And now, with my fourth team preview, I arrive at the first big head scratcher of a team. Since Fabian Cancellara’s retirement in 2016, the Trek team has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, with the bottom troughs much deeper and wider than their occasional narrow high peaks. Their greatest accomplishment by far in 2020 was Richie Porte’s Tour podium, but alas! he has rejoined his old powerhouse Ineos Grenadiers team to be a faithful domestique once again. But perhaps they are in good position, and they have an admirable track-record in developing talent. So let us run through the roster and see what we can see.
It would be insulting and unjust to start anywhere else than besides Vincenzo Nibali. Winner of all three Grand Tours, his home-roads Giro twice, winner of both Italian Monuments, Milan-Sanremo and il Lombardia; he is one of the most decorated riders in the peloton. He is known as the Shark of Messina. Yes, Messina of which the Strait between Italy and Sicily gets its name. Surely a trade hub since ancient days of old, if the sailors could avoid Scylla and Charbydis that surely lurked nearby. But enough about Sicilian towns, let us focus on the beast he invokes. He is called the Shark for he when he races, he can smell blood in the water. When he rivals are on the ropes or in trouble, that is when Nibali is at his best. That is when he grabs the race by the scruff of the neck. That is when Nibali attacks and rides away to victory. So accomplished is he at this business he has earned a place in the top pantheon of Italian cycling—a nation which has such an illustrious history, it is astounding company to be numbered among: Coppi, Bartali, Binda, Girardengo, Gimondi, Moser, Saronni, Cipo, and Nibali’s own childhood hero Pantani. But alas! in my estimation for two years now, Nibali has been too old to live up to his aqua-predator name. It was on the last mountain stage of the 2019 Giro that I declared this, and it has proved true ever since. In that Giro, Nibali’s chief competition was Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Vimsa), but in the third week Roglic was fading fast and Richard Carapaz (then of Movistar, now of Ineos Grenadiers) took a surprising lead. On that last mountain stage, it was set up for a perfect ambush on Carapaz, but neither Nibali or Roglic had the legs to even attempt to attack Carapaz. Thus in that moment did it fully hit me, Vincenzo you are too old to win another Grand Tour. That proved true this year as well at the Giro where he simply had no answer to all the young bucks taking their shot at glory. O! Vincenzo, at 36 years old, surely you know this is a young man’s game now, and even Sharks must grow old. I hold out hope you can take a swansong victory, perhaps another il Lombardia or even in the wildest of dreams in Tokyo. After the 2016 Olympic Road Race disaster where you crashed out when in winning position, clearly you have unfinished business, but alas! even there I shall not hold my breath waiting for your victory celebrations. Yes, Vincenzo, after so long it is quite close to the Shark’s final bedtime.
Behind their living legend who shall Trek put forth to gather them results? Perhaps their Classics squad come do some damage: Jasper Stuyven, Mads Pedersen, and Edward Theuns. Last year Stuyven was flying high before lockdown, winning Omloop Het Nieuwsbald and finishing fifth the next day at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, but after lockdown his results were sparse though perhaps he did put in good work for his teammate would did so much work for him in his Omloop victory. Mads Pedersen, robbed of a full season in the Rainbows because of plague, finished off the season well in his regular Trek-Segafredo kit. He took the big Classics win he was pressured to take as soon as all saw the Rainbows on his back. He won Gent-Wevelgem, just one tear below the Monuments in prestige. It was after the hard day, the one where Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) were smashing the field to bits, only to stare each other down and let everyone ride away in last 3 kilometers to sprint for victory. It was this Mads Pedersen that won that sprint, and surely such a result provided another great finish to the end of his season as Yorkshire Worlds did the year before. Add in Edward Theuns and this is a good Classics triangle of leaders. They are not the all powerful Queens of Quickstep or even AG2R, but they are viable options and proven winners, surely they shall be in the hunt and working together for Classics wins.
Beyond Nibali and this Classics trio, Bauke Mollema returns for another season. He has won il Lombardia and San Sebastian, he has consistently finished in the top ten at all the Grand Tours. But like Nibali, is a creeping stranger in the night, Old Age, stalking him? What about Giulio Ciccone in the prime of life? In 2019 he won the mountains jersey at the Giro and wore the Yellow Jersey at the Tour for a couple days as race leader, but his 2020 was poor. He was anonymous, his results were sparse. But perhaps a poor season in 2020 can be excused, especially if it is made up for in 2021. What shall his objectives be? Beyond him, even younger, younger than even Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-Quickstep) is the American Quinn Simmons. Hype was high for him when he won Junior Worlds in Yorkshire in 2019. Now he has had a season of experience at the highest level. This year shall prove crucial to his development if he is really to be one of cycling’s stars in the future. Beyond these names, I see some good domestiques and rumors of good prospects. But which ones shall pay off? It is beyond my talents to have any sort of good guess, but I do believe Trek will get some results this year, and one or two of these youngsters shall pay off handsomely. I have always liked the Trek team, the Segafredo coffee sponsor, and they always have a fine kit. Once more this year, they have my interest and my hope for success. May good fortune be with them.
Cycling Odysseys 