BillytheKid said:I had the wild thought that Andy Schleck may just skip the TdF this year and ride the Vuelta instead where the parcours suit him better. You can't be bad, injured etc. and ride a good Tour.
Alberto Contador vs. Andy Schleck again?
It's not like he'd win any stages or the GC at the Vuelta with Contador there. He has a better chance at winning TDF to be honest. This year we have a quite unique situation where it actually will be easier to win the TDF than to win the Vuelta...Publicus said:I had the same wild idea when I was looking over the course. It's 100% better for Andy--40 km TT and a ~16KM TTT and 7 or 8 uphill finishes. Yeah, I don't know why he doesn't skip the Tour this year, go head to head with Contador and then return to the Tour 2013 (ASO would absolutely love it [they own part of the Vuelta right?]).
Heck he and Contador probably have the same number of race kilometers in their legs at this point![]()
BillytheKid said:I had the wild thought that Andy Schleck may just skip the TdF this year and ride the Vuelta instead where the parcours suit him better. You can't be bad, injured etc. and ride a good Tour.
Alberto Contador vs. Andy Schleck again?
maltiv said:It's not like he'd win any stages or the GC at the Vuelta with Contador there. He has a better chance at winning TDF to be honest. This year we have a quite unique situation where it actually will be easier to win the TDF than to win the Vuelta...
maltiv said:It's not like he'd win any stages or the GC at the Vuelta with Contador there. He has a better chance at winning TDF to be honest. This year we have a quite unique situation where it actually will be easier to win the TDF than to win the Vuelta...
Angliru said:The only thing Bruyneel can do is include him in the Tour roster with Frank and anticipate him riding in support of Frank, not that Frank has a chance in hell of winning or even making the podium.
airstream said:Reading such posts seems like one follows cycling for a month.
Cool it. The form will come as if by magic.
Angliru said:I suspect it's the Tour or bust for Andy. I doubt he could be motivated in his training if he knew that his prep was for the Vuelta and not the Tour. He'd show up in dismal shape and quickly dnf, adding to this season's list of abandonments. He's got Johann in a trickbag. Start Andy at the Tour ill prepared for it or leave him off the Tour roster, angering Frank and likely Jens and Fabian, tell Andy to report for Vuelta prep training and prepare for the knashing of teeth and whining that will inevitably appear via the social media.
Even competing against his arch-rival wouldn't be motivation enough to make up for the public humiliation and shame of being left off the Tour squad.
The only thing Bruyneel can do is include him in the Tour roster with Frank and anticipate him riding in support of Frank, not that Frank has a chance in hell of winning or even making the podium.
airstream said:Cool it. The form will come as if by magic.
Angliru said:That's a subject better discussed in the clinic.
Considering his season up to this point it's more than reasonable to anticipate a less that stellar performance from Andy. Were this any other rider one would expect the same unless we are like yourself, blindly optimistic of a rider that had his chance for Tour glory last year and couldn't deliver the goods. Now you're saying with all the drama and setbacks that he's had this year that he's going to conjure up the form to win on a parcours ill suited to his attributes. Call me cycling neophyte if you like but simply excuse me for not agreeing with you on this one.
Angliru said:That's a subject better discussed in the clinic.
Considering his season up to this point it's more than reasonable to anticipate a less that stellar performance from Andy. Were this any other rider one would expect the same unless we are like yourself, blindly optimistic of a rider that had his chance for Tour glory last year and couldn't deliver the goods. Now you're saying with all the drama and setbacks that he's had this year that he's going to conjure up the form to win on a parcours ill suited to his attributes. Call me cycling neophyte if you like but simply excuse me for not agreeing with you on this one.
airstream said:I shall easily recognize to have been wrong if he fails. But it's not the case. I'm saying about a logic of a cycling perception. Most of GT riders race one week races lightly and consider themselves right. Heck, but only in Andy's case it brings on panic, appealing to the Vuelta and Frank's leadership. But you always forget the main thing. There are Andy and the others. The difference betwen their climber skills is measured by thousands of light years. So, have no fear, it's gonna be ok, or vice versa have a fear considering an attitude to him on the forums.
airstream said:The difference betwen their climber skills is measured by thousands of light years.
LaFlorecita said:Oh come on, that's total bull****. Even you should see that.
Considering he couldn't break Evans I'd say lightyears is ranking with believing the earth is flat. As usually fanboys forget the cold hard facts:airstream said:Thanks. There is a strong alternative opinion as always.![]()
Franklin said:Considering he couldn't break Evans I'd say lightyears is ranking with believing the earth is flat. As usually fanboys forget the cold hard facts:
Let's put it like this... Evans versus Schleckette during stage 18, the last climb. Evans rushed back 2 minutes.
Yes, you are right, it's marginal [marginal in the meaning of "critical"]; marginal and unsolvable task for Evans to finish the Tour ahead of Andy.but it's a marginal difference.
airstream said:The guys pretending to be unbiased forget other thing. A rider of Evans' calibre can have one Galibier in his career. At that, how come that you so easily neglect with the fact that Schleck did a montrous chunk of work on Izoard and in the valley?