Greipel: I've completely lost my instinct on the bike
German sprinter's run of disappointing performances continues at BinckBankꦯ Tour





168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Andre Greipel may be one of the most richly experienced and decorated sprinters in the pro peloton, but the 35-year-old recognises that he has lost his way of l﷽ate, and has 'lost all instinct on the bike'.
The German's 2017 season started in typical fashion, with a few early-season wins leading into a victory at the Giro d'Italia to continue his run of at least one stage win in each Grand Tour he'd entered since 2008. That run, however, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:came to an end at the Tour de France in July, w🍸here he landed four top three finish♐es from seven bunch sprints, but no victories.
Since then, Greipel was 34th in the bunch sprint at RideLondon, before heading to the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:BinckBank Tour this week, where he has placed ninth on the open🌠ing stage and 13th on stage 3.
It was Wednesday's stage 3 that caused him to reflect on his loss of touch, as he🦩 was perfectly positioned with 400 metres to go before disappearing from the picture altogether as Peter Sagan claimed his second victory of the race.
"As you can see, the team continues to believe in me, but it's as if I've lost all my instincts to make the right decisions," Greipel told Belgian newspaper fro𒊎m the steps of the Lotto Soudal bus after the stage.
"I was in fourth place with✅ 400 meters to go, and in the end, I couldn't even sprint. I've completely lost my🐼 instinct on the bike."
Confidence issues are nothing new to Greipel, with Lotto Soudal bos𓆉s Marc Sergeant recognising that he has, at times, hesitated at key moments, especially in messy sprints in inclement conditions. Nevertheless, the German's palmares speaks for itself, with nearly 150 victories, and 22 of those in Gr🤪and Tours.
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"This is not my best time a꧙s a cyclist," Greipel acknowledge🦩d. "What can I do about it?"
Confident that Greip🧔el isn't suffering a decline in top-end speed, for Lotto Soudal it's a case of waiting for things to clꦺick back into place.
"It's frustrating. For us, but especially for him. It's just not working," directeur sportif Herman Frison told Nieuwsblad. "André will have to flick t𒅌he switch🦋 himself."
Greipel's remaining targets this season are likely to be the Cyclassics Hamburg one-day race - which he won in 2015 - on August 20, and the Tour of Britain in early September. There is, on paper, one remaining sprint opportunity at the BinckBank Tour, on Thursday's stag🐟e 4.