Anyone else wish Alaphillipe had gone all the way??

2

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  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,243
    No tA Doctor wrote:

    I think it's deeper and more historical than some recent lack of success. Anquetil won 5 tours, but the public loved Poulidor.
    .

    That's because Anquetil was a "fukin tester"... he rode like Indurain and Wiggins, demolishing everyone "contre la montre" and defending in the mountains, whereas Poulidor was a natural attacker...
    left the forum March 2023
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    I think Alaphillippe has it in him to win a tour. He would have to take a lot of time before the mountains and ride very defensively through the longer climbs. Especially if he had the right team around him.

    He would need to stop riding in Vivianis leadout train and showboating quite so much but both of those things are fixable.

    Whether he should or not is another matter - as above it's a bit of a gamble when you would think he could have an amazing palmares outside of the 3 week races. But I suppose the tour has a certain attraction especially for a French rider.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,310
    Alaphilippe winning would have been a fairy tale - but a Disney fairy tale, not a Brothers Grimm one. Disney is all about dreaming of rainbow unicorns that fart your wishes true. Grimm fairy tales are a lot darker, and tend to have the moral: "if you're going into the woods, take a big fücking axe with you".

    French cycling is doing pretty well really, but still has a bit too much Disney about it. Pinot had at least popped into B&Q and got himself a hatchet before he arrived this year. Was a pity he didn't really get a chance to wield it.
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,490
    DeVlaeminck wrote:
    Also is French cycling really that unsuccessful ? They seem to do OK now - there are more successful nations but France has a decent crop of riders.

    Given the number of riders they have in the top 2 divisions of pro cycling I would say they under achieve. JA wins a lot but not many others do in top level events. I may be wrong but I suspect that the French public are desperate for a new Tour winner in much the same way English football fans are desperate to win the World Cup again. Every couple of years we hear of the new French contender who is going to finally do it (Rolland, Pinot, Bardet, Barguil and now Gaudu) and in most cases they have the talent to potentially do so but something seems to hold them back whether it's the weight of expectation or the teams they ride for (can you imagine Ineos, MS, Jumbo etc. having a rider of Bardet's ability and not making him work on his obvious TT weakness?).
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    He will come back stronger than ever next year and then get busted.
  • meursault
    meursault Posts: 1,433
    I want the strongest rider in the strongest team to win it, and that's what happened, happens.

    Found it funny how pundits were writing off Ineos/Sky despite them being KM's ahead of anyone else in everyway. Their third choice rider won the tour, with a late man down, and Moscon not bothering to help :D

    It's down to the field to catch up.
    Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.

    Voltaire
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,036
    Interviewed by France TV
    Did you dream you could win? "No never, not for a second, I was just hanging on each day"
    Are you coming back to win the TdF next year? "No"
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
    Instagramme
  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    davidof wrote:
    Interviewed by France TV
    Did you dream you could win? "No never, not for a second, I was just hanging on each day"
    Are you coming back to win the TdF next year? "No"

    I like him even more now. :D
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,150
    davidof wrote:
    Interviewed by France TV
    Did you dream you could win? "No never, not for a second, I was just hanging on each day"
    Are you coming back to win the TdF next year? "No"
    The Olympics course next year has his name written all over it.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    RichN95 wrote:
    davidof wrote:
    Interviewed by France TV
    Did you dream you could win? "No never, not for a second, I was just hanging on each day"
    Are you coming back to win the TdF next year? "No"
    The Olympics course next year has his name written all over it.

    Have the French been out to Tokyo already with the spray cans then?
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,310
    Delete: wrong thread.
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  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,036
    He's speaking again on French TV. He confirmed he's not preparing for the TdF in 2020. His aim next year is Ronde van Vlaanderen.
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,490
    Anyone else seen the footage of him giving his presentation jersey to a little lad who'd got soaked and was shivering at the finish with no jacket? Comes across as a really nice bloke.
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,339
    He seems like an utterly lovely bloke. Real class! :)
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,036
    Pross wrote:
    Anyone else seen the footage of him giving his presentation jersey to a little lad who'd got soaked and was shivering at the finish with no jacket? Comes across as a really nice bloke.

    voila https://youtu.be/6nYJPDLjcjI
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  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 6,918
    Having been in France at the time they won the football world cups in 1998 and last year, the atmosphere and partying would have been incroyable have he hung on. So from that pov it's a shame as roadside you could feel the deflation first as Pinot abandoned and then again when JA was dropped.

