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2021 predictions

gsk82gsk82 Posts: 3,382
in Pro race
There's been threads in the past for people to post their predictions for the coming year, so let's have one this year.

Geraint Thomas will win the tour

Tom Dumoulin will cry off from whatever his main target is

Marc Hirschi will clear up in the boring part of the classics season

Richie Porte will win the 2020 tour
"Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
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Posts

  • bobmcstuffbobmcstuff Posts: 11,115
    gsk82 said:



    Richie Porte will win the 2020 tour

    :o
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 21,534
    2021 to have less races than 2020.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 26,094
    edited January 2021
    gsk82 said:


    Richie Porte will win the 2020 tour

    Like it! Go big or go home!




    I'll have to have a think about mine. Difficult with so much uncertainty about the season.

    Id love for Froome to smash all the young guns for his 5th tour... 🤞
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 69,747 Lives Here
    I actually think we’ll see a minor Tom D renaissance and return to the high level he had before.
    _
  • salsiccia1salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    blazing_saddles said:

    2021 to have less races than 2020.

    I fear you may be correct :/
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • yorkshirerawyorkshireraw Posts: 1,628
    rick_chasey said:

    I actually think we’ll see a minor Tom D renaissance and return to the high level he had before.

    Coupled with Roglic not being anywhere near as consistent as the past couple of seasons.
  • inseineinseine Posts: 5,786
    Tom Pidcock top ten in Strade Bianche !!
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 69,747 Lives Here
    yorkshireraw said:

    rick_chasey said:

    I actually think we’ll see a minor Tom D renaissance and return to the high level he had before.

    Coupled with Roglic not being anywhere near as consistent as the past couple of seasons.
    I should add I think I've predicted a Tom D renaissance at least twice, if not three times.
    _
  • yorkshirerawyorkshireraw Posts: 1,628
    edited January 2021
    rick_chasey said:

    yorkshireraw said:

    rick_chasey said:

    I actually think we’ll see a minor Tom D renaissance and return to the high level he had before.

    Coupled with Roglic not being anywhere near as consistent as the past couple of seasons.
    I should add I think I've predicted a Tom D renaissance at least twice, if not three times.
    When Sepp Kuss wins the Dauphine, Jumbo will have a real quandary on their hands.
  • joe_totale-2joe_totale-2 Posts: 1,333
    edited January 2021
    Alaphillippe to repeat his victory in the World Champs

    EDIT

    Ganna to keep the rainbow jersey in the TT as well, so basically as you were when it comes to the world champs.
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 27,087
    rozzer32 will win PTP again
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Lanterne_RogueLanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,082
    Cavendish to retire this season, I think.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 21,534
    rick_chasey said:

    I actually think we’ll see a minor Tom D renaissance and return to the high level he had before.

    Good call, Rick. :#
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 69,747 Lives Here
    blazing_saddles said:

    rick_chasey said:

    I actually think we’ll see a minor Tom D renaissance and return to the high level he had before.

    Good call, Rick. :#
    It’s right up there isn’t it?
    _
  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,973
    rick_chasey said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    rick_chasey said:

    I actually think we’ll see a minor Tom D renaissance and return to the high level he had before.

    Good call, Rick. :#
    It’s right up there isn’t it?
    I popped in to look for this as soon as I heard. Spectacular.
    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 21,534
    Thibaut Pinot to go the same way as Dumoulin.
    Not starting his usual Haut Var opener and claiming that he is still experiencing back problems from his TDF crash.
    From his interview it sounds like his head isn’t in the game.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • gsk82gsk82 Posts: 3,382
    blazing_saddles said:

    Thibaut Pinot to go the same way as Dumoulin.
    Not starting his usual Haut Var opener and claiming that he is still experiencing back problems from his TDF crash.
    From his interview it sounds like his head isn’t in the game.

    ...cos everyone else is on drugs.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 27,087
    blazing_saddles said:

    Thibaut Pinot to go the same way as Dumoulin.
    Not starting his usual Haut Var opener and claiming that he is still experiencing back problems from his TDF crash.
    From his interview it sounds like his head isn’t in the game.

    He bemoans that cycling has changed as now they have team meetings before a stage when he used to like going the start village to watch the clowns. This is a man whose salary ten times as much as Emmanuel Macron and treats the Tour de France as though it's a kids summer camp.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • bobmcstuffbobmcstuff Posts: 11,115
    RichN95. said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    Thibaut Pinot to go the same way as Dumoulin.
    Not starting his usual Haut Var opener and claiming that he is still experiencing back problems from his TDF crash.
    From his interview it sounds like his head isn’t in the game.

