Breaking down what the clash of the titans at the first Monument of the season taught us about the rest of the season & how it potentially changed the nature of the race forever
Striking how little team support MVDP needed for the finale. His form and tactics on the day were outstanding. Looking forward to the Van der Poel v Pogacar battles to come over the next couple of weeks.
He has gotten freakishly good at following wheels without major team support. One of the more interesting things about MvdP is how much his racecraft and timing have improved over the last few years. It feels like just yesterday that he was an unpolished gem with immense talent, but was always making the wrong decisions. Now he always seems to be in the right place at the exact right moment in the race.
Post-race reports mentioned that Pidcock was felled in the crash and resulting bottleneck at the bottom of the Cipressa, so perhaps a case of poor positioning, but he wasn’t actually dropped because of the pace up the climb.
I did see this later, but I guess its all kind of the same at Sanremo. None of these guys are going to be dropped on these mild climbs, it's just about where they are positioned, and Pidcock's poor positioning was likely his small/weak team finally catching up to him.
Nice work Spencer. Really appreciate your analysis. A bargain in cycling journalism. This was a moment in the world of cycling that benefits from a thorough breakdown. What a race! Cheers man.
I was listening to How the Race Was Won and Cosmo made an interesting observation that Pogacar had to lead Narvaez to the front, then literally waved him past to take the lead and start that attack. As strong as he can be, Narvaez doesn’t seem to have gelled with Tadej that well yet.
This is interesting. One issue UAE seems to keep having is that they recruit such high profile and talented riders, that it seems difficult for them to completely let go of their chances at winning, and hold back at key points (see: Ayuso on stage 4 of the TdF). Compare this to Alpecin, who has an almost mindless army of strong domestiques to cater to every need MvdP has.
Really enjoyed your last podcast (March 31st) and thanks for introducing me to the Tietema Rockets! Looked them up on YouTube and after some binge watching totally agree they are great storytellers - and bring way more sponsor value than just about any WT team. It is not only about winning which is what everyone misses in the Drive to Survive comps. To attract an audience beyond the sie hard fans you must have a compelling story.
Great analysis, Spencer. Van der Poel's combination of power and tactics showed how awesome this sport is. Thank you.
Striking how little team support MVDP needed for the finale. His form and tactics on the day were outstanding. Looking forward to the Van der Poel v Pogacar battles to come over the next couple of weeks.
He has gotten freakishly good at following wheels without major team support. One of the more interesting things about MvdP is how much his racecraft and timing have improved over the last few years. It feels like just yesterday that he was an unpolished gem with immense talent, but was always making the wrong decisions. Now he always seems to be in the right place at the exact right moment in the race.
Post-race reports mentioned that Pidcock was felled in the crash and resulting bottleneck at the bottom of the Cipressa, so perhaps a case of poor positioning, but he wasn’t actually dropped because of the pace up the climb.
I did see this later, but I guess its all kind of the same at Sanremo. None of these guys are going to be dropped on these mild climbs, it's just about where they are positioned, and Pidcock's poor positioning was likely his small/weak team finally catching up to him.
Nice work Spencer. Really appreciate your analysis. A bargain in cycling journalism. This was a moment in the world of cycling that benefits from a thorough breakdown. What a race! Cheers man.
I was listening to How the Race Was Won and Cosmo made an interesting observation that Pogacar had to lead Narvaez to the front, then literally waved him past to take the lead and start that attack. As strong as he can be, Narvaez doesn’t seem to have gelled with Tadej that well yet.
This is interesting. One issue UAE seems to keep having is that they recruit such high profile and talented riders, that it seems difficult for them to completely let go of their chances at winning, and hold back at key points (see: Ayuso on stage 4 of the TdF). Compare this to Alpecin, who has an almost mindless army of strong domestiques to cater to every need MvdP has.
Really enjoyed your last podcast (March 31st) and thanks for introducing me to the Tietema Rockets! Looked them up on YouTube and after some binge watching totally agree they are great storytellers - and bring way more sponsor value than just about any WT team. It is not only about winning which is what everyone misses in the Drive to Survive comps. To attract an audience beyond the sie hard fans you must have a compelling story.