Andy Schleck Discussion thread.

[Contadoraus Schlecks]

Humm like when he had a hole in his foot from a crash in the Giro and it was all covered in ice and bandages but he carried on? Or using his father's serious illness to provide determination and fortitude on a 4 hour solo ride on a rainy brutal course?

I'd take Phinney any day...Hardman that one!

I would still argue that Phinney has never been under the kind of pressure that Schleck is currently under. Very few in the peleton have had to deal with the expectation he has faced.

Feel free to complain about his supposed lack of work ethic / motivation etc. It must be very satisfying

 

[RownhamHill]

I would still argue that Phinney has never been under the kind of pressure that Schleck is currently under. Very few in the peleton have had to deal with the expectation he has faced.

Feel free to complain about his supposed lack of work ethic / motivation etc. It must be very satisfying

Got to say I've never been a big Andy fan - didn't like the 2010 tour double standards on waiting for competitors, or the *****ing about the descent in the 2011 tour. But at the moment he's obviously not fit - physically or psychologically - so it seems a bit harsh to lambast him for not keeping up.

 

[Carols]

Feel free to complain about his supposed lack of work ethic / motivation etc. It must be very satisfying

Hey I was rooting for him until yesterday....go back and read the last few weeks. One disappointment to many here

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I would still argue that Phinney has never been under the kind of pressure that Schleck is currently under. Very few in the peleton have had to deal with the expectation he has faced.

Feel free to complain about his supposed lack of work ethic / motivation etc. It must be very satisfying

I've never been a Schleck fan, but I do feel sorry for his current predicament. I don't really think he adds much to cycling though. He's a whiny prima donna, but I wish him speedy recovery.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Andy is in a tough spot. His team is putting a lot of pressure for him to perform (see comments in front page article), which I'm not sure is the right approach given Andy's psychological makeup (from what I can deduce from afar). I don't think he has the mental fortitude to have this recovery process happen in full view of the public. I don't now if I feel sorry for him, but I do recognize he's in a very tough spot. Hopefully his team or his dad have the good sense to get him to a sports psychologist ASAP!

I didn't read anything negative from the comments of the team. Nor do I think they are putting too much pressure on him - he needs pressure & encouragement.

Funny thing about his mental fortitude - the fact he is in the public eye struggling shows that he has improved there. The easiest thing in the world to do is go off and train alone - it would also be worthless.
What he needs is a half decent ride soon, nothing spectacular just something to show that his hard work is paying off.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Another wasted year for Andy. He might even retire at the end of the year if the team folds.

I'm pretty sure he will retire, especially if frank gets suspended. their dad hinted at this already several times

 

[iZnoGouD]

Andy is in a tough spot. His team is putting a lot of pressure for him to perform (see comments in front page article), which I'm not sure is the right approach given Andy's psychological makeup (from what I can deduce from afar). I don't think he has the mental fortitude to have this recovery process happen in full view of the public. I don't now if I feel sorry for him, but I do recognize he's in a very tough spot. Hopefully his team or his dad have the good sense to get him to a sports psychologist ASAP!

Fitness doesn't appear all of a sudden, that's what his team must realize that he needs his time and peace otherwise he will just go deeper in the hole

 

[Publicus]

I didn't read anything negative from the comments of the team. Nor do I think they are putting too much pressure on him - he needs pressure & encouragement.

Funny thing about his mental fortitude - the fact he is in the public eye struggling shows that he has improved there. The easiest thing in the world to do is go off and train alone - it would also be worthless.
What he needs is a half decent ride soon, nothing spectacular just something to show that his hard work is paying off.

I'm viewing it through my perceived lens of Andy's mental makeup, not my own. He's not done well with external pressure (especially in the press) to perform, when he was healthy and not recovering from an injury. That being said, you of course could be right and I'm reading too much into the team's statement.

 

[Red Rick]

Can we really blame Andy that much for yesterday? 35% of the bunch dropped out, today was an unimportant tt for him.

Hope he goes home improves with a bit of training

 

[Beech Mtn]

Andy is on a very high salary. It's not unreasonable for his employers to expect him to do something to earn all those euros. That said, this team has a history in the recent past of airing too much dirty laundry in public, which doesn't appear to be especially helpful.

Edit-
It is unreasonable, however, for fans to expect that Andy could be back in fighting form for either the Ardennes or the Tour. It's just going to take a while to rebuild fitness after the injury he had + time off the bike. He needs to be finishing races and steadily improving. But he was never likely to be at his best by July.

 

[virandociclista]

The solution for Andy is easy, a new team!

