BMC in disarray?

[airstream]

Gilbert won Omloop het Volk, twice, and was 3rd in Flanders. Yeah he totally sucks in cobbled classics

and yet he gets over 1-2k long hills much better than he rides on the cobbles. he's not cancellara and not a sprinter, thus scenario of his success on the races like these is really complicated. Or you're certain he could have done something being on form, given today's upshot?

 

[dlwssonic]

I am kinda missing Gilbert riding away from everyone on the hills already like he did last year. Hope I can see that soon again.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

and yet he gets over 1-2k long hills much better than he rides on the cobbles. he's not cancellara and not a sprinter, thus scenario of his success on the races like these is really complicated. Or you're certain he could have done something being on form, given today's upshot?

In 1 of the Omloop het Volks he won he rode away on a flat cobble stroke going 3 times as fast as the rest.
The other he rode away on a cobbled hill....

You're not making good argument here

 

[theyoungest]

I am kinda missing Gilbert riding away from everyone on the hills already like he did last year. Hope I can see that soon again.

He did ride away from everyone. Just in the opposite direction.

In 1 of the Omloop het Volks he won he rode away on a flat cobble stroke going 3 times as fast as the rest.
The other he rode away on a cobbled hill....

You're not making good argument here

Lol, a cobble stroke... sounds like a pretty serious bloodclot right there.

 

[airstream]

strange that so many people expect a continuation of the banquet from gilbert in consideration of he won maybe 120% he planned last year. yea, its obvious he's below par and doesn't correspond to his basic level but its no time to panic so far.

In 1 of the Omloop het Volks he won he rode away on a flat cobble stroke going 3 times as fast as the rest.
The other he rode away on a cobbled hill....

nah, i just clearly realize such demonstrations of superpower are very rare.

 

[meat puppet]

look, it's not about expecting phil to reproduce last season, but that the guy cannot hold onto the peloton in any kinda hill whatsoever. I think I buy the health arguments. seriously, phil has been off and that's it.

obviously, as old dave hume knew, that the sun did rise today is no grounds for arguing that it will tomorrow. but up to now, phil has been seriously off. if he improves, good for him.

 

[Lanark]

I am kinda missing Gilbert riding away from everyone on the hills already like he did last year. Hope I can see that soon again.

What do you mean, 'miss'? When Gilbert was riding away from everyone last year he wasn't even riding for BMC, so you weren't a fan of him.

 

[Panda Claws]

Let's not forget that Phil will be full of rage at LBL if he carries on like this (possibly in Flanders as well.)

We all know what this can do with a rider.

 

[Caruut]

strange that so many people expect a continuation of the banquet from gilbert in consideration of he won maybe 120% he planned last year. yea, its obvious he's below par and doesn't correspond to his basic level but its no time to panic so far.

nah, i just clearly realize such demonstrations of superpower are very rare.

Expecting him to finish a few races and maybe have at least a win or a significant top 10 under his belt is not expecting him to repeat last year. But he hasn't done that. He hasn't even looked like he could do that and been pinned back by bad luck. He was going so slowly he basically fell off a cobbled hill today, one that 80 other riders, including quite a few (albeit tired) sprinters made it up. It's hard to think of many ways in which this season could have gone worse (barring a serious crash, obviously) so far, and it's less than a month now until his biggest week of the season. I'd say if there ever were a time to panic, it's now.

 

[meat puppet]

also, given phil's current state and the fact that the ronde is right around the corner, I personally will be kinda offended should he make a heroic return to a dominating form in a bloody week.

that would be pure USPS style AWESOMENESS and I'd rather not associate phil with it. but we'll see.

 

[gustienordic]

Let's not forget that Phil will be full of rage at LBL if he carries on like this (possibly in Flanders as well.)

We all know what this can do with a rider.

Make him lose time descending a mountain?

 

[nightfend]

With Valverde back and Gerran's riding well, maybe Phil may not win any Ardennes classics this year...but I still expect him to be right up there. If he isn't, then there is definitely something physically wrong with him. So far, it hasn't looked good. But it is early still in the season.

 

[Eric8-A]

He did ride away from everyone. Just in the opposite direction.

That's Ballan's job

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Yes this looks like he'll be fine anytime soon

 

[Panda Claws]

Gilbert is clearly still feeling 2011. Let's hope he doesn't burn-out.

After all I remember reading an article last year where they asked Gilbert how many hours the team trained and that Gilbert stated that he did a lot, lot more training by his own initiative as well.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

also, given phil's current state and the fact that the ronde is right around the corner, I personally will be kinda offended should he make a heroic return to a dominating form in a bloody week.

that would be pure USPS style AWESOMENESS and I'd rather not associate phil with it. but we'll see.

I agree. if he make a triumphant return it will be a amazing.

 

[spalco]

I'm a big hater, but I have no doubt Gilbert's going to win a bunch of big races this spring again. However it'll be fun to watch him fail until he does.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I'm a big hater, but I have no doubt Gilbert's going to win a bunch of big races this spring again. However it'll be fun to watch him fail until he does.

you see, this is the part i am doubting.
agr is 3 weeks
fw 3,5
lbl 4

he doesn't have ample time left

 

[theyoungest]

He'll have to make a massive leap in form if he wants to be the super Gilbert of last year in the Ardennes. And Gilbert never makes massive leaps in form, he isn't Andy Schleck.

 

[Ripper]

Right now Gilbert is the mystery of the year.

He says he is "not that bad". But today looked quite bad to me.

So is he sucking? Is he bluffing? It looks more like option 1 to me.

And with his first big races not even a month away, I would be as surprised as others if he were to suddenly turn it all around.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Buy Me Champions ... and then they Become Mediocre Chums

 

[hrotha]

Much has been said of Gilbert abandoning E3, but Hushovd did not finish either, and his main objective is closer than Gilbert's. All the better for Ballan in RvV and Roubaix, I suppose.

 

[roundabout]

For Hushovd it's only really the Roubaix he is missing out on. Doubt he really cares about other spring races.

Gilbert on the other hand was expected to contend everywhere from Sanremo to Liege.

 

[Panda Claws]

BMC comments: "Our other leader, Philippe Gilbert, was not having a good day - which can happen – because he was suffering last week from a problem with his tooth and he had that crash on the Cypressa at San Remo."

Discuss.

Like cavendish had in Milan-Sanremo?

 

[roundabout]

Cipressa is a fast climb, so...