2010 Volta ao Algarve

[Carboncrank]

Thanks for the statistics. This shows how Lance's team got stronger and stronger by the year as it became a machine to back him as far down the road and as far up the mountain as possible. Didn't he win the first year with a surprise attack near the bottom of the first real mountain, putting 7, 8, or 9 minutes into his rivals? And wasn't the thick-glasses Swiss dude 2nd that year?

+ 1

This clearly the importance of teams class. If you have a team strong enough to properly support a contender you aren't going to finish way down the teams class.

 

[Publicus]

In support of Dr.JSW, consider what just happened to Frank Schleck at the Vuelta Andalucia: Dude broke his chain on the last climb and had to wait up for the team car, which was X minutes away, killing his shot at the overall and the stage.

Of course, I'm pretty sure that, come July, Vino, Perreiro, and/or de la Fuente will be somewhere nearby when the going gets tough.

Actually I think Tiralongo may be the man come July. That's just conjecture on my part based on his 8th place at the 2009 Vuelta.

 

[BroDeal]

BroDeal is all talk. If he had any decency for his fellow forum members he would have posted the threatening PM's.

I, for one, am convinced he cares not one iota about the entertainment value I would get from reading them.

An example:

you're safe behind your keyboard making a comment i'd have slapped your smug face for if you'd have made it to my face. you are a punk coward.
i live in westerville ohio just outside of columbus.
let's get together and see if you want to call me a dumb *** to my face.{/QUOTE]

I got off easy. He PMed similar things to other members. Fiinally he melted down, saying he would travel to TTF's home state and sort him out. This included a graphic description of what he intended to do to TTF's wife.

 

[Carboncrank]

It's is a French criminal investigation that threatens half the expected Tour team of RS. It does not have anything to do with sanctions from cycling's anti-doping authorities. It is relevant in any discussion of whether Armstrong will be at the Tour.



Yeah, I am sure those charity ride crits are a killer, especially if you are as fat as a distillery pig..



Do you really need me to post the threatening PMs you have sent me, Jackhammer? I am sure the others who you have threatened won't find the content a surprise.

You haven't said anything in months I have heard you say over and over and clearly your only intent in ever responding to anything I say is to provoke so, Congratulations, you become the only person on my ignore list.

Have fun.

 

[franciep10]

An example:

you're safe behind your keyboard making a comment i'd have slapped your smug face for if you'd have made it to my face. you are a punk coward.
i live in westerville ohio just outside of columbus.
let's get together and see if you want to call me a dumb *** to my face.{/QUOTE]

I got off easy. He PMed similar things to other members. Fiinally he melted down, saying he would travel to TTF's home state and sort him out. This included a graphic description of what he intended to do to TTF's wife.

I did get a PM from him but it was one where he wanted help to fight "the attacks" of Bro deal and Alpe

 

[UpTheRoad]

+ 1

This clearly the importance of teams class. If you have a team strong enough to properly support a contender you aren't going to finish way down the teams class.

Astana won't be anywhere near the strength of the DiscoPostal teams of yesteryear. Those teams had GT winners and contenders in their prime (or close to it) and an abundance of top flight climbers. Even so, Astana doesn't need to be that strong to get the win. Contador doesn't need the leadout train. Nice to have, but not a necessity.

Since the field is shaping up to be so competitive this year, any danger to Contador by Team Lance may also be seen as a danger to Saxo Bank, Liquigas et al. Also, if Astana falters, Caisse might take up some of the slack, or other team's with GC interests.

 

[ravens]

"Good choice of guys" you say. It's not evident in this grouping.

How is it not evident? Seriously, I would like an explanation of that.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

How is it not evident? Seriously, I would like an explanation of that.

Don't hold your breath for a response. It seems he has been banned.

 

[ravens]

You won't stop with the doping talk.

I raced crits. Where were your pics fat boy?

Why do you want to fight me fat boy?

Let's knock it off with the fat stuff!

I personally derive great satisfaction from leading middle aged housewives up the hill at the end of the ms training rides.

I think my 5' 10" skeleton weighs more than some of you do right now.

 

[Prodigy]

How is it not evident? Seriously, I would like an explanation of that.

Unfortunately he can't give you an explanation because he has been banned for a PM he apparently sent under another account presumably about a year ago.

