.

    To be fair, Sep would have a palmares as long as your arm if someone would give him a bike that worked.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    Delete: double post. Forum issues today
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    Brilliant ride from Quintana today but the fact that it was only his third ever TdF stage win just about says it all.
  • Geraint Thomas must be in there. Never any chance he would defend his title. Lucky, lucky, lucky last year. Still on an emotional high. Didn't train to be team leader. Froome f*cked everyone up. Next year it will be Bernal leading, Froome "still recovering" and Thomas back in domestique mode.

    He's had his 15 minutes of fame.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Geraint Thomas must be in there. Never any chance he would defend his title. Lucky, lucky, lucky last year. Still on an emotional high. Didn't train to be team leader. Froome f*cked everyone up. Next year it will be Bernal leading, Froome "still recovering" and Thomas back in domestique mode.

    He's had his 15 minutes of fame.

    I think you are very mistaken https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraint_T ... or_results

    1 TdF
    1 Paris-Nice
    1 Tour of the Alps
    2 Algarve
    1 E3 Harelbeke

    Plus former national TT and road champ plus a bunch of other stuff, plus the track stuff.

    That's not the palmares of a journeyman domestique.

    It's not the palmares of a multiple grand tour winner either obviously, but he's on the podium and reasonably likely to finish there FFS.

    Also with Olympic medals he will always have a certain amount of fame in the UK.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Geraint Thomas must be in there. Never any chance he would defend his title. Lucky, lucky, lucky last year. Still on an emotional high. Didn't train to be team leader. Froome f*cked everyone up. Next year it will be Bernal leading, Froome "still recovering" and Thomas back in domestique mode.

    He's had his 15 minutes of fame.

    I think you are very mistaken https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraint_T ... or_results

    1 TdF
    1 Paris-Nice
    1 Tour of the Alps
    2 Algarve
    1 E3 Harelbeke

    Plus former national TT and road champ plus a bunch of other stuff, plus the track stuff.

    That's not the palmares of a journeyman domestique.

    It's not the palmares of a multiple grand tour winner either obviously, but he's on the podium and reasonably likely to finish there FFS.

    Also with Olympic medals he will always have a certain amount of fame in the UK.

    You missed a Dauphine as well.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,229
    Geraint Thomas must be in there. Never any chance he would defend his title. Lucky, lucky, lucky last year. Still on an emotional high. Didn't train to be team leader. Froome f*cked everyone up. Next year it will be Bernal leading, Froome "still recovering" and Thomas back in domestique mode.

    He's had his 15 minutes of fame.

    Decent contender for *most-wrong-post* this year.
  • arnuf
    arnuf Posts: 98
    Rabobank always did well in this category. Boom, Gesink and Kelderman (in that order) being the best examples.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,892
    arnuf wrote:
    Rabobank always did well in this category. Boom, Gesink and Kelderman (in that order) being the best examples.

    Boogerd was always one that sprung to mind. He was supposed to be a GC challenger but never was. I can't help but feel that Stannard perhaps fits this box too now. His Omloop heroics are a marked outlier in his monument record in recent years.
  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    Geraint Thomas must be in there. Never any chance he would defend his title. Lucky, lucky, lucky last year. Still on an emotional high. Didn't train to be team leader. Froome f*cked everyone up. Next year it will be Bernal leading, Froome "still recovering" and Thomas back in domestique mode.

    He's had his 15 minutes of fame.

    Decent contender for *most-wrong-post* this year.

    Does this qualify for "Posts of the Tour 2019"?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,214
    Geraint Thomas must be in there. Never any chance he would defend his title. Lucky, lucky, lucky last year. Still on an emotional high. Didn't train to be team leader. Froome f*cked everyone up. Next year it will be Bernal leading, Froome "still recovering" and Thomas back in domestique mode.

    He's had his 15 minutes of fame.

    Decent contender for *most-wrong-post* this year.

    Has your troll meter stopped working?
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,591
    hypster wrote:
    Brilliant ride from Quintana today but the fact that it was only his third ever TdF stage win just about says it all.
    Normal service resumed.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Alejandrosdog
    Alejandrosdog Posts: 1,975
    i think im going to have to add Pinot.

    And what a shame,
  • i think im going to have to add Pinot.

    And what a shame,

    Surely though he's ill the way he gave up today?
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,591
    i think im going to have to add Pinot.

    And what a shame,

    Surely though he's ill the way he gave up today?
    It made for painful viewing.
    Imagine his point of view.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    PBlakeney wrote:
    i think im going to have to add Pinot.

    And what a shame,

    Surely though he's ill the way he gave up today?
    It made for painful viewing.
    Imagine his point of view.

    Before this tour I would have included him. Think he's unlucky not to be on the podium in Paris this year.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    edited July 2019
    Double post
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Jess Varnish

    There. I've said it. Bring it on.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    PBlakeney wrote:
    i think im going to have to add Pinot.

    And what a shame,

    Surely though he's ill the way he gave up today?
    It made for painful viewing.
    Imagine his point of view.

    Before this tour I would have included him. Think he's unlucky not to be on the podium in Paris this year.

    The man won a monument last year, I'd say that's a touch short sighted as no one talks him up as more than a podium contender in GC's which is realistic
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,032
    Very sad watching Pinot in his bedroom almost suicidal, big hug from Marc has made things a bit better. He's going to ride the GTs next year.

    2 Vuelta stages last year too, what a comeback from the Giro disaster when he ended up in hospital for a week.
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
    Instagramme
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,229
    Benoot under performs unless he’s not supposed to do well.

    Could add Tim Wellens to that list, but I watch a lot of Belgian coverage so perhaps explains the “talked up” bit.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,229
    Rojas was always tipped as a sprinter who could climb but I only ever remember him winning the nationals
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    Benoot under performs unless he’s not supposed to do well.

    Could add Tim Wellens to that list, but I watch a lot of Belgian coverage so perhaps explains the “talked up” bit.

    I agree with Wellens
  • Alejandrosdog
    Alejandrosdog Posts: 1,975
    RichN95 wrote:
    Jess Varnish

    There. I've said it. Bring it on.


    Ooooooooo. <<< passes Rich a helmet

    You might get away with it though Rich since she’s a woman and not many people care. /know about women’s cycling