A_Schleck wrote:
Surely Andy Schleck is a better bid for the white jersey than Dekker is. Andy is way ahead of Dekker in the mountains, which he proved in the Giro last year, while Dekker hasn't proven anything in the GT mountains yet. Dekker is surely a better TTist, but when in peak condition Andy is also very capable of doing a good long time trial. But it all depends on their rider schedules. Andy's biggest goal of the season is the Olympics, so maybe he won't be at his peak during Le Tour, but maybe Dekker won't be either if his main focus is on helping Menchov, which it surely is.
Did I say Dekker is a shoo-in? I said he might win.
I'll reserve judgement on Schleck until I see him back up his previous performance with another one. It's not that I doubt he can do it. far from it. Just it's equally as likely that he'll confirm his talent or that he'll show himself to be just another one-hit wonder.
As for his performances in the mountains, don't think keeping with Piepoli and Simoni means he can do the same with the Tour contenders. far from it. I expect him to do a top 10 at the Tour, but won't be surprised if he fails miserably.
Edited by issoisso on 13-04-2008 12:47
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
Rider 1: Rider 2:
NED DEKKER Thomas 18 - 3 LUX SCHLECK Andy
CQRanking, Dekker vs Schleck head 2 head.
In mountain and hilly stages Schleck only did better once, Tour of Lombardia, and that was in a sprint for 3rd palce with 9 men.
The Giro is not the same as the Tour. Schleck also has, unlike Dekker, never performed well in 1 week tours, Dekker already won several 1 week tours...
And saying Dekker never has performed in high mountains in big tours is stupid. Because he only rode 2 Grand tours, 1 as 20 year old in the Giro. 1 as helper for Rasmussen last year. And last year he did great work in the mountains....
Edited by ruben on 13-04-2008 12:52
MortChill wrote:
is Cunego much older than Dekker or A.Schleck?
3 years over Dekker, 4 over Schleck.
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
Ruben wrote:
Too bad Boogerd didn't want to continue, he could've made the race hard for his teammates, but ok, if it isn't for himself, Boogie doesn't do anything. He was a selfish bastard, but you have to be selfish as cyclist.
So selfish, we saw that in the Tour last year.
In the Amstel he was not selfish enough a few times, like when he sacrificed his chances for Freire and still finished second after Di Luca.
