Andy Schleck Discussion thread.

[DominicDecoco]

I wonder, if this is his actual form, if it's even physically possible to be anything near 100% with 3 weeks to go.

 

[airstream]

I wonder, if this is his actual form, if it's even physically possible to be anything near 100% with 3 weeks to go.

The fact is trivial reasonings on form and its peaks don't work forAndy at all as over his entire career he frequently rode worse than he physically could.

 

[ElChingon]

Andy about today's stage:

“I had a lot of problems,” said Andy Schleck. “I woke up with pain not only on my rear end from the road rash but also a rib. The rib is not broken but it hurts a lot. And the right side of my chest is black and blue. The climbing went well as long as I could stay seated in the saddle but when you have to do a sprint after a corner. . . I did 90 percent of the stage in the saddle.

"The most important thing is that I go on and do race kilometers. I need the race rhythm. In the beginning of the season when a time comes like this, you can think of abandoning but that is not an option now with the Tour in four weeks. There is no turning back. And I find some relief in knowing that other guys crashed yesterday where I did, so it wasn’t just me. One of them even broke his hand so I have to say I am lucky. Plus today I rode the Grand Colombier. It was a good recon for the Tour stage on July 11. It is a hard climb but not harder than other Tour climbs. Tomorrow’s Joux-Plane is harder and more important since it’s closer to the finish.”

Ogh, Andy's hard core, ogh agh...

(only allowed four smilies but wanted to add a page full of them)

 

[LaFlorecita]

Ogh, Andy's hard core, ogh agh...

(only allowed four smilies but wanted to add a page full of them)

Don't worry this will do. ;D

 

[VeloCity]

I wonder, if this is his actual form, if it's even physically possible to be anything near 100% with 3 weeks to go.

Well technically it will be closer to 4-5 weeks, as the hills don't start until Stage 7.

But anyway, didn't we go through this last year? Lots of questions about Andy's (and, iirc, Frank's, too) form leading up to the Tour, when he tanked at the TdS?

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/8...-despite-poor-Tour-de-Suisse-performance.aspx

And that was 2 weeks before the Tour. Remains to be seen, of course, what his form is going to be like at this year's Tour, but I'd be more concerned about his head than his legs.

 

[dlwssonic]

I'm not concerned at all with andy's form.
He will magically be super strong at the tour.

 

[Christophe]

If he's a bit banged up, and well out of contention for the Dauphine, there's no point in riding as hard as he can.

 

[jens_attacks]

I feel like Andy is going to tear everyone into pieces in the Tour.

more and more,i feel that too.but only if he does nothing again in the next two stages,keep really everything for le tour.

cobo just said this too:"i felt empty,i could not push the pedals anymore"

ladies and gentlemen,we are gonna have a helluva tour

 

[cineteq]

Yet another great quote by Andy

“I’ve abandoned too many times this year already,” he said with a half smile. “Earlier in the season, you can ask yourself what’s the best option. But now the Tour is in four weeks so it’s a case of no turning back. You have to go straight on.”

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sch...&ns_source=cyclingnews&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0

 

[airstream]

ladies and gentlemen,we are gonna have a helluva tour

I can imagine Andy along with Juanjo exploding the peloton on the Croix de Fer and putting into 4 minutes over the second group at the finish line.

 

[Panda Claws]

I can imagine Andy along with Juanjo exploding the peloton on the Croix de Fer and putting into 4 minutes over the second group at the finish line.

Trolololol

 

[airstream]

Trolololol

What does it mean? I'll gladly be reading ur counter arguments.

 

[saunaking]

Andy is the ultimate troll. I am going to laugh my a$$ off when he drops his chain in the mountains tomorrow

 

[ElChingon]

Andy is the ultimate troll. I am going to laugh my a$$ off when he drops his chain in the mountains tomorrow

Hey! No spoilers

 

[Havetts]

http://www.radioshacknissantrek.com/gallery/raymond-kerckhoffs-photos-andys-crash

Pictures made by Kerckhoff of Andy's crash.

 

[Forunculo]

What does it mean? I'll gladly be reading ur counter arguments.

Cobo is unpredictable given his weak head. Better he find a better partner.

 

[JimPanzen]

http://www.radioshacknissantrek.com/gallery/raymond-kerckhoffs-photos-andys-crash

Pictures made by Kerckhoff of Andy's crash.

Say what you want, but the crash seemed to be pretty serious.

Apart from that, Andy isn't in great shape anyway. And if it's true that he's able to reach top form in a very short period of time, I wonder why he doesn't peak multiple times during the season.

And no, Ardennes classics don't count because he sucked there this season.

 

[airstream]

Cobo is unpredictable given his weak head. Better he find a better partner.

I hope Unzue can convince Cobo he'll be an undisputed leader for the Tour. If not, no prob, Movistar will book Matxin. There's gonna be more than enough partners against Wiggins.

 

[ferryman]

http://www.radioshacknissantrek.com/gallery/raymond-kerckhoffs-photos-andys-crash

Pictures made by Kerckhoff of Andy's crash.

Nasty. But Jeez he can't even crash like a Pro. A real Pro would have at least broken his collar bone

 

[airstream]

Nasty. But Jeez he can't even crash like a Pro. A real Pro would have at least broken his collar bone

An outstanding talent comes out in everything.

 

[Unkown]

If he can stay with leaders until the final climb tomorrow I hope he can be a factor, he says he wants to attack on the Joux-Plane but with form he has and the injury odds of that aren't good.

 

[thehog]

Nasty. But Jeez he can't even crash like a Pro. A real Pro would have at least broken his collar bone

Being gang tackled and brought to to the ground by a gust of wind is new. I hope he filed charges against the waft of wind?

 

[ManInFull]

Say what you want, but the crash seemed to be pretty serious.

Apart from that, Andy isn't in great shape anyway. And if it's true that he's able to reach top form in a very short period of time, I wonder why he doesn't peak multiple times during the season.

And no, Ardennes classics don't count because he sucked there this season.

Unfortunately, he is going to recover in time for 1st or 2nd in the TdF. Of course, that means he has to take lots of time out of his competitors in the mountains.

 

[Angliru]

Say what you want, but the crash seemed to be pretty serious.

Apart from that, Andy isn't in great shape anyway. And if it's true that he's able to reach top form in a very short period of time, I wonder why he doesn't peak multiple times during the season.

And no, Ardennes classics don't count because he sucked there this season.

That has been my question but I usually get shot down by Airstream and others that he does peak multiple times (Ardennes and July!). According to them the rest of the events he shows up for he couldn't be bothered to waste his precious talents on showing himself since the Tour is his primary focus.

 

[B_Ugli]

Being gang tackled and brought to to the ground by a gust of wind is new. I hope he filed charges against the waft of wind?

Come on its always a bit strange when you are riding a bike for the first time in a race which is different from your standard bike . I mean its not like he needs to practice time trials as its not as if he is a tour contender or anything......Maybe he needs to take some lessons from Wiggo:

"It's just nice to be out there in that discipline after all the training we've spent on the time trial bike over the winter and in the last few weeks".