Andy

[Andre.J]

Is Andy getting paid not to win The Tour of California?

Andre

 

[irongrl]

Is Andy getting paid not to win The Tour of California?

Andre

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[RedheadDane]

Naah, as far as I'm concerned he's simply not supposed to peak now.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

he's nowhere near topshape is it that hard to see??

 

[Archibald]

he's still on holiday after the Ardennes...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Some people still don't get it.

If anything, I think Andy Schleck is over-performing here. Usually besides the Tour and the Ardennes classics, Andy makes it his goal not to perform anywhere. Usually he would finish in the bus at 15 minutes.

The fact that this year, he actually does quite well in preparation races such as Basque Tour and now California, is suprising.
Maybe a sign that he wants to test himself more, or try a different preparation for the Tour.

But anyhow, the point is, people who really follow cycling and Andy Schleck know it's suprising he finished so high.

While people who are clueless will wonder why Andy doesn't win.

 

[Opalius]

Schleck claims he surprised himself on Sierra Road. “I know the road, and I know the climb,” he said. “I knew it would be hard. The race today was difficult the entire day. It went fast from the start. I wasn’t good in the beginning but then I started to get better. Still, I was surprised to see myself up there in the end.”
“I went better than I expected, and now I will do my best in the remaining stages,” said Schleck. “I have been training hard leading up to this race. Linus has been considered our leader for the general classification. He didn’t lose a lot today, and now we have both us up there. It’s good to have two leaders in a race like this.”

I do not think that there are any sinister underlying motives here. He clearly did well, and was surprised about it.

 

[movingtarget]

Schleck has six weeks till the TDF and will not want to peak in the first week. His ride was very solid unlike Leipheimer who wants to win the TOC.

 

[cineteq]

Is Andy getting paid not to win The Tour of California?

Andre

He can't win anyway, there is a TT remember? Besides, there is another reason mentioned by: Dekker_Tifosi

 

[Echoes]

Those who aren't clueless about cycling and Andy Schleck know that one of his most eloquent performance was his 8th place at the Montepaschi Eroica 2009 after attacking with 27km to go in the 1.1km sterrato climb with some sections of 18%. Only 3 riders could follow him then: Hesjedal, Visconti and Bennati. The likes of Lovkvist and co came back, afterwards.


This was TWO MONTHS before his win in Liège.

Look at the results. Only top riders:

1 Thomas Lövkvist (Columbia) les 190 km en 4 h 59'02"
2 Fabian Wegmann (Milram) à 4"
3 Martin Elmiger (AG2R) à 6"
4 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia) à 8"
5 Linus Gerdemann (Milram) à 12"
6 Giovanni Visconti (ISD) à 14"
7 Peter Velits (Milram) m.t
8 Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) à 16"

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Yes incidentally he does do well in 1 or 2 preparation races, but the general rule before 2011 was he didn't, you know.

 

[Christian]

Yes incidentally he does do well in 1 or 2 preparation races, but the general rule before 2011 was he didn't, you know.

What you call "the general rule before 2011" only applies to 2010 and 2009, and even then it's stretching it a bit. I get what you're trying to say but you're certainly exaggerating when you say "usually he would finish in the bis at 15 minutes". Last year he finished in California 21st and in Pais Vasco 14th - not extraordinary but not terrible either. He also has consistently good results in Tour de Luxembourg and Tour de Suisse. So basically what I'm trying to say is he doesn't do great in his preparation races but he usually doesn't finish "in the bus 15 minutes down" (I look forward to you searching all his results from the last 5 years where he finished 15 minutes down).

That being said you're right when you say his performance yesterday was a surprise. I would certainly not have expected him there and I think it's pretty great for that being his 3rd day racing since Liège. I imagine Gerdemann must feel pretty stupid, as he was building towards this.

It's possible that Andy could have done more but it was pretty obvious he couldn't follow Horner and he has no shot to win this race anyways. It is also important not to overdo it this early in the preparation (see Gesink peaking in February and sucking in April). IMO this performance means we won't see Andy in the Tour de Luxembourg, he won't need that

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Not this discussion again. I can show you every result of Andy from the moment he became a star and it shows the same pattern Apart from his first year
And 21th and 14th is, for a rider of that caliber "doing nothing". But ok

 

[thehog]

Is Andy getting paid not to win The Tour of California?

Andre

Of course. He's paid an appearance fee but they don't want him winning.

I think motivation is a large part of it as well. Its not like its the most important race on HIS calendar.

 

[El Pistolero]

You know that you suck when people gloat about an eigth place you got in the Monte Paschi Eroica

Let's be honest here, in 2009/2010 he was worse than Armstrong in his prep for the Tour.

 

[rhubroma]

Some people still don't get it.

If anything, I think Andy Schleck is over-performing here. Usually besides the Tour and the Ardennes classics, Andy makes it his goal not to perform anywhere. Usually he would finish in the bus at 15 minutes.

The fact that this year, he actually does quite well in preparation races such as Basque Tour and now California, is suprising.
Maybe a sign that he wants to test himself more, or try a different preparation for the Tour.

But anyhow, the point is, people who really follow cycling and Andy Schleck know it's suprising he finished so high.

While people who are clueless will wonder why Andy doesn't win.

Alberto would have won, though, as he is at the Giro. And he's won practically everyhting else he tried to this year so far.

I don't get these one month racers anymore. If Andy want's to live up to his potential, then he can't do half a$$ riding at Tirenno-Adriatico and then fail in the Ardennes, to then say he can make up for it in July. When there's a guy like AC out there ripping it up from March ff, with all that he's won.

 

[Christian]

You know that you suck when people gloat about an eigth place you got in the Monte Paschi Eroica

Let's be honest here, in 2009/2010 he was worse than Armstrong in his prep for the Tour.

Armstrong wasn't half bad though. In 2010 he podiumed Tour de Luxembourg and Tour de Suisse, he was argueably the king of preparation

 

[Echoes]

Montepaschi Strade Bianche, POWER !!


2nd greatest race on earth, in everness.

 

[zigmeister]

Clearly Schleck has been hanging back and taking it easy. He decided to try some aggressive moves on the climb, likely to just see where he is at right now on his fitness level. He found out, and knows about where he is.

He certainly isn't in top form, but as we know, Contador is destroying it in May now. So this entire, peaking/prepping thing has two approaches as far as the TDF and GC for both Schleck/Contador and how they go about it.

Baldy should be interesting.

 

[hfer07]

for Andy is all about the Cali Love & Party

 

[Archibald]

for Andy is all about the Cali Love & Party

cue the photo of him and Jakob with the two cute chicks from last year...