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2014 Eneco Tour
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| Riis123 |
Posted on 13-08-2014 21:23
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ruben wrote:
No, Mollema just copied the Giant ITT bike 1/1 on his Bianchi ITT bike
HOWEVER, Mollema has no Bianchi ITT bike at home, because it was impossible for Bianchi somehow. So unlike at Giant, Mollema had no way to train on his ITT bike this year... and it's a different bike as well.
It's one of the reasons he left Belkin for Trek.
So where did i say he copied it? Get real |
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| Wilier |
Posted on 13-08-2014 21:37
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It's clearly the bike. Mollema is in decent shape. There's no way he has become that bad in TT's. Mollema had plenty good results on a Giant bike.
When your position on the bike is not right, you will generate less power, waste more energy and be less aerodynamic.
Some bike manufacterers (Giant and Specialized f.e.) and teams put a lot of effort in research and development of their (TT-)bikes, by testing and researching the shit out of everything.'
Bianchi's old TT-bike had very bad reviews so they made a better one. The new bike came out too late, during the TdF (it was scheduled to come out much earlier). Finding the right position takes lots of testing and time so Mollema didn't have time to do that (nor will he, probably as he's moving to Trek).
I think it was quite a gamble to bring the new bike on the TdF and it didn't work out, much to their own embarassment. I personally would've played it safe and let them use their old bikes (or spray-paint a Giant bike into Bianchi colours  ). |
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| Guido Mukk |
Posted on 13-08-2014 22:18
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Wilier wrote:
It's clearly the bike. Mollema is in decent shape. There's no way he has become that bad in TT's. Mollema had plenty good results on a Giant bike.
When your position on the bike is not right, you will generate less power, waste more energy and be less aerodynamic.
Some bike manufacterers (Giant and Specialized f.e.) and teams put a lot of effort in research and development of their (TT-)bikes, by testing and researching the shit out of everything.'
Bianchi's old TT-bike had very bad reviews so they made a better one. The new bike came out too late, during the TdF (it was scheduled to come out much earlier). Finding the right position takes lots of testing and time so Mollema didn't have time to do that (nor will he, probably as he's moving to Trek).
I think it was quite a gamble to bring the new bike on the TdF and it didn't work out, much to their own embarassment. I personally would've played it safe and let them use their old bikes (or spray-paint a Giant bike into Bianchi colours ).
I have also have noticed that..and here as been also few remarks that Bianchi bikes..specially TT bikes really sucks.
Giant was amazing bike compared for that..btw. T-Mobile and Rabo Giant bikes was my emotional reason to buy one for myself. They look good they seems to be good they are good.
Hats off to Boom today who seems to have really uncomfortable feeling on that bike and was fixing he's position all the time..still managed to ride descent time
Edited by Guido Mukk on 13-08-2014 22:19
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| ruben |
Posted on 13-08-2014 22:22
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Riis123 wrote:
ruben wrote:
No, Mollema just copied the Giant ITT bike 1/1 on his Bianchi ITT bike
HOWEVER, Mollema has no Bianchi ITT bike at home, because it was impossible for Bianchi somehow. So unlike at Giant, Mollema had no way to train on his ITT bike this year... and it's a different bike as well.
It's one of the reasons he left Belkin for Trek.
So where did i say he copied it? Get real
Where did I say you said that? Read again please! I'm literally saying what Mollema said.
Don't get offensive if you can't read. |
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| admirschleck |
Posted on 13-08-2014 23:19
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Yeah, his AWFUL results are definitely the product of a bike change. Everyone else, somehow, managed to adapt - except him. I'm not buying that story. Come on guys, get your fanboy (nationalistic, biased or whatsoever) hats off and get real...
Edited by admirschleck on 13-08-2014 23:22
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| MrUfo87 |
Posted on 13-08-2014 23:26
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admirschleck wrote:
Yeah, his AWFUL results are definitely the product of bike change. Everyone else, somehow, managed to adapt, except him - I'm not buying that story. Come on guys, get your fanboy (biased or whatsoever) hats off and get real...
Then give an explanation why his time-trial results were very good in 2013 and are bad in 2014... For sure it's not only the bike and Mollema isn't as good as in 2013. But it's just strange that he went from 'very good in every time trial' to 'can't be worse in every time trial'.
Have to say it reminds me a bit about Andy Schleck and his awesome time-trial at TDF 2010 and his awful time-trial at TDF 2011. But I can't remember that he rode more good time-trials.
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| admirschleck |
Posted on 13-08-2014 23:29
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Mollema is worse at climbing this year, aswell as in every other aspect of cycling. It's just that he isn't as good anymore as he was last year. Changing bike is such a terrible excuse. Of course he'll never say that he didn't train enough or is just worse.
