2010 Vuelta a Murcia 3rd-7th March

[Anonymous]

Anyway, back to the racing...

Fifth and final stage today:

I'm guessing a bunch sprint and now that Hunter is with his wife, Brown may actually get his one victory for the season.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Ha! But the dutch flag would have orange no? It is more like Luxemburg

Nope. No orange in the Netherlands flag.

http://www.geographic.org/flags/new1/netherlands_flags.html

Susan

 

[python]

http://www.steephill.tv/vuelta-a-murcia/#live

In one interview, Lance admits that he's not doing so well on the hills, due to a lack of race miles since the TDU. In another, he admits that he still has weight to lose. Sounds reasonable, but what happened to being stronger, leaner, lighter than last year? Or was that just CC justifying his profile in Velonews?

"Lance, you're a star, you're a star in cycling. What do you think about that?"
Who knew WonderLance was a female Spanish journalist?

the excess weight is again blowing smoke. he lacks watts. the time trial was as flat as they come. an extra kg or two may even help on such a course.
armstrong is behind in watts not miles not kgs.

the peloton acceleration in stage 3 towards the key summit exposed it for the first time. he was unhinged just like in the giro when shyt hit the fan because one needs extra watts to accelerate. ssdd.

 

[craig1985]

INTER FTW \o/

uhm...sorry

If you cut me open my blood would be black and blue (well not really). Anybody who supports AC Milan or Juventus goes on my ignore list.

 

[Winterfold]

Where's da weight loss???

In a very recent interview I read he said he had to lose (I think) 5kg to get his weight where he wanted it for the Tour. Sounds like he is planning on riding it dangerously thin and you can't do that for more than a few weeks.

 

[python]

once again anyone who can deduce body weight down to few kgs by flipping internet pix or listening to the athletes themselves is missing an old trick. most pros dont tell the truth because it gives them some room to feed expectations (or excuses) depending on how the wind blows. when a third person (desirably a non-team related) speaks of it, only then id give it a half my ear.

iirc, certain third persons confirmed brads anorexia during the tour last year.

 

[Winterfold]

I agree you have to be skeptical about riders talking about their own weight but here is the link anyway http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/features/article7041787.ece

 

[BroDeal]

In a very recent interview I read he said he had to lose (I think) 5kg to get his weight where he wanted it for the Tour. Sounds like he is planning on riding it dangerously thin and you can't do that for more than a few weeks.

People are using a pic from last year's Paris-Roubaix to show how much weight Wigans must have lost.

 

[python]

I agree you have to be skeptical about riders talking about their own weight but here is the link anyway http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/features/article7041787.ece

good article. sounds like brad has his shyte together. really.

well i know it is together b/c my avatar is his trusted adviser.

though im far more inclined to take brads word over armstrongs i still pour plenty of salt.

the good thing from the article is his realization of the key differences between the track and the road.

 

[ak-zaaf]

If you cut me open my blood would be black and blue (well not really). Anybody who supports AC Milan or Juventus goes on my ignore list.

As a long time Milan fan: FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU

:x

 

[Anonymous]

Bos wins.

Aargh. It's 10 characters now. Happy?

 

[theyoungest]

Bos wins.

Aargh. It's 10 characters now. Happy?

And, naturally, Graeme Brown is second.

 

[issoisso]

Bos wins.

Aargh. It's 10 characters now. Happy?

I swear I can not for the life of me think of one valid reason for the "post must have ten characters" rule.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

nice win number two for the season, unlucky he didn't get over the climbs in stages 1 and 2. Needs to improve his climbing a bit, but his sprinting seems to be coming along nicely.

I'd rather a bos win then a brown win, rabo or not.

 

[Moondance]

nice win number two for the season, unlucky he didn't get over the climbs in stages 1 and 2. Needs to improve his climbing a bit, but his sprinting seems to be coming along nicely.

I'd rather a bos win then a brown win, rabo or not.

+1

Netherlands victory > Foreigner Rabo victory.... Always.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

agreed. Hup Holland!

I wouldn't care less if all the non-dutch riders left rabo... except for friere and nuyens, just cause they're awesome TBH I don't mind if menchov leaves the team next season (i think that's when his contract runs out, he should go katusha maybe), I like the guy, but I like the prospect of dutch guys leading the GT teams more. (Gesink and Mollema in particular obviously...)

 

[Moondance]

agreed. Hup Holland!

I wouldn't care less if all the non-dutch riders left rabo... except for friere and nuyens, just cause they're awesome

Martens can stay too... If only because he speaks better Dutch than me

 

[djconnel]

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.)

The 3:1 rule applies to each piece of the frame. The gimmick is to move the fork outside of the head tube, then you get 3:1 for the fork, 3:1 for the head tube. Specialized had a cover they claimed was a structural piece of the fork. Other bikes, like the Scott, have the fork part more clearly structural. The UCI said the Specialized cover wasn't actually part of the fork or the head tube, but was instead just an aerodynamic aid. Last year they said the same piece was a part of the fork, or maybe just didn't say.

It's all an absurd game to get around absurd rules. 3:1 limit? All very silly.

 

[thehog]

Lance Armstrong is likely to add an extra race to his Tour de France preparations following an average performance at the Vuelta de Murcia.*

Armstrong finished seventh overall, 1 minute, 23 seconds behind winner Frantisek Rabon of Team HTC-Columbia after Sunday's finl stage.*

The seven-time Tour champion said he was not worried about the lukewarm result but that improvement was needed.*

"Worried would be too strong of a word," Armstrong said Sunday. "I'm aware of (my performance), but not too stressed."*

Edited by mod -- Don't use an entire article, and please give the link!

 

[zapata]

"Human Coffee"? That's one way of putting it, I guess.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Bos and Boom in one day? call for a national holiday.

Armstrong almost half a minute behind his second ranked domestique, over a handful of km?
I wouldn't call that average.....shiite maybe, but not average.
So he'll add Sarthe? That'll be a big help when the Pyrennes arrive.

 

[Publicus]

Bos and Boom in one day? call for a national holiday.

Armstrong almost half a minute behind his second ranked domestique, over a handful of km?
I wouldn't call that average.....shiite maybe, but not average.
So he'll add Sarthe? That'll be a big help when the Pyrennes arrive.

Isn't the Tour of the Basque Country around that time? He could ride that...

 

[Moondance]

Isn't the Tour of the Basque Country around that time? He could ride that...

That would mean losing to Contador.... And that ain't gonna happen (until July that is).

 

[Publicus]

That would mean losing to Contador.... And that ain't gonna happen (until July that is).

Correction. That would mean getting humiliated by Contador....The rest is fine.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Armstrong is so over the hill. He probably doesn't even realise getting podium in the Tour will be hard enough this year. With the b-field of last year he could just barely manage that.