    He does seem a good guy and is certainly popular.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Pross wrote:
    Anyone else seen the footage of him giving his presentation jersey to a little lad who'd got soaked and was shivering at the finish with no jacket? Comes across as a really nice bloke.
    Nice thing to do - although he did say he knew the kid - so it wasn't just any old kid - but I suspect he would've done similar.
  • hanshotfirst
    hanshotfirst Posts: 373
    Bit torn on whether I would have wanted him to go all the way but would just like to add more fuel to the "such a good bloke" fire:

    https://twitter.com/deceuninck_qst/stat ... 2928003073

    The hug from Mas :(
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,612
    iainf72 wrote:
    No, absolutely not.

    You do surprise me Iain.

    source.gif
    _
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,812
    hanshotfirst wrote:
    Bit torn on whether I would have wanted him to go all the way but would just like to add more fuel to the "such a good bloke" fire:

    https://twitter.com/deceuninck_qst/stat ... 2928003073

    The hug from Mas :(

    A lot cheaper than a Rolex.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • markwb79
    markwb79 Posts: 937
    Has this been seen/shared anywhere....

    Assuming the link works!!

    https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/ur ... 080217088/

    Totally amazing
    Scott Addict 2011
    Giant TCR 2012
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Slowbike wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    Anyone else seen the footage of him giving his presentation jersey to a little lad who'd got soaked and was shivering at the finish with no jacket? Comes across as a really nice bloke.
    Nice thing to do - although he did say he knew the kid - so it wasn't just any old kid - but I suspect he would've done similar.


    Yes, see four posts above your own ^
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,558
    hanshotfirst wrote:
    Bit torn on whether I would have wanted him to go all the way but would just like to add more fuel to the "such a good bloke" fire:

    https://twitter.com/deceuninck_qst/stat ... 2928003073

    The hug from Mas :(

    That's not Mas, that's Rick giving Alaphilippe a big hug...
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,388
    davidof wrote:
    He's speaking again on French TV. He confirmed he's not preparing for the TdF in 2020. His aim next year is Ronde van Vlaanderen.

    High Five Jules!!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,612
    ddraver wrote:
    davidof wrote:
    He's speaking again on French TV. He confirmed he's not preparing for the TdF in 2020. His aim next year is Ronde van Vlaanderen.

    High Five Jules!!

    Wonder how his bike hyperactivity and attention seeking will go down there...!
    _
  • alanparsons
    alanparsons Posts: 529
    Please delete.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,932
    Something about Alaphillipe reminded me of Philippe Gilbert in 2011 (I think) when he just seemed to be racing round France having a great time.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,036
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    No, absolutely not.

    You do surprise me Iain.

    source.gif

    From the French VO2Cycling forum

    "Macron really is cursed, when Pinot saw him he should have told him to f*** off"
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
    Instagramme
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,490
    Coopster the 1st wrote:
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Coopster the 1st wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    It would've been fun but I think that the best guy should win really and I'd say Allaphillipe was about theeeee 5th best?

    I've got to say I hope he doesn't fall in to the trap of becoming a GC rider now. Without grabbing a bunch of time when the actual GC teams were looking the other way he wouldn't have been in serious contention. He doesn't want to waste a career being the next Nico Roche when he is already the next Gilbert*

    *and....maybe....don't make me....no....the next....aargh...Valverde :shock:

    Unless a tour route is designed to suit Allaphillipe!

    Put the highest summits early & mid-stage with lower, shorter, steeper summit finishes at the end of the stage, maybe a couple of technical descent finishes as well. Combine with a ITT that suits him. Him training and targeting the GC, and a proper support team and who is going to beat him?

    Bernal, Froome, Dumoulin, Pinot, Thomas....

    Bernal would lose time with a ITT route similar to this year.
    Froome has been shown to be exposed on shorter steep climbs where he has not had a chance to get into his climbing rhythm.
    Dumoulin could also benefit from this sort of route but in a short MTF sprint Allaphillipe is always going to win and take the bonus seconds
    This sort of route would benefit the explosiveness of Pinot
    Thomas would need long less steep MTF's to have his best chance.

    People make that sort of comment regularly. It's almost as if he didn't leave the rest of the GC contenders in his wake on Les Planches des Belles Filles.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,388
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    davidof wrote:
    He's speaking again on French TV. He confirmed he's not preparing for the TdF in 2020. His aim next year is Ronde van Vlaanderen.

    High Five Jules!!

    Wonder how his bike hyperactivity and attention seeking will go down there...!

    They hide it better but I think the Flandrians are still suckers for a bit of a show...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver

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