 

[jens_attacks]

The solution for Andy is easy, a new team!

hope he feels better after putting some good kms in this tirreno

 

[gruppeto993]

The solution for Andy is easy, a new team!

which team and how will that help him? Don't say something ridiculous like saxo bank or sky. I think the solution for him is to seek professional help and aim for vuelta or worlds where its more realistic to get a good result than going to the tour and pulling out leading to further disappointment. Frank will return to racing by the time the vuelta and worlds arrive so that would further motivate andy.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

The solution for Andy is easy, a new team!

agreed. I think a team with his friends like kim andersen will work for him

 

[virandociclista]

Sometime we just need a new place.. no saxo, no radioshack. Just a new place to start again. Frank must be training already with Andy.

ok, my fault. It is look like neither Andy or Frank are training. hehe

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

which team and how will that help him? Don't say something ridiculous like saxo bank or sky. I think the solution for him is to seek professional help and aim for vuelta or worlds where its more realistic to get a good result than going to the tour and pulling out leading to further disappointment. Frank will return to racing by the time the vuelta and worlds arrive so that would further motivate andy.

he is clearly joking

 

[TheEnoculator]

Can we really blame Andy that much for yesterday? 35% of the bunch dropped out, today was an unimportant tt for him.

Hope he goes home improves with a bit of training

Andy is not supposed to be that 35%, he's supposed to be the other 65%. He's supposed up there with Froome, Nibali, Contador and Purito. For him to drop out an important race like Tirreno so early in the season means he's already given up his entire 2013 season.

 

[Angliru]

In fairness, Andy has accomplished more in his career than Phinney ever will

You must have one helluva crystal ball to make a statement like that.

 

[Angliru]

Andy is not supposed to be that 35%, he's supposed to be the other 65%. He's supposed up there with Froome, Nibali, Contador and Purito. For him to drop out an important race like Tirreno so early in the season means he's already given up his entire 2013 season.

Or he just couldn't hold the pace of the peloton to make it under the time limit. We saw yesterday where he was on a steep climb and was on the side of the road, stationery, temporarily unable to maintain his momentum. He knew he faced more climbs like that and he had already fallen far off the pace. His return to form will be a long and lengthy process and his team needs to recognize that and essentially take any progress he makes to getting there, however small, as a positives. I'd say it would be best not to make any goals or expectations and just let it happen. Stop with any negative statements to the media and just support him in efforts to improve day by day. It will happen but if I were them I would write of this season to avoid being disappointed.

 

[Contadoraus Schlecks]

You must have one helluva crystal ball to make a statement like that.

Will Phinney ever win the TDF? It is still viewed as the pinnacle

 

[Carols]

Will Phinney ever win the TDF? It is still viewed as the pinnacle

Andy won it in court

Phinney is very young he has tremendous potential. He isn't built like a GT rider so it's very unlikely he will ever make a GT podium. Doesn't mean he will not have a career that rivals Andy's to date.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Will Phinney ever win the TDF? It is still viewed as the pinnacle

These things are always personal.
Phinney winning 3 P-Rs would just about beat Schleck's current palmares imo.

 

[Angliru]

I would still argue that Phinney has never been under the kind of pressure that Schleck is currently under. Very few in the peleton have had to deal with the expectation he has faced.

Feel free to complain about his supposed lack of work ethic / motivation etc. It must be very satisfying

I would think that Phinney has faced a great deal of hype and expectations of being the son of not one but two of America's heroes of the sport. Both of his parents reached the highest level of the sport, both making names for themselves internationally. I'd imagine the expectations of that pedigree would put enormous pressure on a young rider. Now I know Andy's dad is a former pro and his brother Frank was well known before Andy came on the scene so the pressure on Taylor and Andy has to be considered comparable. To say Phinney has never been under similar pressure is I think unfair and inaccurate. He's faced injuries early in his European career that would've made meeting the expectations and living up to the hype from his junior and under 23 accomplishments quite difficult.

 

[LaFlorecita]

These things are always personal.
Phinney winning 3 P-Rs would just about beat Schleck's current palmares imo.

Then add a couple of world champ titles

Phinney will have a better palmares than Andy at the end of his career. 99% sure.

Besides barely anyone cares about Andy's tour title clutching at straws to use that as an argument

 

[LaFlorecita]

I personally would take Schleck's GT record over 10 world ITT's. That is perhaps simply a preference for racing styles.

Nobody here knows the comparative work ethics of Andy and Taylor. We are arm chair pundits, second guessing, with no knowledge of their respective preparation records. Also, a fair comparison of motivation would be when Phinney has had a serious fall on the bike and is clearly struggling mentally.

2/3 second places in tdf and one dubious win and a 2nd place in Giro... listen dude, 10 world itt titles is legend material