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13:46
+1
01-06-2026 03:06
31-05-2026 22:20
+5
31-05-2026 02:21
25-05-2026 01:04
+2
25-05-2026 00:23
+9
24-05-2026 00:26
10-05-2026 15:09
06-05-2026 15:47
+4
05-05-2026 23:17
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MidnightRider
No doubt. Wout is famously undisciplined when it comes to training, recovery, and performance. And Visma is famous for lying about it. 🤡13:46
+1
MidnightRider
Good news indeed (for a Visma fan).01-06-2026 03:06
+1
MidnightRider
Agreed. And even the TT was not a huge concern in that a long, flat run is not his thing. If the TDF has released its route I haven't seen it, but I do not recall one quite like it at that race in some time. If it is a short one, or uphill, or both, should not be a problem.31-05-2026 22:20
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MidnightRider
Pog is the heavy favorite, but I agree, the "heavy" part seems less than it did before this show of force by Jonas. He said - and I believe him - that he is not "on his knees" despite three weeks of racing. If he recovers well and stays healthy, it will be a fun TDF.31-05-2026 02:21
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MidnightRider
I and others said in real time that the sprint teams were not getting it right. They had a bit of second-group syndrome going on ("no, YOU chase"), and Decathlon in particular was nearly invisible. They might have gotten away with it, but the 4 guys in the break kept working until the very end, even got a lead out from the team that had two riders up front. That is why they won, not the moto.25-05-2026 01:04
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MidnightRider
It is the lamest of excuses. This was lost by a group of sprint teams that chose not to work when the time came, and won by a breakaway that continued working right to the end. Yes, there were motos ahead of the lead riders; there were also motos ahead of the chasers and everywhere else. That is true of every race, and nothing that happened today was meaningfully different from any other race. The top teams just got it wrong, and paid for it when the break didn't come apart.25-05-2026 00:23
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MidnightRider
Did you see the pain face on Rex? Did you see veterans like Campy and Sepp empty their tanks for him? Riders of their stature could absolutely stand up to him, but have no need to. They like and respect him, and work like demons to support him.24-05-2026 00:26
+9
MidnightRider
Older/recently retired riders like Geraint Thomas and Peter Sagan say that pro racing no longer has any room for fun. The training is year-round and the racing is relentlessly intense from KM 0. Good for Wout and the other pros to have an event like this that is serious enough to be interesting, but still mostly for fun. Seems like a great weekend for lots of people, and in this case an exciting finale with a real life alien on course.10-05-2026 15:09
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MidnightRider
I just don't think it's "stooping low." Even the routine fight for position within a seemingly calm peloton is a huge struggle; pushing and yelling, top riders asserting themselves, lesser riders trying to hold on, team cars yelling in their ears, etc. And of course they are all fighting for their professional lives. Doesn't mean it should be ugly or personal, but the stakes are high and the margins are small. Some aggression or intimidation is normal.06-05-2026 15:47
+4
MidnightRider
While I agree that we like friendly rivals - I mean, who didn't get a little misty when MVDP congratulated Wout at Roubaix? - I think that what drives sport even more is heated rivals. Mercx, Hinault, Armstrong, Boonen, and many other champions have been famously fierce. We can debate where Pog is on that scale, but he is ruthless when he needs to be.05-05-2026 23:17