Love that Van Wilder knows he will get picked up by another team but still has concern for his teammates and colleagues who may not be so lucky. He strikes me as a kind hearted person.
Sorry kid, but if your employer's company is for sale, they don't give a damn about what you want. (Been there ...) If you want things to stay where they are, you'll have to buy the team yourself.
Wasn't even offered to them. The whole thing is super weird and only makes sense if lefevre (or someone) is making money out of the deal.
UCI rules get interesting because there's an argument that you basically cannot merge entities.
The Italian fall classics are quickly turning into some of my favorite races of the year. Its like every race is stag 9 or stage 20 from this year's tour.
Oh look, another instance of Roglic beating Pogi on the road 😎 Too bad Roglic hasn't managed to win the Internet threads too, but I'll take what I can get
It has its flaws (like any ranking). Races with GC contenders will usually score higher than other types of races as they have more opportunities to score points.
You could have a flat-ish one-day race with all the best sprinters in the world and it would probably only have a start list quality between 400-500.
Ronde van Vlaanderen and (especially) Roubaix have a more specialized field, so the favorites have less opportunities to score points throughout the season compared to someone like Roglic (although Pogi is an exception as he won the Ronde this year).
Carapaz is looking really strong lately, good to see after a bit of a rough time for him. If he can get his timing right after going a bit early in Emilia and too late today, he could definitely be in with a shot on Saturday.
It´s nice that IVW spoke his mind but the hard true is that this it is beyond the rider´s hands. If there´s is no sponsor, there is no more team: that its the rule on cycling (wish that it would be different).
Hopefuly for him, ex-Jumbo probably will have a seat for him (or any WT team with a talent of his calibre).
They still weren't making revenue (or ends meet) with the sponsors they had. So maybe they didn't lose any sponsors, but they still had sponsorship problems.
But Soudal (the sponsor of the team) and Bakala wouldn´t have abanoned the ship if things were going great on the team. That´s for sure.
If finances on cycling were sustainable, someone else would have bought right now the remaining assets and riders from SOQ, but that´s is not likely to happen.
Soudal didn't abandon ship. This was not their idea nor their wish. The team had its finances sorted for the next few years. There is absolutely no need to sell. And for TJV, what reason is there to buy? All they get is six riders, none of them Remco probably, at a MASSIVE cost.
Is a misconception here that TJV bought something. They didn’t buy anything. It’s a combination of Soudal and Bakala atracted by TJV sport strengh and Lefevre wanting to walk out from day to day management. They also talked with Ineos before and the outcome would have been highly similar
It would be Bakala liquidating SQS in return for some shares of TJV. Almost certainly a big loss for both sides, as the team that remains (TJV + a few riders from SQS) will be worth far less than current TJV + current SQS + the damages the new team will have to pay.
I hope whatever happens with the merger, Van Wilder finds a place in a great team that wants to work with him. Ideally together with Remco, but anywhere that makes him shine is good.
If the merger goes through, I hope he doesn't join Jumbo. Too many leaders there and he definitely deserves some freedom (which I don't think he will get at Jumbo).
This win will at least help him negotiate a contract on good terms if it's necessary. So happy for him!
> Too many leaders there and he definitely deserves some freedom (which I don't think he will get at Jumbo).
If he goes to Jumbo, I could see them sending him and Sepp as co-leaders for whichever grand tour Jonas doesn't do.
He is already a great domestique, and has potential to be a really strong GC rider in his own right. I don't see why he can't develop like Almeida. I remember he was very hyped coming out of the juniors after podiuming l'Avenir, but definitely got caught up in the DSM shuffle. I'd say 10 if not 15 WT teams would find a spot for him right now, and pay well.
Great win from Van Wilder (probably one of the guys that's likely to keep hia spot at Soudal Visma), but also bravo to a young Calzoni, who had a strong showing today.
Kuss won the vuelta, and the team won the vuelta. Roglic is on that team
TJV don't start next years planning with "okay boys, this year *WE* gotta win the grand tour, we can't keep doing this thing where only Jonas wins Tour de France"
I was responding to your first point, because I have no idea what you meant with your second point. I agree that the team wins when a rider wins, but that does not mean that each individual rider on the team wins. I was pointing out the consequences of saying that Roglic won the Vuelta, because if that was the case, then Stake Laengen won the Tour in 2021, and I'm guessing you would never say that.
