After a string of short previews, we come to what is sure to be another long one. For of course there will be much to say about the most successful cycling team in the 2020 season…despite their most heartbreaking loss. They return with a similar looking line up, and a similar looking jersey. The yellow and black, reminiscent of a swarm of wasps is back with just a few more touches of black this year…and perhaps even numbers on the jersey if I have heard rightly. They stirred a bit of controversy last year that their jerseys were too yellow for the Tour de France. I am not indifferent to such an argument, but I also could not come down on which side I agreed with; thus any additional black to the uniform is welcome in my eyes. The Tour’s leader’s jersey should pristinely stand out, and yet I do not think a half yellow jersey should be totally off limits if that is the sponsors’ colors—how many boring black jerseys can we cram into the peloton? But allow me to get back to the real task at hand, allow me to preview this team of Wasps surely to sting and swarm many rivals this year on all fronts of cycling.
Shockingly, it is not clear cut who deserves the pole position, the place of honor on this team preview for two of their riders were both arguably the best rider of the season. If Wout Van Aert had beat Matheiu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) in the sprint for the Tour of Flanders victory this would be an extremely tough decision. If Primoz Roglic had won the Tour de France this would be no contest. Thus, I give Primoz Roglic the first position; what he achieved this shortened season, especially despite what slipped through his fingers, was simply amazing. To strum up an outlandish analogy, in my eyes he is the Roman Colosseum personified. The Colosseum was a place of ferocity, a place for men hard as nails, a place where unstoppable forces met immovable objects. Additionally, look up a modern-day picture of it: there are cracks in its façade, it has not won every battle with the Great Leveler, Time; and yet, almost 2,000 years later it still stands high and proud day after day, month after month, year after year, century after century. Yes, I find this a fair comparison to our Primoz Roglic, the one I dubbed the Relentless after the Vuelta a Espana. He has suffered some severe psychological wounds in the Grand Tours, surely, cracks in his armor of illustrious form have been seen as well. And yet, despite a massive loss like the one all of us saw at the Tour, he bounces right back seemingly unphased. Rumors are flying that it was actually Roglic himself who was the first Jumbo man to bounce back, it was he who picked up the spirits of the teammates and management. He was lights out in the early season, he seemed to have the Tour wrapped up, and despite that loss he came back to take 6th at Worlds, win Liege in a bike throw, and manhandle the Vuelta taking the overall and four stage wins. Relentless, did I not tell you? This year, he shall tune himself up all season long for that ultimate victory that he O! so nearly had. Surely, all thought will be on it, but if it happens not once again: surely, Roglic the Relentless has proven it shall be but a little loss.
Meanwhile, Wout Van Aert, what a rider he was this past season, remember I proclaimed he holds the title of The Swiss Army Knife…O! How he has defended it so well! The sensational Strade, the superb Sanremo, his Tour stages, his superdomestiquing, his mighty double Silvers at Worlds, and his runner-up at Flanders: what a list of accomplishments that was. And he has recently announced he has extended his contract for three more years. This was the team he wanted to stay with, he said it’s the best team in the world; surely this really is the best place for him to succeed. The finale of his cyclocross season is around the corner, a campaign that has been going well. Shall he wrest back the mudders’ Rainbow Jersey at Cyclocross Worlds this year? Surely, if the course is for the runners, he’s proven he can beat the others, even Van Der Poel by two country miles. And then it is straight into the Classics once more where he and his archrival Van Der Poel shall be the hottest favorites for every race. A deserved rest and then building back the form for the Tour where the same plan shall be run back again of stage wins and domestique duties will be on tap. An Olympic tilt after that: surely in both the Time Trial and Road Race if I am any prospective judge of such things. And with the Road World Championships in his home Flanders this year, surely he must take his shot there too. What a campaign is before him, could we expect anything else from the reigning Swiss Army Knife?
