Andreas Kloden's Final Bid For Another Coveted Top 10 Tour Finish, 'Official' Thread

[Rouetheday]

For the life of me I can't understand why a top ten finish in a GT is something to be so dearly 'coveted'. I'd rather finish as the lantern rouge with a stage win than an anonymous fifth or sixth place.

 

[Nikoloz]

what a shame

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I hope he will be in his best form at tour

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[webvan]

Guess he just let it go today, eh...but yes, still shameful.

 

[gregrowlerson]

what a shame

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I hope he will be in his best form at tour

(-:

A total disaster :-(

Better show us something better in the next few stages Klodi.

But us fans will not give up on you yet!!!

So right now we will write this off as just a very bad day...

 

[jens_attacks]

honestly it's ok to see him sucking in suisse,meanwhile i'm sure levi won't be a captain in le tour,he goes here in suisse for the overall he will give his best.on the other hand,klodi takes it easy,andy-basso style.i'm sure he will be a podium contender in july that's sure.so no biggie.

 

[greenedge]

really like klodi

 

[Bavarianrider]

Klödend always best at the Tour when he softpedaled at the Tour de Suisse

 

[gregrowlerson]

Klödend always best at the Tour when he softpedaled at the Tour de Suisse

Nice to hear that it might not be all doom and gloom for Klodi. But let me ask this. Is there any point to Andreas even racing right now? Surely he could do exactly what he is doing in training. I mean, if he was up to a few minutes off the pace fair enough, but 10 minutes and then 7? Unless he is just trying to do well in the Swiss TT's?

 

[Bavarianrider]

Nice to hear that it might not be all doom and gloom for Klodi. But let me ask this. Is there any point to Andreas even racing right now? Surely he could do exactly what he is doing in training. I mean, if he was up to a few minutes off the pace fair enough, but 10 minutes and then 7? Unless he is just trying to do well in the Swiss TT's?

I think he will test himself at the TT and in one Mountain stage maybe.
You are making a good point with this training thing. I often ask myself this. But riders always say rfacing is the hardest tarining, even if you don't give it all at the end. Or maybe riders simply need a certain number of racedays to fulfill their contracts?

 

[gregrowlerson]

TDS final TT; Thanks for restoring my faith in you Andreas

Awesome ride!

 

[webvan]

Looks like he's lost his climbing legs though.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Just one more sleep to go.....

Goooooooooooooooooo Klodi!

 

[gregrowlerson]

Wonderful start. Klodi has a realistic chance of wearing yellow (for the first time in his long career) after tonights TTT!

 

[Shardi]

In the suisse, Klöden went for it in the TT's but soft-pedaled through the mountains. Think hes been sneaking and hiding form.. Perhaps klöden will be the shacker to watch..!

 

[Eric8-A]

Yellow for Klodi after the TTT

 

[Midnightfright]

In the suisse, Klöden went for it in the TT's but soft-pedaled through the mountains. Think hes been sneaking and hiding form.. Perhaps klöden will be the shacker to watch..!

Watch get bottles for Levi and Horner

 

[jens_attacks]

Watch get bottles for Levi and Horner

won't happen.

klodi maillot jaune tonight!

 

[Midnightfright]

won't happen.

klodi maillot jaune tonight!

And what a shame it will be watching the yellow jersey having to domestique. On a serious note though as Klodi ever worn yellow at the tour?

 

[webvan]

No, and it's didn't change today.

 

[Eric8-A]

In my opinion, Klodi's Radioshack's best rider at the Tour based on the season he's had so far.

 

[webvan]

He's lost his climbing legs...bad news with this hilly TDF. Horner on the other hand...

 

[Jan the Man]

Of the four Shackers going for the GT I think Klöden has the best shot at reaching the podium.

I think a podium will be a little out of reach but he could well top 5.

 

[Midnightfright]

I personally don't. I think he's lost his climbing legs a bit and feel both Horner and Levi will prove to out perform him. I hope I'm wrong though as he is one of the classiest guys around for me.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Kloden had good climbing form in the Tour of the Basque country in April, so if he has returned to that form then I would expect him to do well on stage 4 and 8 (yellow in the near future is still a realistic possibility - I would favour Evans though to grab it tomorrow and keep it for a while), as the Spanish race had many short, sharp climbs. The question for Andreas will be (like Cadel too actually) in the high mountains. Can he climb well for 10-15 kms, for 30-45 minutes? If he can climb like he did throughout parts of the '09 TDF then a podium is, dare I say it, a realistic possibility. It's basically a dream start so far for Kloden, with Contador losing big time and Sanchez being even worse off.

 

[Jan the Man]

I personally don't. I think he's lost his climbing legs a bit and feel both Horner and Levi will prove to out perform him. I hope I'm wrong though as he is one of the classiest guys around for me.

Levi has the experience and has podiumed before- he has had a good season but may have gone too deep in Suisse.

Horner hasn't shown he can top 5 in a GT yet let alone podium- he has had a good season so far but has not raced for eight weeks leading up to the Tour.

Brajkovic hasn't shown he can top 5 in a GT- has not done much this season.

Klöden- had an excellent start to the season and has not gone deep in Suisse. On top of that he has podiumed in GT's before.

Of the four Levi and Klöden have the track record and if I had to put money on who was to finish higher in the TdF I would put it on Klöden.