Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I'm starting to wonder how much it's going to matter in the final 2 laps that Jorgenson and McNulty have been able to sit in the wheels for 60 km. Could make the difference if they have the legs, and they do, or they wouldn't be in this group 180
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Either Remco Evenepoel is making a huge tactical blunder, or he really doesn't have any legs today. I almost can't imagine either of those possibilities 660
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026With the training Simmons has been posting on Strava recently I'm not surprised he's doing this and I would also not be surprised if he just wins this race head to head with the best riders in the world. 6-hour rides at 300 watts, 4.5 hours at 350 watts followed by multiple 1-minute efforts at 600w 231
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I've heard people dismiss any help for Del Toro from the Mexican team at all but even when the likes of Ben O'Connor, Felix Gall and Enric Mas are dropped there are still 3 Mexican riders in the peloton, one of whom was trying to follow attacks on this climb. Del Toro, Frayre and Cadena 1270
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Imagine being one of the people at Team Picnic-PostNL who first decided to not let Ryan Gal focus on his TT for two years and then decided to let him go because of a lack of results 3384
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Enric Mas has ridden the least Mas-like stage ever. Dropping everyone else and closing down Pogacar on a short-ish gravel climb, descending better than Pogacar, making smart tactical decisions in the final KM, even his timing in the sprint was not terrible. The whole works. Insane 3761
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Yeah climbing performance wow but Mas definitely has the better descending and cornering technique here. In comparison to a couple years ago this is an absolutely amazing difference and a great example of how working on technical skills can transform a rider who's been a pro for years 1110
Reposted by Jens DekkerMichael Hutchinson @doctorhutch.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Vuelta TT is a study in the first rule of time trialling -- you don't gain time in the fast bits, you gain time in the slow bits. 2383
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 19/07/2026And the award for stupidest tactics of the day goes to... EF! If they keep the gap at ~30 seconds, Carapaz jumps on this climb, a couple riders probably follow and they join the break that's already there. No problems and Carapaz is in a completely acceptable breakaway. 180
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 18/07/2026Between the often-verging-on-boring dominance, the team staff lead by a notorious doper who previously lead one of the worst doping teams in the sport, and the sponsor that's funding an active genocidal war, it's a little bit insane that Tadej Pogacar is so well liked by cycling fans 45810
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 18/07/2026The perfect symbol for this Tour so far is the main favourite's biggest competitor sending satellite riders into a break and them just not caring, waiting for a climb and then closing the gap without much trouble. There's just nothing they can do to hurt Pogacar or his team 391
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 16/07/2026It must be annoying for Kasper Asgreen to be marked out so hard by the sprinter's teams but on the other hands it's a massive sign of respect that they won't let him take more than 5 metres because they know he's good enough to finish it off. 0150
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 15/07/2026It's been a while since there's been an actual fight for a breakaway with some teams trying to get away and some teams trying to neutralize breaks. If you ask me this is cycling at its best (and probably most confusing for most people unfortunately) 190
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Javier Romo may well have the worst cornering technique I've ever seen in a professional cyclist. What the hell was that descent? 491
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Lidl-Trek decided to go for controlling the peloton ahead of the intermediate sprint. I think it's not the best choice. Pedersen in a breakaway with climbers would have resulted in a larger point delta on the sprinters who would likely not make it into such a group. 150
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Break formation today will be dominated by the intermediate sprint after 25 km. Almost no chance the pure sprinters will get over the initial ups-and-downs in a competitive position, so Pedersen will do everything he can to get maximum points. The first 11 km are fairly simple... 170
Reposted by Jens DekkerTim de Vries @timfietst.bsky.social · 09/07/2026Obligatoire wat-zegt-dit-over-het-niveau-van-het-mannenwielrennen post 0133
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 09/07/2026I can see a combined group with 2x Redbull, 2x Lidl-Trek and Seixas be pretty powerful on the false flat. Only problem: Del Toro and Kuss sitting on. We'll see if it happens but if they work together it'll be a risk for Vingegaard... 270
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 09/07/2026If they have DSQ'd Huub Artz over that position, I may just stop watching the Tour, actually, because that would be an absolute joke 150
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 09/07/2026Huub Artz understandably shaking his head watching Victor Campenaerts hold his handlebars in the exact same way as Artz himself just did after being told off for it by the commissaires. Finally, after 5+ years the UCI's inconsistency in enforcing the hand-position rule is coming back to bite them 0180
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Ehhh Huub Artz!?!?!? Where did that suddenly come from and how has he gone from never sprinting in a professional mass sprint to finishing top 5 and sprinting faster than most of the actual sprinters in the biggest race in the world? That's insane 2200
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Being a climber, not able to drop Mads Pedersen on a medium mountain stage and then being up against Pedersen and two super strong team mates in a group of 10... Why the hell are you all working together? GC time, but the rest? What possible reason is there to ride? 2170
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 07/07/2026There are again some really interesting points in break formation today. The first 20 km look fairly innocuous but there are some serious lumps and bumps in there. - The first 5 km are 2 % uphill but within there are sections of 6 % with some very short spikes closer to 10 % 170
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 06/07/2026Interesting to see how Visma seem to be quite keen to get into breaks, but they're being reliably countered by UAE riders. Jorgenson is clearly marked by Wellens on the first climb. More interestingly Del Toro has now jumped across to moves twice, both times followed by Vingegaard himself 171
