Cancellara should leave leopard trek

[ergmonkey]

The clear message was also that they will build a team around Contador for GT's.

As opposed to the Classics super-squad being assembled at Team Schleck?

If Cancellara had taken the big money at BMC, your point would be a lot stronger.

 

[El Oso]

I think Tony Martin may have something to say about that if he continues his progression (WC ITT).

I think I read a few months ago that Cancellara hint that he might not be doing the WC ITT so that he could focus on the RR.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

They don't even have a bad team in terms of cobbles.
I've seen a number of those guys ride well in the past on this terrain.

It was just a fail of a spring.
Another 1 or two strong helpers would be nice for spartacus tho.

 

[ergmonkey]

They don't even have a bad team in terms of cobbles.
I've seen a number of those guys ride well in the past on this terrain.

It was just a fail of a spring.
Another 1 or two strong helpers would be nice for spartacus tho.

You're right that Leopard doesn't have a bad cobbles team; they just don't have a great one, either. If a guy like Cancellara thinks he needs to bail for a better Classics setup, Leopard is not where he will end up. Especially not with BMC going gaga over him.

 

[Magnus]

+1

In PRB he had to abandon not far after Arenberg due to knee-problems, but otherwise u are spot on. Esp in RVV. And Høj was also a good helper in PRB.

But even though Breschel abandoned i think he played a vital role in Fabian's victory:
Breschel was talked up the biggest favorite, except for TB and FC. He was in front in Arenberg and when he dropped back just after the forest, TB made a strong effort to keep him away. If he hadn't he'd been more alert and fresher when FC took off.

 

[Christian]

Frédéric Guesdon (last Frenchman to win Roubaix and consultant at Eurosport) said on Radio RMC: "I am convinced that LEOPARD TREK will recruit some riders to help him (Cancellara) next year. It's mandatory."

It appears he is right: L'Equipe quotes Francesco Moser (triple winner of Paris Roubaix), who was invited to follow the race in the car of Flavio Becca:

"The scenario was very unnerving to him. He told me that they must find a maximum of riders to shoulder Cancellara"

http://www.cyclismactu.net/news-flandriennes_du_renfort_pour_cancellara_en_2012-14362.html

 

[masking_agent]

I don't think he should leave quite yet. Yes they do need a few more supporting cast members. I think it will be forgotten when Fabian obliterates Haussler and takes the rainbow jersey this year !!

 

[Ryaguas]

http://velocitynation.com/content/toto/2011/toto-turns-225
one of the funniest TOTO in a while

 

[Escarabajo]

http://velocitynation.com/content/toto/2011/toto-turns-225
one of the funniest TOTO in a while

LOL.

That was a funny one.

 

[Kvinto]

It's obvious that having a stronger support Cancellara could save more energy in classics, it's good to have a guy (second captain) like Syl.Chavanel is (or Devolder was) with Boonen. But I don't think the team question was decisive and caused the fact Cancellara haven't won RVV or PR this year.

It might sound paradoxical but if Boonen would have been as strong as he was last year it might have been easier for Cancellara too. The 2010 cobbled classic campaign passed under the slogan "Boonen vs. Cancellara". Before RVV started they were considered as the main favourites and equally strong riders. In the end it was found that Fabian was stronger than Tom, but it was found later. When Boonen missed Cancellara's attack at 2010 Paris-Roubaix there was no BMC or any other train like it was in this year's Ronde, everybody looked at Boonen because it was between Cancellara and him and no one else.

But this year's Boonen wasn't considered as strong as Cancellara and the Ronde/Roubaix campaign was about "Cancellara vs. The rest of peloton"... the rest of peloton won, the happy lot came to Nuyens and VanSummeren.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

they should get rid of a numebr of wasteless riders like posthuma and gerdemann and hire some good cobble riders and I think they will.

 

[nowhereman]

Ha, ha, ha! I think this is all so funny I think Fabian is quite simply showing everybody who is watching that the one day Classics are simply a TEAM endeavor. And, especially now that he is a marked man, who, BTW, is in incredible form. Contenders will not let him get away, but they will not offer a shred of help. The classics campaign of 2011 is showing that one man cannot do it by himself, no matter how great their form might be. A 2nd at MSR, 3rd at RVV, and 2nd at P-R are great results, but they ain't the top step on the podium. His ego fuels him to incredible efforts, but this year his ego has been matched, and defeated by his competitors. It has made for some great racing though! And I'm sure there is more to come!

