Andy Schleck Discussion thread.

[IndianCyclist]

I donot think this to be related to desire. If Frank is ok after 1 year ban, Andy should be mixing it too having greater potential. But most likely pain or something else is preventing him from getting to full power. It is just that they are not revealing the real reason.

 

[movingtarget]

If only.

True. Domestiques show more spirit.

 

[ILovecycling]

I gave him a lot of time.I had a faith in him.But now.Its over.Good Bye to Andy Schleck "the cyclist".

Good luck to Frank tho

 

[Christian]

A genuine Andy spotting out in nature... these are incredibly rare!!

 

[Netserk]

You have even caught him outside his natural habitat: the bar.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Netserk don't be so mean

 

[Fzotrlool]

He spotted the motorcyclist's hip flask!

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

gonna top 5 this years tour.

 

[Christian]

gonna top 5 this years tour.

Barring accidents and incidents I think it is possible. Somewhere between 5th and 10th seems most likely to me

 

[T-Nielsen]

gonna top 5 this years tour.

The tour of the Carlsberg Breweries ?

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

The tour of the Carlsberg Breweries ?

thats an easy win

 

[podunavac]

The tour of the Carlsberg Breweries ?

C'mon, man...
Andy is a classy guy from the neighborhood with taste. A blue collar tour isn't his level. The Trappist Tour is the race.
Hopefully, by the end of the month we'll have a hint of what to expect in the July.

 

[Samson777]

Barring accidents and incidents I think it is possible. Somewhere between 5th and 10th seems most likely to me

Really? From what Andy showed you so far, 5-10 in the tour is most likely? Your faith is strong man

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Really? From what Andy showed you so far, 5-10 in the tour is most likely? Your faith is strong man

Well, last year he go 20th in the TDF and he's doing better this season than last year so far. Last year the first race he managed to finish was Fleche. This year he finished PN already.

Seriously though, last year he barely managed to finish races and still randomly got 20th in the TDF. Wouldn't suprise me if he finishes races this season and then randomly becomes 10th.

 

[Christian]

Really? From what Andy showed you so far, 5-10 in the tour is most likely? Your faith is strong man

And if we know anything about Andy Schleck, it's to judge his Tour chances by his early season performances

 

[Angliru]

And if we know anything about Andy Schleck, it's to judge his Tour chances by his early season performances

We do know though, that if he underperforms in the Ardennes then his Tour prospects will be pretty bleak.

 

[Samson777]

And if we know anything about Andy Schleck, it's to judge his Tour chances by his early season performances

Wel,what should we judge him on then? To reach the conclusion, that a top 5-10 finish in the tour, is the most likely outcome for Andy this year?

 

[Christian]

Wel,what should we judge him on then? To reach the conclusion, that a top 5-10 finish in the tour, is the most likely outcome for Andy this year?

As Maarten said, simple comparison to last year. Starting from absolute zero and without really trying he got 20th on GC. If he had focused on GC or done it like Navarro and gone in a few breaks he could have certainly finished higher. This year he is already in much better condition by now, so if nothing goes wrong he should be much better at the Tour as well - in my humble opinion. A level below Froome, Contador and Nibali, but he could be right behind them

 

[Christian]

We do know though, that if he underperforms in the Ardennes then his Tour prospects will be pretty bleak.

Are you refering to last year? I can't really recall another year where he underperformed in the Ardennes and then in the Tour, but I may be forgetting something.

 

[roundabout]

He did not really show any improvement between Paris Nice and Criterium International. Usually his form picks up in this period.

 

[podunavac]

Are you refering to last year? I can't really recall another year where he underperformed in the Ardennes and then in the Tour, but I may be forgetting something.

Considering his results and overall condition prior to the Liege, we can't really say he underperformed.
What I would say is that his result in Liege was good announcement of the result at the Tour.
Just like every season before.

 

[Christian]

Let's not forget he also has Tour de Romandie on his schedule, if he is a little behind on his form for the Ardennes, that could be a way to maybe pick up a result

 

[roundabout]

I don't really see it. The toughest stages in Romandie are 3 and 6 days after Liege. Even for Andy it's simply not enough time to significantly improve.

 

[Jelantik]

Seriously though, last year he barely managed to finish races and still randomly got 20th in the TDF. Wouldn't suprise me if he finishes races this season and then randomly becomes 10th.

well not with a long flat pancake ITT at the end of TDF. He's probably in the top 10th after mountain, then falling off after ITT.

 

[Jspear]

Of course no one really knows where Andy will be ,but here are the riders - If all goes well and they come without any injuries or anything - who I personally think will be able to climb better than Andy.

Contador
Froome
Valverde
Van Garderen
Nibali
Kreuziger
Talansky

These are riders that could also possibly do better than Andy (but I'm not as sure with these riders.)

Mollema
Fuglsang
Porte
Roche
Ten Dam

These are just some right off the top of my head....there are probably others.

Bottom line for me personally is I don't think Andy will get even top 10. Competition is just to hard.