Agreed. A stage win or two brings a lot more to the team than a 3rd on GC (assuming he could even pull a third).
No change for me; I can pull up the start lists for tomorrow and the weekend just fine, but then Iām not logged in either?
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Nope, not biting on that one
I guess it depends on what Tom want to do. Targeting stages makes the most sense, and thatās what it sounds like theyāre doing from the teamās announcement. But if Tom is really excited about a GC bid then I assume theyāll let him run with it. Itāll be tough with that team though, and itās hard to fathom anyone but UAE and RedBull in the top 2 - though the Giro is notoriously unpredictable.
Should be a good battle for the third podium spot (with or without Piddles) between Carapaz, S. Yates, Curiosity, hopefully Bernal, Gee, and Plapp. But when you look at UAE, man, they could sweep the podium.
Weāre picking for DDV, right?
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Rick roll bait link or the one with the photo of the huge black guy with the 16" dong?
I have no idea who to pick for Dwars Door Vlaanderen, but Iāll throw something at the wall.
Mads, MattyJo, Tarling
Wout, Wellens
Mads. So the guy has gone 1 and 2 in his last 2 races and he has a sort of important one coming up on Saturday. Heās going pretty well. Does he just go on and smote everyone again tomorrow? Or keep powder dry?
I think he smotes. Form is so fleeting, if youāre going, go.
Mads
Tarling
MJ
Abrahamson
de Bondtā¦DRIES de Bondt
Dwars picks - Pederson, Jorgensen, Philipsen
Wild cards: Magnier, Girmay
When the form is thereā¦!
This is a tough one too. Iāll go with:
Wout, Mads, Phillipson
Wellens, Girmay
Yeah this was somewhat my Mads logic for G-W - he already put forth a big display of strength and form and surely his main focus in De Ronde? It seems reasonable to not go too hard on Wednesday, but Mads gonna Mads, and maybe heās one of those guys who likes hard racing leading up to a big target - still plenty of time to recover.
I think this yearās DVV parcours is a little less selective than previous editions. Itās tough to call. The sprinters are often up there but rarely seem to win DVV. Maybe this year is different?
Iām torn between sprinters like Philipsen, Merlier, Milan and classics guys like Mads or Wout, or big units going for the long bomb like Tarling or Kung.
Iād love a Tarling or Kung win from far out.
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Tarling is due.
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I need Wout to be on contention at De Ronde, so Iām wishfully picking him to lay down a statement tomorrow. Beyond that, Iām picking the sprinters and hedging my bets with a long range power move:
Wout, Milan, Philipsen
Tarling, Kung
Interested to see what the Gnar brings tomorrow. Seems like one of his only āoff the leashā opportunities.
Iām hoping the best for Wout but Iāve lost faith for the moment. He did a huge block at Teide and maybe itās just taking him a while to come around - hopefully by next weekend.
Dwars picks:
Merlier, Philipsen, Milan
M Pedersen, KĆ¼ng
Merlier, Mads, Philipsen
Magnier, Magnus
My picks for Dwars.
Mads, Wout, Philpson.
Kung, Pithie
Jasper, Milan, Wellens
Magnus, Wout
A little while ago ā¦
The front of the race passes Flanders Field American cemetery and Memorial
Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War I cemetery in the city of Waregem, Belgium. Originally a temporary battlefield burial ground, Flanders Field American Cemetery later became the only permanent American World War I cemetery in Belgium.
The song by Sting is about the ākidsā from England sent to fight, but ALL need remembering
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@eb Iām hoping that Wout is just hiding his form for an assault on Flanders and Roubaix. Wishful thinking, but thats where Iām at.
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