Edited by admirschleck on 13-08-2014 23:31
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 13-08-2014 23:30
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Didn't see any of the TT today but apparently Thomas put in a good ride  |
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| SSJ2Luigi |
Posted on 13-08-2014 23:47
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admirschleck wrote:
Yeah, his AWFUL results are definitely the product of a bike change. Everyone else, somehow, managed to adapt - except him. I'm not buying that story. Come on guys, get your fanboy (nationalistic, biased or whatsoever) hats off and get real...
he can't do time trials.
the only reason he finishes some time trials in a good position is because they have hilly terrein. just take a look at his result in time trials
Spoiler Tour Méditerranéen 2013 (summit finish) 18th
Tirreno-Adriatico 2013 (flat) 98th (out of 107)
Critérium International 2013 (more hilly than flat) 10th
Tour de Suisse 2013 (more flat than hilly) 56th
Tour de Suisse 2013 (upclimb Flumserberg) 3rd
Tour de France 2013 (begin hilly, ends flat) 11th
Tour de France 2013 (hilly) 11th
Vuelta a Espana 2013 (hilly) 106th
Vuelta a Andalucia 2014 (prologue) 51th
Tirreno-Adriatico 2014 (flat) 131th
Pais Vasco 2014 (somewhat hilly) 82th
Tour de Suisse 2014 (climby) 7th
Tour de Suisse 2014 (hilly) 21th
Tour de France 2014 (hilly) 140th
Eneco Tour 2014 (flat) 125th
his average finishing position on a flat time trial is 72th, considering that I included the CI and the TdF results, that's just stupidly low. except for some peaks he's isn't even close to any good results. |
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| admirschleck |
Posted on 13-08-2014 23:49
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Yeah Luigi, that's (in-between other things) what I was talking about. He isn't worse. He was never good actually.
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 14-08-2014 06:31
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TimoCycling wrote:
MrUfo87 wrote:
TimoCycling wrote:
ruben wrote:
Mollema was a decent enough ITT-er on his Giant bike.
But it's the same as before with Gesink, people only remember the bad results. So now think Mollema is a horrible itt-er because he sucks on the Bianchi bike.
Forgetting he was 11th in both TDF itt's last year, 2nd in pais vasco, and other good results. Oh well. Who really cares.
What's more important, Dumoulin finally won after all 2nd places behind Martin.
And what does Cyclingnews open with?
"Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Shimano) took a surprise victory on the second stage of the Eneco Tour. "
Yeah, great surprise Cyclingnews  Who have they got working there? Dumoulin beat Cancellara and others in almost every ITT this year.
Lol yeah, maybe they refer to the energy wasted yesterday to get back in the peloton. Cancellara was surprisingly strong aswell today, but I am happy for Tom, finally no 2nd place!!
He's now 2nd in the GC.
Damn it! Forever 2nd!
But he's better than Boom, so he will overtake him I think.
Just to be passed by Stybar and still to finish 2nd.
Nice win for Tom, deserved after all that 2nd places behind Panzerwagen.
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| Forever the Best |
Posted on 14-08-2014 07:12
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You can laugh at me but I think that Mollema should be a puncher.
Because you can't be a stage racer with losing 5-10 minutes on TTs.
And he finished Fleche in top 5 and San Sebastian 2nd.So he suits beter for hilly races.He should be a puncher.He can have very good results in hilly races.
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan'
Gracias Alberto.
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| Wilier |
Posted on 14-08-2014 08:45
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SSJ2Luigi wrote:
admirschleck wrote:
Yeah, his AWFUL results are definitely the product of a bike change. Everyone else, somehow, managed to adapt - except him. I'm not buying that story. Come on guys, get your fanboy (nationalistic, biased or whatsoever) hats off and get real...
he can't do time trials.
the only reason he finishes some time trials in a good position is because they have hilly terrein. just take a look at his result in time trials
Spoiler Tour Méditerranéen 2013 (summit finish) 18th
Tirreno-Adriatico 2013 (flat) 98th (out of 107)
Critérium International 2013 (more hilly than flat) 10th
Tour de Suisse 2013 (more flat than hilly) 56th
Tour de Suisse 2013 (upclimb Flumserberg) 3rd
Tour de France 2013 (begin hilly, ends flat) 11th
Tour de France 2013 (hilly) 11th
Vuelta a Espana 2013 (hilly) 106th
Vuelta a Andalucia 2014 (prologue) 51th
Tirreno-Adriatico 2014 (flat) 131th
Pais Vasco 2014 (somewhat hilly) 82th
Tour de Suisse 2014 (climby) 7th
Tour de Suisse 2014 (hilly) 21th
Tour de France 2014 (hilly) 140th
Eneco Tour 2014 (flat) 125th
his average finishing position on a flat time trial is 72th, considering that I included the CI and the TdF results, that's just stupidly low. except for some peaks he's isn't even close to any good results.
Yes, he may be worse than last year. But if you finished 11th on a flat TdF TT and had other good results, then you can't be an awful TT-ist. Finishing 125th and 140th on TT's is miles away from what he normally can do on a TT. Even without super form, he should be able to finish top 50 if he's bothered.
