I dont think you should, its just a bit of positive critisim. Its your story you do what you want to do. They are just giving you hints, you can choose not to take them on board. Just keep at it and it will get better over time
Yes most positive thing you can do..is tell us long-long story most of us just swiching a team after Paris-Nice..and story ends.
Keep it coming
Edited by Guido Mukk on 30-06-2007 16:29
Smoothie wrote:
Im a bit like you lance, i dont have much confidence
probably the reason you keep crashing. and no, I'm not joking.
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
Yeah I know it's possitive criticism but i'm not that good that's all, anyway i'll try and continue...
Another day comes, another stage of the Vuelta comes, This is the longest stage of 'em all, 209kms of hily terrain between Siberia and San Antonio, the only climbs from this stage are easy and the finish is flat after a long downhill so who gets first to the last climb will have the biggest chance in winning this stage. The favourites of the day are as ussualy, I think you got borred of them: Devolder, Serpa and Missaglia.
The vast greenlands are being crossed by the peleton with big speeds so noone dares to attack.
There is an early breakaway, the race started 50kms ago and now 5 cyclists attacked and made a breakaway, the best positioned is Mehah 39th with more then 39minutes behind Discovery's leader, Stijn Devolder, they certainly aren't important in the GC.
At the halfway of the stage, riders from other teams start relaying in the peleton so they can catch the breakaway but they already have 10minutes.
The hill that we're now crossing has only a slope of 1% but the peleton isn't full, Devolder saw more cyclists were trying to attack but he and his team mates followed them, Serpa is in the group too, but Orozco and Missaglia were left behind, the DSC riders have started working again for devolder to shake the rest of the group off.
Meanwhile, Lagutin, a rider from the front group doesn't manage to keep the pace and now remains behind, but he still has a good advance on the peleton.
The peleton is now on the last climb, 6.5kms with an average slope of 5%, lets see what will happen and who will win this stage. At the halfway of this climb Serramenti's rider, Serpa, attacks, the only one to follow him is Devolder and the peleton remains behind.
Both of them start to work together in trying to catch the remains of the first breakaway and to win the stage. They go past Lapthorne and Lagutin without even looking at them, they now have the last 3 in front and there are 20kms more until the finish of this beautiful stage.
With about 10kms to go they catch the last 3 and they go down the hill to win this stage, lets see who will cross the finsh line first.
Serpa doesn't resist even if it was flat, Devolder manages to win this without any problem, Serpa came with more then 10seconds delay.
Lonny Banks is with Devolder ready for the interview, lets hear you Lonny.
Thanks John, I'm here with Discovery's leader for this tour, Stijn Devolder, who has for the 2nd time a stage here without the team time trial.
Lonny Banks: You said three days ago that you'll be keeping your fingers crossed for your team mate Davis, do you think that he would have won the road race if you wouldn't have kept them?
Stijn Devolder: (Laughs) That was a funny question, I don't really believe in superstitions, only if i would have dammed him he wouldn't have won. Now lets talk more seriously... Davis is a very good sprinter, I was very happy when i heard he has joined this wonderful team.
LB: I see you have sence of homour Stijn, of course I was joking but now that he is the Aussie's champion will he have bigger presure on him?
SD: I don't know why you're asking me these question because I really don't know, I hope he won't have, or if he has, it should be a creative pressure.
LB: Now lets get back to you, will we see you in any grand tour?
SD: Yes.
LB: Which one?
SD: I'm not sure, certainly not the Tour de France, I think that the Vuelta but that doesn't depend on me, I just have to be in a great form everyday.
LB: Thanks Stijn and good luck further on.
Lonny Banks, out!
I think this story has a different composition beside the others. Edited by lance_armstrong on 30-06-2007 18:25
What a fine weather we have today, in the 11th stage of the Vuelta al Tachira, the 142kms stage that ends at high altitudine, as ussualy the start is on downhill and then comes a flat portion, a mild slope climb, another downhill, we go up again, then down, then we have a flat portion and in majority we'll go only up the last portion. I had a talk with the experts and they have said that besides Serpa, Missaglia and Devolder another favourite is Stetina, the Slipstream rider.
The race has just started and we already see an attack launched by several cyclists. The best positioned in the GC is Flores, 24th with more then half an hour delay, so there is no problem for Devolder and he can let the foot of the gas.
