Recent content by roberttazman

It won't be much for training, since it is a 1-2 day hike up to altitude, that's it. Not like they can ride up and down it! I think the purpose is team building with a bit more training relevance than flopping around in icy water.

1. Contador (barely...) 2. Quintana 3. Nibali 4. Pinot 5. Valverde (not wise to bet against Valverde being in top 5 of any race) 6. Majka 7. TJVG 8. Talansky 9. Wiggins (last minute addition to lineup, rides for GC after Froome crash) 10. Vinokourov (doesn't race, just buys a top 10...

Option A: keep the Giro where it is, move the Tour 2-3 weeks later, move the Vuelta 2-3 weeks. Keep the Vuelta as a lower key end-of-season GT, not a training ride for guys doing the worlds. Move the Giro Lombardia later, to when the leaves are actually falling, and keep the world's close to it...

In my head I could only hear Bob Roll describing the "Tour DEE' France"

By your reasoning then, Greg Lemond's 3rd TdF win was the least prestigious because it was on the shortest course? As the ladies say, length isn't everything.

Exactly. Some of the most entertaining races to watch are juniors or amateurs, where there are all kinds of crazy attacks and things, but that doesn't make them more prestigious.

1. Most cyclists have performance-based bonuses built into their contracts. 2. This, on the other hand, is merely a cash incentive to ENTER a race, so is more akin to an appearance fee. Most TdF riders do the post-tour criterium circuit in order to make cash from these appearance fees.

You just tested positive for going above the acceptable threshold of negativity.

I agree, there is a general consensus on what the "important" races are, which is why they get called classics. It is NOT dependent on the quality of the race course itself. Some year's the WC is on a pretty lame course, but that doesn't downgrade the importance of winning it. So Fleche is an...

heart: Contador with a long attack while the "favourites" just look at each other until it is too late. head: Valverde gets his tactics right, outsprints a select group of 4 or 5. who I put money on: Gilbert. Long odds for a guy who's won the race twice and looked fit at the world's.

Ever: Merckx, Hinault, Contador, Anquetil, Indurain. No Lance not because he lost his 7 wins, but because he did so little outside of TdF. I value the diverse ability, courage, and sporting-ness of those that do different GTs. Now: Contador, Froome, Nibali, Quintana, Valverde. Yes...