Victor van de Putte

Latest comments

• OCexile01-01-2025
  thank you! yes, a limit is, by definition, a limit. i made the mistake of speaking figuratively about riding beyond one’s limit, having been led astray by common cycling parlance about “limits.” e.g… A few years back, after losing a horrifically hard cx race to mvdp (in i THINK it was Namur), wout van aert said, “it has always been a great ability of mathieu to be able to ride beyond his limit. i’m capable of riding a very good finale also, but often mathieu can just go deeper than i can…” this talk of “going deep” and “riding beyond the limit” is not scientific, clearly. it’s about some riders being able to cope with a higher degree of pain and discomfort for longer than others. cycling, we all know, is a sport defined by suffering. in many, most, or even all cases, the mind quits before the body absolutely fails — and here i AM speaking scientifically. so, “riding beyond one’s limit” could be understood to literally (or even clinically?) mean having the ability to cope with pain in a way that gets you closer to your absolute physiological limit. we all know, just as humans walking around on the planet, that everyone handles pain differently. cycling is a sport for professional sufferers. but it’s still just a microcosm of the population and some will be better at it than others, and SOMEBODY is going to be the “best” at it. that IS an absolute. now, i dunno if mathieu is THAT GUY, but he certainly appears to be on the short list. thanks for the comment. checking sloppy language is worthwhile and often stimulates thought and discussion. hopefully someone else will say something a lot more interesting about what “limits” mean in cycling than i have. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
• vappaxbipmv01-01-2025
  50 mil is not okay, no no. But 20-25 or however many FDJ is investing is perfectly fine Makes sense
• acem8201-01-2025
  Money for the teams goes down, "Oh my gosh, a crisis, what will we do?" Money for the teams goes up, "Oh my gosh, a crisis, what will we do?" The response from "small" team owners (especially Vaughters) is always the same, revenue sharing, capping team spending, and solidifying who gets to be in the upper echelons of cycling. Odd, that is precisely the thing that most benefits them, so they can now compete against the "big" teams, and don't have to worry about being supplanted by smaller teams below them. Odd how that works! -An Economist
• Renz01-01-2025
  You can't push beyond your limit, even if you're MVDP.
• OCexile01-01-2025
  it’s going to be interesting to see what goals and challenges will continue to inspire van der poel as a road racer. he’s a guy who can’t stand being bored. i mentioned in a comment some weeks ago that it kinda seems like he’s interested in becoming a better climber, experimenting with shedding body mass to see what might be possible. personally, i’ve always wished he would get passionate about TTs. he can obviously sustain massive watts for extended periods, and he has an almost singular ability to push beyond his limit and empty his tank to a stunning degree. additionally, he’s got a beautiful, naturally aero position when he’s on a road bike. on the rare occasions he’s felt like really making an effort — in yellow at the tour and pink at the giro — he finished 5th and 2nd, respectively. and he apparently NEVER practices that discipline, like EVER.
• JtotheB01-01-2025
  The late 90’s is when Lance was winning . Greg must have meant late ?
• Ride197401-01-2025
  If we put logic aside, we could envision Roglic in yellow in Paris, leading out Jordi Meeus for the final sprint.
• Mistermaumau01-01-2025
  Ok, missed that, kind of weird he felt it was important to specify when it’s only a personal opinion he’s totally entitled to having.
• Mistermaumau01-01-2025
  They may no longer have defined limit but I’m pretty sure it is still one of the many variables the biopass registers to expose discrepancies and there is no way any value above say 53/54 under normal conditions would not be considered abnormal and ignite a whole strategy for more intense controls. Where did you find information about it no longer being tested?
• Mistermaumau01-01-2025
  So all today’s guys will just smash Merckx 1h record on his bike now? That’s what you’re saying? Not even sure 5 could after preparing for a year and then only marginally.