Let's see next year how he will fare on a Trek bike. They're a team with a bike brand that puts lots of emphasis on TT's.
Mollema is not the only Belkin rider to have dissapointing results with Bianchi. Look at Kelderman for example. Big specialist in the youth categories and some good results on Giant bikes. Now he's average.
Edited by Wilier on 14-08-2014 08:48
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| Anderis |
Posted on 14-08-2014 10:43
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admirschleck wrote:
Mollema is worse at climbing this year, aswell as in every other aspect of cycling.
I would argue he isn't any worse in hilly classics. |
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| Riis123 |
Posted on 14-08-2014 10:50
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ruben wrote:
Riis123 wrote:
ruben wrote:
No, Mollema just copied the Giant ITT bike 1/1 on his Bianchi ITT bike
HOWEVER, Mollema has no Bianchi ITT bike at home, because it was impossible for Bianchi somehow. So unlike at Giant, Mollema had no way to train on his ITT bike this year... and it's a different bike as well.
It's one of the reasons he left Belkin for Trek.
So where did i say he copied it? Get real
Where did I say you said that? Read again please! I'm literally saying what Mollema said.
Don't get offensive if you can't read.
Oh, I thought you were being sarcastic about the bike. My bad then.
But admir and Luigi pretty much sums how I feel about Mollema up. Im not buying in to that whole bike change, so lets wait and see for next season. That should decide it. Also, I think the reason why he was SO bad in the TdF was because he simply was exhausted combined with the fact that he is a mediocre time trialist at best (and maybe the TT bike, surely it has an effect, just funny how some of the other guys dont have the kinda troubles Mollema have).
Just to credit the bike change is just plain stupid to me, but thats how I feel about it. |
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| TimoCycling |
Posted on 14-08-2014 11:08
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@Riis ofcourse it isn't only the bike change. But his form is not that bad, 10th in the Tour is not bad. You can't reach that with a shit form. Also 2nd in San Sebastian and he rides pretty good in the Eneco Tour now. Idk what it is, but it is mainly his TT'ing that is way way way worse than last year. Other than that, he is not as good as last year, but not bad either. |
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| Riis123 |
Posted on 14-08-2014 11:15
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TimoCycling wrote:
@Riis ofcourse it isn't only the bike change. But his form is not that bad, 10th in the Tour is not bad. You can't reach that with a shit form. Also 2nd in San Sebastian and he rides pretty good in the Eneco Tour now. Idk what it is, but it is mainly his TT'ing that is way way way worse than last year. Other than that, he is not as good as last year, but not bad either.
Pretty much agree, it just sounded to me as Willier and ruben didnt acknowledge that its not only due to the bike that he has decreased.
And yes, Mollema is in fine shape, but obviously lacked the extra gear he had last year. Isnt it also coincidentally that he got sick or didnt feel well in the last two TdFs? Somebody mentioned that the one day races are better suited for Mollema (at least he has much better results this year) compared to the GT's and I kinda have to agree with that as of now. He seems to be very good in one day races. |
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| ruben |
Posted on 14-08-2014 13:05
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admirschleck wrote:
Yeah, his AWFUL results are definitely the product of a bike change. Everyone else, somehow, managed to adapt - except him. I'm not buying that story. Come on guys, get your fanboy (nationalistic, biased or whatsoever) hats off and get real... Everyone else??
None of the Belkins rode a good time trial recently. Not even Boom's 9th place is worth noting. He (Boom) used to be much better at short ITT's and never looked comfortable today.
Also funny you read straight over the story that he had NO ITT bike to train on at home.. tells you something. But you just chose to ignore it and go straight for the fanboy/nationalist argument.
Tells you something about the kind of person you are.
Arrogant, ignorant, dismissive of any argument that doesn't fit into your little bubble.
Must be a lonely world you live in.
Edited by ruben on 14-08-2014 13:09
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| admirschleck |
Posted on 14-08-2014 14:01
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You're such a moron when you're judging me as a person on a cycling game forum. That's all I can say on your provoking post. Seems like someone couldn't really handle the thruth and is now crying... And yeah, I am definitely living in my lonely world.
It's a big shame you're that blinded, even though your age says you should be a mature person.
And yeah, he definitely does not have an ITT bike. What's your next argument? He never rode an ITT bike since he started professional career? Come on, do you even realize how stupid that sounds? He's not in some Serbian local team that doesn't have a money to buy the damn bike - he's riding in a fucking World Tour team. Western World Tour Team. They're changing million bikes per season and yet they have no bike to give to one of their best riders? After all, even if they didn't give him an ITT bike, he should've been smart enough to buy himself a one - as he definitely has enough money for that.
Oh, but sorry, it's a Dutch guy, I forgot that there must be an excuse (from your side) why he sucks so bad.
Edited by admirschleck on 14-08-2014 14:06
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 14-08-2014 14:02
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Oh god, argument coming... |
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