ChrisE said:The fly in the ointment here is LA. Yardstick finishes 8th in 2009, but Sastre finishes 17th in 2009 after winning in 2008 when Yardstick was 4th. This can only be attributed to the LA factor in 2009, with his money buying secret PEDs that varies the effect on certain cyclists by proxy.
I think once LA re-retires order will be restored.
Van de velde suffered a bad fall in the Giro, fracturing vertebrae and his pelvis. This would surely have meant you wouldnt expect him to do as well in 2009?