Andy's spectacular form changes

[Big Doopie]

Its a little different scenario when you have a guy crash, chase to make up 40 seconds and then make contact just as the pace goes on up the climb and then blow. Armstrong would have been unlikely to be dropped had this not occurred.

um...luz ardiden 2003? he crashed. then came back (and remember ullrich didn't wait! ) and then dropped everyone by 40 seconds. so why so different this time...?

He evidenced this the following day up the Hors Cat climb where he stayed with Basso, Gesink and Menchov...

um...what happened between those two events...?

bloodbag day.

it is very clear that armstrong was completely filled up/juiced for the prologue. didn't dare do anything in the first week, hoping to get to the rest day. problem is, the rest day was a little later this year and -- most importantly -- after the first two days in the mountains. the initial fill up was fading by sunday's stage and his recovery skills (naturally very poor) didn't serve him well. he became the armstrong from the 1993-96 tours.

 

[Anonymous]

Its a little different scenario when you have a guy crash, chase to make up 40 seconds and then make contact just as the pace goes on up the climb and then blow. Armstrong would have been unlikely to be dropped had this not occurred. He evidenced this the following day up the Hors Cat climb where he stayed with Basso, Geisink and Menchov while Sastre, Wiggins and Rogers were tailed off and Evans totally cracked. But maybe they are on the same bread and water diet.

No, yesterday he got dropped by Levi...I guess you missed that. He got dropped by Levi. Levi Leipheimer. Yes, THAT Levi Leipheimer. No rest day refill. Simple really. He has reverted to the non GT rider that he was before he didn't use any doping products to win the TdF...

 

[auscyclefan94]

Has nothing to do with doping (they all do that anyway), but with riding on heartrate.

Andy Schleck doesn't go above certain heartrate/effort levels in the preparation races. When he sees that, he just quits. He takes it very differently than for instance Robert Gesink or Alberto Contador, who need to really test themselves to be sure they are ok.

So he is a guy that can form out of nowhere as you would think he would need some sort of test of his condition to know how he is going?

 

[Benotti69]

So he is a guy that can form out of nowhere as you would think he would need some sort of test of his condition to know how he is going?

no, is he not following the path for training set by armstrong for what is the most important race on the cycling calendar and he is putting all his eggs in the one basket so this is why he is peaking during the tour.

if you are having a go at him simply because he attacked on the col de madeleine and evans lost the jersey that's pretty pathetic. plenty of riders in the peleton have trained specifically to peak for this race. Wiggins, Menchov, Contador to name 3 and their super domestiques.....

if you want to win this race in its present state you need to dedicate your whole regime to it, to peak at your highest level for 1st/2nd mountain stages to the last mountain stages and hope your recovery abilities carry you through to the end.....that and some big ol blood bags

 

[Anonymous]

So he is a guy that can form out of nowhere as you would think he would need some sort of test of his condition to know how he is going?

Ahhh, the sad Cadel fanboy who comes and throws doping allegations every time his hero craps the bed... ACF, do yourself a favor and for once, just take it like a man.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Its a little different scenario when you have a guy crash, chase to make up 40 seconds and then make contact just as the pace goes on up the climb and then blow. Armstrong would have been unlikely to be dropped had this not occurred. He evidenced this the following day up the Hors Cat climb where he stayed with Basso, Geisink and Menchov while Sastre, Wiggins and Rogers were tailed off and Evans totally cracked. But maybe they are on the same bread and water diet.

The thing is, he didn't stay with Gesink and Menchov, because those two were in a group almost a minute ahead of Basso.

Wakey wakey.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

So he is a guy that can form out of nowhere as you would think he would need some sort of test of his condition to know how he is going?

Out of nowhere?? Andys prep was almost identical to last year - peak for the Ardennes weekend, rest/recover, peak for the Tour.

The main difference between this year and last was that Andy was injured right before the season began this year so he struggled through races like Tirreno Adriatico - but he was only just short of a good performance in LBL.

In the Tour of Cali he just coasted through - then he stepped it up again with preparation races like Luxembourg and Tour de Suisse- when I saw him attacking and waiting on the mountain stage there I knew he was pretty close to his form.

 

[Escarabajo]

Its a little different scenario when you have a guy crash, chase to make up 40 seconds and then make contact just as the pace goes on up the climb and then blow. Armstrong would have been unlikely to be dropped had this not occurred. He evidenced this the following day up the Hors Cat climb where he stayed with Basso, Geisink and Menchov while Sastre, Wiggins and Rogers were tailed off and Evans totally cracked. But maybe they are on the same bread and water diet.

I don't know and you don't know either what would have happened without the crash. But if I was to vote on the matter and I would say that he would have dropped without the crash. IMHO.

It looks like the heat was the key for his problems. And I also have to add that his preparation was not the best if you compare it to previous years. And don't forget about age and the distraction from the federal investigation.

Now, if he is riding cleanish he would blow to the heavens in the Pyrenean stages.

Ooops. Off topic.

As for Andy's form change is concerned, Dr. Maserati is right. But I was suspicious last year also. So it is just more of the same.

 

[Von Mises]

Out of nowhere?? Andys prep was almost identical to last year - peak for the Ardennes weekend, rest/recover, peak for the Tour.

The main difference between this year and last was that Andy was injured right before the season began this year so he struggled through races like Tirreno Adriatico - but he was only just short of a good performance in LBL.

In the Tour of Cali he just coasted through - then he stepped it up again with preparation races like Luxembourg and Tour de Suisse- when I saw him attacking and waiting on the mountain stage there I knew he was pretty close to his form.

And already last year same question should have been asked. In case of Armstrong, his huge swings in form have always been treated as one of the evidences of doping. And there is a good reason for that: information we do know about doping practises and preparation cycles, explains pretty well these huge changes in form.
In case of Aschleck, it is legitimate question aswell...

 

[flicker]

My opinion, scientific training, normal peaking before a large event. We have left the Merckx/Coppi/Hinault mold. No more year round form for riders.Now it is like football teams playing games training for the superbowl. Specialized events. Last year round riders were Betini and Zabel.