Armstrong drops A.Schlek who is 15 min out the back WTF???

[auscyclefan94]

I thought that sutherland was putting armstrong into difficulty on the climb.

 

[lucybears]

bad day at Bonny Doon
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010...-stage-win-after-bad-day-at-bonny-doon_117116

 

[SpartacusRox]

Can someone make a factual observation without being called a troll or a sock puppet, or muppet, or whatever?

Armstrong looked strong today. Schleck looked like crapola. I guess that's not debatable so we move into insults?

You are right on the money. A number of the regular posters will be hating it but today would have given Armstrong a big boost of confidence seeing Andy disappear out the back quicker than some of the sprinters. If I was Riis I would be worried about his number one boy after watching today.

 

[SpartacusRox]

I thought that sutherland was putting armstrong into difficulty on the climb.

Mate come on...Shack had done the damage, the top three were away, Sutherland gave a little surge then popped and was marked by Armstrong anyway. From there on Armstrong and Horner pretty much covered every move along with a couple of trhe Garmin guys. Did you expect him to tow Sutherland back up to the front three? At the point the front three guys got away the other three were spent, Armstrong included.

 

[SpartacusRox]

Schleck must have a good excuse, he couldn't have been trying at all, if he's gonna be up there in the front for TdF in 40 some days.. I shouted at him 500m from the finish and he looked at me, it was pretty sweet for a Schleck fan boy like myself.

Wasn't trying.....Yeah Right! Cancellara wasn't trying, Andy was trying all right.

 

[theyoungest]

Wasn't trying.....Yeah Right! Cancellara wasn't trying, Andy was trying all right.

Yes, it looked like he didn't immediately give up. But when Andy Schleck is out of form, he's truly awful.

 

[Jan the Man]

Anyone who thought that Andy Schleck would be going anywhere near the red in the Tour of Cali was saddly deluding themselves.

This is a race for him to enjoy the Califronia lifestyle and build base racing miles for the Tour de France. He will show himself on one or two stages of the Tour de Suisse before the Tour and that's it.

This is thread is much the same as the thread which was started when Armstrong got dropped in the Criterium.

Fact is Armstrong is targeting one race and will only show maximum in that race other than one or two targeted stages before.

Andy Schleck only targes Ardennes and the Tour so will only show maximum in those races.

If they both peak for the tour, as we expect, Andy Schleck will likely be second come July and Lance will likely be somwhere between 3rd and 6th. This stage or the Criterium won't change that.

 

[Chef_Vodnik]

How 'bout losing time on purpose to get into some breaks? He wanted a stage win, something he might not obtain when riding with the focussed riders while he's at (say) 50%

 

[the vagabond]

Can you imagine the roasting Evans would get if he pulled a Schleck?

 

[Anonymous]

Can someone make a factual observation without being called a troll or a sock puppet, or muppet, or whatever?

Armstrong looked strong today. Schleck looked like crapola. I guess that's not debatable so we move into insults?

They can. It is when the poster in question only posts from slightly before the Tour until slightly after that it becomes tedious and annoying. Armstrong fanboys are myopic in their knowledge of cycling. We have to endure them, but that doesn't mean we have to do so quietly. I wonder if this one has put his "barely ridden" Trek up on craigslist yet. There are several in my area.

 

[issoisso]

How 'bout losing time on purpose to get into some breaks? He wanted a stage win, something he might not obtain when riding with the focussed riders while he's at (say) 50%

Except this is Andy Schleck. He doesn't do breaks.

 

[thehog]

Except this is Andy Schleck. He doesn't do breaks.

Julich said it takes time for some of the Saxo Bank riders to ramp back up to a high level after the team has released the stress of the spring classics. “It’s tough to jump across the pond and have to mimic the motivation and the passion that the other teams have over here,” he said. “We had a big spring season and there has to be a little let down, a little bit of relaxing of the stress level.”

 

[thehog]

Julich said it takes time for some of the Saxo Bank riders to ramp back up to a high level after the team has released the stress of the spring classics. “It’s tough to jump across the pond and have to mimic the motivation and the passion that the other teams have over here,” he said. “We had a big spring season and there has to be a little let down, a little bit of relaxing of the stress level.”

“From the beginning of the race, stage wins were our objectives,” said Julich. “We knew we just went through the classics season and there has to be a decompression somewhere. We didn’t come here with…when you have all the guys coming here after a break, it’s hard to jumpstart the motor again."

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

Sorry, had to laugh at thehog quoting team management spin explaining why Schleck got dropped. It's precisely the type of remarks he has mocked to death when made by Bruyneel.

 

[BikeCentric]

Mate come on...Shack had done the damage, the top three were away, Sutherland gave a little surge then popped and was marked by Armstrong anyway. From there on Armstrong and Horner pretty much covered every move along with a couple of trhe Garmin guys. Did you expect him to tow Sutherland back up to the front three? At the point the front three guys got away the other three were spent, Armstrong included.

Wow, it sure is interesting that you talk about Armstrong in every post you make yet claim to be a Fabian fanboy...

 

[happychappy]

Schlek fanboys: "it's only May".

Amirite?

 

[richwagmn]

I thought he was supposed to be fat or something. How come he dropped baby Schlek who looked to be heaving and panting like a beat dog on that climb? Old fat guy out climbs baby Schlek???? Hmmm

In spite of this being a troll...

I think Andy's off form right now. He's had a bad early season and I'm sure is hoping to use the ToC to help him gain some fitness.

 

[frenchfry]

To be fair, when Lance is shelled off the back on a climb there are immediately about 100 pages of posts on this forum from his detractors jubilating, and his fanboys justifying. As if there was no more "Hope" in the world.

I tend to go with those who think Schleck is just there to enjoy the scenery and get in some training miles.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Alleged stomach problems aside (see the Julich interview in Velonews, which is linked a few pages back and which I won't dig up [sorry]), it looks like Menchov may be Contador's only real threat at the Tour this year.

Oh wait, A Schleck rides for Riis, and--as several posters have pointed out--Riis knows how to ensure a rider arrives at their season goals in "top form."

EDIT: And frenchfry's first point is VERY fair.

 

[Publicus]

Armstrong and several other riders dropped Andy like a sack of potatoes. Armstrong is right on target for the Tour. He won the stage right?

 

[pedaling squares]

I think it is pretty obvious that Andy was too distracted with the Podium Look girls to concentrate on racing.

I don't blame him. It's hard to represent your big US bike builder when your head is filled with visions of big plastic funbags.

 

[flicker]

I like Andy and Frank. Watching Andy at the finish (TV) during the climb, he was marked like a little fly stuck in a shack spider web. He tried attacking, a shack or bmc guy would go with him and then Andy would give up.

As I said before Andy is a non factor in the big one.
Very poor excuse considering SPECIALIZED BICYCLES home base is 30 miles from SantaCruz in Morgan Hill. Huge market for bicyles here.

Like my Brit friends on the forum say Bonny Doon is flat. I guess they are right as I rode it yesterday. My excuse is I am old and fat. What is your excuse Andy?

 

[flicker]

Peter Sagan...... that is the man to watch!

 

[wattage]

May isn't the time for Andy to get the base miles in, if he's going for Tour win.

 

[red_flanders]

May isn't the time for Andy to get the base miles in, if he's going for Tour win.

There is a lot of training in between base miles and peaking--that he's not challenging for the win doesn't mean he's in base miles.