 

[Bike Boy]

But surely he wll be back sooner rather than later. Just have to figure out what he will call himself

 

[ravens]

Don't hold your breath for a response. It seems he has been banned.

dammit. guess i'll just wait for his sock puppet to come and explain it.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

dammit. guess i'll just wait for his sock puppet to come and explain it.

Ask prodigy, there's speculation they are one in the same....bum Bum BUUUMMM

 

[ravens]

Ask prodigy, there's speculation they are one in the same....bum Bum BUUUMMM

Guess I will throw the question to 'all and sundry'. Who won the race that this thread is named after? What team is that person on? Is there a better result than 'winner'? Can we have a poll for what CC's next username will be so we know it's him when he figures out how to get a new IP add. ?

All this guessing about who is who makes me hungry. Come to think of it, everything makes me hungry.

 

[craig1985]

I have to say though, not a bad start for Tejay Van Garderen as a professional. Finished inside the top 10. Columbia must of offered him more money then Rabo, or Rabo did not want him.

 

[peloton]

I have to say though, not a bad start for Tejay Van Garderen as a professional. Finished inside the top 10. Columbia must of offered him more money then Rabo, or Rabo did not want him.

That was an excellent result.
Columbia has some serious talents again this year, will be interesting to see how they develop.

 

[craig1985]

I'm not sure what the story is with van Garderen and Rabo, whether Rabo wanted to keep him and Columbia poached him, or they didn't want him. Because if it was the former, it must annoy the hell out of Rabo to develop these riders and then another to come in and poach them from under their noses.

But in saying that, until we have a system in place to protect the teams who invest in u23 cycling, then anybody is fair game. I guess a good analogy would be when a business trains up a staff member (like a bank) with the idea that he/she will take on a higher role and then a rival company comes in and offers that person more $$$ and then they are off to the highest bidder.

 

[Publicus]

I'm not sure what the story is with van Garderen and Rabo, whether Rabo wanted to keep him and Columbia poached him, or they didn't want him. Because if it was the former, it must annoy the hell out of Rabo to develop these riders and then another to come in and poach them from under their noses.

But in saying that, until we have a system in place to protect the teams who invest in u23 cycling, then anybody is fair game. I guess a good analogy would be when a business trains up a staff member (like a bank) with the idea that he/she will take on a higher role and then a rival company comes in and offers that person more $$$ and then they are off to the highest bidder.

But isn't that the risk of investing in young talent? That someone else sees the potential and offers them more than you are willing to pay? Implicit in this is a notion of loyalty, but remember this is a business. For everyone of these guys that flies the coup, there are 3 more that they (Rabo) turns their back on.

 

[Dr.JSW]

Attacks via early break away:

Astana doesn't need to be that strong to get the win. Contador doesn't need the leadout train. Nice to have, but not a necessity.

Since the field is shaping up to be so competitive this year, any danger to Contador by Team Lance may also be seen as a danger to Saxo Bank, Liquigas et al. Also, if Astana falters, Caisse might take up some of the slack, or other team's with GC interests.

What will Astana do if Radio Shack puts Kloden and Saxo puts elder Schleck in the same break away early in the race? Astana would be wasted by the 50 mile mark chasing them down. At the moment of the catch, what if baby Schleck and a teammate hit it along with Lance an Levi? You know the Schleck boys will literally die on the road for each other. In order to get the big bucks payout, guys like Kloden and Levi will do the same.

We may never see these scenarios, but it is fun dreaming about them. The "grind them down with a lean, mean bigshot team" approach of USPS made for boring racing. If we had radios banned and teams and riders willing to attack with abandon, it could be like the 70s and 80s once again. I remember the story of one guy in the days before radios who took off in a solo breakaway very early in the race. He got around a corner, got off the road and hid in the bushes. After the pelaton passed by, he got out and hid at the back of the field. About 30 miles later the pelaton set off alarm bells since they had not hauled him back in. They started chasing and chasing while the cat that ate the canary was sitting on the back grinning.

