Source
r/peloton•
SaviourMach

Dutch lineup for the Richmond World Championships announced

As seen here. Figured I'd best not make it a link post, though, since it's a Dutch website and I couldn't find an international source quite yet.

The lineup:

  • Niki Terpstra (captain)
  • Robert Gesink
  • Bauke Mollema
  • Lars Boom
  • Tom Dumoulin
  • Sebastian Langeveld
  • Dylan Van Baarle
  • Jos van Emden
  • Pim Ligthart

Tom Dumoulin and Dutch TT champion Wilco Kelderman will ride the Time Trial.

All in all, some surprising names here. Gesink and Mollema normally speaking have no business whatsoever at a race with this profile, and I honestly assume they'll be in a supportive role.

I'm glad they assigned Niki Terpstra to be the sole captain after all. He's our best shot, with Tom Dumoulin and Lars Boom as decent second options if something goes wrong.

I don't think this team is going to get anything done over there, but it's definitely the best lineup we could get, and we're still among the strong outsiders.

That said, my money is still on good old van Avermaet. Looking forward to the race!

Posted Aug 20, 2015, 9:57 AM UTC

822
pofkonijnTeam Lotto Nl - Jumbo•
    • Pim Ligthart + Koen de Kort
    • Sebastian Langeveld + Wilco Kelderman

Would be my lineup.

Gesink and Mollema do have a buisness with this profile. The profile looks a lot like the one from GP de Quebec: Quebec and Richmond. They also both proved to be good one-day riders.

6
SaviourMachOPTeam Lotto NL - Jumbo•

I should have been a little less blunt on that one. I mean they would have no business riding it as contenders for the win. There are easily 2 dozen riders there with more punch and more skill on the cobbles/in classics when it comes to the final of the race. That said, if they ride for Terpstra or whomever ends up in the best spot towards the end, they can help em out towards the very end.

1
thommie61Netherlands•

Yeah I think it's about having something left in the end of the race, which they will and other probably won't

2
houleskisCanada•

Wow, the resemblance in those profiles is uncanny.

1
SappertTrek Factory Racing•

Surprised that Kelderman gets to ride the TT instead of Jos van Emden, who beat Kelderman in both the TDF and Eneco Tour TT

4
thommie61Netherlands•

I think van Emden prefers the shorter TTs, Kelderman beat him in the longer Dutch nationals.

7
SappertTrek Factory Racing•

Makes sense

1
pofkonijnTeam Lotto Nl - Jumbo•

Van Emden is good at <15km TTs, this TT is 53k and quite hilly, no surprise for me.

3
SappertTrek Factory Racing•

Fair enough

2
SaviourMachOPTeam Lotto NL - Jumbo•

True! I don't know the race profile for the TT - maybe it's a course that's better suited to Kelderman than van Emden? That said, Kelderman is our national champion, which I think warrants a spot.

2
[deleted]•

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1
PubocynoNorway•

Terpstra's not exactly known for being the best sprinter, is he? If he wants any chance at winning this race, he has to solo it.

What happens if most of the team are together and it comes to a bunch sprint? Is Van Baarle allowed to sprint? He's probably got the best finish of them, or is it Boom/Mollema?

3
SaviourMachOPTeam Lotto NL - Jumbo•

If it's a bunch sprint, none of the Dutch riders will come anywhere close to a top 10 position. Hell, top 20 would be a small miracle in a bunch sprint. On paper Ligthart would be our best sprinter, I think, but he'll have had to work for the rest most of the race.

And you're right, Terpstra isn't a very good sprinter. He'd have to solo it a la Paris-Roubaix.

Honestly man, none of the Dutch riders have a realistic chance, unless something really bizarre takes place.

2
PubocynoNorway•

I'll put this down as "the dutch team is ripe with victory candidates, if a freak blizzard appears and the last 10km of the race has to be performed on skates."

5
SappertTrek Factory Racing•

Yet Terpstra won the Dutch Nationals in a reduced sprint. And he beat actual sprinters.

4
SaviourMachOPTeam Lotto NL - Jumbo•

Tier 2 sprinters though! THat said, I agree with you, he's not THAT slow.

3
huphtur•

Even without Vos, the women's lineup is pretty stacked:

  • Anna van der Breggen
  • Ellen van Dijk
  • Lucinda Brand
  • Roxane Knetemann
  • Iris Slappendel
  • Chantal Blaak
  • Amy Pieters
3
danefalbergTeam Katusha•

Why no Vos?

2
huphtur•

She's been injured and is not racing anymore this year.

1
danefalbergTeam Katusha•

Oh wow, all of 2015?

1
thankulilbFlanders•

It should be a hardman's race though, and Lars Boom is a very good candidate to pull out the win in a hardman's race

3
n-sphereOrica GreenEDGE•

I still have my doubts if the course is hard enough for guys like Terpstra, but he still is the best chance for the dutch.

I'm kind of missing Slagter in this line-up. He was quite good at Eneco this season, so he should be able to handle some cobbles. Can anybody tell me why he wasn't selected?

2
istarbelColombia•

yikes they showed their hand early

1