Bert Grabsch World TT Championships

[Afrank]

How will former world TT champ Bert Grabsch stack up against others in this year world championships, where do you think he will place? top 10, maybe podium?

 

[Gosta1]

Top ten is certainly a possibility, but there is too many corners for him to contest a win. His win in the German NC was on fairly straight course iirc.

 

[greenedge]

Martin and Cancellara are favourites. I would be surprised if they do not 1-2 or 2-1.

 

[LabMonkey]

Top ten is certainly a possibility, but there is too many corners for him to contest a win. His win in the German NC was on fairly straight course iirc.

Interesting - who else might be suited/not suited to this particular course?

 

[Gosta1]

Cancellaras technique going through corners is superb (not excatly groundbreaking info), and he handles repetetive accelerations quite well. Got a slight edge on Martin in that department, but it's hard to look past a Martin win in the form he is at the moment.

Wiggins is in the other side of the spectrum, along with Grabsch. Does'nt handle alot of accelerations well. And if there is wind coming in from the east, he will have a harder time coping with that than the other, heavier favourites.

 

[Swede1]

I think even though Martin has been in blazing TT form recently, Cancellara will whip him. Last year Canc got beaten by menchov and velits in the vuelta tt and went on to win by a substantial margin. He is better at one day TT events than anybody else.

 

[Gosta1]

yep, the fact that Canc does'nt have to drag his 80kg frame over mountainpasses prior to the tt certainly works in his favour. And he never has been so dominant in other ITTs compared to the WC. He excels in the worlds. But one and a half minute is a huge gap that can't entirely be explained by poor recovery. Then again, as mentioned earlier, the course suits him, and I hope for a close and exciting race. The last WC ITTs been soo boring and predictable.

 

[Swede1]

personally i'd like to see martin take the TT win, and it seems like the biggest challenge canc will have faced until now, but I'd still put my money on Cancellara.

 

[auscyclefan94]

On a super flat, straight course, Grabsch can be hard to beat. I am not sure what the course is like in Copenhagen.

 

[Gosta1]

Link to the course:
http://www.copenhagen2011.dk/docs/elementer/20110701-2251-75.pdf

It ramps up a bit a couple of times during the last 10 k. Not much, 2-3% for about one km on each "climb".

 

[42x16ss]

How long is the ITT course? If it's more than 50km I think he has a very real shot at the podium.

 

[Gosta1]

Two laps of 23 km. It will stupid to totally discount Grabsch, given that he crushed Martin in the German NC, but he was well of pace in the Vuelta TT, on a course that really suited him (just one big turn iirc). The WC course certainly does'nt suit him.

 

[Bavarianrider]

The track doesn't suit him. Far too many corners and bends. So i don't think he can do Top10 anymore.
The course doesn't fit Tony too. It will be very very difficvult for him to win.

 

[El Pistolero]

Two laps of 23 km. It will stupid to totally discount Grabsch, given that he crushed Martin in the German NC, but he was well of pace in the Vuelta TT, on a course that really suited him (just one big turn iirc). The WC course certainly does'nt suit him.

That's pathetically low.