Cadel Ponders Future While Preparing For Vuelta

[The Hitch]

So, stage 8 and 9 does not counts? Because….you say so?

And stage 14, where he did beat Uran and was only 30 seconds back on Quintana?

Then less than a minute on stage 15 (save Aru).

Even on stage 16, he did ok seeing as he lost only 1.18 to the fastest guys who didn't attacked on the downhill.

And stop with you bull**** and admit your own faults. You said heavily on every stage. That is simply not true.

Hello. It's 2014 not 1956.
Entire Gts are pretty regularly won these days with advantages of about a minute or 2. Sometimes under a minute. true for the last 5 vueltas anyway, 2 recent tdfs and two recent giros

And here you are trying to tell me that a guy you think could have won the tdf this year, losing over 1 minute on a single mountain, another 30 seconds on a mountain that was soft pedaled till the final few k, is not losing heavy time?

And if you think pointing to one stage where hooray Cadel lost only a few seconds while on several stages he got absolutely massacred, is anything more than a technicality, I'm sorry to disappoint you.

 

[Taxus4a]

He has been great today

 

[Luigi_Max]

Some people seem to be living in a dream world where cyclists do not decline as they get older.
Evans is declining as a climber, he is clearly not good enough to compete for GTs any more.

He could target other races and also could a be a great teammate in some races as well.

 

[hughmoore]

Evans is a great rider and only bettered by Contador in his era in road racing

While he is fading, he is still winning some good stages and doesnt have to prove anything.

If he wants to target the GC in Vuelta, then why not, no one gives him a chance but what the heck.

Hugh

 

[Akuryo]

Some people seem to be living in a dream world where cyclists do not decline as they get older.
Evans is declining as a climber, he is clearly not good enough to compete for GTs any more.

He could target other races and also could a be a great teammate in some races as well.

He is still a good climber. But when you get older it is much harder to keep your form high for an extended period of time. As for example GT's with a length of 3 weeks or 23 days (with two rest days). So in my opinion he should target classics for maybe 2 years before calling it quits.

 

[movingtarget]

Evans is a great rider and only bettered by Contador in his era in road racing

While he is fading, he is still winning some good stages and doesnt have to prove anything.

If he wants to target the GC in Vuelta, then why not, no one gives him a chance but what the heck.

Hugh

Would be good to see him pick up a stage in the Vuelta. No one expects him to podium and he is supposed to be supporting Sanchez. I'm sure he will bob up in a few stages. He is still racing with enthusiasm.

 

[Jspear]

Evans is a great rider and only bettered by Contador in his era in road racing

While he is fading, he is still winning some good stages and doesnt have to prove anything.

If he wants to target the GC in Vuelta, then why not, no one gives him a chance but what the heck.

Hugh

Cadel is greater than Nibali??

 

[BigMac]

Cadel is greater than Nibali??

Of his Era. I think so.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Evans is a great rider and only bettered by Contador in his era in road racing

I assume you mean "as a GT rider", as a case could certainly be made for Cancellara, Boonen and Valverde for the concurrent era, all of whom seem to have more left in the tank than him. Eras are hard to judge too. I mean, Valverde is 3 years younger, Boonen 3 and a half, Cancellara 4 and Contador nearly 6 years younger than Cuddles, but they're all names who were competing together at the top circa 2007-11; it's just that that came later in Cuddles' career than most of the others. After all, Óscar Freire and Danilo di Luce are only a year older than Cuddles, yet from 2009 onwards you could call him quite visibly declining, while Mendrisio 2009 was the "Eureka!" moment when Cuddles started accumulating the palmarès his vast talent merited in terms of wins, not just podiums and placements. Damiano Cunego is five years younger than Cadel, but by 2009 he was seemingly done as a top level cyclist; he's had a few good GT placements since then but is rarely seen as a threat to actually win anything major anymore.

Here's Evans' CQ graph:

Note how he has that rise to the top in his late 20s, and holds fast to the top through his early 30s before dropping back down. I know he's having a much better year in terms of points this year again, however. It seems very fitting for Cuddles in terms of his racing style too: a man who followed until he finally broke his own self-imposed shackles, then clung on to the top for all it was worth until he finally got the big one, then he could maintain it no more. That's not bad at all - I thought 2011 was his last realistic chance of a GT win, and he finally pulled it off. He's holding on impressively to top level cycling at an advanced age considering how long he's been at the top (so not late-comers like Horner or Peraud). After all, let's compare it to the graph of somebody similar, but a year younger:

Now there's clear, obvious and steady decline. Peaking at 28-31, and then downhill ever since.

 

[Walkman]

Cadel is greater than Nibali??

Cadel in 2007 or 2011 would dominate Nibali. 2008 (without the crash) would probably beat Nibali in most years too.

So yeah, peak vs peak I'd say Evans is easily better. So far. Nibali is still improving.

What do you think?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Cadel in 2007 or 2011 would dominate Nibali. 2008 (without the crash) would probably beat Nibali in most years too.

So yeah, peak vs peak I'd say Evans is easily better. So far. Nibali is still improving.