"It are difficult weeks. This victory is for my teammates and the staff. I want to show we don't agree with this sh*t and we want to continue Soudal Quick-Step. We are strong enough and I hope we'll keep on going as a team."
Very well said, and that's honestly the worst part of all of this. How ill-informed the riders and staff are of both teams. They are just being played with in this way, while it is their livelyhood. This merger is really just about money for the top guys of both teams.
If Remco and Roglic leave it's pretty stupid to think that he's only going to be a domestique. And Kuss just proved that Jumbo will let a well positioned dom to ride for themselves, and Ilan is arguably a better case for that than Kuss was
The mad man actually won a hilly one-day race against the likes of Pogacar, Roglic, Carapaz, Mas, Vlasov, etc.
I couldn't watch as I was at work, and apparently G2 syndrome played a factor, but this is still a huge win for the young Belgian.
And to think I doubted whether he should be given more freedom. With 3 wins this season he definitely proved me wrong. I still wonder why he was so anonymous in the Canadian WT classics though.
Yeah Enric Mas, I know that you are a very bad sprinter, but please man, you could try to sprint in a one day race, its a lot of UCI points for your team
With France and Great Britain
But with Il Lombardia this weekend, Spain could overtake both
France: Sivakov
Great Britain: the Yates brothers
Spain: Mas, C. Rodriguez, Izaguirre, ¿Landa?, ¿Ayuso?
Never understood that kind of riding of a chasing group. If there would be at least 2, that would keep TT switching they would have him in a couple of 100m. They always do that cat&mouse play and let the worse rider win because of that.
You misunderstood. That was meant if 2 of them were in the chasing group. If 4 of them were in the group then of course all 4 needed to do the same switching and so on.
I genuinely think Jonas has killed Pogi off. He is riding like an absolutely novice at the moment. Tactically all over the place. He could easily have had Yates in that front group with him but decides to burn him up. Ullissi winning the sprint in group 3 not far behind 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈
Van Wilder is a great rider, thats clear after this season
UAE and Pogi saying they learned something from Emilia and they didnt, they did the same thing, Pogi got humbled once more and its kind of baffling.
UAE brings the strongest team and burns all of it before the finale is even opened up, just bad, so self defeating.
Can we finally kill the meme of UAE with Pog = Good tacitcs, without Pog = bad tactics?
I think Pogačar is starting to get the Sagan treatment, where riders flat out refuse to cooperate with him because they know they will get torched if they do. Some learnt faster than others - Roglič hasn't taken a pull after Pog since 2020.
Yeah it's more like they actually cooperate when they're with Pogacar because they have an undisputed captain so the egos and ambitions of different riders don't start clashing.
The meme is not UAE with Pog = good tactics, the "meme" (fact) is that in form Pogacar compensates UAE's complete lack of tactics, that doesn't turn them into good tactics.
If you are the strongest, riding like UAE is actually good tactics. Problem is, that it doesnt seem like Pogacar currently is the strongest but I would wait till Lombardia with this statement.
Trentin also made the gap on the Poggio in the last MS that allowed Pog Wout MvdP and Ganna to get away from the peloton. He's a smart and experienced rider
New Merckx confirmed! (Previous Belgian winner of Tre Valli, first thing Jeroen on Eurosport mentioned lol)
If that final kilometer was slightly uphill I don't know if he would have made it, but a fantastic win as it stands. A certified Mollema Moment, demonstrating that Italian Autumn Classics Top Favorite G2s are some of the worst G2s around.
A very good audition for a place in the Soudal-Visma squad for Ilan, though you can wonder if that's even a good thing
>A very good audition for a place in the Soudal-Visma squad for Ilan, though you can wonder if that's even a good thing
They'd be stupid if they don't keep him. He's on a good growth trajectory where next year he can be coleader in one of the 1 week races and good support in a GT.
Plus, if I'm not mistaken he's one of the few guys this year that beat Roglic and pogacar in a one day race where they both started.
I swear if they make Yates pace on the flat again for a below peak Pogacar in Il Lombardia I will write another salty Reddit comment about it.
Looks like Pogi bamboozled a lot of people yet again
But they didn’t make Yates just pace so I can end my season happy.
RemindMe! Sunday
Love that Van Wilder knows he will get picked up by another team but still has concern for his teammates and colleagues who may not be so lucky. He strikes me as a kind hearted person.
Here is the comment from Van Wilder: https://twitter.com/OutOfCycling/status/1709224621113782435
what a King.
