+3
01-04-2025 01:16
+7
31-03-2025 17:02
+1
28-01-2025 20:10
+0
04-11-2024 15:36
+4
01-11-2024 16:14
01-11-2024 13:37
+2
25-10-2024 14:00
+27
24-10-2024 16:50
23-10-2024 16:03
21-10-2024 13:53
+3
MidnightRider
Hard to imagine that his confidence - that imperious flow state that great athletes operate in - hasn't been affected. But that is a different dynamic than the one you described. He has not become hesitant because he is fixated on his rival. He has suffered multiple traumatic injuries, and I have no doubt he is still 1% off both mentally and physically as a result. Football (both kinds) and basketball players who blow out knees go through a predictable cycle in which they are reluctant to do max efforts even after their doctors have cleared them. I myself went though a small version of that after a back injury. It's just hard once you no longer know where the line is. We saw in his TT a couple weeks ago that he still has power, and for all the hand wringing he is still finishing in the top 10-20 of big races. But as we have seen with others, getting *all* the way back is not assured. I'm not ready to say he is done, but few riders who have been hurt as often and as badly as him remain at the top.01-04-2025 01:16
+7
MidnightRider
Too much amatuer psychology. How about this: "he was never as good as when he had not suffered multiple career-threatening injuries." What is happening to him is what happened to Alaphilippe, Bernal, and others. You will notice that his two major peers -- MVDP and Mads - are both at their all time best. You will also note that neither is coming off of anything like the same last 18 months that Wout is. Go back to 2022, then roll the tape forward with Wout remaining healhty and one of them having had multiple traumatic falls. Odds are good he'd be at his dominant best and they would not.31-03-2025 17:02
+1
MidnightRider
While I understand his frustration, the last-minute nature of this isn't really relevant. The problem isn't the selection process, it's that Jens rides for a country with lots of outstanding riders. He is currently the 9th ranked cx rider from Belgium, and that is with Wout at 35th due to minimal participation. Disappointing for Jens, but the right choice for the team.28-01-2025 20:10
+0
MidnightRider
What I can't quite figure is why he didn't do Tour de Suisse this year. He only has two holes in his resume, and I thought his transfer to Bora was meant specifically to correct that. Yet he went to the Dauphine, which he had already won, while Adam Yates won TDS. Seems like the wrong choice to me.04-11-2024 15:36
+4
MidnightRider
Hooligans. Losers. I've been to cyclocross races, and most fans are not like this. I hope they identify the offenders and have them charged.01-11-2024 16:14
+7
MidnightRider
Please go. You and the rest of the crowd that makes these posts are more bothersome than the articles about Lance.01-11-2024 13:37
+2
MidnightRider
I'm no fan of Lefevere, but the loss of the Wolfpack is a blow to the sport. It (the sport) is already too focused on just one event. A powerful Belgian team dedicated to the classics add to the richness of the sport as a whole, and extends the cultural and historical role of cycling in Belgium in particular.25-10-2024 14:00
+27
MidnightRider
Well said. Consummate team player, dedicated family man, brilliant rider who has overcome some terrible injuries...and occasional poster of humorous videos on social media. Not a lot to be critical of, although that doesn't stop some of these old-timers.24-10-2024 16:50
+0
MidnightRider
Lots of data contradicts this: 1. Overall participation in cycling has been trending up since at least 2010. https://www.statista.com/statistics/191204/participants-in-bicycling-in-the-us-since-2006/ 2. The Covid boom skewed things considerably -- sales are down since 2020 -- but as a broad considertaion bike sales have trended up since the early 2000s 3. At the pro level, while there is no TDF contender like Greg Lemond or any of the doping-era riders, Americans are nonetheless doing better than ever. Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgensen, Neilsen Powless, and Brandon McNulty have all won big races. Quinn Simmons, Kevin Vermaerke, and Magnus Sheffield all placed in the top 50 at the recent WC. Two WT teams are sponsored primarily by American companies. To the bad: top racing events have largely gone away, including really great events like the Tour of California. But that isn't unique to America, and has nothing to do with Lance Armstrong. England, for example, is struggling to maintain its road racing schedule. But at the same time, mountain and gravel racing continue to grow here, and Arkansas is making a concerted effort to become a cycling hub. So say what you will about Lance Armstrong, American cycling has long since moved beyond those dark years and is doing well.23-10-2024 16:03
+1
MidnightRider
I think you are taking this much too seriously. The title plays up the most provocative quote in the interview, but It's not"immensely misleading." Vasseur really did say it, and he did so after making other disparaging claims (i.e., that Zingle would not negotiate in good faith, that he was "lost," etc.). He was ungracious and frankly unprofessional, and I have no problem with the article headlined that way.21-10-2024 13:53