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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

...only to have an actual disaster during the race itself. Sorry, couldn't resist. I am team Belgium all the way. Not their best day.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"I really feel like having numbers in the final today was a massive help for Team USA today, and Brandon was super strong as well and so chapeau to him" - Ben Healy This is how you do it.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I did not know that. If that is what was behind it, then it’s a doubly cheap, baseless shot. Poor sportsmanship, should be called out for it.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I doubt it’s a USA thing, but I do feel like there has been more than the normal amount of finger pointing. The Belgian junior was especially blatant about it. But whatever. It will be wild to see McNulty pulling for others in the Rainbow Jersey next year, but the right guy won.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

One of the Belgian juniors accused Ashlin Barry of…something…as well. Is it a USA thing? Surely not, but a disappointing amount of excuse-making and finger-pointing just the same. Tip your hat, do better next time.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Seeing the whole French team on the front on lap 2, and having Armirail run down an 8 minute gap, was madness. I think Belgium’s tactics were ok - put Wout up the road, let Remco sit on, keep options open - but Wout was spent from Vuelta and no one else had any power. A mystifying no-show.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

One of the Belgians was out the back as soon as the French accelerated, and I never really saw Tiesj or anyone else contributing. Wout was criticized for not helping Remco sooner, but where was the rest of the team? Seems like Wout and Remco were mostly on their own.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I blame that entirely on the team. Their attack looked planned, and it was clear they were willing burn through arguably the most powerful domestique in the field more than 100km out. Seixas may have agreed to it, or even pushed for it, but wiser heads should have said (in French) “no fucking way.”

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I mean…Riccitello, Sheffield…it’s gotta be the best American contingent of all time, right? And with guys like Ashlin Barry and Enzo Hincapie on the way, could stay strong for a long time to come.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Exactly right. I was at the race, and was *stunned* when we saw the French team shredding at the front. It made no sense in real time, and less as it went on. Meanwhile, other than Simmons, USA was almost literally invisible. We had to re-watch our own videos to see where they were. Smart.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

That is why they lost. They spent their resources early in what was certain to be a battle of attrition, while USA kept most of its powder dry and had the strength to manage the important part of the race. Indeed, USA rode one of the best races I have ever seen tactically and won quite deservedly.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The French rode like amateurs, blew their whole team up w/10 laps to go. The Belgians no-showed, as did the Dutch, other than MVDP, who treated WC like the Tour of Luxembourg. The Italians used their best support early trying to ride at the front. One top team after another made critical errors. 2/

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

So: - Pidcock says IDT was working for McNulty - Ciccone says Mads and MVDP wouldn't cooperate - lots of "2nd group" noise from commentators Listen, folks. USA had the deepest team and rode the smartest race. The rest is just excuse-making from those who were outplayed. 1/

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

He finished a close second to Pog there in 2022, and at WC Matthews,MVDP, Simmons, and Mads were top 7. I think the course suits him, but not after a Grand Tour. He said it took him a month to recover after winning TDF green.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

There was no group 2 syndrome. They were done, and got caught by riders who had spent the day sitting on. I mean, accusing MVDP of playing games is…interesting. As for “not the best American,” the guy who makes the winning move is the best. It’s a race, not an FTP test.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Wout lost his WC in July. The crash that caused him to drop out of TDF led in turn to his racing at La Vuelta, which left him with no time to recover for WC. (Indeed, no one who did La Vuelta finished well in Montreal). Too bad. It was there for him, and probably his last real shot.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

“only for a lack of cooperation behind to enable him to hang on” Pidcock blew himself to pieces to get within 10, and only Ciccone could even follow. After that, cooperation was neither possible nor relevant because everyone was totally cooked. Mcnulty won because he was the best rider, period.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

“Perhaps we sometimes focus too much on the goal/result itself and forget about the path” Primoz Roglic, Slovenian Mystic

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

“He (Mas) is the savior of this Vuelta doing what he just did” - Christian Vandevelde That this is not a ludicrous statement is a measure of how ludicrous this has become.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I mean, we kind of all suspected it right?

