Andy Schleck Discussion thread.

[ferryman]

Can somebody please explain to me why everybody seems to hold Andy in such contempt? He's an aggressive rider, has contributed some amazing rides. Always seemed like a nice lad to me. He's not had the best luck with injuries (and a lack of sportsmanship), and I for one hope he's back to his best next year.

Can't disagree with any of this and not entirely sure sure why Andy was demonised so much on here although Chaingate probably has much to do with it (you will find it all on here if you have the patience to find it and then 3 months of your life to read it. A lot of it was just jumping on a band wagon of an easy target when it started. A few of us haven't wavered in our support for Andy regardless though so feel free to vent your voice and join us

 

[ferryman]

Can somebody please explain to me why everybody seems to hold Andy in such contempt? He's an aggressive rider, has contributed some amazing rides. Always seemed like a nice lad to me. He's not had the best luck with injuries (and a lack of sportsmanship), and I for one hope he's back to his best next year.

I think Christian summed it up pretty well. I also think lots of posters just jumped on an easy target to make petty comments as part of the bandwagon. With some I suspect it is down to disappointment, with others genuine dislike because of his threat to their favourites. A few of us have stood by him regardless and you are welcome to join the club if you take the pledge

 

[avanti]

Since Radioshack will only ride WT races and Andy has stated that he will end his season in Lombardia there are not many races left.
..................

Will he be riding in the WC for the Luxenburg team?

 

[Gugashwill]

I think Christian summed it up pretty well. I also think lots of posters just jumped on an easy target to make petty comments as part of the bandwagon. With some I suspect it is down to disappointment, with others genuine dislike because of his threat to their favourites. A few of us have stood by him regardless and you are welcome to join the club if you take the pledge

I agree.
And I have an advice for every new supporter of Andy Schleck: beware of Netserk. He won't hesitate to abuse his admin status to ban you if you make him look ridiculous or ignorant in a discussion.
That's how deep is his hatred towards Schleck.

 

[hrotha]

Lack of wins? Replacement for Armstrong?

Hogwash.

Andy brought it all on himself by saying self-entitled, whiney nonsense in almost every interview, by only racing 2-3 races throughout the whole season and by displaying some astoundingly poor tactics coupled with an exceedingly frustrating blindness to recognize the error in his ways.

That's why he's disliked by most. Anything else is just Andy fans playing the victim.

 

[ferryman]

I agree.
And I have an advice for every new supporter of Andy Schleck: beware of Netserk. He won't hesitate to abuse his admin status to ban you if you make him look ridiculous or ignorant in a discussion.
That's how deep is his hatred towards Schleck.

Netserk is in my back pocket so don't worry about him in this thread

 

[Gugashwill]

Netserk is in my back pocket so don't worry about him in this thread

He's vengeful.
Once disgraced, he'll stalk all over the board and use the most trivial reason to apply his superpower - a ban.

Don't mess with Netserk, maybe he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's admin. That's the moral.

 

[Carols]

Lack of wins? Replacement for Armstrong?

Hogwash.

Andy brought it all on himself by saying self-entitled, whiney nonsense in almost every interview, by only racing 2-3 races throughout the whole season and by displaying some astoundingly poor tactics coupled with an exceedingly frustrating blindness to recognize the error in his ways.

That's why he's disliked by most. Anything else is just Andy fans playing the victim.

Agreed! He lost me when he went out drinking all night at the Vuelta. He just refused to take his talent seriously.

But I've been rooting for him ever since he's come back from injury as he really seems to be more mature and making a real effort to get into shape again.

 

[Pricey_sky]

In the Schleck v Contador battles I always rooted for Andy. I became a little disillusioned last year as I doubted he would ever get back to his best and questioned his commitment.

I think what he has shown this year is at least some fight and application, I can respect him for that and I do wish him well next year. It would be great if he can get back to his old self on the long climbs.

 

[Angliru]

Agreed! He lost me when he went out drinking all night at the Vuelta. He just refused to take his talent seriously.

But I've been rooting for him ever since he's come back from injury as he really seems to be more mature and making a real effort to get into shape again.

Surprisingly I'd almost forgotten that Vuelta episode with Stuie when he was supposed to be riding in support of Frank (after Frank had crashed out of the Tour I believe on the infamous cobbled stage). I believe this period of adversity will make him a more dedicated and mature pro.

 

[Dedelou]

Agreed! He lost me when he went out drinking all night at the Vuelta. He just refused to take his talent seriously.

But I've been rooting for him ever since he's come back from injury as he really seems to be more mature and making a real effort to get into shape again.

Once in awhile you see a very talented young cyclist who shoots up to the top rapidly but failed to truly impress. Andy was that type, but you always hope he could change all that. In the end he was hyped so high by media obsessed to create and Angel figure to their Alberto devil that he ended up even more messed up than he was to begin with. I would love to see him make a serious comeback. With the new crop of young stars growing, he won't have to be center-light and his natural talent can't be gone, just in need to be refocused

 

[Jelantik]

andy who?...
ooooohhh... that andy! I thought he is retired. Haven't heard a peep about him. Is he still racing?? .

