Hi, did anyone else sense Tadej seemed a little ‘down’, maybe even bored at the Dauphine? His energy seemed low, almost blasé; smiling when needed, or expected, i.e., on the podium. He didn’t convey his usual effervescent s p i r i t, more blasé than excited for his first overall Dauphine victory. (?) Thanks for the great summary, Spencer.
Perhaps Tadej likes some competition, which might be part of the reason he backed off a bit on Stage 7. I take it that he has matured. He doesnt need to crush the field, he just wants to win. Winning goes in the record books as a win, whether you win by ten seconds or a minute.
Maybe its hard to get excited about the Dauphine when the TdF is weeks away. I think this is true of great champions in any sport. Michael Jordan became his best at playoff time. Gretzky in the Stanley Cup. Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes (for example) come Super Bowl time.
Hi Greg, thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. His demeanor, for me, kind of put a damper on the competition, yet I understand what you’re saying about not being challenged; holding back. I was thinking, too, that there’s a level of maturity developing with him. It seemed quite apparent, too, that this race was indeed a preparation for the Tour. Can’t wait. :) 🚴💛
It appeared that this race was very much about Tadej keeping his powder dry after dominating on stage 6. The talk after that stage was about his 100th win, which he stated he wanted to occur at the TDF. I think that’s why he didn’t make a big effort chasing down Martinez on the final stage.
Haven’t listened to today’s Move+ podcast yet, but would love to hear your and Johan’s thoughts on Remco’s podium chances at the Tour without Landa and the other key domestique he lost at Dauphine.
Had to share something from idlprocycling.com. Merckx in an interview commenting on the current state of cycling. It does seem true that few these days ride the Monuments and Grand Tours. We're in an era of specialists. Pogacar had 58 race days in 2024. 25 wins, including the Giro, TdF and World Championship. As far as I can tell, no one else in the top tier matched Pogacar. Van der Poel raced 46 days.
"De Vlaeminck visited Merckx for coffee before his 80th birthday (June 17, ed.). Merckx has previously said that he has a lot of respect for Pogacar, but the competition is not at the same level. "Who else did we see in the spring?" Merckx wonders aloud to Het Nieuwsblad. "Van der Poel. And Evenepoel when he's fit. In my day, you had Godefroot, Roger, Freddy Maertens, Demeyer... And in the Grand Tours, Gimondi, Motta, Ocana, and Fuente. Nowadays, it's all a bit less impressive in the Tours. Except for Vingegaard. And even he. Vingegaard races so little. And in Paris-Nice at the beginning of the year, he didn't make a good impression on me."
De Vlaeminck sees the Dane as a typical modern stage racer who chooses one moment to peak. "Vingegaard is certainly a good stage racer, but he doesn't ride. What are they paying him for all year? And I'm not going to knock Pogacar, but what opposition does he have? Like they let him ride 90 kilometers in the Strade Bianche. And the only one who tried anything was Pidcockske (Tom Pidcock, ed.). Come on, guys. They wouldn't have dropped me that easily there. On the sand, in the stones. I would have loved to have ridden that race.""
Hi, did anyone else sense Tadej seemed a little ‘down’, maybe even bored at the Dauphine? His energy seemed low, almost blasé; smiling when needed, or expected, i.e., on the podium. He didn’t convey his usual effervescent s p i r i t, more blasé than excited for his first overall Dauphine victory. (?) Thanks for the great summary, Spencer.
Perhaps Tadej likes some competition, which might be part of the reason he backed off a bit on Stage 7. I take it that he has matured. He doesnt need to crush the field, he just wants to win. Winning goes in the record books as a win, whether you win by ten seconds or a minute.
Maybe its hard to get excited about the Dauphine when the TdF is weeks away. I think this is true of great champions in any sport. Michael Jordan became his best at playoff time. Gretzky in the Stanley Cup. Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes (for example) come Super Bowl time.
Hi Greg, thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. His demeanor, for me, kind of put a damper on the competition, yet I understand what you’re saying about not being challenged; holding back. I was thinking, too, that there’s a level of maturity developing with him. It seemed quite apparent, too, that this race was indeed a preparation for the Tour. Can’t wait. :) 🚴💛
It appeared that this race was very much about Tadej keeping his powder dry after dominating on stage 6. The talk after that stage was about his 100th win, which he stated he wanted to occur at the TDF. I think that’s why he didn’t make a big effort chasing down Martinez on the final stage.
I thought Tadej looked a bit disinterested during the TT. Just didn’t seem to be peddling with much authority.
That seated power on the climbs was something to see though!
Haven’t listened to today’s Move+ podcast yet, but would love to hear your and Johan’s thoughts on Remco’s podium chances at the Tour without Landa and the other key domestique he lost at Dauphine.
Had to share something from idlprocycling.com. Merckx in an interview commenting on the current state of cycling. It does seem true that few these days ride the Monuments and Grand Tours. We're in an era of specialists. Pogacar had 58 race days in 2024. 25 wins, including the Giro, TdF and World Championship. As far as I can tell, no one else in the top tier matched Pogacar. Van der Poel raced 46 days.
"De Vlaeminck visited Merckx for coffee before his 80th birthday (June 17, ed.). Merckx has previously said that he has a lot of respect for Pogacar, but the competition is not at the same level. "Who else did we see in the spring?" Merckx wonders aloud to Het Nieuwsblad. "Van der Poel. And Evenepoel when he's fit. In my day, you had Godefroot, Roger, Freddy Maertens, Demeyer... And in the Grand Tours, Gimondi, Motta, Ocana, and Fuente. Nowadays, it's all a bit less impressive in the Tours. Except for Vingegaard. And even he. Vingegaard races so little. And in Paris-Nice at the beginning of the year, he didn't make a good impression on me."
De Vlaeminck sees the Dane as a typical modern stage racer who chooses one moment to peak. "Vingegaard is certainly a good stage racer, but he doesn't ride. What are they paying him for all year? And I'm not going to knock Pogacar, but what opposition does he have? Like they let him ride 90 kilometers in the Strade Bianche. And the only one who tried anything was Pidcockske (Tom Pidcock, ed.). Come on, guys. They wouldn't have dropped me that easily there. On the sand, in the stones. I would have loved to have ridden that race.""