Originally Posted by
MinnMan
So, is it really great or really tough to be a Simon or Adam Yates - an incredible cyclist with other-worldly talent compared to 7 billion others, but overshadowed by the half-dozen or so others who are just complete genetic freaks?
Yes, it is. They can commiserate with Poulidor and Kaiser Jan and feel disappointed while looking back over their palmares few can rival.
Originally Posted by
ooga-booga
maybe it's just me but it seems like in the last 4-5 years, gc and classics guys have a shorter, truly elite, competitive shelf life.
it was already so with the sprinters since the (glory) days of cav, super mario, petacchi, zabel, etc. possibly evidence of a
cleaner peloton. riders like both yates, roglic, gthomas, bernal and (to a certain extent) carapaz, seem like yday's news.
how long do the current, white jersey eligible candidates stay relevant? are they toast by the ripe old age of dirty thirty?
is ayuso put out to pasture as an old man by the social security/pension age of 25? sagan and gilbert had a decent run.
that valverde guy bettered even they. gesink, majka and a few other warhorses are still around but likely not for much longer.
Thomas is yesterday's news. I'm stunned Ineos carried him at the cost they did this year and wouldn't for Adam next year. Though G sure did have a good showing as plan C or D for La Vuelta to earn some of that paycheck. It must have been subsidized by some Cymru consortium.
Bernal would, I think, still be today's news if he hadn't taken that bus. Similar for Roglic if he could stay on his bike. I think Carapaz may be in the sweet spot for what you're talking about.
Sagan and Gilbert, plus Golden Greg who fell like a stone from contention and even moreso than them from commentator mention, are getting long in the tooth now though not quite Valverde-esque. I think Gesink and Majka are close to what the Yateses might be if they hang around.