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I meant along with Enric Mas. 😀

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Pogacar is the most dominant athlete in the world. And it’s not close.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

It’s an anecdote, not a sign that things are unchanged or have gotten worse. It’s also just one perpective; others, including the staff, might well have things to say that would alter the view of that encounter. Maybe it was sexism, or maybe it was just shitty service.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Kruijswijk to retire…natural, but sad. Since I began rooting in 2019, TJV/TVL has always had fabulous elder statesmen - Tony Martin, Robert Gesink, Steven K. Wout and Sepp may age into those roles, but not for some years if at all. The team will miss that presence.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

My read is that most think N-P was wrong to accuse FDJ of deliberately impeding, and that she ended up looking like she was making excuses at a young rival's expense. Fair or not, I think Vollering's comments were received much more favorably. Just my take.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

What Gery faced was threats, which I would not casually refer to on social media as "crushed." What I was referring to was the extent to which Vollering dominated Niewiadoma-Phinney professionally, both on the road and in their PR battle. Death threats is a different issue altogether.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

As the saying goes, if you come at the king you best not miss. Niewiadoma-Phinney was just crushed by Vollering and her team on and off the bike after her comments about the barrier incident.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I’ve argued here that he may skip Flanders next year to focus on Roubaix. This article doesn’t necessarily bolster that argument, but doesn’t hurt it.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I've argued that the list misses some plain reality and I've given examples. Methodology has not been mentioned, but I will say that I find the list itself puzzling. Its purpose is uncertain and its result is odd. Good topic for debate, but I don't think that's what UCI means by it.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Excellent question for the UCI. I will limit my comments to noting that their list misses too many important realities. I mean, MVDP is neither the 9th best, most popular, or most highly paid rider in the world. But he is at 9 on their list. Whatever their goal or method, that is simply invalid.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Arnaud De Lie one spot behind Wout Van Aert in the UCI rankings is farcical. It doesn't really matter (other than perhaps for contracts), but it really is silly that the governing body of the sport releases something so disconnected from reality.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

UCI now admitting that the 2 AM doping checks were not based on any intel, but just because they can. Ludicrous. Jonas, Pog, and everyone else affected has the right to be outraged. Not only disruptive, but gives fuel to the “they’re all doping” crowd.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Visma and other top teams struggling to find sponsors. Baloise-Flanders just the latest Belgian team to fold. The sport is in crisis, and those who reflexively fault Richard Plugge for pursuing radical alternatives are missing the point. Some painful changes are on the way.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Tadej comes across as a likeable guy and I would guess he treats people well personally. But he is in business with some truly sinister enterprises, and not just in a reflexive "all corporations are evil" sense. A rider of his stature has choices. His are a part of his legacy.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Her Cafe Ride with Matt Stephens is well worth the watch.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

"Serious fall" = "plunge to his death"

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Photon finish actually looked like Wout won.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Visma gave Wout no leadout and he was in the wind too long. No idea where the team was for much of the finish, but that was mishandled.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

I wish mightily that we could get TNT in America.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

They have to go down. If they didn’t this time, it’s just delaying the inevitable. I don’t like it, but that’s the rule. 🤷

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

If there is a crash anywhere in the world, Wout Van Aert goes down. Maybe I’ll crash my bike on purpose to see if he appears.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Half the peloton down in Denmark, including, wait for it, most of Visma. Awesome.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Seixas getting heat for not launching wild attacks and “only” finishing 4th is a kind of sickness. All sports have it, but cycling has its own brand. Between the “they’re all doping” crowd and those who carry on about “ciclismo,” many fans like tearing down the sport more than they like the sport.

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Midnight Rider @theflandrien.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Was going to mention the NFTs in my post as well. There is so much about him that seems good and even wholesome, but he sure does strange promos. Seems like he would have great options, no need for such peculiar deals. I still think he’s a solid human, but in the end our heroes are just…people.

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