Are You Triyng To Tell Me

[woodburn]

Wind tunnel has proven his pony tail cost him 8second in aerodynamics. He also used no aero bars unlike Lemond. Better TTer?. No. Smarter. Yes. It was a clash of old school and modern cycling. Que jodida !

Nevermind that Fignon rode with two disc wheels.

 

[mastersracer]

No one has shown proof that Schleck cannot ride a TT when a race is on the line. Fact.

no one has shown that an Aussie world champion can't make up 34 minutes in a TT when a race is on the line. The smart money is on Cadel. Fact.

 

[Angliru]

Berto already knows all this. He might be the superior TTler by far, but he attacked Shrek's mechanical out of fear.

All of a sudden you have hope again???

 

[Publicus]

+1

No way Andy gives up more than a few seconds to Bertie.

Winning the Lux National TT c'ships has really changed things for Andy. Just look at his improvement in the prologue a few short weeks ago.


If I'm Bertie, I'm trying to figure out what to do....

I see what you are doing here.

 

[theswordsman]

no one has shown that an Aussie world champion can't make up 34 minutes in a TT when a race is on the line. The smart money is on Cadel. Fact.

I like your spirit. Great article about Cadel here:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/cadel-may-bypass-tour-down-under/story-e6frf9if-1225895271622

 

[scribe]

All of a sudden you have hope again???

Yeah. Hope for 2011. This year is merely a procession now.

 

[Publicus]

Berto already knows all this. He might be the superior TTler by far, but he attacked Shrek's mechanical out of fear.

Not possible he was closing down Andy's attack. Has to be fear of Shrek because . . . well cause Scribe said so. So sayeth Scribe, so shall it be! All Hail the All Seeing and All Knowing Scribe!!!

Perhaps Andy's attack was motivated by fear as well. And that fear caused him to bollix his shift, which lead to his thrown chain.... I mean if you are guessing what motivates these guys to do what they do, then that too must be in the realm of possibility, no?

 

[Publicus]

You make Contador out to be Indurain..........

All things are relative, no? AC is no Indurain compared to Cancellara (on this course) or Wiggins or any of the other heavier, power riders. But compared to Andy? Unless Andy suddenly developed a dedication to the ITT (and please, don't bring up him being the TT champion of Luxembourg), then this isn't his best discipline relative to Contador. He knows this. AC knows this. Now he may be able to limit his losses, but he's going to have losses.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

He is not going to lose more than 2 minutes to his gc rivals, full stop.

You forgot how mcuh he lost to Contador last year?? Or hell he already lost a minute in the 9 km prologue.

 

[RedsharkO]

And we have to remember who won the final ITT last year. A hint: not was Cancellara.

 

[roundabout]

You forgot how mcuh he lost to Contador last year?? Or hell he already lost a minute in the 9 km prologue.

We'll see in 3 days.

 

[taiwan]

I agree with the OP. I bet Andy doesn't suck as much in the TT as everyone seems to be counting on him doing. It's a long flat TT, though: he will lose some time. How much? I don't want to give the false impression that I have a clue by guessing.

 

[Ryaguas]

You make Contador out to be Indurain..........

I don't know who I make Contador out to be Indurain but you are really making Andy out to be Spartacus... AC has always been a good TTer since he was amateur... and if you follow his career you can see how he has been working a lot in the TT also he has RESULTS...what does Andy has? Ehmmmm nothing???

And we have to remember who won the final ITT last year. A hint: not was Cancellara.

Well this time there is not a hill in the middle so would be difficult to AC to win this ITT but he is going to do pretty well...

 

[hrotha]

Andy's never "sucked" at ITTs, but I don't see him doing much better than top 15-20.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Either way, I'm glad LuLu won the national ITT jersey, because if Schleck had won or retaken yellow on Tourmalet, we'd have been left with the sight of that hideous Astana Spanish champs' jersey on our screens for an hour+. As it is, it'll be the awesome flying fireball jersey that is the Caisse Spanish champs' kit instead. Much better.

 

[markrosen]

+1

No way Andy gives up more than a few seconds to Bertie.

Winning the Lux National TT c'ships has really changed things for Andy. Just look at his improvement in the prologue a few short weeks ago.


If I'm Bertie, I'm trying to figure out what to do....

FACT:
There were only 29 riders took part in the Lux Nat's ITT...and his brother Frank was one of them....other than the 2 Saxo (Andy & Frank) & one lone rider from AG2R (all other riders from CT Differdange or LC Kayl...who?). Sorry, just not quite the same as ITT in the TdF.

 

[dolophonic]

I just lost two minutes reading this thread... Fact.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Andy Schleck is a bad TTer for a GC contender. Everyone knows this.

His only chance of winning is to pull an Isidro Nozal or a Roberto Heras, but any further discussion on that topic is better left to the clinic.

I don't see any way Schleck loses less than 1:30 to Contador in the final TT. I'd say he loses 2:05.

 

[MacRoadie]

I just lost two minutes reading this thread... Fact.

There will be time bonuses offered in the next one...

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I admit I threadsucked my way through the three pages. Works for Levi.

 

[ilillillli]

No one has shown proof that Schleck cannot ride a TT when a race is on the line. Fact.

2009 stage 18: Annecy ITT (40.5 km)

Contador:48:31
Schleck: +1:45

so... fiction, then. right?

 

[Anonymous]

FACT:
There were only 29 riders took part in the Lux Nat's ITT...and his brother Frank was one of them....other than the 2 Saxo (Andy & Frank) & one lone rider from AG2R (all other riders from CT Differdange or LC Kayl...who?). Sorry, just not quite the same as ITT in the TdF.

This sentence should have given my post away;

"Just look at his improvement in the prologue a few short weeks ago."

Word. Err, Fact.

 

[Deagol]

It’s funny how sarcasm is not detected by some…
On topic: there is a difference in hoping a particular rider wins a race compared to tweaking reality to prove in your own mind that he will. I’m hoping AS will beat AC, but I don’t think he will, not this year. Also, there has got to be a limit to this endless speculation about what will happen. It may be hard to be patient, but time will tell and what actually happens will reveal how inaccurate so many of these wild speculations are. Not limited to just this thread, obviously…

 

[riobonito92]

How about this: FRANK won the Tour de Suisse when no-one expected him to because we all know that FRANK is a terrible time triallist; except on that day he wasn't so bad and there was some speculation that he had been working, with Cancellara's help on this time trialling.

So, Andy, knowing he was a TdF contender didn't work on his timetrialling as well?

AS is not Gesink. If he is in yellow at the start of the ITT he will not give up more than, I would guess, 1 minute, and it could be less than that.

 

[cody_57]

Prediction Time

I predict Alberto catches Andy before the finish line. (How's that for a prediction? - And then they ride over the line together, holding hands and singing 'Kumbaya' )

C'mon guys & gals, this is just pure speculation, let's wait and see?