    He bemoans that cycling has changed as now they have team meetings before a stage when he used to like going the start village to watch the clowns. This is a man whose salary ten times as much as Emmanuel Macron and treats the Tour de France as though it's a kids summer camp.
    I saw that, couldn't believe it. Isn't having a pre race briefing pretty much the bare minimum level of professionalism?
  • ocdupalaisocdupalais Posts: 4,200
    They do a good line in bemoaning, Pinot and his team. Maybe, in the interests of balance, Pinot also said “but let’s face it - other teams are stronger in depth and better equipped than us at the grand tours. That’s the bottom line”, but the Cyclingnews journo was too busy continuing the Pinot trope and having a pop at Wiggins and Team Sky.
  • andyracandyrac Posts: 1,047
    bobmcstuff said:

    RichN95. said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    Thibaut Pinot to go the same way as Dumoulin.
    Not starting his usual Haut Var opener and claiming that he is still experiencing back problems from his TDF crash.
    From his interview it sounds like his head isn’t in the game.

    He bemoans that cycling has changed as now they have team meetings before a stage when he used to like going the start village to watch the clowns. This is a man whose salary ten times as much as Emmanuel Macron and treats the Tour de France as though it's a kids summer camp.
    I saw that, couldn't believe it. Isn't having a pre race briefing pretty much the bare minimum level of professionalism?
    All sports have changed, even cycling. Somebody needs to tell him and his team it's 2021 - not 1991....
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • orraloonorraloon Posts: 12,149
    Maybe Madiot and Pinot need to understand that the 5Ps of 'proper planning prevents pisspoor performance' does not include 'panache'.
  • andypandyp Posts: 9,850
    Given their budget, I think Groupama-FDJ have consistently over-achieved for the past five years, despite what you naysayers think.
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 27,087
    andyp said:

    Given their budget, I think Groupama-FDJ have consistently over-achieved for the past five years, despite what you naysayers think.

    They've won two World Tour races (excluding stage). Half as many Jakob Fuglsang in the same time period.

    Although they have only won seven in their entire 23 year existence, two less than Simon Gerrans. So two in five years is quite good I suppose.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 26,094
    andyp said:

    Given their budget, I think Groupama-FDJ have consistently over-achieved for the past five years, despite what you naysayers think.

    They need to learn to back the right horse* and ditch the romantic GC ambitions...

    *(the one called Arnaud who wins a lot)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 21,534
    andyp said:

    Given their budget, I think Groupama-FDJ have consistently over-achieved for the past five years, despite what you naysayers think.

    Best result over achieving during those 5 years was finishing 11th best in UCI team rankings.

    Budget is relative when their top riders prefer to stay in France instead of chase more lucrative contracts.

    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ProssPross Posts: 38,825
    andyp said:

    Given their budget, I think Groupama-FDJ have consistently over-achieved for the past five years, despite what you naysayers think.

    Doing the basics of any professional team isn't a budget issue though. They can make a low budget work better for them by getting those basics right.
  • yorkshirerawyorkshireraw Posts: 1,628
    Pross said:

    andyp said:

    Given their budget, I think Groupama-FDJ have consistently over-achieved for the past five years, despite what you naysayers think.

    Doing the basics of any professional team isn't a budget issue though. They can make a low budget work better for them by getting those basics right.
    Exactly - Exhibit A - Sunweb (DSM)
  • gweedsgweeds Posts: 2,522
    The hard reality is that French teams were (are) far too insular and very slow to pick up modern diet, training, planning and preparation. See also Italian teams.

    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.
  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,973
    Part of the issue for French teams is that they're... Well... Very French. Mainly French riders, mainly French DSs. It makes it difficult to pick up underpriced talent from the rest of the world. Your Eastern European workhorse or Danish classics rider is far more likely to speak a bit of English and will integrate far quicker into an English speaking /International team. So if you're on a tight budget you're in trouble, you've got a far shallower pool of riders to look at. That the DSs and support staff (docs, dieticians, coaches) are likely French as well means that ideas that are innovative on more international teams take longer to propagate to French teams, by which time they're not an advantage any more as everyone is doing them.
    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
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