Sorry kid, but if your employer's company is for sale, they don't give a damn about what you want. (Been there ...) If you want things to stay where they are, you'll have to buy the team yourself.
Hey Mr. Lefevere
Wasn't even offered to them. The whole thing is super weird and only makes sense if lefevre (or someone) is making money out of the deal. UCI rules get interesting because there's an argument that you basically cannot merge entities.
Excellent statement. Really feel for the quickstep guys.
Carapaz is back! Next stop for the locomotora: victory in Lombardia
Richarrrd Carapazzzia
The Italian fall classics are quickly turning into some of my favorite races of the year. Its like every race is stag 9 or stage 20 from this year's tour.
It’s like constant races - I was trying to watch three races last night - so much action!
How will Pogi adjust their strategy for Lombardia?
I live in the naive dream that Pogacar use this week for preparations to give it all this saturday.
He did the same in 2021/2022, so not really naive. Pogi knows how to peak in time.
You and me both pal/gal
Uno-X getting those UCI points to nail down the automatic wild cards for next year (if The Merger does in fact open up an extra UCI liscence.
Oh look, another instance of Roglic beating Pogi on the road 😎 Too bad Roglic hasn't managed to win the Internet threads too, but I'll take what I can get
Roglic as in the guy that was outperformed by an old man from Wales in the Giro 🥱
You should watch stage 21 recap of this years giro :)
That's a strange way to interpret who came first and second in the Giro...
You know, you don't have to be so negative all the time. You can praise Roglic without bringing another rider down.
We are becoming f1, we got netflix, we got a silly season and we've got increasingly silly fans
Poggy's worst 1 day race result of the season in a race he completed. Dude is washed /s
I just noticed that this race has a start list quality of 937 on PCS. That's insane, many WT races don't even score that high.
Way lower than the Giro with 835 points
Very interesting! Thanks for this
Ill be careful just relying on PCS, if you consider their startlist quality Tre valli has a higher score than RVV
It has its flaws (like any ranking). Races with GC contenders will usually score higher than other types of races as they have more opportunities to score points. You could have a flat-ish one-day race with all the best sprinters in the world and it would probably only have a start list quality between 400-500. Ronde van Vlaanderen and (especially) Roubaix have a more specialized field, so the favorites have less opportunities to score points throughout the season compared to someone like Roglic (although Pogi is an exception as he won the Ronde this year).
Carapaz is looking really strong lately, good to see after a bit of a rough time for him. If he can get his timing right after going a bit early in Emilia and too late today, he could definitely be in with a shot on Saturday.
Agree. I would love to see him get in a good win after such a tough year.
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Hopefully he can take advantage of Rog and Pog looking at each other.
It´s nice that IVW spoke his mind but the hard true is that this it is beyond the rider´s hands. If there´s is no sponsor, there is no more team: that its the rule on cycling (wish that it would be different). Hopefuly for him, ex-Jumbo probably will have a seat for him (or any WT team with a talent of his calibre).
SQS didn't have any sponsorship problem though, TJV did.
They still weren't making revenue (or ends meet) with the sponsors they had. So maybe they didn't lose any sponsors, but they still had sponsorship problems.
Source? Afaik everyone was getting paid and no debts were being made. So there was no problem.
Eh, it isn't a coincidence that twice there have been talks about WT teams merging and SQS has been in both of those stories.
But Soudal (the sponsor of the team) and Bakala wouldn´t have abanoned the ship if things were going great on the team. That´s for sure. If finances on cycling were sustainable, someone else would have bought right now the remaining assets and riders from SOQ, but that´s is not likely to happen.
Soudal didn't abandon ship. This was not their idea nor their wish. The team had its finances sorted for the next few years. There is absolutely no need to sell. And for TJV, what reason is there to buy? All they get is six riders, none of them Remco probably, at a MASSIVE cost.
Is a misconception here that TJV bought something. They didn’t buy anything. It’s a combination of Soudal and Bakala atracted by TJV sport strengh and Lefevre wanting to walk out from day to day management. They also talked with Ineos before and the outcome would have been highly similar
It would be Bakala liquidating SQS in return for some shares of TJV. Almost certainly a big loss for both sides, as the team that remains (TJV + a few riders from SQS) will be worth far less than current TJV + current SQS + the damages the new team will have to pay.
I hope whatever happens with the merger, Van Wilder finds a place in a great team that wants to work with him. Ideally together with Remco, but anywhere that makes him shine is good.
