Can Fabo do it?

[python]

the cn feature article quotes sassi 'as yes he can'
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/could-cancellara-win-the-tour-de-france


interesting that he mentioned wiggins. indurain comparison is no surprise as they have almost identical physio.

"For the Tour, he'd have to lose six kilograms, of which only two or three would be muscle, so that he doesn’t lose his power," Sassi said. "If he weighs about 70kg, like Wiggins does, I'm sure he'd be competitive. He'd be an Indurain type of rider."

 

[Animal]

He's lean already. You can only go so low if you are a big chap.

He'd make himself ill trying to get to 70 kilos. And even if he got there, doing a 3 week stage race would do an anorexic in. I just don't think it's feasible. (without pharms)

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

He's lean already. You can only go so low if you are a big chap.

He'd make himself ill trying to get to 70 kilos. And even if he got there, doing a 3 week stage race would do an anorexic in. I just don't think it's feasible. (without pharms)

cancellara is 187 en 81 kg. if he loses 6 kg he'd be 75. he could win the tour with that weight no doubt.

 

[python]

i think sassi has a better idea how far fabian can go in terms of losing extra weight as he was the one who signed him up and tested him.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

if wiggins can be a contender with 6 kg drop in weight cancellara can be too. cancellara's wattages are much higher than wiggins.

 

[python]

if you compare cancellara and wiggins wattage you need to bring in hard numbers to have a case. as far as know, pre-weight-loss wiggins was pushing almost 600 watts for 4 minutes. a similar number was flashed in the media for cancellara.

 

[mr. tibbs]

If Cancellara can't beat Contador in a third week TT, he can't win the Tour. I think that settles it pretty well. If he loses time in the mountains (which, how could he not, vs Contador & Schleck?) and he loses time in the TTs, then how does he win?

I almost started a joke thread asking about Cancellara winning the Tour after his Roubaix win b/c I knew that would be the next line of wild speculation in the media, but come on. This is on par with the "Boonen for the Tour" craze of 2005 or Hincapie as one of the favorites for 2006.

At least, that's how it seems to me.

But if he DID focus on GTs, Boonen might be able to carve out a few more monuments before he retires. So maybe he should try...

 

[python]

I almost started a joke thread asking about Cancellara winning the Tour

so sassi experience growing multiple tour contenders and his expert opinion is a joke ?

 

[derailleur]

Cancellara ready for hour record, says Moser

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/450394/cancellara-ready-for-hour-record-says-moser.html

 

[kurtinsc]

If Cancellara can't beat Contador in a third week TT, he can't win the Tour. I think that settles it pretty well. If he loses time in the mountains (which, how could he not, vs Contador & Schleck?) and he loses time in the TTs, then how does he win?

I almost started a joke thread asking about Cancellara winning the Tour after his Roubaix win b/c I knew that would be the next line of wild speculation in the media, but come on. This is on par with the "Boonen for the Tour" craze of 2005 or Hincapie as one of the favorites for 2006.

At least, that's how it seems to me.

But if he DID focus on GTs, Boonen might be able to carve out a few more monuments before he retires. So maybe he should try...

It's possible that he wasn't really peaking fully for the Tour last year. I'd say his focus was more on the WC's (where he hoped to win both the RR and TT), and the Tour de Suisse. He still was in good form at the start of the Tour... but come the Annecy TT he was fading. At no point was he near the form he had at the Worlds.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

let's not forget how the motorbikes launched contador for the last 10 km. without that contador would've never won that final itt in the tour

 

[lostintime]

Fabian contend for the TDF? I guess if you have a broad interpretation of "contend."

Cancellara winning the tour is a joke. Not a big one ..... but it is one.

It's just the latest mania that surrounds a hot rider of the time.

 

[ustabe]

Cancellara ready for hour record, says Moser

I'll go with that. TdF, no, hour, certainly.

 

[hfer07]

so here we have another fairy tale of a cyclist loosing five kilos to become a GT contender...hhhmmm - did we already hear that before?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

so here we have another fairy tale of a cyclist loosing five kilos to become a GT contender...hhhmmm - did we already hear that before?

how is it a fairytale when wiggins did the same thing last year? unless you are suggesting he's doped in which case you are pathetic.

