26th & 27th March - Criterium International

[El Pistolero]

He was quite strong in the Tour 2009, you can't deny that. Surely he can do more than hold his own on the climbs.

(I'm just preparing you for when he drops Robert Gesink like a stone in July)

Not many mountains in that Tour though. And he really did benefit from the presence of his younger brother. More so than Andy profited from Frank. Even Bradley Wiggins was in front of Frank that Tour

 

[theyoungest]

Even Bradley Wiggins was in front of Frank that Tour

That wasn't due to Wiggo's great climbing ability. Franky boy was definitely among the three best climbers in the Tour, as demonstrated on that stage he won.

Or would you argue that Frank came 4th because there weren't too many mountains in that Tour?

edit: Frank came 5th, of course.

 

[El Pistolero]

That wasn't due to Wiggo's great climbing ability. Franky boy was definitely among the three best climbers in the Tour, as demonstrated on that stage he won.

Or would you argue that Frank came 4th because there weren't too many mountains in that Tour?

If there were more mountains no way Bradley Wiggins would've been fourth. That's what I think. 2007 Tour is a better indication of climbing talent me thinks

In my opinion the following are better climbers in a GT(random order):

Contador
Andy Schleck
Samu Sanchez
Alejandro Valverde
Denis Menchov
Robert Gesink
Igor Anton
Ivan Basso
Vincenzo Nibali

And I'm leaving some good climbers out because I don't know where they stand this season.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He was quite strong in the Tour 2009, you can't deny that. Surely he can do more than hold his own on the climbs.

(I'm just preparing you for when he drops Robert Gesink like a stone in July)

ah yes, the tour 2009, where wiggans got 4th and such...
wasn't that the tour where they also slow pedaled up each mountain??

and the day Fränk Schleck drops a Gesink in top form (no sickness, no form crisis excluded ofcourse) on an actual climb, is the same day monkeys learn how to fly

 

[theyoungest]

ah yes, the tour 2009, where wiggans got 4th and such...
wasn't that the tour where they also slow pedaled up each mountain??

and the day Fränk Schleck drops a Gesink in top form (no sickness, no form crisis excluded ofcourse) on an actual climb, is the same day monkeys learn how to fly

I don't think Frank would have minded if they went up the mountains a little faster... it would only have been in his favour.

Maybe we'll see monkeys fly in July... what a wonderful month it will be

 

[maltiv]

So...who will win stage 2 tomorrow? Is there even a single sprinter left in the race? Or will perhaps someone like Samuel Sanchez be able to take it (think the sprint is slightly uphill)

 

[El Pistolero]

Perhaps Cippolini can jump in halfway and win the stage.

 

[Christian]

Frank is really a horrible sprinter, it's the only thing holding him back of having become world champion for example or winning LBL.

You really overrate Frank if you think he can hold on with Contador if he starts climbing seriously in top form. He came fifth in an extremely weak Vuelta field. Says enough, even if he wasn't in top form, he should've won.

Well, to be fair:

In the Worlds and in LBL he lost to the likes of Bettini, Rebellin and Valverde, who had quite a good finish. It is absolutely no shame to lose a sprint against those, therefore I have a hard time seeing those examples as proof of Fränk having a terrible sprint (keep them coming)

As for the Vuelta I feel like you contradict yourself: first you say Fränk sucks, then you say he should have won the Vuelta. Did you count him as a favourite despite the fact that you knew he sucks? Did you simply assume everyone else in the Vuelta field sucked worse, i.e. Fränk was the least suckiest of 200 suckers?

Personally, I think he has gotten quite impressive results: 5th in the Tour with a f*ed-up knee and 5th in the Vuelta with a metal plate in his shoulder and not having raced for over a month.

He's an ok ardennes specialist and can hold his own in mountains but he doesn't come in my top 10 of pure climbers at the moment

For "an ok ardennes specialist who can hold his own in the mountains" two TdF queen stages, two TdS stages and a TdS overall are quite OK I guess.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

of which one a breakaway...

and suisse last year only had 1 real climb stage, where he lost 1m15 uphill (and thanks to the downhill where gesink took it easy 42 seconds at the finish)
just stop overrating f.schleck please.

 

[El Pistolero]

Well, to be fair:

In the Worlds and in LBL he lost to the likes of Bettini, Rebellin and Valverde, who had quite a good finish. It is absolutely no shame to lose a sprint against those, therefore I have a hard time seeing those examples as proof of Fränk having a terrible sprint (keep them coming)

As for the Vuelta I feel like you contradict yourself: first you say Fränk sucks, then you say he should have won the Vuelta. Did you count him as a favourite despite the fact that you knew he sucks? Did you simply assume everyone else in the Vuelta field sucked worse, i.e. Fränk was the least suckiest of 200 suckers?

Personally, I think he has gotten quite impressive results: 5th in the Tour with a f*ed-up knee and 5th in the Vuelta with a metal plate in his shoulder and not having raced for over a month.



For "an ok ardennes specialist who can hold his own in the mountains" two TdF queen stages, two TdS stages and a TdS overall are quite OK I guess.

No the fact that Frank actually thought he could win it. I never said it's a shame to finish with those people, but it proves he can't sprint and he isn't good enough to drop them like Andy.