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 06/07/2026Break fight today will be super interesting. Hard to predict what will happen. Half of the peloton will want to be in the break to win the stage, and some of those riders will have their eye on the yellow jersey as well. It's a prime opportunity for a fringe GC rider to slip in and take time 1140
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 05/07/2026I like to predict where breakaways get away based on the course but today it's very difficult to say. Not many obstacles, only some very slight ups-and-downs in the first half hour. The first spot that looks particularly promising is 26-30 km into the race. Most likely the break is gone by then. 130
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 04/07/2026On my blog I have written about the process of training individualization using a recent block of training as an example. emeraldcycling.nl/blog/how-i-i...emeraldcycling.nlHow I individualize trainingIndividualized cycling training beyond average VO₂max and FTP: How tailored intervals helped a U23 rider improve repeated high-intensity efforts and race performance. 030
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 18/06/2026Just took a look at the final of the Belgium Tour stage 1 of yesterday, and was then very surprised to find Tim Torn Teutenberg still in the results, not even with a yellow card. 2 headbutts, when Zanoncello got a DSQ for 1 during the Giro. Make it make sense 1120
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 31/05/2026If SD Worx is going to sue the UCI for the damages caused by the Wiebes DSQ, it is going to cost a lot of money. I mean, all of the prize money Wiebes could have gained from this week in one of women's cycling's biggest races. That could amount to something like a thousand euro's! 1220
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 30/05/2026You can dunk on Unbound Gravel all you want but the dynamic of 2 teammates in the lead figuring out how to fix a massive sliced tyre and ultimately deciding to switch wheels after minutes of working together to fix it... I think it's fascinating. Some of the heroics road racing is often missing 3150
Reposted by Jens DekkerTim de Vries @timfietst.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Canyon-SRAM... Zondercrypto (Ja sorry)static.klipy.comBa Dum Tss Drummer JokeALT: Ba Dum Tss Drummer Joke 0212
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 22/05/2026Imagine being a small climber, sitting on the wheel of Ganna while he's trying to make a gap in break formation, pulling your legs apart trying to stay close to the wheel, and then he flicks the elbow and does the 'take a turn' signal and gets frustrated when you can't take a turn 😅 090
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 16/05/2026Started up the Giro stream on HBO Max and it seems like HBO has decided it's high time for me to learn a new language. The stream defaulted to French and neither Dutch nor English are listed as options. Wish me and my secondary school level French luck 🤞 6190
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 13/05/2026I wish felt comfortable enough to publicly hate anything with as much passion as the passion with which Carlton Kirby hates fans with flares at bike races 😂 2131
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 03/05/2026First MTB XCO World Cup of the season and it's raining 😍 160
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 26/04/2026Somehow cyclocross riders seem to be great at the sprint of the first big-ish group in LBL. Sure Van der Poel and Van Aert but over the years also Hermans, Pidcock, Nys, and now Verstrynge. Great preparation for getting 4th in Liege 2180
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 17/04/2026SD Worx doing SD Worx things again. We're back! #DBPwomen 2181
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 12/04/2026Is it weird that I'm starting to feel like Stefan Bissegger has a really good chance to win this race? 3170
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 05/04/2026Hey TV directors, maybe try not to keep showing images of riders who are clearly badly hurt after a heavy crash every week. There was also, you know, a race into the most important climb of the race going on. Could have shown that. 1292
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 05/04/2026Remember the time when you could still attack on the 2nd time Kwaremont to 'get ahead of the favourites'? Now we're at 100 km to go with a move including all of the favourites and almost no one who isn't a clear favourite or outsider 2160
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 05/04/2026Fun fact for Tour of Flanders men: Either Mikkel Bjerg has put on his overshoes the wrong way round, or the rest of the team is doing it wrong because the pattern in mirrored 😂 160
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 01/04/2026Mads Pedersen today constantly rides like he's used to having another gear left. Like he expects to be able to continue accelerating but he never does. He goes out of the saddle gearing up for a big attack or to follow a move, then he has to sit back down again. #DDV26 #DDVmen 280
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 23/03/2026New positioning strategy for GC favourites just dropped: Just ride on the front yourself going into a descent. Interesting to see Vingegaard and Evenepoel tackle the final descent without team mates in Catalunya. 0120
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Revolutionary tactic from UAE, riding Kopecky to the finish, providing her with a lead-out and Gasparrini not even trying to get in the right position to have a chance to beat her. If their aim was to finish 3rd, perfect tactic. To win, absolutely terrible 1230
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Seated attacks coming from behind with speed are the best attacks. Go, Lieke! 030
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 15/03/2026'The best we could achieve in the situation' says a team mate of the rider who comfortably won the sprint behind the group she was in. Another tactical masterclass. 1142
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 25/01/2026Generally in cycling, in whatever discipline, team mates try to work together. If the team 'leader' has the opportunity to help their team mates they usually do it. In the last 3 races, Mathieu van der Poel has pretty much screwed over his closest team mate Tibor Del Grosso #CXWorldCup 8211
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 18/01/2026If you had told me at the start of the season that halfway through the Benidorm World Cup women's race, 2 weeks out from Worlds, there would be 4 non-Dutch riders in the lead group with 3 Dutch women struggling to even hold the wheel I would be sceptical to say the least. Yet here we are #CXWorldCup 481
Jens Dekker @jensdekker.bsky.social · 11/01/2026Just finished watching Dutch nationals. Amazed about the Belgian champion! Really unexpected return! @cyclocross24.bsky.social 7445
