I for one would like to congratulate Cadel on his effort. 7th in the TDF is a remarkable effort for anyone. He had a crack, would have had another, but thats cycling. Its hard enough to stay upright, stay healthy and so on let alone win it as we all know.
He will saddle up next year no doubt.
The only bad thing is that month pre TDF, whatever goes on and it is a mystery like dead sea scrolls, obviously doesnt work. Fix that month, and Cadel is back in town.
TJ might be a worry tho. Cadel may be forced out of BMC. One more year, or the new boy?
He will saddle up next year no doubt.
The only bad thing is that month pre TDF, whatever goes on and it is a mystery like dead sea scrolls, obviously doesnt work. Fix that month, and Cadel is back in town.
TJ might be a worry tho. Cadel may be forced out of BMC. One more year, or the new boy?
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mickkk said:
I think he would settle for that. He knows TJVG is a talent and 36 year olds don't win Tour usually. The parallels between Wiggins this year and Evans last year are there. Wiggins was competitive in every race as was Evans last year before the Tour. Evans result was disappointing for him but his fans know he gave it everything as usual and that's all you can do.
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he had his GT glory, he should now concentrate on classics, stage hunting and short stages racing maybe.
Timmy-loves-Rabo said:
Personally, I would love to see him do that. Next year it would be fantastic if he targetted Tirreno, the Ardennes and the Giro. He should even skip the TDF and ride the Vuelta too, but he will probably have another crack at the TDF which will probably be a waste.
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The Joker said:
Some people said the same thing last year and the year before but last year he won the Tour and other good races. Who is to say that Wiggins and Contador will be able to repeat previous efforts ? Ask Gilbert. The difference in his season last year and this year could not be more different. Evans is a world champion and a Tour winner, he rides Tirreno every year anyway although it would be good to see him ride the Ardennes classics again where he has been pretty consistent but with only the one win. He is more ambitious than that. He has been on the Tour podium three times and still has the self belief. His team knows that the biggest and most prestigeous race of the season is the Tour and they expect their best rider to be there. If things go pear shaped they switch to TJVG.
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therealtimshady said:
Maybe but he will be there. It's a non debate. He and his team obviously favour the Tour over the Giro and the Vuelta.
Cadel will not win the tour again. He owned 2011 and that was his but he has always been about "pegging back" on climbs and he will struggle with the younger riders from now on in. He can turn in a good time trial but he's not top tier there either anymore. Wiggins has him licked in those departments and he's no spring chicken either
Plenty of guys have of ridden well in the Tour into their late 30's. It's a mental battle more than anything. I think he can still mix it next year if his mind is right.therealtimshady said:
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heinkel12 said:
I think at the top level the riders only have to be slightly off their game and their results will be effected. Of course the Sky riders and Contador will be hard to beat but no one is infallible. I would like to see Andy back in good form also to make it more interesting. With a supposed much different route to this year it should be a very interesting race. Not many people thought Evans could win last year either.
evans didn't look as strong as last year from the opening TT. I can't see him improving next year. As for last year, his odds were pretty good. Contador tired from Giro, and a nice long TT to punish Andy. He also looked like the strongest contender right from the very beginning which he just didnt have this year. next year he will have Andy and Contador to contend in addition to Wiggins
Andy didnt really impress this year. I dont think he had any real motivation due to the TT km's and lack of hard MTF to make up time. Even if he had attended the tour this year i think the best he could have managed would have been 3rd but more likely lower.
Andy didnt really impress this year. I dont think he had any real motivation due to the TT km's and lack of hard MTF to make up time. Even if he had attended the tour this year i think the best he could have managed would have been 3rd but more likely lower.
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Very few outside Oz rated him last year.
Given good prep, free from illness/injury I can see him better next year.
Whether just being better is enough is the question.
BMC should have a two-leader plan regardless.
Given good prep, free from illness/injury I can see him better next year.
Whether just being better is enough is the question.
BMC should have a two-leader plan regardless.
Cadel has a long history of having his bad days totally screw up a GC chance. 2011 he just got lucky. Now his natural aging just will slow him down more while he still has those bad day odds. He's statistically better off just riding shorter week long stage races and classics - he could go on for years doing that and enjoy decent success.
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From a statistical point of view this one "lucky year" between lots of "unlucky years" convinces me of Evan's integrity. Beauty is not always truth.orangerider said:
That he arrives the year after and bombs without making excuses is heartening. He deserved his Tour - he was great in 20111 (was 2012, thanks pablo0642 ),
I doubt he will win another.
TourOfSardinia said:
Wholeheartedly agree (I presume you meant 2011 rather than 2012). I'd love to see Cadel back at the tour next year with a realistic shot of winning but surely he'd be better served going for a Giro/Vuelta combo. A second GT is a possibility if he spends the next couple of years refocussing on either/both Giro and Vuelta.
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orangerider said:
Evans was not lucky in 2011. He was in the form of his life. Won the Tirreno and Romandie plus second in the Dauphine. Two great defensive rides in two days on the Galibier plus no time lost to the Schlecks up the Alpe. Outsprinted Contador to win a hilly stage earlier in the race and rode a storming TT to top off the race. Would have beat Martin if his director had told him how close he was to Martin's time in the last 10 kms. Yeah Evans was incredibly lucky.
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TourOfSardinia said:
I do think Cadel lost some drive... to hurt himself enough this year. Fame can strike a blow. The question is: will he rekindle that fire that at least puts him on GT podium? He's also not getting any younger.
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BillytheKid said:
Looking at him post race after some of the stages in the final week, he definitely dug deep. By the TT the fire was gone and he barely noticed TJVG passing him in the TT. He was running on empty and just trying to avoid slipping too far on GC.
Cookster15
Moderator
- May 14, 2011
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orangerider said:
To explain 2012 we need to know why Cadel fell ill with sinus infections. That illness put him behind the eightball in his preparation for his Tour defence. If you're 28 you recover from such setbacks but at 35 Cadel needed all the time he could get to get his body into the shape required (i.e. 2011 shape) to be competitive. All season he was playing catch up with his condition but when you get to the Tour and you haven't done the work there's nowhere to hide.
The thing is BMC would surely have known this as they would have seen his training progress - especially when doing mountain / altitude work in the lead up to the tour side by side with TJVG.
I'm not sure 2011 was luck. But you're right about the consequences of father time catching up with him. Due to his age he will need uninterrupted preparation and good health to remain seriously competitive for the remainder of his professional career.
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Cookster15 said:
Constant sinus infections are hard to get rid of. If it's still a problem he would be better off having an operation in the off season. Contador had it done as have others probably. Antibiotics don't' help. Well they did not help me.
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