 

[El Pistolero]

of which one a breakaway...

and suisse last year only had 1 real climb stage, where he lost 1m15 uphill (and thanks to the downhill where gesink took it easy 42 seconds at the finish)
just stop overrating f.schleck please.

To be fair, Gesink isn't the best of descenders

 

[Christian]

of which one a breakaway...

and suisse last year only had 1 real climb stage, where he lost 1m15 uphill (and thanks to the downhill where gesink took it easy 42 seconds at the finish)
just stop overrating f.schleck please.

Yes I should stick more with underrated riders no one ever talks about like that dutch bloke, what was his name again? You know, the one who lost the TdS to Fränk in a TT?

(He was also on his way to win the TdS 2008 if it hadn't been for the crash)

No the fact that Frank actually thought he could win it. I never said it's a shame to finish with those people, but it proves he can't sprint and he isn't good enough to drop them like Andy.

Yeah see the problem is just because someone loses to Valverde in a sprint doesn't mean they can't sprint. If they lose to Klöden, then yes.

 

[El Pistolero]

Yes I should stick more with underrated riders no one ever talks about like that dutch bloke, what was his name again? You know, the one who lost the TdS to Fränk in a TT?

(He was also on his way to win the TdS 2008 if it hadn't been for the crash)



Yeah see the problem is just because someone loses to Valverde in a sprint doesn't mean they can't sprint. If they lose to Klöden, then yes.

Well, luckily for us he did lose to a sprint against Klöden this Paris-Nice.

 

[Christian]

Well, luckily for us he did lose to a sprint against Klöden this Paris-Nice.

You mean the one where he finished in a different group, 19 seconds down?

 

[El Pistolero]

You mean the one where he finished in a different group, 19 seconds down?

That's even worse.

 

[Christian]

That's even worse.

If losing to Klöden is bad ... how bad is losing to the guy who lost to Klöden?! You know ... like Klöden did today

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

still no excuse for losing to peter velits and finishing 5th in one of the weakest vuelta fields in recent history even though it was his main goal?

 

[Christian]

still no excuse for losing to peter velits and finishing 5th in one of the weakest vuelta fields in recent history even though it was his main goal?

What happened to Menchov? Is he overrated as well?

Anyways Vuelta was never his main goal, more like a last minute backup plan due to unforeseen complications

 

[theyoungest]

of which one a breakaway...

and suisse last year only had 1 real climb stage, where he lost 1m15 uphill (and thanks to the downhill where gesink took it easy 42 seconds at the finish)
just stop overrating f.schleck please.

Lol. Gesink took it easy on the descent. That's not what "taking it easy" looks like

To be fair, Gesink isn't the best of descenders

You know where he gained that rep? In Paris-Nice. Where Frank Schleck told him to follow his wheel and promptly missed a corner. Say goodbye to your hopes of winning Paris-Nice.

 

[The Hitch]

Chapeau to Frank. Earned it.

Taramei impressive. Sammy not so much but im confident hell have the right programme for the Tour.

Kirbys quip of the day? The bit where he said that Saur Saujan were working to get a wildcard for the Tour.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

please elaborate for those (almost) never watching races with english commentary

who is kirby? I hear a complaint about him nearly every race. Sounds as bad as Mart Smeets

 

[The Hitch]

please elaborate for those (almost) never watching races with english commentary

who is kirby? I hear a complaint about him nearly every race. Sounds as bad as Mart Smeets

Hes eurosports backup guy for a variety of sports. Not just cycling. The final backup for many ES sport. When in cycling or moto or skiing or whatever, they need some sort of commentator, guess whose phone rings.

During the Tour he just reads the letters out.

But hes absolutely clueless. Not just about cycling, about life. He reads the Spanish mother names rather than the actual surnames. So for Madrazo he said that "Ruiz" attacked.

Or there was a protest at TA about nuclear energy and unable to read the signs he concluded on air that they just want more money and want it now. He needed to give an on air apology a few minutes later

 

[El Pistolero]

Hes eurosports backup guy for a variety of sports. Not just cycling. The final backup for many ES sport. When in cycling or moto or skiing or whatever, they need some sort of commentator, guess whose phone rings.

During the Tour he just reads the letters out.

But hes absolutely clueless. Not just about cycling, about life. He reads the Spanish mother names rather than the actual surnames. So for Madrazo he said that "Ruiz" attacked.

Or there was a protest at TA about nuclear energy and unable to read the signs he concluded on air that they just want more money and want it now. He needed to give an on air apology a few minutes later

Lol, José de Cauwer didn't need to make an apology when he insulted the Polish cyclists in Dwars door Vlaanderen with a damn good stereotypical joke

 

[The Hitch]

Lol, José de Cauwer didn't need to make an apology when he insulted the Polish cyclists in Dwars door Vlaanderen with a damn good stereotypical joke

Thats because we have thick skin and broad backs.

Go on tell the joke. Dont worry, it takes a lot to make me cry

 

[El Pistolero]

Thats because we have thick skin and broad backs.

Go on tell the joke. Dont worry, it takes a lot to make me cry

He said they were working in the building sector in the morning and in the noon they were riding their bike in the peloton.

Although how he said it in Dutch made it funnier

It's not a rude joke or anything.