2010 Vuelta a Murcia 3rd-7th March

[Fail McWigans]

Well way back when, at a time when AC couldn't time trial (amazing how great he got in such a short time) he almost won the TDF in 2007 you know. Finished 3rd behind AC and Cadel.

Not sure what you mean. The guy's 26. Did he get better? Yes. Is it overwhelmingly better? Hmmm, not really. It's not like he's putting minutes into people at the Tour. If you actually took the time to read about how Saiz tested Sanchez and Contador years ago and saw their potential, you'd think twice before dropping the "amazing" remark.

 

[Angliru]

I don't think he is willing to get down to the skeletal thinness required. He is too into the Hollywood lifestyle. That he spends time having himself painted orange says a lot. He is more interested in looking like an athlete than being one.

Also it wouldn't look good in his greased up shirtless jogging photo ops with his soul mate Matthew.

 

[karlboss]

the head tube must be pushing the regs but it wont account for the time differences today

fantastic position, he looks like he could lose some weight from his upper body, but he doesn't look particularly heavy on his thighs and bum (eg compared to Spartacus) - so I imagine he can lose several kilos and not affect his power so are we going to be seeing a lot lot more from him?

EDIT other than in Cav's leadout train of course

head tubes are ok, they don't have to comply to 3:1 but instead have a template they have to fit inside. I'd say all the head tubes break the 3:1 rule.

 

[Angliru]

He did ok in the Vuelta -08...

Riding in support of Contador. Whenever he's been put in the position of team leader/protected rider, most recently the 2009 Giro, he has crumbled under the pressure. His new MO since Armstrong has returned is to sneak under the radar and win the Tour while no one is looking. He's hoping to get away in a break that his opponents are hesitant to respond to, gain enough time that puts him in the race lead and hope he can defend it all the way to Paris. I can't think of any other reason he's not on his own team fighting for Tour glory instead of plotting as super-domestique to bypass his leader/captain and snatch the Tour victory.

 

[kurtinsc]

i know publicus allready covered it , but just exactly when was it that Berto couldnt time trial.........actually i think there was a time Levi couldnt time trial..............

Really?

1995... Tour de Namur (no idea what it is... but it's the first cycling result of any kind I can find for Levi). He won the GC... largely because he came in second in the ITT on stage 4 part "A".

2000... first season with results in races I've heard of. 2nd in stage 4 of the Tour of Luxembourg, 1st in Stage 2 of Circuit Franco-Belge... both ITT's.

Levi has pretty much always been able to time trial.


Or was there sarcasm there that I was missing?

 

[Angliru]

Well way back when, at a time when AC couldn't time trial (amazing how great he got in such a short time) he almost won the TDF in 2007 you know. Finished 3rd behind AC and Cadel.

Speaking of dishonest or more likely simply misinformed--Contador could always time trial just not on the elite level that Leipheimer could at the time.

He didn't almost win the Tour in 2007. He had the chance to be the team leader and was out performed by a young Contador. Another example of leadership being given and Leipheimer fumbling it away.

 

[Angliru]

I am a Lance fan like you and have also been paying close attention ot all those loverly muscles, its so sweet that he is back racing so I can get my Lance eye candy. Did you know that he used his superiour positive thinking to battle cancer and win? With an attitude like that he could win the tour this year, if he can beat cancer he can beat anyone!

I think I'm going to be sick.

 

[Angliru]

this is a bit off the topic, but is Frantisek Rabon's bike legal at all?

If UCI is "enforcing" the 8cm cross section, this one surely has two locations where the rule is broken.....

I think the Specialized bikes that were banned/disallowed from competition had a faring type piece that extended outward from where the headtube is.
This Scott extends towards the rear with a no extension piece in the front.
(Not technical but this is the best that I can do.)

 

[kurtinsc]

Riding in support of Contador. Whenever he's been put in the position of team leader/protected rider, most recently the 2009 Giro, he has crumbled under the pressure. His new MO since Armstrong has returned is to sneak under the radar and win the Tour while no one is looking. He's hoping to get away in a break that his opponents are hesitant to respond to, gain enough time that puts him in the race lead and hope he can defend it all the way to Paris. I can't think of any other reason he's not on his own team fighting for Tour glory instead of plotting as super-domestique to bypass his leader/captain and snatch the Tour victory.

This is only true if your measure of "crumbling under the pressure" is "not winning".

Levi did fail in the 2009 Giro. But we shouldn't forget he wasn't training to ride that race as leader until Lance went down at the end of march. Levi's plan going into the season looked to be his normal peak in February and March (he won the TOC in February and the Vuelta Castilla y Leon in March) then to try to peak for the Tour.

He tried to shift gears and hold that form through May... but it didn't work out. I don't think that's crumbling under pressure so much as crumbling under trying to hold top form for too long a stretch.

 

[craig1985]

Sky obviously didn't get blackcat's memo wrt to Bradley's name.

