Re:
To some degree it has become historiographical commonplace to say you can't win the Giro and Tour in a year, that you can't be in top shape that, long etc. While recent history seems to indicate that this is indeed the case, diet and weight I think are the just two factors that need to be controlled in the utmost.
I don't agree, though, that the difference is as big as they make it sound between the 80's, 90's and today. Looking at Contador today and riders in the past who have done the Giro-Tour combo is a sign that somehow he miscalculated something. Rest and recovery are very important of course, but low caloric intake does not exclude a good recovery. Froome, with the exception of April, has carried very good form and very low body fat throughout. This is not the case with Contador, whereas last year he did and the results were appreciatively better. While his only chance at beating Froome in the mountains is to be as radical with his weight. The fact stands that he was too encumbered on the Mur yesterday and thus neither his form nor weight is optimal, in many respects, the two going hand in hand. Thus I don't think my thoughts have been misguided at all and, to the contrary, it was perhaps Contador who was misguided into thinking he could ease into the season and not be too concerned about a detail such as his weight before it's become too late.
Perhaps last year weighed on him. Perhaps to find that kind of form for him mentally was too much to replicate a second year at his age and for as long as he's been at the top. It seems to me that Froome is the more hungry and determined of the two in this regard, has got more will to perfection.
Hey I'd be the first to be happy if he proves me wrong, though I have seen no indications that this will be the case. To the contrary...
Of course there isn't a magical formula, but the "magic" happens when iron discipline meets with impecable preparation. If any formula has been wrong, then it lies not in going for this standard. Unfortunately, Tinkoff's remark is on the one hand misguided when we see Alberto's current physical status and, on the other, a cop-out, because he can't control those external varriables, but only Contador can bring to the table his very best preparation. I believe though this is what's come short.
cellardoor said:@rhubroma - I think you're misguided in thinking that there is a formula to doing the double that means you can turn up at the Giro and the Tour in perfect form, the same form as if you'd just targeted one or the other. Perhaps it was possible in the 90s, but that's a different era when being skeletal was not a pivotal factor.In my opinion, there just isn't enough time between the Giro and the Tour to both recover and train at the intensity required to get to Froome level of fitness (esp. weight-wise). At the same time, I don't think it was an option to go into the Giro in peak form/weight and try to more or less hold it for the Tour - I mentioned before that I think he'd almost certainly get sick or injured being at such a low weight for so long, besides even considering the fact that he'd probably fade in the Tour. form-wiseLosing that last KG that makes the difference between being skinny and being skeletal must be extremely difficult and require intense training and a very controlled diet. This is the exact opposite of what Contador needed after the Giro, he needed rest and to eat healthily so that his body could repair itself.
At the beginning of the Tour, Tinkov commented that "it isn't fair that Contador is racing against guys that are fresh" before going on to say he still believes in Contador in a subdued manner. Throw-away comment? Personally, I read quite a lot into this and I believe that Contador and his team knew it just wasn't physically possible to be at 100% in the Tour and his training data leading up to the Tour showed that.
This doesn't mean he has no chance - I still believe he's in pretty good form and perhaps peak form will come in the 3rd week, maybe Froome will fade, maybe he can benefit from playing the stronger guys off against each other or other tactics.
Whilst Basso's attempts in 2005 and 2006 must provide useful data, we also have to remember they were both ultimately unsuccessful attempts. In 2005 he bonked heavily in the Giro at an early stage and was able to rest-up for all except one stage of the remainder of the race. In 2006 we just don't know what Basso would have done at the Tour - it seems to me that Basso peaked for the Giro and just hoped for the best at the Tour. But even in 05/06 I believe that illicit methods of recovery were available that are far more difficult today (I don't mean to imply they're saints today, but times have changed in terms of what you can and can't get away with).
One other thing to bear in mind when comparing this double attempt to Indurain and Pantani. Indurain and Pantani were head and shoulders above everyone else in their respective disciplines of TTing and climbing. They didn't need to be at 100% to still be the best at those disciplines. In particular, I've noticed that good TTers are often able to put in a good TT even when the form isn't great. Ullrich in the '06 Giro is a good example of that. On the other hand, I don't think Contador has ever been head and shoulders above his competition at either TTing or climbing. It's just that he's been one of the best at both and is sublime at eeking out a win one way or t'other.
To some degree it has become historiographical commonplace to say you can't win the Giro and Tour in a year, that you can't be in top shape that, long etc. While recent history seems to indicate that this is indeed the case, diet and weight I think are the just two factors that need to be controlled in the utmost.
I don't agree, though, that the difference is as big as they make it sound between the 80's, 90's and today. Looking at Contador today and riders in the past who have done the Giro-Tour combo is a sign that somehow he miscalculated something. Rest and recovery are very important of course, but low caloric intake does not exclude a good recovery. Froome, with the exception of April, has carried very good form and very low body fat throughout. This is not the case with Contador, whereas last year he did and the results were appreciatively better. While his only chance at beating Froome in the mountains is to be as radical with his weight. The fact stands that he was too encumbered on the Mur yesterday and thus neither his form nor weight is optimal, in many respects, the two going hand in hand. Thus I don't think my thoughts have been misguided at all and, to the contrary, it was perhaps Contador who was misguided into thinking he could ease into the season and not be too concerned about a detail such as his weight before it's become too late.
Perhaps last year weighed on him. Perhaps to find that kind of form for him mentally was too much to replicate a second year at his age and for as long as he's been at the top. It seems to me that Froome is the more hungry and determined of the two in this regard, has got more will to perfection.
Hey I'd be the first to be happy if he proves me wrong, though I have seen no indications that this will be the case. To the contrary...
Of course there isn't a magical formula, but the "magic" happens when iron discipline meets with impecable preparation. If any formula has been wrong, then it lies not in going for this standard. Unfortunately, Tinkoff's remark is on the one hand misguided when we see Alberto's current physical status and, on the other, a cop-out, because he can't control those external varriables, but only Contador can bring to the table his very best preparation. I believe though this is what's come short.