BMC in disarray?

[luckyboy]

More like when the little Monstars stole all the basketball player's talent in Space Jam.

 

[Ripper]

He's lost and he still hasn't found what he's looking for?

 

[Eric8-A]

Gilbert has lost his edge

 

[Cobber]

David McKenzie while commenting on the Ronde last night summed up BMC really well. He said "BMC are basically the opposite of that movie Moneyball"!

 

[Ripper]

Gilbert has lost his edge

Yes, but I like the connotation of he has not found what he is looking for

But he has seemingly lost his edge!

 

[theyoungest]

dlwssonic, we have to face the facts. Gilbert has no chance at Amstel Gold Race and most likely the same for the other Ardennes classics. He has very average form and even after one attack up the Kruisberg he was ******ed. Finished way behind and was struggling on many of the other climbs. I think they should ride for GVA at Amstel Gold who is showing some good form with a great 4th place at De Ronde and then ride for Evans at Fleche and Liege keeping the Gilbert door open if he does find some form.

I'm actually happy that we'll get to see Evans ride for himself in the Ardennes. I like Evans as a classics contender. Maybe this time Cadel will win all three of them, why not?

 

[dlwssonic]

I'm actually happy that we'll get to see Evans ride for himself in the Ardennes. I like Evans as a classics contender. Maybe this time Cadel will win all three of them, why not?

Haha that is wishful thinking. He can certainly win FW. I don't know if he is explosive enough for AGR or LBL.

 

[theyoungest]

Haha that is wishful thinking. He can certainly win FW. I don't know if he is explosive enough for AGR or LBL.

With a less than spectacular Gilbert, a Valverde who is still a bit of a question mark, and Andy Schleck who has been even worse than usual, that doesn't leave us with too many favourites for these races. This could be Cadel's chance. If Andy can win LBL, so can he.

 

[dlwssonic]

Don't bother with dlwsonic. He is loyal and therefore he cant abandon his new bandwagon-rider that happened to come along in the off-season. Endure until may, then he'll be on about Evans and the tour instead, which will be a fresh wind of change..

I was a fan of Gilbert since 2011 even before he was in BMC And isn't that what being a fan is all about.

 

[eljimberino]

Nice new helmets though.

 

[dlwssonic]

Nothing lucky about it if you consider the injuries he has. He deserves that fourth place.

Yep agree, GVA has been improving every year. He looked good at the paterberg and the oude kwaremont despite starting way back. I was surprised that he had enough in the tank to sprint for 4th. Maybe he can go hard for AGR this year.

 

[dlwssonic]

GVA's form has surpassed that of last year. 4th in an extremely difficult monument. I'd say he has made another progression.

FWIW, I don't think most of BMC rode poorly today at all. The exceptions just happen to be the 2 who are high on the payroll ... PG and TH. They rode sh!t.

TH always ride **** for RVV. He should be ok for PR.

 

[dlwssonic]

dlwssonic, we have to face the facts. Gilbert has no chance at Amstel Gold Race and most likely the same for the other Ardennes classics. He has very average form and even after one attack up the Kruisberg he was ******ed. Finished way behind and was struggling on many of the other climbs. I think they should ride for GVA at Amstel Gold who is showing some good form with a great 4th place at De Ronde and then ride for Evans at Fleche and Liege keeping the Gilbert door open if he does find some form.

Yeah at this moment its looking very dull for Gilbert. But he has felt that he has been improving, he thinks he can go well in the ardennes. Just gotta be optimistic. However I think for AGR, GVA or Evans can take over gilbert for leader.

 

[hrotha]

TH always ride **** for RVV. He should be ok for PR.

The problem is not that he didn't do much in RVV, but that he hasn't been better than Gilbert all season.

 

[dlwssonic]

With a less than spectacular Gilbert, a Valverde who is still a bit of a question mark, and Andy Schleck who has been even worse than usual, that doesn't leave us with too many favourites for these races. This could be Cadel's chance. If Andy can win LBL, so can he.

well yeah he always has a chance but I still think its a bit unlikely, however I cannot doubt evans nowadays. He is performing well. He still has jrod to deal with though. after seeing some of his good uphill sprints. If he is serious about it he has somewhat of a chance for AGR.

 

[dlwssonic]

The problem is not that he didn't do much in RVV, but that he hasn't been better than Gilbert all season.

He hasn't raced much at all this year to show us much.
He looked ok in omloop. Had that fever during MSR. And performed like how he normally does in RVV.
He certainly was better than Gilbert in RVV and it was not even his race.

 

[movingtarget]

dlwssonic, we have to face the facts. Gilbert has no chance at Amstel Gold Race and most likely the same for the other Ardennes classics. He has very average form and even after one attack up the Kruisberg he was ******ed. Finished way behind and was struggling on many of the other climbs. I think they should ride for GVA at Amstel Gold who is showing some good form with a great 4th place at De Ronde and then ride for Evans at Fleche and Liege keeping the Gilbert door open if he does find some form.

Even if you accept that Gilbert's problems with his teeth affected him it is only part of the problem. It's pretty cut and dried now for BMC. They will have to ride for Ballan at PR and Evans and GVA at Amstel with the form that Thor and Gilbert are showing at the moment. I still think though that Evans has a better chance at Fleche. I am sure that Gerrans, Rodriguez and others like Valverde are feeling more confident now about their chances in the Ardenne races.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Cancellara to Gilbert: "The **** are you doing? My heart rate is only 40 atm..."

 

[Cancellator]

Cancellara to Gilbert: "The **** are you doing? My heart rate is only 40 atm..."

Hahahaha absolutely epic.

 

[Parrulo]

Cancellara to Gilbert: "The **** are you doing? My heart rate is only 40 atm..."

post of the year

 

[Eric8-A]

This isn't very convincing when CN posted something on his form coming up.

 

[Woody22]

Perhabs BMC made Gilbert's national jersey out of lead??

 

[karlboss]

Cancellara to Gilbert: "The **** are you doing? My heart rate is only 40 atm..."

Caption comp?

 

[Afrank]

Cancellara to Gilbert: "The **** are you doing? My heart rate is only 40 atm..."

Greatest post ever!

 

[auscyclefan94]

With a less than spectacular Gilbert, a Valverde who is still a bit of a question mark, and Andy Schleck who has been even worse than usual, that doesn't leave us with too many favourites for these races. This could be Cadel's chance. If Andy can win LBL, so can he.

Lol. If Evans had came to the Ardennes classics with top form then he certainly could win LBL. The fact is that he said the closest he was to best form in the classics was in 2005 and 2010. In Amstel that year he had to ride for Karsten Kroon which is kind of stupid so he couldn't ride for himself and in LBL, Astana and Katusha played a very smart tatics which ultimately caught him out.

Haha that is wishful thinking. He can certainly win FW. I don't know if he is explosive enough for AGR or LBL.

For AGR you need to be explosive but less so in Liege. The climbs are longer and sharper in Liege and it is more about strength and endurance than explosiveness.

I'm actually happy that we'll get to see Evans ride for himself in the Ardennes. I like Evans as a classics contender. Maybe this time Cadel will win all three of them, why not?

Doubt it. He won't be going to the classics with top form and to win Liege you need to have very good form. I am not sure he'll have that. In saying that, he could win Fleche.