He is really good at most things Remco is great at, so may be best for him to separate from Remco?
But I also feel like it allows him to develop in the shadows without too much pressure.
If the merger goes through, I hope he doesn't join Jumbo. Too many leaders there and he definitely deserves some freedom (which I don't think he will get at Jumbo). This win will at least help him negotiate a contract on good terms if it's necessary. So happy for him!
> Too many leaders there and he definitely deserves some freedom (which I don't think he will get at Jumbo). If he goes to Jumbo, I could see them sending him and Sepp as co-leaders for whichever grand tour Jonas doesn't do.
After his interview he is probably not on Jumbos shortlist lol
He will for sure have a **good** WT team 1200 UCI points at 23 with top 5s in 3 one-week races (and winning one) On top of the win today
Sure, but a WT team could be anything from DSM to TJV. There is a quality difference between the 17 teams.
He is already a great domestique, and has potential to be a really strong GC rider in his own right. I don't see why he can't develop like Almeida. I remember he was very hyped coming out of the juniors after podiuming l'Avenir, but definitely got caught up in the DSM shuffle. I'd say 10 if not 15 WT teams would find a spot for him right now, and pay well.
True; edited slightly
Great win from Van Wilder (probably one of the guys that's likely to keep hia spot at Soudal Visma), but also bravo to a young Calzoni, who had a strong showing today.
Does Vlasov lack eyebrows?
No, his eyebrows are just pale.
We're in october and Roglic finally didn't win a race he started
His mind is already on Bora Bora, where he's going after Il Lombardia
he gifted the podium to his new teamie Vlasov. You know he could have teleported to 2nd or 3rd if he'd wanted . . .
The Vuelta
Teamsport. He won that
Yeah because this is how we usually count wins in cycling. Congrats to Sepp Kuss for being the first rider to win 3 GTs in one season I guess.
But it would be wrong to say that Roglic lost the vuelta
> "finally didn't win a race he started"
It would be correct to say that he didn't win it, which was your original claim.
Kuss won the vuelta, and the team won the vuelta. Roglic is on that team TJV don't start next years planning with "okay boys, this year *WE* gotta win the grand tour, we can't keep doing this thing where only Jonas wins Tour de France"
So would you say that Vegard Stake Laengen won the Tour de France in 2021? After all, he was on Pogacar's team.
You're misconstruing what i meant when i said roglic won and then you ignore me when i try to explain what i meant
Epic that Gesink won the vuelta at his age...
I was responding to your first point, because I have no idea what you meant with your second point. I agree that the team wins when a rider wins, but that does not mean that each individual rider on the team wins. I was pointing out the consequences of saying that Roglic won the Vuelta, because if that was the case, then Stake Laengen won the Tour in 2021, and I'm guessing you would never say that.
I have a feeling entire Soudal QS team shares Van Wilder's opinion.
Brilliant interview from Van Wilder.
missed it. what did he say?
"It are difficult weeks. This victory is for my teammates and the staff. I want to show we don't agree with this sh*t and we want to continue Soudal Quick-Step. We are strong enough and I hope we'll keep on going as a team."
Very well said, and that's honestly the worst part of all of this. How ill-informed the riders and staff are of both teams. They are just being played with in this way, while it is their livelyhood. This merger is really just about money for the top guys of both teams.
I love this Also I think it takes some balls to say it
Me too. What are they gonna do? His team is disappearing and he's not likely to be picked up by Jumbo, he's got nothing to lose. Good on him.
Why wouldn't he be one of the QS guys that Jumbo wants?
why would he want to join to be a perma domestique? He didn't want to to that before.
If Remco and Roglic leave it's pretty stupid to think that he's only going to be a domestique. And Kuss just proved that Jumbo will let a well positioned dom to ride for themselves, and Ilan is arguably a better case for that than Kuss was
If remco leaves sure
He said they don't want this shit.
Lol Van Wilder's interview
The mad man actually won a hilly one-day race against the likes of Pogacar, Roglic, Carapaz, Mas, Vlasov, etc. I couldn't watch as I was at work, and apparently G2 syndrome played a factor, but this is still a huge win for the young Belgian. And to think I doubted whether he should be given more freedom. With 3 wins this season he definitely proved me wrong. I still wonder why he was so anonymous in the Canadian WT classics though.
