There's no denying MvdP's strength and skills but I think he's also slightly flattered by picking a limited set of races that work for his strengths. That's not a bad thing but it'd be interesting to see how he goes with a full road season rather than jumping in for stuff that suits him. I'm sure his competitors hope that a full season would slow him down a bit as the prospect of a full season of competing against that sort of strength would be depressing for a lot of other pro riders.
There's no denying MvdP's strength and skills but I think he's also slightly flattered by picking a limited set of races that work for his strengths. That's not a bad thing but it'd be interesting to see how he goes with a full road season rather than jumping in for stuff that suits him. I'm sure his competitors hope that a full season would slow him down a bit as the prospect of a full season of competing against that sort of strength would be depressing for a lot of other pro riders.