Terrible year Visma | Lease a Bike reflected by uninspired Vuelta performance Kuss: "They really had no alternative"
CyclingThursday, 10 October 2024 at 12:13
It is worth saying again: 2024 was not the year of Visma | Lease a Bike. Before that, it seemed so powerful. A new master plan for tour wins a well-thought-out path for Wout van Aert towards Monuments and Giro, and an even more powerful group across the board, which should deliver more than ever. It was pretty disappointing, or is it not that bad?
In the spring, almost all the big guns on the team suffered bad luck and crashes. Sometimes, these got in the way of a good result; sometimes, they were so serious that they required a drastic adjustment to the year's schedule. Despite this, Visma | Lease a Bike still finished third in the number of wins. Can you then speak of a bad year?
Read more below the photo.
Visma | Lease a Bike at the head of the pack
"If Roglic leaves and Vingegaard and Van Aert crash badly..."
In Themove, Johan Bruyneel addressed those figures. "If you consider that Primoz Roglic left and Jonas Vingegaard and
Wout van Aert crashed badly more often than not, those numbers are not so bad. They were the reference for the other top teams, and beaten anyway by UAE Team Emirates and maybe soon by Lidl-Trek," the Belgian opens.
Spencer Martin complements him and points to the Vuelta. That grand tour painfully refers to Bruyneel's passages. "They knew in advance that Sepp Kuss would not win that grand tour. But, they just had no other option." Although Van Aert won three stages, the yellow shirts never played a role in the GC. "All those problems were concealed because they also used to have Roglic. And maybe the UAE will have to deal with that, too. How long does Juan Ayuso want to ride in that role with that team?"
Il Lombardia 2024
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024