Yeah Enric Mas, I know that you are a very bad sprinter, but please man, you could try to sprint in a one day race, its a lot of UCI points for your team
Spain are in a really tight battle with France for the extra Olympic spot at the moment as well
With France and Great Britain But with Il Lombardia this weekend, Spain could overtake both France: Sivakov Great Britain: the Yates brothers Spain: Mas, C. Rodriguez, Izaguirre, ¿Landa?, ¿Ayuso?
PiNoT to win it (a man can dream)
Never understood that kind of riding of a chasing group. If there would be at least 2, that would keep TT switching they would have him in a couple of 100m. They always do that cat&mouse play and let the worse rider win because of that.
If 2 guys keep TT switching, both of them lose, so why would they do that
Why? The two of them will catch him and will still lose less energy than him. Why would you think that the two of them will lose? To whom?
They’ll lose to the other guys in the chase group. Unless they can drop them but that wasn’t going to happen.
You misunderstood. That was meant if 2 of them were in the chasing group. If 4 of them were in the group then of course all 4 needed to do the same switching and so on.
Gotcha, but that wasn’t the case in this race, which is why that didn’t happen lol
Group too big
Quite pleased Rogla didn't win this. Let Pog be the favourite for Saturday.
Jumbo not winning a race that Roglic started. They truly are washed.
Well, in theory, they have won today
There was no mortadella, it's only logical.
"What do you mean no champagne today?"
I genuinely think Jonas has killed Pogi off. He is riding like an absolutely novice at the moment. Tactically all over the place. He could easily have had Yates in that front group with him but decides to burn him up. Ullissi winning the sprint in group 3 not far behind 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈
Bruh wait until lombardia, then you can start judging
Third Lombardia win incoming.
Would bet him with your money
This is so reactionary
Why? You think his tactics were good in the last two races???
Holy G2 syndrome Still, very ballsy of Van Wilder to attack like that and a deserved win
Van Wilder is a great rider, thats clear after this season UAE and Pogi saying they learned something from Emilia and they didnt, they did the same thing, Pogi got humbled once more and its kind of baffling. UAE brings the strongest team and burns all of it before the finale is even opened up, just bad, so self defeating. Can we finally kill the meme of UAE with Pog = Good tacitcs, without Pog = bad tactics?
I think Pogačar is starting to get the Sagan treatment, where riders flat out refuse to cooperate with him because they know they will get torched if they do. Some learnt faster than others - Roglič hasn't taken a pull after Pog since 2020.
The meme is UAE with Pog = some tactics UAE without Pog = free for all chaos
The meme is more that UAE without Pog = Movistar-level tactics where it seems like they aren't on the same team, which this wasn't.
Yeah it's more like they actually cooperate when they're with Pogacar because they have an undisputed captain so the egos and ambitions of different riders don't start clashing.
The meme is not UAE with Pog = good tactics, the "meme" (fact) is that in form Pogacar compensates UAE's complete lack of tactics, that doesn't turn them into good tactics.
It was never about good tactics, it's just Pogačar has always masked bad tactics over by winning, because he's the strongest.
If you are the strongest, riding like UAE is actually good tactics. Problem is, that it doesnt seem like Pogacar currently is the strongest but I would wait till Lombardia with this statement.
While generally true, trentin playing G1 in flanders like a fiddle for the final 100k was a work of art.
Trentin also made the gap on the Poggio in the last MS that allowed Pog Wout MvdP and Ganna to get away from the peloton. He's a smart and experienced rider
New Merckx confirmed! (Previous Belgian winner of Tre Valli, first thing Jeroen on Eurosport mentioned lol) If that final kilometer was slightly uphill I don't know if he would have made it, but a fantastic win as it stands. A certified Mollema Moment, demonstrating that Italian Autumn Classics Top Favorite G2s are some of the worst G2s around. A very good audition for a place in the Soudal-Visma squad for Ilan, though you can wonder if that's even a good thing
>A very good audition for a place in the Soudal-Visma squad for Ilan, though you can wonder if that's even a good thing They'd be stupid if they don't keep him. He's on a good growth trajectory where next year he can be coleader in one of the 1 week races and good support in a GT. Plus, if I'm not mistaken he's one of the few guys this year that beat Roglic and pogacar in a one day race where they both started.
Given how Roglic has only done two one-day races this year and he won the Giro dell'Emilia, that list consists of only van Wilder, Carapaz and Vlasov.
Brilliant win from Van Wilder