Criterium International - St 1: Porto Vecchio Col de lÂ’Ospedale, 176km

[Polish]

Give it up, you'll never win with Polish the Knob.

Apparently, it's more honorable to feign a tummy ache and completely skip a race (while still managing to enjoy diner with your family and participating in radio talk shows), than to:

1. Arrive at a race already suffering from a breathing difficulty
2. Own up to your responsibilities to sponsors, fans, and organizers to race
3. Hand it to your alleged "main opponent" to the tune of 3:00
4. Only after completing the stage, drop out due to allergies

It's like two kids who have a test in school. By Polish the Knob's standards, Contador should have followed LA's "Mommy, my tummy's sore can I stay home from school?" with "Mommy, my nose is runny, can I stay home from school?".

Problem is, Contador went to school, gutted it out, and only went home after he took the test.

If your child has gastroenteritis, it IS best to keep him home from school.

If your child has allergies, its ok to send her to school. She can tough it out, just give her TLC and some kleenex.

 

[craig1985]

Excuse me, last time I checked Lance is going to WIN the Alberto vs Lance "Crit Int'l ShowDown".

Alberto DNF....Lance just needs to start stage 2...last one to DNF wins!

Hey, this very well could be the only time Lance beats Alberto in 2010.
I will take them any way I can get them, I'm not picky. WooHoo Hoo

 

[Publicus]

If your child has gastroenteritis, it IS best to keep him home from school.

If your child has allergies, its ok to send her to school. She can tough it out, just give her TLC and some kleenex.

Ah, but your child could fake gastroentenitis especially when there is a big test coming up that they aren't prepared to take. The other is a pre-existing condition that may affect the child's ability to breathe. God forbid that test is a physical fitness/endurance test.

Lance didn't have the sh1ts. He wasn't prepared and he was trying to buy some time. He was saying he felt great all week (via twitter) and today he rolls out that he didn't feel great. The most honest thing he said today was that he felt old.

 

[BroDeal]

Fitting. That plane has a Radio Shack color scheme.

 

[hfer07]

I do relate to AC's dropout of competition and don't blame him for doing it, since I suffer from allergies too-and believe me- it's a nightmare. at least he finish the stage. those trolls out there saying that he should be toughening up keep racing-just don't have any fvcking idea the suffering you go through when your body is literally trying to survive the nasty reactions caused by the elements you're allergic to-specially when you're pushing your breathing system harder due to the competition--the damage to your lungs, your throat & specially your immune system is huge--even if you have prescribed medicine for it, your body eliminates it faster through your sweat & breathing, and there is a daily limit for consumption- so for those saying that allergies are an excuse please fvck off with sugar on top

what should be taken from this is race so far is that while some riders are preparing & getting in shape for the upcoming challenges, there is one individual that seems to be "dropping backwards"

 

[auscyclefan94]

You're trying everything not to jinx your idol, aren't you? Come on, Evans can handle Rogers in a TT. And with a bit of luck, he'll beat Sanchez too. It's his for the taking.

Sanchez is a much better short tter than Evans. Rogers is on good form and evans is riding his new bike. You are half right.

Why is Evans is fraternising with the enemy?

 

[python]

contador post race in his own voice (says pretty much everything found in English)
http://astanafans.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Contador-27-3-10.mp3

good visual quality recaps in french

Part 1 (starts with armstrong’s shelling)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkL0chZ2m9k

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/user/worldcyclingchannel2#p/u/0/nOrFGoaK2d4

 

[auscyclefan94]

Excuse me, last time I checked Lance is going to WIN the Alberto vs Lance "Crit Int'l ShowDown".

Alberto DNF....Lance just needs to start stage 2...last one to DNF wins!

Hey, this very well could be the only time Lance beats Alberto in 2010.
I will take them any way I can get them, I'm not picky. WooHoo Hoo

Link...?

 

[El Imbatido]

How did Versus spin the shelling out the back of LA?

 

[auscyclefan94]

How did Versus spin the shelling out the back of LA?

I was interested in that as well. Liggett and Sherwen were commentating so it would of been interesting.

 

[thehog]

contador post race in his own voice (says pretty much everything found in English)
http://astanafans.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Contador-27-3-10.mp3

good visual quality recaps in french

Part 1 (starts with armstrong’s shelling)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkL0chZ2m9k

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/user/worldcyclingchannel2#p/u/0/nOrFGoaK2d4

That first video is scary. He lost 5 minutes in 4km??!!!! Still looks fat. Unknown French guys were passing him. Worst of all that climb is hardly Alpine like - he will loose 20 minutes on a 20km climb. No chance & now say won't ride the Tour.

 

[powderpuff]

Why is Evans is fraternising with the enemy?

AC is just showing Cadel the level he is going to reach on the powermeter in the race, pre-allergy that is.

 

[thehog]

AC is just showing Cadel the level he is going to reach on the powermeter in the race, pre-allergy that is.

Comments from Alberto at CI press conference pre-race start (allergy reference):

You say that you want to go to the classics to get experience, but you’ve already won all three grand tours. Does that mean that it’s your ambition to add one of these races to your palmarés, that your goal is not just the Tour?