What do you think?

I think you're full of ****

 

[yespatterns]

Cadel in 2007 or 2011 would dominate Nibali. 2008 (without the crash) would probably beat Nibali in most years too.

So yeah, peak vs peak I'd say Evans is easily better. So far. Nibali is still improving.

What do you think?

Eh, I'd have to give it to Nibbles.

 

[Jspear]

Cadel in 2007 or 2011 would dominate Nibali. 2008 (without the crash) would probably beat Nibali in most years too.

So yeah, peak vs peak I'd say Evans is easily better. So far. Nibali is still improving.

What do you think?

I wasn't talking about peak for peak. I was talking in terms of their whole career. But if you want to talk about them as far as "when each was at their best": Nibali would crush Evans. VN's recent win shows that clearly.

 

[Netserk]

I wasn't talking about peak for peak. I was talking in terms of their whole career. But if you want to talk about them as far as "when each was at their best": Nibali would crush Evans. VN's recent win shows that clearly.

If you go for one-year peak, I'd say Evans was quite strong before the passport (absolute, not relative).

 

[The Hitch]

No one expects him to podium

That's what I thought too, but then I read this thread and saw at least 3 or 4 people will be shocked if he doesn't win by 10 minutes.

 

[The Hitch]

I think you're full of ****

You finally found a rider worse than Nibali

 

[cineteq]

Cadel in 2007 or 2011 would dominate Nibali. 2008 (without the crash) would probably beat Nibali in most years too.

So yeah, peak vs peak I'd say Evans is easily better. So far. Nibali is still improving.

What do you think?

I think you're full of ****

You just admited Nibali is the best descender there is.

 

[Coat-O]

Cadel Evans @CadelOfficial · 11. aug.
Utah, thanks for having me. See you next year...I hope(!) #ToU #utah

I think he wants another season.

 

[Luigi_Max]

Evans best climbing was either the 2007 tour or 2011 tour while his best time trial was probably the 2011 final time trial. Evans best time trial was the 2011 final TT and he was good in 2007.

Nibali best as a climber is the just finished Tour. I suspect this is a higher level than Evans, but his best TT are worse than Evans best.

Nibali is probably a smarter climber in that Evans has tended to hang on for as long as possible and then blow up while Nibali has let go and ridden at his on at his own place and means he is better at limiting his losses.

 

[Walkman]

I think you're full of ****

Well, coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment.

 

[Franklin]

After all, Óscar Freire and Danilo di Luce are only a year older than Cuddles, yet from 2009 onwards you could call him quite visibly declining, while Mendrisio 2009 was the "Eureka!" moment when Cuddles started accumulating the palmarès his vast talent merited in terms of wins, not just podiums and placements.

a man who followed until he finally broke his own self-imposed shackles, then clung on to the top for all it was worth until he finally got the big one, then he could maintain it no more.

Yep, Cadel turned from being a rider I couldn't care for to perhaps the most exciting rider. From a follower he became an attacker. And those attacks weren't just brute force, no he started to attack in technical stages, tried to win stages, fought for every second.

It's always though to say considering the domination of USPS and T-mobile, but I agree with you that he would have had a much stronger showing if he had adopted this aggresive style earlier in his career.

 

[Echoes]

Of his Era. I think so.

Answer was yes, anyway.

I don't think Nibali will have achieved more than Cadel by the end of his career, but I may be wrong.

At this point, only Boonen and Cancellara achieved more than him.

Cadel has a palmares with a lot of variety and in his prime he would race from March to October and that was refreshing. Shame he never came to the cobbles. He could have done it, I think.

 

[movingtarget]

Answer was yes, anyway.

I don't think Nibali will have achieved more than Cadel by the end of his career, but I may be wrong.

At this point, only Boonen and Cancellara achieved more than him.

Cadel has a palmares with a lot of variety and in his prime he would race from March to October and that was refreshing. Shame he never came to the cobbles. He could have done it, I think.

Evans is more like Valverde as far as versatility. Evans better in GTs and Valverde better in classics and both more versatile than Nibali. Evans has won one GT and Nibali has won three already with two podiums. Evans has one win with four podiums. Nibali already eclipses Evans GT record and he is not 30 yet. Hard to say whether Nibali will continue winning GTs especially the Tour. If he can beat Uran, Contador and Froome next year it will be some achievement.

I think Nibali will definitely have a superior GT record than Evans but Evans like Sastre had a lot of top 10s as well and has finished every GT. Evans probably could have won classics and has a win at Fleche of course plus the Worlds. Nibali has not convinced as a classics rider. They are different riders but it looks like Nibali's GT record will be superior and already is. I like both riders along with their differences

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

You just admited Nibali is the best descender there is.

in what planet did I do that?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Answer was yes, anyway.

I don't think Nibali will have achieved more than Cadel by the end of his career, but I may be wrong.

At this point, only Boonen and Cancellara achieved more than him.

Cadel has a palmares with a lot of variety and in his prime he would race from March to October and that was refreshing. Shame he never came to the cobbles. He could have done it, I think.

he already has