Last time I've heard.. for the first time andy targeted USA pro cycling GC. REALLY??? Is he out of his mind?? it's august. TDF is on july! Fast forward.. ow well.. i don't even know what he ended finishing. Just PR thing. When it's not TDF.. soft pedal is in order. I guess training for the un-announced TDF route next year

 

[Afrank]

andy who?...
ooooohhh... that andy! I thought he is retired. Haven't heard a peep about him. Is he still racing?? .

Last time I've heard.. for the first time andy targeted USA pro cycling GC. REALLY??? Is he out of his mind?? it's august. TDF is on july! Fast forward.. ow well.. i don't even know what he ended finishing. Just PR thing. When it's not TDF.. soft pedal is in order. I guess training for the un-announced TDF route next year

Umm...no...he did not try to challenge for GC in the US pro challenge. I remember he was in one break for a while. But aside from that he pretty much just rode the rest of the race for the miles. He had just finished the Tour, nothing wrong with taking a bit of a break and not riding his next race hard in order to recover from the Tour.

And I have to say, your attempt to insult him by pointing out he didn't do much in his first race back after doing the Tour is pretty sad.

 

[Christian]

Lack of wins? Replacement for Armstrong?

Hogwash.

Andy brought it all on himself by saying self-entitled, whiney nonsense in almost every interview, by only racing 2-3 races throughout the whole season and by displaying some astoundingly poor tactics coupled with an exceedingly frustrating blindness to recognize the error in his ways.

That's why he's disliked by most. Anything else is just Andy fans playing the victim.

Well when I say lack of wins, that was meant to include what you described by "poor tactics" and "only racing 2-3 races". The interviews I also included, although this had also become utterly ridiculous on the forum and to some extend still is. Andy could say "I like sunshine and ice cream" and a lot of users would have somehow interpreted that as a disgrace for cycling. This is an exaggeration of course that I use to illustrate my point, but at the height of the hatred, this is what it had come to. I don't deny in any way that he made some very unortunate statements but many were also plain normal and everything was interpreted as disgrace for cycling. For instance when he received the yellow jersey he said "I don't feel like I won the Tour" and one user posted (in all seriousness) "He feels like he won the Tour?!!!". What I mean is it had become a popular sport to rip on Andy and some people just went through his interviews looking for everything there was to possibly criticize.

Exhibit A:

Last time I've heard.. for the first time andy targeted USA pro cycling GC. REALLY??? Is he out of his mind?? it's august. TDF is on july! Fast forward.. ow well.. i don't even know what he ended finishing. Just PR thing. When it's not TDF.. soft pedal is in order. I guess training for the un-announced TDF route next year

To my knowledge (and I read most interviews) he never said he targeted Colorado GC. I could have missed it of course but I doubt it. Same thing a couple pages back, one user claimed Andy had voiced high ambitions for the WC RR and showed lack of commitment by not riding the Vuelta, when I asked for a link of him saying the WC RR is a goal this season, the user disappeared into thin air.

Of course much of the criticism is deserved, but very often it also goes this way.

 

[Jelantik]

Umm...no...he did not try to challenge for GC in the US pro challenge. I remember he was in one break for a while. But aside from that he pretty much just rode the rest of the race for the miles. He had just finished the Tour, nothing wrong with taking a bit of a break and not riding his next race hard in order to recover from the Tour.

And I have to say, your attempt to insult him by pointing out he didn't do much in his first race back after doing the Tour is pretty sad.

Ugh.. my apology then. I could have sworn I read in CN/Velonews that andy was targeted GC on US Pro cycling. That's why I tuned in to see how he was doing. Then he started going down hill. I lost interest and start forgeting what time the race started. Read bruynel interviewed with CN also. (just search on archieve). He mentioned about andy and decision to race on US Pro Cycling. He thought andy should race vuelta to get back to his racing form. So I was just commenting based on what I read. If he did targeted GC, he didn't show anything. TJ was the same boat as him at the tour, but he did perform.

 

[webbie146]

Ugh.. my apology then. I could have sworn I read in CN/Velonews that andy was targeted GC on US Pro cycling. That's why I tuned in to see how he was doing. Then he started going down hill. I lost interest and start forgeting what time the race started. Read bruynel interviewed with CN also. (just search on archieve). He mentioned about andy and decision to race on US Pro Cycling. He thought andy should race vuelta to get back to his racing form. So I was just commenting based on what I read. If he did targeted GC, he didn't show anything. TJ was the same boat as him at the tour, but he did perform.

He did not target the GC at all. He was just there for training, making miles for next year getting a good base that's all.

 

[Christian]

Andy will race GP Québec according to the start list on cyclingnews

 

[LaFlorecita]

Reading on twitter that Andy will become a dad?!

 

[Cyivel]

Did a French politician say so?

Congrats to Andy and the lucky lady if true.

 

[Christian]

Thanks @Bloem I hadn't seen this yet! Such happy news

http://lifestyle.rtl.lu/entertainment/society/467693.html

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Reading on twitter that Andy will become a dad?!

Who looks after the little cry baby?

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

And what about when the baby is born?

 

[LaFlorecita]

And what about when the baby is born?

Good one I hope it'll put Andy back on track, no more partying and getting drunk

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Good one I hope it'll put Andy back on track, no more partying and getting drunk

I hope so. There are very few pure climbers (At the top end) at the moment so it would be good to see Andy back up there.

 

[ElChingon]

Looks like Andy may get on form, if the baby can ride with him by the start of next season