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Paris - Nice 2013
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| Aquarius |
Posted on 06-03-2013 21:03
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Making much progress would be possible for Andy Schleck, who's got an awful position on his TT bike and doesn't recognize the routes beforehand.
I'm not quite sure about Gesink and Talanski comparatively, but there's always room for progress. |
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| Spilak23 |
Posted on 06-03-2013 21:08
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Aquarius wrote:
Making much progress would be possible for Andy Schleck, who's got an awful position on his TT bike and doesn't recognize the routes beforehand.
I'm not quite sure about Gesink and Talanski comparatively, but there's always room for progress.
Indeed, Schleck has the motor for good timetrials but just lacks technique, position and motivation. The final timetrial in 2010 being a prime example of this. He could still win the Tour so he was motivated plus the route were long roads without much turns and lacking any difficulties.
Edited by Spilak23 on 06-03-2013 21:08
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| Aquarius |
Posted on 06-03-2013 21:32
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Problem is he is so dumb that he thinks cycling is all about Tour de France, then that Tour de France is all about the mountains, that the only worthy mountains are those where stages end ("there should be no stage finish down the mountains" or something)
Come the TDF mountains and it becomes about him riding with his brother à la "no way I'm gonna attack if that hurts Fränk" or about "the plan is to attack another day" (let's not grab an obvious opportunity if it's not part of the plan).
If I cared about him I'd be totally despaired by how poorly he exploits his potential.
That being said, he'd probably never become a world beater in time trials, he's got one of the very best W/kg ratio, but he's so light that his absolute power must only be average (for a pro), so with a good position his W/m² ratio would still be average or above average, but not the very best. |
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| ruben |
Posted on 06-03-2013 21:39
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issoisso wrote:
LOL Failsang.
Also, ruben to make his stereotypical post explaining that Gesink is not a bad descender in 3...2...1....
He didn't lose because he is a bad descender. He lost because he was too far back on the top of the climb, when you are too far back and it splits in the descend you can't magically go past it. Especially considering how narrow the descend was. Only a total daredevil like Cancellara, Hushovd, Sagan or Nibali can
Edited by ruben on 06-03-2013 21:39
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| Lachi |
Posted on 06-03-2013 21:39
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Andy already won the TdF, so why should he work harder if he can win like that?  |
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| Spilak23 |
Posted on 06-03-2013 21:41
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It's a shame to see how his talent goes waisted. If nor Riis, nor Bruyneel (no matter what two of the best sport directors in the peloton) can even motivate and prepare him to do a decent season I can't see who or what could.
I though the click would come after the Galibier but it has only gone downhill with him since then.
Edited by Spilak23 on 06-03-2013 21:44
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 25-11-2024 22:45
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| issoisso |
Posted on 06-03-2013 22:19
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Metriz- wrote:
Col d'Èze has no downhill section, and as we all know Gesink sucks going downhill.
Haven't you heard? His downhilling is fine, he just lacks positioning
And yes, I can use those TTs because in all of them Talansky was faster in the uphill splits 
In fact, in Romandie he destroyed everyone in the uphill splits. Wiggins was 2nd fastest up the climb, 16 seconds slower!
Spilak23 wrote:
Indeed, Schleck has the motor for good timetrials but just lacks technique, position and motivation. The final timetrial in 2010 being a prime example of this. He could still win the Tour so he was motivated plus the route were long roads without much turns and lacking any difficulties.
I'm not so sure. I think that was more Contador sucking. Menchov has never been elite in a TT and he took almost 3 minutes out of Andy that day
Aquarius wrote:
Problem is he is so dumb that he thinks cycling is all about Tour de France, then that Tour de France is all about the mountains, that the only worthy mountains are those where stages end ("there should be no stage finish down the mountains" or something)
Come the TDF mountains and it becomes about him riding with his brother à la "no way I'm gonna attack if that hurts Fränk" or about "the plan is to attack another day" (let's not grab an obvious opportunity if it's not part of the plan).
And the most annoying part is he always makes up some excuse. With Andy it's always someone else's fault.
At the 2007 Giro it was Di Luca's team's fault for being stronger in the TTT. The fact that Di Luca beat him up every climb bar one is apparently irrelevant.
At the 2008 Tour it was Sastre's fault for attacking at Alpe d'Huez. Apparently the fact that that was exactly the team's plan pre-stage is irrelevant, as is the fact that Sastre specifically did not attack on the Bonette climb when Frank asked him not to.
At the 2009 Tour it was the motorbikes' fault for supposedly pacing Contador up the climbs in Andorra, Verbier and the time trial. Apparently that's the only reason that Andy lost any time.
At the 2010 Tour it was Contador's fault for attacking while Andy's chain had dropped. Apparently the fact that Andy then lost considerably more time on the descent is irrelevant.
Andy also doesn't see a problem with crying foul at the loss of these seconds despite it being pretty much the exact same way that he won nearly two minutes on everyone else on the cobbles stage by attacking when everyone else was caught behind a crash, and despite the peloton giving him a break and slowing down to let him back on when he was 8 minutes down and out on the Spa stage. The time he lost in the prologue also doesn't exist, because as Andy put it, the time he lost with the dropped chain "was the only time I ever lost to Contador"
At the 2010 Vuelta it was Bjarne Riis's fault for "being unreasonable" and kicking him out of the race just because he was out drinking until 3 am and came back to the hotel loud and intoxicated. Apparently that's perfectly acceptable behaviour for a professional in the middle of one of the biggest races of the season.
