Voted Andy but would have been Team Schleck if it was an option..
Interesting nobody has mentioned Basso.
Interesting nobody has mentioned Basso.
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afpm90 said:Tiago Machado is a neo-pro and he only has 24 years old. Do you really think is wise to him to do the Tour?
ferryman said:Interesting nobody has mentioned Basso.
theswordsman said:24 isn't young - that's why they have the white jersey competition. And from what I've read, just finishing a grand tour will give a rider an excellent boost in fitness that he can build on in the future, so it would be a big step in the development of a rider who has showed some talent.
Heck, Contador won two Tours by 26, and by that age he'd missed one chance to participate with the cavernoma, one for Operation Puerto, and one when Astana was being punished. And when would Machado ever have the chance to learn how it's all done than with JB and the Oldsters this year?
afpm90 said:It's my understanding that giving a neo-pro the responsability of riding thinking in the GC at the Tour is damaging to his career. First, because it's his first year as a Pro-Tour rider. Second, because of the high intensity of the Tour de France. If he rides the Tour, he should take it easy, just learning what is like to ride at that high level.
As to Contador, he had some seasons at the top level in his legs and he also done the Tour in 2005, finishing 31th.http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/rider_palm.asp?riderid=387&year=2005&all=1¤t=0
He also began his Pro-Tour career earlier than Machado.
Do you have an example of a 24 year old rider who had his career damaged in that way? And would you feel the same way if he was the ninth rider on Vacansoleil at the Vuelta a Espana? Surely in three months a genius like Bruyneel, with help from some very veteran riders, could get him to the point where he'd be safe in the peloton?afpm90 said:It's my understanding that giving a neo-pro the responsability of riding thinking in the GC at the Tour is damaging to his career. First, because it's his first year as a Pro-Tour rider. Second, because of the high intensity of the Tour de France. If he rides the Tour, he should take it easy, just learning what is like to ride at that high level.
ferryman said:Interesting nobody has mentioned Basso.
kurtinsc said:True... but Lance at P-N in 2005 was at the tail end after the prologue, and dropped out halfway through.
Then he (somehow) managed to get fit and in shape and win the Tour in July.
theswordsman said:Do you have an example of a 24 year old rider who had his career damaged in that way? And would you feel the same way if he was the ninth rider on Vacansoleil at the Vuelta a Espana? Surely in three months a genius like Bruyneel, with help from some very veteran riders, could get him to the point where he'd be safe in the peloton?
BYOP88 said:Laurent Fignon won the Tour de France at his 1st attempt at the age of 22, I don't think age or Grand Tour experience has anything to do with it.
maikel said:Why is Bruyneel called a genius? especially with young talents, look at popovych and brajkovic, what is become of them? They were said to be future tour winners, but they are way off that path now. Okay, contador won at young age, but was that Bruyneels work? I don;t think so
Squares said:For some reason, I remember Evans, Menchov and Sastre racing in the tour last year. Frank Schleck too. Of course Valverde was not there due to his doping suspension.
Can someone please remind me where LA finished relative to F. Schleck, Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre, and Denis Menchov?
I'm just asking where they finished so that people can back up their statements that each of those riders is better than/more of a contender than LA.
Publicus said:I believe that was intended as a flippant or sarcastic comment.
cyclopeon said:Every rider's physiology and characteristics are different; some reach their best level later in life, some earlier. It's as much as issue of where their mind is at that point in their life as where their body is.
Think of all the past white jersey winners at the Tour: some go on to greatness, some to dominance, and some just never make the same level on GC again and/or dwindle to support roles. How much of that is due to overstressing their body too soon, how much due to their body perhaps never being capable of that level of stress, how much due to inappropriate or inadequate mental focus, or how much is due to better riders coming behind them?? Don't know. What ifs cannot be answered until a time-machine is invented; in the meantime responsible trainers/ managers/ teams have to go by the best informatin available, which will always probably be a bit conservative because it is probably better to go for it a year later than possible than a year too early. There are always the exceptions to prove the "rule".
Squares said:For some reason, I remember Evans, Menchov and Sastre racing in the tour last year. Frank Schleck too. Of course Valverde was not there due to his doping suspension.
Can someone please remind me where LA finished relative to F. Schleck, Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre, and Denis Menchov?
I'm just asking where they finished so that people can back up their statements that each of those riders is better than/more of a contender than LA.
Squares said:For some reason, I remember Evans, Menchov and Sastre racing in the tour last year. Frank Schleck too. Of course Valverde was not there due to his doping suspension.
Can someone please remind me where LA finished relative to F. Schleck, Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre, and Denis Menchov?
I'm just asking where they finished so that people can back up their statements that each of those riders is better than/more of a contender than LA.
2002... on the Passo Coe. On that subject, does anyone have any vids of that stage or othe giro in 2002?Polish said:I voted Cadel.
I still remember that Giro many many years ago when he swiped the Maglia Rosa from the Italian Doper Brigade. After he could not keep up with them and had to relinquished the jersey - he was gracious and offered no excuse.
What year was that, I forget...
kurtinsc said:I don't think Cadel's team will be any more of a hindrance then it was at Silence/Predictor-Lotto... so I don't think that hurts him much.
I think Cadel will be hindered because he'll be going for the Giro... I see his Tour (if BMC gets an invite) a lot like Menchov's last year.
Michielveedeebee said:The reason I didn't mention Valverde, Sanchez, Basso, Kreuziger, Nibalie, Pellizotti, Gesink etc... is becaus I wasn't talking about his biggest threat for TdF victory but about his biggest rival.