 

[Angliru]

I think he is a paradoxical character. On the one hand he obviously has the talent to have a grand tour win under his belt but has none. When compared to Denis Menchov his grand tour resume is disappointing. Why wouldn't he attempt to show up for the Giro in fighting shape knowing that he would be riding as a domestique in the Tour for one of the two riders on the team that are his superiors? It's because of this troubling singular focus on the Tour as the end all of all cycling events for many riders. Wouldn't Armstrong be much more likely to hand over the team leadership to LL at the Giro than at his beloved Tour?

I've stated a couple of times in other threads about Leipheimer's holding to the belief that he can still somehow win the Tour by flying under the radar of his opponents all while supposedly riding in support of Armstrong. He stated this last year when he really wasn't mentioned in the dramatic battle for Astana team superiority and he's reiterated the same belief this year. He could quite possibly be stronger than Armstrong at this year's Tour but what chance would he be given by the joined-at-the-hip Armstrong/Bruyneel duo
of pursuing his own interests if they are at the expense of their ultimate goal--winning the Tour with Armstrong? LL is hoping for miracles to happen instead of pursuing obtainable goals--with the exception of Tour of California.

I personally don't think he will ever better (at the Tour) Evans, Contador, Andy Schleck, and to a lesser extent Christian Vandevelde and even Bradley Wiggins. Plus with the young riders moving up like Kreuziger and Nibali who are gaining strength and experience while he is continuing to age, his chances are pretty slim.

 

[lagartija]

Really?

1995... Tour de Namur (no idea what it is... but it's the first cycling result of any kind I can find for Levi). He won the GC... largely because he came in second in the ITT on stage 4 part "A".

2000... first season with results in races I've heard of. 2nd in stage 4 of the Tour of Luxembourg, 1st in Stage 2 of Circuit Franco-Belge... both ITT's.

Levi has pretty much always been able to time trial.


Or was there sarcasm there that I was missing?

nope no sarcasm....levi has roughly 16 TT wins in a 10 year pro career , Namur is basically a div. 3 race in belgium, or was not sure its still up and running, your comment was based around the opinion that contador magically became a timetrialist recently, and as has allready been pointed out sev times on this thread is simply not the case, furthermore , contador has won approximately 8 or 9 pro TT at a much younger age and not to mention larger stages , yes i know Levi has won TT at the grand tour level, but again he falls short of contador in terms of stages (importance)..........listen lets cut to the chase, lets see levi win the national title and some grand tours while laying the smack down for 3 weeks and then we can talk until then he will always be the angry midget......

p.s. somebody please buy him a personality.........

 

[altark123]

Speaking of dishonest or more likely simply misinformed--Contador could always time trial just not on the elite level that Leipheimer could at the time.

He didn't almost win the Tour in 2007. He had the chance to be the team leader and was out performed by a young Contador. Another example of leadership being given and Leipheimer fumbling it away.

what was he, 37 seconds back of Contador? And how much did he put into Contador on that last TT? The power of the jersey is the only thing that kept AC in yellow that day. It was a great ride no doubt, but Levi did an even better one that day. And yes Contador was a solid TT guy, but now is the one of the best, wasn't necessarily saying his rise was due to dope, but the dismissed Puerto case does still linger in my mind. Edit: He put 2:18 into AC on that final stage

 

[theswordsman]

When was this? When he was 19 and was Nation U23 TT champion or when he was 22 and he won the TT at Pais Vasco? Or maybe you mean when he was 23 and was National Pro TT champion?

Just to add on:

"I can see why they're surprised because they look at my body and think ‘hmph, he's a climber', but in fact I've never been that bad a time triallist, and I'm just getting better with time."

There is some truth in this, and not just because Contador's first ever victory was a time trial in the Tour of Poland in 2003.

"This year alone," says Contador as he ticks off the results with his fingers, "in the Tour I finished first and second in the time trials."

"I also finished second and fifth in the Dauphiné's time trials, won the Spanish national time trial championships, finished second in the time trial in Castilla y Leon, won the time trial in the Tour of the Basque Country, won the prologue of Paris-Nice and won the time trial in the Tour of the Algarve."

"Last year I won time trials in Castilla y Leon and the Tour of the Basque Country and was second in time trials in the Vuelta and Giro."

That's from a great post - Tour interview last year.
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/436521/after-the-tour-the-alberto-contador-interview.html

 

[blackcat]

i know publicus allready covered it , but just exactly when was it that Berto couldnt time trial.........actually i think there was a time Levi couldnt time trial..............

Oh I remember that time very well. It was only since 2007 that he's suddenly been good against the clock....

Levi could always timetrial.

2001 Vuelta, or was it 2003. There was a prologue, two chronos, plus a mtn chrono, I think. Going by memory, gimme a pass.

Levi made the podium in both chronos. He then came third in the Worlds chrono. He would have been 27.

He started out as a chrono and classement guy. Think he won a Beauce on the back of a chrono, circa 97 or 98.