The breakaway group remains the same after the first climbs and now are going down the hill with 6 minutes in front of the peleton.
The peleton has crossed the flat portion and now will be going up, lets see if someone will attack to try to catch up with the breakaway group.
Duggan, Missaglia and Serpa attacks, Devolder doesn't seem worried and catches up without making an effort but the Slipstream rider remains behind so the breakaway is made by the DSC guy and the two Serramenti riders.
The same scenerio seems to happen as in the last stage, Devolder and Serpa work together and Missaglia is left behind, too bad the two riders aren't at the same team because they would destroy everything.
The peleton is disorganized so the two riders have a big chance in winning this even if there are more then 30kms left until the finish line, the breakaway group that's in front is now made by 6 riders and the other 3 were left behind.
Missaglia colaborates with Stetina and they start making a gap between them and the peleton, slowly but constant, but they are still far behind the other two riders. Devolder and Serpa finally get past four of the riders and now only 5 remain in front with a confortable advance of about 2 minutes.
With 5kms to go the last group is outrun by the two riders, lets see which of them will win. Devolder doesn't seem to need to attack because he distances slowly in front of Serpa, the Serramenti rider doesn't stand a chance, the Discovery rider shows he didn't have any rivals in this tour. Finish: Stijn wins, second to arive, with a delay of half a minute is Serpa, the 3rd is Flores with a gap of more then 2minutes.
The weather today is pretty ugly, some gray clouds have formed up the sky and it could start raining any minute. Anyway the Vuelta goes to the 12th stage, an individual time trial long 13kms with a few ups and downs. Now, I had a talk with the experts and they said that this stage doesn't really matter because it can't make big gaps, but lets see who'll win it, they said that the favourites are Vaitkus, Devolder and O'Neill, now lets see if they are right. 20 riders have already reached the finish and the first one is Thomas, second Loddo and third Vitoria but none of the favourites didn't start yet so the standings will certainly be modified. 40 riders have finished and the race standings are dominated by the Discovery riders: 1st Vaitkus, 2nd White and 3rd Meersman but O'Neill hasn't finished the race yet.
As Devolder starts, O'Neill crosses the finish, but its a poor result, only 20th, what happen to the former aussie time trial champion?
In the last km, Devolder outruns Serpa and Orozco is just a few meters in front, I think we know who'll win this.
Devolder comes first, Serpa 13en and Orzoco 46th.
What a nice day we have today for cycling, the terrain is flat at the start, and only to the finish it starts going up, we barely have a small hill at the start, the race is 149kms distance. The favourites are Devolder who is in a magnific form, Serpa and Missaglia.
The race has just started and we already have a breakaway with 7 riders, none of them counts for the GC, the best positioned is Turrina 29th with almost an hour delay from Devolder so no way of recovering the time lost.
The group is caught and we barely passed the first hill. Noone seemed to have relayed in the peleton, the breakaway was magically pulled by the peleton back in.
The portion that we're now crossing is perfectly flat so attacks have small chances of even getting away from the peleton, they should wait until we start the more hilly portion.
Grinter attacks noone dares to follow him so his chances in succeding are minimal, he certainly will be caught before the climbs start, but lets see...
He starts slowly to distance, the gap is 3 minutes as we are at the halfway of this stage. Meanwhile, Mehah and Sutherland attack to catch up with Grinter and go to win this stage because the peleton don't seem to care about them.
Orbitel has started relaying as we got close to the hilly section, the gaps are now getting lower, the riders who broke away should be soon caught.
The riders have been caught and as we have 15kms to the finish more riders attack(Missaglia, Montiel) but Devolder puts his men to work and they are caught very fast.
There are 3kms to the finish and noone attacked it seems that this stage will be decided in a mass sprint, but lets see if someone will attack.
Devolder decides to attack with 2kms before the stage ends and noone has the power to follow him. With few meters until the finish Serpa, Missaglia and Orozco try to catch up but its no use, the Discovery rider wins again.
Best young rider:
1. V. Orzoco 42h11'43
2. S. Cummings +7
So it seems thath the only thing that can be decided tomorrow is the best young rider, we'll see tomorrow, on 21th January who'll win it until then goodbye!
: Devolder, Serpa and Missaglia.
