Farmer Sam wrote:
I also agree that Ciolek could have a chance, look at how Degenkolb did in last years World Championships
That is hell of a deduction.
But yeah, i was probably bit too harsh to Ciolek, but remember that when the finish is not on the Cauberg, many top punchers will attacks there anyway to try distance Sagan and other fast finishers, not sure Ciolek would hold there in the group after these attacks, but we will never know. Something like top 10 would be possible imo, but nothing better than fifth or so.
Farmer Sam wrote:
I also agree that Ciolek could have a chance, look at how Degenkolb did in last years World Championships
The Worlds course was way softer than AGR. Just look at the massive group at the foot of the (last ascent of the) Cauberg, and compare to AGR. I don't think Ciolek would have any chance. And neither would Degenkolb, possibly.
I never liked him ever since he punted off Hill to win at Adelaide.
Just goes to show nobody can win 7 times without drugs.
What I'm about to say is going to be ignored like it always is when someone's doping is blatantly obvious:
When the doping is obvious, everyone can see it except the fans of the team or rider. When Schumacher came out of nowhere to smash Cancellara and the likes, a lot of german fans assured us that he just had gotten over an illness he'd had before and he was training better and harder.
Same as happens every single time a team or rider does that. Whenever the doping is obvious, the fans of said team or rider always deny it and chide anyone who points out that water is wet. Schumacher was obvious, but the deniers were many. That's always the case. The excuses are always the same. And it always turns out that there wasn't really an illness overcome, there weren't really any new training methods that no one in the history of the sport had ever used. There was just doping.
So those currently denying that water is wet, prepare to be looking back in a few years at the current unreal performances the same way you're now looking at Schumacher's.
Schumacher is a single convenient example. There are thousands. It never goes any other way. That is why we can see obvious doping when it's there. Because we've seen the smoke so many times we can tell there's fire quite easily. We don't hate the team or rider you love, we just see what is obvious because we've seen it many times before.
Edited by issoisso on 29-03-2013 23:05
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
The Giro d'Italia FB-page just announced that Cadel Evans will ride. Good thing he apparently have given up on winning another Tour - hopefully it will leave space for Tejay to ride his own chance in France
Should have gone to the Vuelta, like he has a chance for anything anywhere else. He gave everything in the Tour 11 and has never been the same since. He doesn't have a chance for any grand tour. But his best hope would be a top 10 or ytop 5 in the Vuelta imo.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
I'm willing to bet he has reached a compromise with Ochowitz etc, where he leads at the Giro and will enter the Tour as co–leader and will work for TVG there if Cuddles loses big time at any point.
I think it is good to see him trying something different to last year, the punchier climbs at the Giro will probably suit him more in his post-WC days as it is and if there is a chance that he could find some good form then even better.