Yes, in the future I would like to win a classic, but as of today there are riders better able than I am and it’s also a time of year that’s not very good for me, because it’s allergy season. But without doubt, it’s a great motivation for the future to try to win a classic.

 

[python]

That first video is scary. He lost 5 minutes in 4km??!!!! Still looks fat. Unknown French guys were passing him. Worst of all that climb is hardly Alpine like - he will loose 20 minutes on a 20km climb. No chance & now say won't ride the Tour.

But he loves his food...

Check out his gut in the graham watson’s foto titled:

Lance Armstrong takes on much-needed food, his face reveals the left overs of stomach trouble last week...
http://photos.grahamwatson.com/Race...national1/11629310_KUy3f#820721386_Wazrm-M-LB

only a real tool or a kookoo shrink can see someone’s intestines through his face.in the middle of the god damn bike race

 

[thehog]

But he loves his food...

Check out his gut in the graham watson’s foto titled:

Lance Armstrong takes on much-needed food, his face reveals the left overs of stomach trouble last week...
http://photos.grahamwatson.com/Race...national1/11629310_KUy3f#820721386_Wazrm-M-LB

only a real tool or a kookoo shrink can see someone’s intestines through his face.in the middle of the god damn bike race

I'd say there's a 21 piece KFC bucket in that musette!

 

[karlboss]

That first video is scary. He lost 5 minutes in 4km??!!!! Still looks fat. Unknown French guys were passing him. Worst of all that climb is hardly Alpine like - he will loose 20 minutes on a 20km climb. No chance & now say won't ride the Tour.

i know you are extreme anti lance, but that is clearly the 5km banner he passes and he's already off the back.

 

[Publicus]

But he loves his food...

Check out his gut in the graham watson’s foto titled:

Lance Armstrong takes on much-needed food, his face reveals the left overs of stomach trouble last week...
http://photos.grahamwatson.com/Race...national1/11629310_KUy3f#820721386_Wazrm-M-LB

only a real tool or a kookoo shrink can see someone’s intestines through his face.in the middle of the god damn bike race

What the hell happened to him? In January he looked great--basically the same form he had at the Tour. In two months he's completely regressed. He doesn't look like a pro. Maybe a retired 7-time Tour champion, but not a contender.

 

[auscyclefan94]

What the hell happened to him? In January he looked great--basically the same form he had at the Tour. In two months he's completely regressed. He doesn't look like a pro. Maybe a retired 7-time Tour champion, but not a contender.

He wasn't great on Wilunga hill... maybe he can join allan davis, publicus?

 

[Publicus]

He wasn't great on Wilunga hill... maybe he can join allan davis, publicus?

I meant weight wise. He was definitely slimmer at TDU. Maybe he's been having vegemin (sp)

 

[karlboss]

I meant weight wise. He was definitely slimmer at TDU. Maybe he's been having vegemin (sp)

vegemite. It does strike me as odd that he's gained weight since Jan.

 

[python]

i know you are extreme anti lance, but that is clearly the 5km banner he passes and he's already off the back.

let me put it into the perspective to illustrate how poor it is to loose one minute per km.

At 5km to the top there were 65 rider in the group. Say they were traveling at 20 km/h (which is realistic) or 3 min/km.

from that point (5km to go) armstrong had to travel at 4 min/km (15 km/h) or 25% slower to lose 5 minutes.

that’s huge by any professional biking standards.

remember in hill climbing speed is almost directly proportional to watt/kg.

Is he 25% under due to taking it easy or he just could not get his belly over the top

 

[Publicus]

vegemite. It does strike me as odd that he's gained weight since Jan.

Vegemite. Thanks Karlboss.

 

[karlboss]

let me put it into the perspective to illustrate how poor it is to loose one minute per km.

At 5km to the top there were 65 rider in the group. Say they were traveling at 20 km/h (which is realistic) or 3 min/km.

from that point (5km to go) armstrong had to travel at 4 min/km (15 km/h) or 25% slower to lose 5 minutes.

that’s huge by any professional biking standards.

remember in hill climbing speed is almost directly proportional to watt/kg.

Is he 25% under due to taking it easy or he just could not get his belly over the top

Short answer...both. I'm not trying to say Armstrong looks good, I just want to point out when we bag him at least get it right. Did it honestly look like he was putting in 100%? Having said most of the top guys didn't look to be putting in 100% and they finished almost 5 minutes ahead.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Vegemite. Thanks Karlboss.

Good one Publi, vegemin!

Would never touch that stuff! It's gross!

 

[wattage]

What the hell happened to him? In January he looked great--basically the same form he had at the Tour. In two months he's completely regressed. He doesn't look like a pro. Maybe a retired 7-time Tour champion, but not a contender.

Well, based on his twitter updates his doing everything but training on the bike. That's whats happened. Now trying to lose all that weight while maintaining quality training program for the Tour, is just not possible. I mean we are almost in april for god sakes..He should have lost that weight in october,november or even december. Not 3 months before the Tour..