An American Werewolf In Cycling

American misfit in the world of pro cycling | 🐺🚲

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[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

🐺Tuesday Howl🐺

Tuesday Howl #7: The Glue Guys

No, this isn't a reference to sticky bottles. The @giroditalia is over, but that Tim Rex pain face lives on in our memories lol. And it got me thinking: cycling refers to these types of guys as "domestiques". But that's a general term in my mind. What Tim Rex did needs its own name. I think Tim is the perfect "glue guy."

He isn't the strongest. He's not a star. Just the teammate everyone naturally rallies around when shit gets hard. So let's talk more about "glue guys" today.
👇🧵1/6

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

🇺🇸Back in...Black? Or whatever color jersey Visma is wearing these days...😂

Matteo Jorgenson is back in the mix for Visma after that early crash. Solid update from @Domestique___ on how his Tour de France plan has changed:

https://t.co/v3lQBEJzlR

I wish I had more to add here, but sometimes it’s better to just acknowledge and lean on the accounts and resources that are providing good detail like this. 👏

Quick question for the cycling community: Do you think Matteo Jorgenson is Jonas Vingegaard’s most important teammate for the Tour, or is it Wout van Aert (or someone else)?

All these guys are important of course — see my Tuesday Howl this week where I highlighted Tim Rex and Visma’s other “Glue Guys.”

What are your thoughts? Here's looking at you @vingeupdates @BohunickaNikola @Simon672491

https://t.co/OlVwoY3yqJ

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@Footballtweet @SOreillette @LeCyclismeFR @LeCyclismeFRA stop hogging every sport lol!

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@FanbrizioNews @espn you are absolutely insane for not including Tadej Pogacar on this list. Literally GTFO. Where are my cycling friends to back this up? @BenjiNaesen @dnlbenson @InsideOut2912 help me out!

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@lucxsronald If there’s no salary cap why not?

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@MLB

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

Paul Seixas in 2028?

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

Paul Seixas in 2028?

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@RichN95 @PuncheurCycling Can’t blame them!

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@RichN95 @PuncheurCycling I just want a good battle - throw Seixas into the mix too!

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@velovelovelo__ @culvers ?

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@vismaleaseabike How did you manage the exclusive interview? Well done!

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@fishcanride

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@stef170560 Dominated in Japan Tour

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@MaschBasch Still fascinating to me how being the fastest doesn’t mean winning!

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@CyclingUpToDat3 Oddly the older he gets it and the more he won the higher the pressure it seems bc now there’s total expectation for him to win or it’s a “failure”

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@stef170560 I don’t feel like there’s that much pressure racing for 4th? Just having fun! 🙃

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@VeloFute Will Tadej and Jonas be riding..... 😜

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

@NordBob @Cyclingpredpt Yes it's been fun to try and keep track of it! I'm a fan of many non US riders but in this country it's tough to find a voice to engage so it's been interesting trying for that on this medium.

[An American Werewolf In Cycling @CyclingWerewolf]

Great preview for Stage 5 of the Tour de Wallonie from @Cyclingpredpt 👏

Always fun when an 🇺🇸 is in the mix!

"Another rider to watch is Riley Sheehan. He has been somewhat unlucky so far and has not yet had a genuine opportunity to showcase his strengths, but this explosive finale looks perfectly suited to his characteristics. If he is in position at the foot of the climb, he could be a serious contender for the win."

[Cycling Predictorspt @Cyclingpredpt]

Tour de Wallonie🇧🇪 Stage 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Laurence Pithie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Laurance, Sheehan
⭐️⭐️⭐️Heiduk, Foldager, Tesfazion( knee🤕)
⭐️⭐️Slock, Canal, Neilands, Crabbe
⭐️De Lie, Menten, Vandeputte, JHeremans, Hellemose

Stage 5 is set to be a important day for the general classification at the Tour de Wallonie, thanks to a punchy uphill finish in Eupen.

The decisive feature of the stage is the final ramp, which averages 9.6% over its last 500 metres. It is a short but explosive climb, the kind of finish that can reward riders with a powerful kick.

My pick for the stage victory is Laurence Pithie

Pithie impressed once again today, taking a well-deserved victory after a chaotic finish that was heavily influenced by a major crash affecting a large part of the peloton. In the end, Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe and Netcompany INEOS were among the few teams that most of their riders managed to avoid serious disruption.

Red Bull played the finale perfectly. Rather than riding for their sprint option (Meeus), they committed fully to Pithie in the sprint, understanding that the bonus seconds on offer could be crucial in the fight for the overall classification. It was a smart tactical decision, and it paid off. Pithie now sits just three seconds behind race leader Kim Heiduk, putting him in an excellent position heading into this decisive finale.

Today's finish suited him, but tomorrow's may suit him even better. If he can reproduce the same form, he has every chance of taking both the stage win and the race lead.

One rider who deserves close attention is Axel Laurance. In fact, I would argue that this uphill finish may suit him even better than Heiduk. He sits slightly further back on GC, but I expect INEOS to be highly motivated to win the stage, whether through Laurance or Heiduk.

Speaking of Heiduk, he remains one of the key contenders. He has looked very strong throughout the race and, while this finish may be slightly tougher than ideal for him, wearing the leader's jersey often provides an extra boost of motivation.

Another rider to watch is Riley Sheehan. He has been somewhat unlucky so far and has not yet had a genuine opportunity to showcase his strengths, but this explosive finale looks perfectly suited to his characteristics. If he is in position at the foot of the climb, he could be a serious contender for the win.

Anders Foldager is another rider who should appreciate this type of finish and could produce a strong result.

For Movistar Team, much will depend on the condition of Natnael Tesfazion. He suffered a knock to the knee, so there remains some uncertainty regarding his form. If he is not at 100%, then Carlos Canal could become the team's best option for the stage.

Unfortunately, Jon Barrenetxea will not start the stage.

There are also a few interesting outsiders. Liam Slock has the qualities to perform well on this type of terrain, while Krists Neilands has been riding consistently throughout the race.

As for Tom Crabbe, I suspect the finish may be just a little too demanding. However, we have seen him perform surprisingly well on short, steep ramps before, and with only 500 metres of climbing at the end, it would not be a complete shock to see him in contention.

Overall, this promises to be one of the most important stages of the race. The uphill finish should create significant differences, and with the general classification still tightly balanced, we could see a new race leader by the end of the day.

#TourdeWallonie