Then he was riding for some Bagels sponsor, and went positive at the national crit champs, tho I dont think you can find anything on this on the interwebz.

Levi then dominated Dauphine prologues and chronos for a few years. Podiums or wins, which were foundation of his classement victories.

So, if you want to weigh in, on Levi, and diss him, atleast diss him with the facts. Like in 2006, when Operation Puerto conflagration waging, Levi stepped into the Tour a bag-o-blood or two short on his capacity and obviously never got his crit up, he came in about 4 minutes down in the chrono. Screwed him for GC.

That performance proved to me that as much as any discipline, the chrono is about the blood parameters and getting your medical program dialled in.

Levi wins a Tour chrono in 2007, really, 'nuff said on his ability. You dont win a Tour chrono, if you are a nuff-nuff. But he did owe a bit to Bruyneel's couriers.

But Levi can ride. So if you wanna diss him, atleast bring a few facts to the table.

 

[ravens]

Does every thread have to be about armstrong and contador?

Yes, it does.

 

[ravens]

I am a Lance fan like you and have also been paying close attention ot all those loverly muscles, its so sweet that he is back racing so I can get my Lance eye candy. ...

For the love of all things holy, tell me you are either a female or gay....

 

[auscyclefan94]

For the love of all things holy, tell me you are either a female or gay....

or a great actor?

 

[blackcat]

Really?

1995... Tour de Namur (no idea what it is... but it's the first cycling result of any kind I can find for Levi). He won the GC... largely because he came in second in the ITT on stage 4 part "A".

2000... first season with results in races I've heard of. 2nd in stage 4 of the Tour of Luxembourg, 1st in Stage 2 of Circuit Franco-Belge... both ITT's.

Levi has pretty much always been able to time trial.


Or was there sarcasm there that I was missing?

+1 but still a dope fueled Snivler

 

[ravens]

this is a bit off the topic, but is Frantisek Rabon's bike legal at all?

If UCI is "enforcing" the 8cm cross section, this one surely has two locations where the rule is broken.....

Are the rider's initials AC? If not, then it's legal.

 

[blackcat]

Sky obviously didn't get blackcat's memo wrt to Bradley's name.

gotta fly the flag for Wigans Craig.

Will someone damn add his nickname to Wikipedia.

 

[ravens]

I think he is a paradoxical character. On the one hand he obviously has the talent to have a grand tour win under his belt but has none. When compared to Denis Menchov his grand tour resume is disappointing. Why wouldn't he attempt to show up for the Giro in fighting shape knowing that he would be riding as a domestique in the Tour for one of the two riders on the team that are his superiors? It's because of this troubling singular focus on the Tour as the end all of all cycling events for many riders. Wouldn't Armstrong be much more likely to hand over the team leadership to LL at the Giro than at his beloved Tour?

I've stated a couple of times in other threads about Leipheimer's holding to the belief that he can still somehow win the Tour by flying under the radar of his opponents all while supposedly riding in support of Armstrong. He stated this last year when he really wasn't mentioned in the dramatic battle for Astana team superiority and he's reiterated the same belief this year. He could quite possibly be stronger than Armstrong at this year's Tour but what chance would he be given by the joined-at-the-hip Armstrong/Bruyneel duo
of pursuing his own interests if they are at the expense of their ultimate goal--winning the Tour with Armstrong? LL is hoping for miracles to happen instead of pursuing obtainable goals--with the exception of Tour of California.

I personally don't think he will ever better (at the Tour) Evans, Contador, Andy Schleck, and to a lesser extent Christian Vandevelde and even Bradley Wiggins. Plus with the young riders moving up like Kreuziger and Nibali who are gaining strength and experience while he is continuing to age, his chances are pretty slim.

This is a fine opening to ask how all of you think Radio Shack would fare at the tour this year without His Majesty? (Since I am still holding onto plan A: No Lance)

 

[BroDeal]

Where's da weight loss??

 

[blackcat]

Blimey - Rabon completely blitzed that. Tyre meltingly fast. GWF (and kudos to the posters who predicted it).

Team Sky were whinging in Paris Nice my sources tell me. They obviously have no rider intelligence, as they would know at 6 feet, 73 kg, winning Tour of Romandie prologue and beating Cancellara in the process, winning last years Murcia chrono, the guy has loads o' watts, and can really pump out a short to medium chrono.

Sky = thumbs down. On rider intelligence.

My mail was Sky had Oxbridge grads working for 'em, and studying how StrongArm floats in a peloton. Well, a premise missed when studying StrongArm's wins, he was a Patron. Wigans aint.

But, for all the talking about their professionalism, surely they saw that Wigan's chrono palmares, was decidedly mediocre. He won pursuits, cos it was a weak depth discipline, with a small catchment.

Sky = fail; on professionalism in this instance. I will be hoping for more.

 

[blackcat]

Where's da weight loss??

Sarms and other dope from Sciandri and Ellingworth in Tuscany


Bro, can you add a hyperlink to the pic dude. Tack