 

[KazakhNeRider]

What will Astana do if Radio Shack puts Kloden and Saxo puts elder Schleck in the same break away early in the race? Astana would be wasted by the 50 mile mark chasing them down. At the moment of the catch, what if baby Schleck and a teammate hit it along with Lance an Levi? You know the Schleck boys will literally die on the road for each other. In order to get the big bucks payout, guys like Kloden and Levi will do the same.

We may never see these scenarios, but it is fun dreaming about them. The "grind them down with a lean, mean bigshot team" approach of USPS made for boring racing. If we had radios banned and teams and riders willing to attack with abandon, it could be like the 70s and 80s once again. I remember the story of one guy in the days before radios who took off in a solo breakaway very early in the race. He got around a corner, got off the road and hid in the bushes. After the pelaton passed by, he got out and hid at the back of the field. About 30 miles later the pelaton set off alarm bells since they had not hauled him back in. They started chasing and chasing while the cat that ate the canary was sitting on the back grinning.

I think Saxo could do it, no! Saxo will do it! But I don't believe they will do it with RadioShack...
But for sure - Tour-2010 will be the most unpredictable for last years...

 

[Ferminal]

What will Astana do if Radio Shack puts Kloden and Saxo puts elder Schleck in the same break away early in the race? Astana would be wasted by the 50 mile mark chasing them down. At the moment of the catch, what if baby Schleck and a teammate hit it along with Lance an Levi? You know the Schleck boys will literally die on the road for each other. In order to get the big bucks payout, guys like Kloden and Levi will do the same.

This is the only way Contador can be beaten.

But it's going to need a lot of cooperation to pull it off. Liquigas/Saxo/Rabo etc are all going to have to put one of their men in that break and then force Astana to do the work. But that doesn't include teams like Cervelo, Garmin, Sky, BMC who only have one contender who will probably sit in the Contador group. Then there's the team holding Yellow which if not one of the above, will try and keep everyone together anyway.

Radioshack is an unknown because it's doubtful as to whether or not Klodi or Levi would be allowed to put themselves in a situation where they "might" get time over their leader. But obviously it would be the wise thing to do for any team with three top10 GC riders.

It's what teams should have done in 2009. Especially considering what was going on in "Team" Astana.

 

[craig1985]

Unless Frank Schleck is 25 minutes down, the moment he he attacks is when he has the whole Astana on his backside, or Contador (assuming he is in yellow) could just jump into the break and sit there.

 

[Race Radio]

What will Astana do if Radio Shack puts Kloden and Saxo puts elder Schleck in the same break away early in the race? Astana would be wasted by the 50 mile mark chasing them down. At the moment of the catch, what if baby Schleck and a teammate hit it along with Lance an Levi? You know the Schleck boys will literally die on the road for each other. In order to get the big bucks payout, guys like Kloden and Levi will do the same.

We may never see these scenarios, but it is fun dreaming about them. The "grind them down with a lean, mean bigshot team" approach of USPS made for boring racing. If we had radios banned and teams and riders willing to attack with abandon, it could be like the 70s and 80s once again. I remember the story of one guy in the days before radios who took off in a solo breakaway very early in the race. He got around a corner, got off the road and hid in the bushes. After the pelaton passed by, he got out and hid at the back of the field. About 30 miles later the pelaton set off alarm bells since they had not hauled him back in. They started chasing and chasing while the cat that ate the canary was sitting on the back grinning.

It is an interesting idea, but it would never work.

BMC, Astana, Columbia, Cervelo and Garmin all have legit podium contenders. If Kloden and Schleck get in a break they are going to chase like crazy.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

What will Astana do if Radio Shack puts Kloden and Saxo puts elder Schleck in the same break away early in the race?

Astana will chase. Sky will chase. Cervelo will chase. Garmin will chase. Rabobank will chase. BMC will chase.

Teams aren't going to let major contenders go up the road in breaks.

 

[Publicus]

Astana will chase. Sky will chase. Cervelo will chase. Garmin will chase. Rabobank will chase. BMC will chase.

Teams aren't going to let major contenders go up the road in breaks.

I don't get these fantasies folks are cooking up involving Radio Shack. There is no way in hell anyone like Frank Schleck or Andreas Kloden make it into a break. None. Maybe Spartacus and Popo, but not anyone named Schleck, Kloden, Leipheimer, Contador, Basso, Evans, etc., with the obvious caveat if they are 30 minutes down.