 

[Von Mises]

so sassi experience growing multiple tour contenders and his expert opinion is a joke ?

It could have been just "a nice-talk" about the rider you like and carried by the emotions after incredible Paris-Roubaix, especially if journalist were pressing questions into this particular direction.

There are many reasons why I dont believe his TdF chances and why comparisons with Indurain are wrong.

1) Indurain was a very good climber at high mountains already before his Tour wins (and before EPO era, I guess). Cancellara has not shown these abilities.

2) The courses of TdF during Indurain times favoured TT guys. Two separate 60Km+ ITT´s for instance during one Tour. I cant see that so TT heave routes are coming back.

3) Indurain trained and was coached from the beginning as (future) GC rider, as replacement of Delgado. The whole team was build around him. Cancellara is 29, why should anyone invest heavily to build a team around his Tour attempt?

....

 

[Animal]

... (and before EPO era, I guess)...

The beginning of the EPO era.

 

[rhubroma]

I think it's possible for him to do the double at the worlds. He can give 100% to secure the TT and once he has it in the bag he can go for the RR. I'd love to see an attack like he did in MSR or an attempt to bridge up to an escape group like he did in the Beijing RR, surprise the heck out of a possible group containing Cunego and Valverde and fly right by them on the last 2 kms.

You forgot he's aiming for the Giro-Tour double and Worlds in 11. In 12 all the Classics in a row, then, in 13 wants the Ironman..., in 14 Everest without O2 and then sky back down to base camp. In 15 walk on the moon and, by 30, Mars

 

[hfer07]

how is it a fairytale when wiggins did the same thing last year? unless you are suggesting he's doped in which case you are pathetic.

for starters I was referring to certain "Texan fairy tale", but now that you bring Wiggins to the topic, he's another magic wonder of the "loosing weight program"

the main issue is simply that a truly GC contender always excels at early age and over the years the rider develops those talents. at 29 Cancellara could well aim for a "week long race" - but no more than that- and he knows that.

P.S. I wish I could be that naive, but the real world does not allow me to be like that...

 

[mr. tibbs]

so sassi experience growing multiple tour contenders and his expert opinion is a joke ?

Oh no, not by any means. My thread would have been in jest--like the Tommy D threads that always pop up--but I'm not saying anything anyone else says is a joke.

Though I do tend to agree with Von Mises (despite my knowing very little, by my own admission, when compared with Sassi):

It could have been just "a nice-talk" about the rider you like and carried by the emotions after incredible Paris-Roubaix, especially if journalist were pressing questions into this particular direction.

 

[The_Z_man]

What are you saying here?

What I'm saying is that the Vuelta usually has less high mountains and more of a rolling parcours than the Tour and the Giro. If Sean Kelly, Alex Zulle and Laurent Jalabert can win it, then so can Fabo.

I wasn't casting any aspersions that would land my first post in The Clinic.

 

[maikel]

What I'm saying is that the Vuelta usually has less high mountains and more of a rolling parcours than the Tour and the Giro. If Sean Kelly, Alex Zulle and Laurent Jalabert can win it, then so can Fabo.

I wasn't casting any aspersions that would land my first post in The Clinic.

Tell me, in which year did jalabert won the Vuelta?

 

[luckyboy]

Oh dear. You really don't know? At least look at Wikipedia before you post here.

I think Cance might have a chance at a GT if there was a return to the high TT kms. Maybe a TT heavy Vuelta where most big contenders have concentrated on races elsewhere..

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Tell me, in which year did jalabert won the Vuelta?

in 1995...

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Director Sportif Bag_O_Wallet says: Sorry Sparty, keep winning monuments, world championships, grand tour stages, and yellow jersies in the opening week of the Tour. The sponsors eat that stuff up. Grand tour experiments? Not so much.

Tell you what, Sparty, we might have an opportunity for you to show your stuff at Liege. Rest up.