75th La Fleche Wallonne 201km Wednesday April20nd 2011

[jaylew]

Wth has happened to Cunego? He looked great a week ago. Apparently Pais Vasco was more indicative of his form than Appennino...

 

[Anonymous]

Closing Kilometres (English)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xibcl8_fleche-wallone-final-4km_sport

 

[hrotha]

Yeah but conti is on antibiotics + has difficulties because of allergy, I didn't expect him in this weather. Neither did I expect Phille to take it, but dam is he strong! Very very impressive, freewheeling the last 75 m's on the Mur de Huy, very impressive indeed

I'm at a loss to understand why athletes seem so eager to take debilitating antibiotics to treat everything from the flu to a simple cold. Then again, Contador loves his excuses.

 

[El Pistolero]

I'm at a loss to understand why athletes seem so eager to take debilitating antibiotics to treat everything from the flu to a simple cold. Then again, Contador loves his excuses.

Did you see the interview this morning with Contador? He could barely breath well.

 

[hrotha]

Did you see the interview this morning with Contador? He could barely breath well.

Did you hear all his excuses ever, not only this morning?

 

[boomcie]

Did you see the interview this morning with Contador? He could barely breath well.

I thought he sounded like a little kid who was faking illness because he didn't want to go to school.

Still, I believe he has a cold, because 11th place is just shameful.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Vanendert 6th! Great.

 

[El Pistolero]

Did you hear all his excuses ever, not only this morning?

I'm just saying today was no excuse. You could really see he was sick.

 

[hrotha]

I'm just saying today was no excuse. You could really see he was sick.

Yeah, but my original statement was that I don't understand why he'd take antibiotics for that, and that to me sounds like an excuse.

 

[El Pistolero]

Yeah, but my original statement was that I don't understand why he'd take antibiotics for that, and that to me sounds like an excuse.

Hey, he did predict Gilbert as a winner before he started so kudos to him

 

[luckyboy]

Did you hear all his excuses ever, not only this morning?

Every year we hear about AC's allergies, so this is hardly new.

He said he wouldn't win before the start, so it's not giving some excuse after he fails like certain other riders.

 

[Altitude]

Lmao.. I was just coming on here to ask if anyone heard an excuse from Aldirto yet. I guess I have my answer

 

[Altitude]

Every year we hear about AC's allergies, so this is hardly new.

He said he wouldn't win before the start, so it's not giving some excuse after he fails like certain other riders.

Yeah, the more experienced ones work on their excuses before the race/event. See Nadal.

 

[luckyboy]

Also that Scottish guy is a pretty annoying commentator.

 

[hrotha]

Every year we hear about AC's allergies, so this is hardly new.

He said he wouldn't win before the start, so it's not giving some excuse after he fails like certain other riders.

That's the thing, he always has excuses beforehand. Like in Catalonia. "Oh I'll do my best but the parcours doesn't suit me".

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Best ride of the day? Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. She's only just left juniors, just turned 19, doesn't have a UCI team and just came 7th in one of the biggest races of the year with next to no team help. She does 'cross, road and MTB. Given the lack of a team she'll probably ride MTB for most of the summer, but she can climb, she can sprint... she's probably France's best GC hopeful for the near future in either gender.

 

[Publicus]

That's the thing, he always has excuses beforehand. Like in Catalonia. "Oh I'll do my best but the parcours doesn't suit me".

I would only take issue with the notion of it being an excuse. Some courses DO suit him better than others or that he's not 100% and that there are others to keep an eye on, but that's not an excuse that's managing expectations. An excuse is when you are explaining after the fact why you didn't win. If he said after the race that he wasn't 'x' or 'y' or 'z', then it would be an excuse in my book. I guess it's the lens through which one sees him. I know this, if he lines up, he's going to try and win, despite whatever excuse/management of expectations/downplaying he may go through prior to the start.

As for the cold, he had it, at least according to him and his press folks, before he started Castilla y Leon. He started the course of antibiotics right after the end of Leon in the hopes that it would help speed the recovery process from the cold by Fleche. Apparently it didn't.

 

[boomcie]

This rocks.

 

[Escarabajo]

That's the thing, he always has excuses beforehand. Like in Catalonia. "Oh I'll do my best but the parcours doesn't suit me".

Every rider has an excuse, otherwise you are called a a$$hole like they did with Cancellara. Wouldn't you do the same?

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I had a feeling Gilbert was going to win this even if ...

I was impressed by Vino, I can't recall him finishing 4th or higher Fleche (Without looking I remember a 5th vaguely).

I don't think the riders will necessarily ride against Gilbert for Liege, but I think a few more riders with try to attack further out, ...

+3
Gilbert... well he's putting everyone else through the spin cycle. But yes, that Vino. Looking before the race at the start list, seeing his name, I thought nope, not this day. But I think he's the one that impressed me the most, or at least as much as Gilbert.

 

[Descender]

Best ride of the day? Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. She's only just left juniors, just turned 19, doesn't have a UCI team and just came 7th in one of the biggest races of the year with next to no team help. She does 'cross, road and MTB. Given the lack of a team she'll probably ride MTB for most of the summer, but she can climb, she can sprint... she's probably France's best GC hopeful for the near future in either gender.

she hot?

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[Buffalo Soldier]

This rocks.

that gap is really huge

 

[Libertine Seguros]

she hot?

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I'm not the best judge of these things, but she's quite glamorous and I'm sure the French media will like her.

 

[boomcie]

that gap is really huge

How about this?

 

[Michielveedeebee]

she hot?

——————————————

yeah she hot
http://www.paulineferrandprevot.com/