 

[patrick767]

Eh, no doubt Cancellara had a number of options for teams this year or could have stayed with Riis. He's not an idiot and he made his choice, almost certainly knowing what kind of Classics support Leopard Trek, a brand new team arguably built first and foremost as a support vehicle for the Schlecks, would have available this year. Maybe it was because of personal relationships. Maybe they paid really well. Maybe they've assured him that they'll seek out more support for him next year. Whatever the reasons, he's an amazing rider, he made his choice and I won't be expecting him to bail after one season.

 

[la.margna]

Your "why stay?" question suggests that Cancellara was clearly entitled to a choice. He wasn't. He was under contract and without a buy-out clause.

I think you didn't get my message. If I were in his situation, I would have done everything to leave Saxo as well. If all my best mates move to another team, this is just normal. After all, we are human beings. That's all.

As for being "bitter," there's no need.

Your sense of humour seems to be limited, but maybe I was not making it clear enough...

I'm quite enjoying seeing Cancellara narrowly miss results because his new team of super friends is turning out to be not as super as his old set-up.

Sport is about losing and winning, only one can win. I am happy for the winners, whoever it is. However, if there is something in this world I will never understand, it is these people like you who enjoy failures, bad luck or disappointment of others. But it's your right, if it makes you happy. Do whatever you think is right and live your life.

 

[Cimber]

However, if there is something in this world I will never understand, it is these people like you who enjoy failures, bad luck or disappointment of others.

Thats part of sports too. Fx I love when FC Copenhagen or Real Madrid loses.

 

[ergmonkey]

Thats part of sports too. Fx I love when FC Copenhagen or Real Madrid loses.

Well, then you must not have any sense of humor or be human, after all.

Schadenfreude: shouldn't exist.

Comeuppances: no real person ever thinks those are deserved.

Objecting to another's position: you can't be human.

I only have one question left for La Margna: what sub-human "life" do you so haughtily suggest we should "just live"?

 

[ergmonkey]

I think you didn't get my message.

No, I 'got your message,' and I was pointing out the unjustified sense of entitlement that I believe it represents.

I don't have any trouble recognizing your tone or your points. I just disagree with a lot of them. If you think anyone who disagrees with your points must not have understood them, then that leaves very little reason to engage in any sort of discourse.

 

[mherm79]

Let's see.....Cancellara alone against the army of "classics specialists" from BMC & Garmin.......and yet the worst place he got was 3rd.....hmmmm......

+1
he rode a great race and it's a shame the peleton rode in fear of him. Thor in particular should have done more with the rainbows on his jersey, team mate up the road or not.

 

[mulletCobra]

Who helped Fabian last year? Who were his SaxoBank teammates that were so valuable to his winning?

Alex Rasmussen
Stuart O’Grady
Gustav Larsson
Kasper Klostergaard
Frank Hoj
Baden Cooke
Fabian Cancellara
Matti Breschel

That was the Paris-Roubaix team(according to the start list I found)
I don't remember anyone being there to help.. But I am forgetful.

 

[Anonymous]

+1
he rode a great race and it's a shame the peleton rode in fear of him. Thor in particular should have done more with the rainbows on his jersey, team mate up the road or not.

You guys are fooking whiny divas like your hero. "boo hoo...Fabian didn't get any help from anyone on the other teams in closing the gap" "The rainbow stripes should counter well established team tactics so that Fabio could be there to take the win...its sooooooo unfair!"

The fact is that Fabio lost the race last summer. "The whole peloton was riding against him and the worst he did was 3rd"...yea, well, let me clue you into something...riders ride to WIN RACES, not come in first loser, which is what Fabio is and always will be on weak teams like Leopard/Trek...but that E3 win sure looks sweet compared to the winners trophies JVS, Nuyens, and Goss have sitting on their shelves this year.