At the 2011 Tour it was the route's fault because apparently bike racers aren't supposed to need any bike handling skills and descents apparently aren't supposed to affect races.
For the last 3 years (2009, 2010, 2011) it's been the other contenders' fault for not attacking because apparently the Schlecks have been the only ones who have attacked at the Tour in this period of time, and they didn't make any tactical mistakes at all.
(For those in disbelief, yes, the Schleck brothers really have claimed every single one of these mind-meltingly ridiculous things)
Edited by issoisso on 06-03-2013 22:25
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
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| Spilak23 |
Posted on 06-03-2013 22:33
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issoisso wrote:
Spilak23 wrote:
Indeed, Schleck has the motor for good timetrials but just lacks technique, position and motivation. The final timetrial in 2010 being a prime example of this. He could still win the Tour so he was motivated plus the route were long roads without much turns and lacking any difficulties.
I'm not so sure. I think that was more Contador sucking. Menchov has never been elite in a TT and he took almost 3 minutes out of Andy that day
Incredible strong day from Menchov there. The wind for the late starters was really bad. Contador, Vinokourov, Sanchez and Leipheimer were the only late starters who finished in front of Schleck that day and none of them took more then 45" on him.
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| issoisso |
Posted on 06-03-2013 22:42
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Spilak23 wrote:
issoisso wrote:
Spilak23 wrote:
Indeed, Schleck has the motor for good timetrials but just lacks technique, position and motivation. The final timetrial in 2010 being a prime example of this. He could still win the Tour so he was motivated plus the route were long roads without much turns and lacking any difficulties.
I'm not so sure. I think that was more Contador sucking. Menchov has never been elite in a TT and he took almost 3 minutes out of Andy that day
Incredible strong day from Menchov there. The wind for the late starters was really bad. Contador, Vinokourov, Sanchez and Leipheimer were the only late starters who finished in front of Schleck that day and none of them took more then 45" on him.
Yes I know the wind was bad for the last starters, that's why I compared him to Menchov who started at the same time, not the top finishers.
Look at it this way: Even 37 year olds Vinokourov and Leipheimer and Samuel Sánchez with two broken ribs on a time trial with few turns (Sánchez is awesome in technical TTs but quite crap in flatout TTs) finished ahead of him.
A decent TT yes, but not great by any stretch.
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
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| fickman |
Posted on 07-03-2013 03:36
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Its always the same with Gesink, he always is at the wrong place at the wrong time. While all the GC contender were together at the start of the climb he decided the best place to be was at the back of the peloton |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 07-03-2013 06:20
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With Gesink, it is funny to say like five years again and again that he has bad luck. This man sucks, this is not about luck. Competitive road cycling is not only riding alone uphill, you have to get there somehow...
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| Schleck96 |
Posted on 07-03-2013 08:49
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Avin Wargunnson wrote:
With Gesink, it is funny to say like five years again and again that he has bad luck. This man sucks, this is not about luck. Competitive road cycling is not only riding alone uphill, you have to get there somehow...
I'm starting to think exactly this |
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| MartijnVDD |
Posted on 07-03-2013 09:54
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There's so much more to stage racing than climbing and time trialling.
One of them is staying on your bike, another one is positioning. |
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 07-03-2013 10:27
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Don't forget keeping clear of illness  |
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| ShortsNL |
Posted on 07-03-2013 11:49
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MartijnVDD wrote:
There's so much more to stage racing than climbing and time trialling.
One of them is staying on your bike, another one is positioning.
sutty68 wrote:
Don't forget keeping clear of illness
Also, don't forget steaks, getting poisoned and then caught with a masking agent, and hiring a doctor who has worked at a doped team for ten years and then placing first and second at the Tour, before fireing him again. |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 07-03-2013 12:13
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ShortsNL wrote:
MartijnVDD wrote:
There's so much more to stage racing than climbing and time trialling.
One of them is staying on your bike, another one is positioning.
sutty68 wrote:
Don't forget keeping clear of illness
Also, don't forget steaks, getting poisoned and then caught with a masking agent, and hiring a doctor who has worked at a doped team for ten years and then placing first and second at the Tour, before fireing him again.
Yeah, that is also important.
Anyway, several intersting riders in the break (of 7) today - Meersman, Voeckler, Barguil, Morkov, Dupont, Tschopp, Sicard. Very strong breakaway.
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| ShortsNL |
Posted on 07-03-2013 12:20
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I hope Voeckler or Meersman doesn't win or I lose my bet on another rider! Well predicted, good to see that 2 of the people you could bet on are actually in the break. |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 07-03-2013 12:21
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Yup, probably two guys who are on this site and bet on themselves |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 07-03-2013 12:28
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ShortsNL wrote:
I hope Voeckler or Meersman doesn't win or I lose my bet on another rider! Well predicted, good to see that 2 of the people you could bet on are actually in the break.
I have a bet on Voeckler, so i see it otherwise.
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| Eden95 |
Posted on 07-03-2013 12:54
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Good quality break. Hope Morkov does well.
Indosat - ANZ HQ
"This Schleck sandwich is going to cause serious indigestion for Evans" - Phil Liggett |
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