For the umpteenth time, Jumbo-Visma have unfinished business at the Tour this year. Thus their full weight shall be thrown at it. George Bennett shall have Giro leadership all to himself while Tom Dumoulin and Steven Kruijswijk return to the Tour as coleaders 1b and 1c behind the Relentless Roglic. Steven Kruijswijk, the Human Coat-Hanger, is 33-years-of-age, perhaps this shall be his last tilt at leadership, surely if Roglic falters, he must take advantage, must take his possible last chance. And Tom Dumoulin, you know, you know you have been 2nd before, you know you are a man who should win this race in your career. Please Tom, come to the Tour on top form, be prepared to stay in contention as long as possible; it will take more than one Jumbo-Visma giant to slay UAE’s mighty Tadej Pogacar that put 1:20 into you on the La Planche Time Trial and who took the Peyresourde fastest ascent. Rumor has it, Tom, you plan to foray across the famous cobbles of Flanders—I am excited to see you have a go, but please do not jeopardize your Tour prospects. Finally of the possible GC men, what about the American who climbed like an angel in the Tour and Vuelta this season? Sepp Kuss, surely he shall run back his lieutenant role for the Tour, but I am hearing after he shall have his first Grand Tour GC appointment at the following Veulta and in the Catalunya stage race before that. O! How I yearn to revel in his climbing exploits to come!
Wout said it himself: this is the best team in the world. From top to bottom and across the entire calendar, I do believe I agree. I have not yet mentioned Dylan Groenewegen who shall continue serving a lengthy suspension for the first half of the season. I have not yet mentioned veteran and mentor Tony Martin of Time Trial fame or the darkhorse Mike Teunissen, both men have won a stages of the Tour and worn the maillot jaune—such is the insane depth of this team, surely they are a bottomless well. Robert Gesink, Antwan Tolhoek, Koen Bouwman, Jonas Vingegaard, Tobias Foss, and others not only fill out but beef up this supreme roster. On what other team is it possible have a legit shout to win every World Tour race? Yes, the success of this team is guaranteed, but how much shall they achieve? And shall they be able to attain that Holy Grail, that Tour de France that horrifyingly slipped through their fingers last year?
And now, to append this preview, we must address the shocking news that broke minutes after I finished this preview. Tom Dumoulin is officially taking a break from cycling.
Our dearest Tom,
You must do what is best for you and your career, thus the break seems necessary or else you might quit on the spot. But I daresay the timing is shocking, why not announce before the team camp? Save yourself that trip. But beyond that, let’s not get into it. Tom, during your down time I urge you to do the following things. It shall be hard, but forget everything you’ve done and accomplished in your professional career. Go back and re-watch the stages of that hallowed 2015 Vuelta: “Who is this tall time-trialist? We have heard the name, but is he anything more than that?” Tom, this is what we all said at the time, enjoy it from our shoes. The hype and excitement really begins on Stage 9 when you won one of the greatest Grand Tour stages I have ever seen. On the steep Cumbre del Sol you topped the greatest names in the sport at the time: Froome, Purito, Aru, Majka, Quintana, Valverde, and Chaves; you took all their scalps this day. The climb was so brutally steep, but attacks were flying left and right: you put in three yourself in the last mile alone. And you finished off the job ahead of the famous Chris Froome (Israel Start-up Nation) at the peak of his powers. Your rode with such class for the rest of the race and all the cycling world sung your praises. It was discovered you entered the race with 1,000 to 1 odds of winning, and yet here you were hanging in fighting the good fight, at the end holding only some 10 second lead for the penultimate stage over many brutal mountain passes. Alas! Astana had your number, like jackals they all swarmed you and gobbled you up, and it was in no one’s interest to prop you up for all wanted to move up on GC. Only two mountain passes form the finish, but you cracked. But Tom, you fought so bravely, you fought like Hector in front of the walls of Troy—surely, no warrior compliment is greater. But from there the quest was on, all were eager to see this newfound diamond in the rough redeem himself and finish off the job after his Hectorian fall. We had to wait until the 2017 Giro, but we did. Seriously, Tom, take away your memories, and put yourself in the fans’ shoes, think of how you dazzled us for that three-week odyssey. I most fondly remember watching you fly like a rocket up that Oropa climb, punishing Quintana in what should have been his terrain. Tom, you gave us all goosebumps, we saw a star rising. None of us would ask you to continue in the sport if it’s all been too much for you—we can’t fully understand, but we sympathize. But if you look for or want motivation to continue, re-watch the highs of that 2015 Vuelta and 2017 Giro for, as a dedicated fan, I have not seen or felt many higher highs than those heady days. And yet, perhaps it is an accident to say “re-watch” for perhaps you never have, you have only lived it. Perhaps the Vuelta memories are too closely associated with those lowest of lows that transpired, and perhaps the Giro highs are associated with all the balloon pomp and circumstance that has followed your life ever since. Tom, over that period you became one of everyone’s favorite riders, and now we all just wish you the best and hope you return soon, because when you succeed our hearts jump for joy…and we all know you have more of that greatness and achievement left in you.
Cycling Odysseys 