You Fabio fanboys are a funny lot, and are perfect fans for Napoleon...er, I mean "Spartacus"...you whine like little girls about everyone else. I used to have respect for the guy, but I think we can surely say that without a motor in his seat tube, he is fast, but not fast enough. Sucks for him and you and Leopard/Trek. Looks like you guys are fighting out 2nd place in every major race you are in this year...dang.

 

[Ryaguas]

+1
he rode a great race and it's a shame the peleton rode in fear of him. Thor in particular should have done more with the rainbows on his jersey, team mate up the road or not.

Seriously???
But SERIOUSLY???
geez... go to play PCM mate...

 

[laziali]

Nah. Spartacus was the strongest and would have won both if he had been a bit smarter. Here's what he should have done:

1. Claimed he was sick, injured etc beforehand rather than telling everyone how he was going to smash everyone. Learn to bluff Man!

2. Not attacked 60km from the finish of Flanders. I was watching on tv thinking this guy is way too confident. So it proved. He should have waited until the gerardsb and taken on Gilbert man to man.

3. In Roubaix, he should have quit whining like a little girl about Thor and Gollum sitting on and jus gone after JvS and he other leaders. Cancellara showed by riding Thor etc of his wheel with 3km to go that hw was strong enough to drop those wheelsuckers so why whine about them.

Let's hope the boy can develop some savvy.

 

[Angliru]

+1
he rode a great race and it's a shame the peleton rode in fear of him. Thor in particular should have done more with the rainbows on his jersey, team mate up the road or not.

Wearing the rainbows on one's jersey doesn't obligate the wearer to ride stupid, or put more diplomatically, ride with no sense of purpose. It doesn't
magically empower the wearer with abilities that they lacked prior to winning it. The only way Thor was going to defeat Cancellara was have him worn down by the last quarter of the race and even then it wasn't a given considering the dominant form in the classics that Cancellara has shown since this time last year.

 

[sky forever]

Sorry I just posted this in the other thread, not realizing this one existed:

Congrats to Van Summeren and Garmin, great ride today.

A strong team doesn't always pay off as we've seen with them in the past, and you can win big races without a strong team as Nuyens did. I don't know if this was all planned from the start but in this case Hushovd's wheel sucking served a greater cause and it all worked out. Chapeau for his ride as well, he must have been in great shape to always stick to Cancellara. It is not every day that a WC gives up his chances of winning the race he covets most - whether it was planned out this way we'll never know.

Cancellara proved again that he is a great champion and fought until the very end. He was the one who animated this race the most, and again gave very calm and well thought out statements immediately after the race. You can't win 'em all, but he has certainly been the strongest rider in this classics season once again.

Unfortunately his team failed to perform, which some said he could have foreseen. On paper he had strong support though: Klemme, O'Grady and Posthuma should have stayed with him longer, or else been in a break up ahead. They have all performed under their normal level, bar O'Grady who was great in MSR and E3. Other than that LEOPARD TREK had some bad fortune: Wagner out and replaced by a neo-pro, Weylandt battered and bruised, Klemme and Posthuma crashed. In these races, so much is down to luck and they just didn't have it this year, or maybe they weren't in top shape (like O'Grady today).

I'm pretty sure Cancellara will not be satisfied with their performance and request stronger support for next year. It'll be interesting to see whom they'll recruit, since Flavio Becca will most likely have no problem with spending an extra few bucks!

Thor had a team mate up the road. So unlike Quick Step in Flanders, he didn't attack!

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Who helped Fabian last year? Who were his SaxoBank teammates that were so valuable to his winning?

Alex Rasmussen
Stuart O’Grady
Gustav Larsson
Kasper Klostergaard
Frank Hoj
Baden Cooke
Fabian Cancellara
Matti Breschel

That was the Paris-Roubaix team(according to the start list I found)
I don't remember anyone being there to help.. But I am forgetful.

Boonen helped Fabian last year.

Last year there was no outstanding favourite, just a marginal one in Boonen. Therefore the team tactics weren't targetted in such a big way at stopping any one rider. But if they were centred on a rider, it was Boonen.

When Cancellara went, no-one co-operated with Boonen's attempt to chase and the race was over.