Criterium International - The showdown

[auscyclefan94]

Does someone know some other big names riding in the Criterium International? anyone have a semi startlist?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Nice if they both are really going. Be interesting to see if Levi has aim to win it, and if that pushes AC.

You guys are aware that Lance's one and only goal this year is the Tour, and that' s it. He can spin whatever happens anyway he likes. He can claim he's not in form and supporting Levi, he can let AC cream everyone and say he's peaked too early, etc. Any line he tosses out there, he'll get plenty of bites. But it won't mean a single thing to him, only the Tour does.

Thus, "the showdown" is a bit of a ruse, don't you think, Hoggie?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Thus, "the showdown" is a bit of a ruse, don't you think, Hoggie?

I think it's more a case of "the showup", that's got us guessing at the moment.

 

[rhubroma]

Nice if they both are really going. Be interesting to see if Levi has aim to win it, and if that pushes AC.

You guys are aware that Lance's one and only goal this year is the Tour, and that' s it. He can spin whatever happens anyway he likes. He can claim he's not in form and supporting Levi, he can let AC cream everyone and say he's peaked too early, etc. Any line he tosses out there, he'll get plenty of bites. But it won't mean a single thing to him, only the Tour does.

Thus, "the showdown" is a bit of a ruse, don't you think, Hoggie?

Alberto Contador wins in March, just as he does in July (but also June, the Giro and Sept., the Vuelta). Lance may well evade the "showdown" of sorts today, though it will only reafirm his limits, and therefore give a proper measure to that class which had accompanied him during the Golden Years, when he is defeated again during the undeniable confrontation this summer.

What AC is doing today, Lance was not capable of yesterday.

 

[Big GMaC]

Does someone know some other big names riding in the Criterium International? anyone have a semi startlist?

No SaxoBank ergo no Jens!!!11!

Vino for Astana

Other than that nothing really. It is still a bit early, over 7 days so...

 

[Condorman]

No SaxoBank ergo no Jens!!!11!

Vino for Astana

Other than that nothing really. It is still a bit early, over 7 days so...

But better than ToC

LES 17 ÉQUIPES INVITÉES

Espagne
Caisse d’Epargne (GCE)
Euskaltel - Euskadi (EUS)

Etats-Unis
BMC Racing Team (BMC)
Garmin-Transitions (GRM)
Team HTC-Columbia (THR)
Team Radioshack (RSH)

Grande-Bretagne
Team Sky (SKY)

France
AG2R La Mondiale (ALM)
Bbox Bouygues Telecom (BBO)
Cofidis, le Crédit en ligne (COF)
Française des Jeux (FDJ)
Saur-Sojasun (SAU)
Bretagne-Schuller (BSC)
Roubaix Lille Métropole (RLM)

Kazakhstan
Astana (AST)

Pays-Bas
Skil-Shimano (SKS)
Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team (VAC)

 

[python]

Nice if they both are really going. Be interesting to see if Levi has aim to win it, and if that pushes AC.

You guys are aware that Lance's one and only goal this year is the Tour, and that' s it. He can spin whatever happens anyway he likes. He can claim he's not in form and supporting Levi, he can let AC cream everyone and say he's peaked too early, etc. Any line he tosses out there, he'll get plenty of bites. But it won't mean a single thing to him, only the Tour does.

Thus, "the showdown" is a bit of a ruse, don't you think, Hoggie?

i guess it all depends on the perspective of the viewer…

if you exclude the clueless and the fanboys who’ll lap up any spin, the ’showdown' is important.

several reasons. the course does not allow for much hiding. you either perform in the time trial and the mtf or you dont.

if you perform, everyone will see the extent of his (lack of) fitness compared to himself (in the past) and, more importantly, compared to contador. if you don’t perform you’re either faking or out of shape. Come to think of it, none of these options would be too bad for armstrong…if contador was absent.

But the brilliancy of contadors change of schedule now exposes the king bare no matter the spin.

the questions will just keep piling up. why is armstrong so much behind ? is he faking,why ? can he make it up by july ? is tapping some juice his only hope now? why jb/armstrong claims don’t meet the reality ?

there is no hiding/pretending now that contador will lay the smack. above all armstrong is counting on the american media to spin his image. no results will get him less positive mainstream coverage and more reliance on twitter and graham watson type idiots. the american fanboys base had already started to melt. another contadors smackdown will crack it

 

[theswordsman]

A big part of the reason I'm excited for it is that the "rivalry" stops being a fantasy with no real feedback for months. Word will get out, even here in America, if Contador leaves LA at the bottom of the mountain finish and beats him in the Time Trial. They could try to spin that one race, but there are rematches at Fleche Wallone and Liege Bastogne Liege. If Contador shows up for those having won three stages races (Castilla y Leon), then places significantly ahead in two events not particularly suited to him, the Versus people and fanboys lose their voices. And more casual fans might realize they've been sold a bill of goods all along.

Mostly I'm just looking forward to the race itself. I've probably seen glimpses of Porto Velchio in films, but nothing like the moto and helicopter views you get from a race. The mountain stage looks killer for March, and even on the simple map you can see how technical the TT course is. Fun times.

 

[Francois the Postman]

i guess it all depends on the perspective of the viewer…

And one such viewer is LA himself.

Ignoring media stories, angles, spin and twitter. He will suddenly have Contador in the race, and know that he will have become just that wee bit more exposed than he was.

Alpe, I give you that only the Tour means something to LA, so his actual result here can be spun/ignored any way that he wants.

Except in his own head.

He will have to decide if he will do a proper climb, a proper TT, and see how he stacks up for real against Contador (who might or might not do the same - and probably can decide so after Lance is already on the road). Or take it a wee bit easy and avoid the confrontation.

The option that has fallen away: go full throttle, perform less well than he would like, and then dismiss it in his own head as not a proper test against the guy that matters, because he ain't here. He is.

With all the exposure consequences that come with that (not all bad for Lance btw, it will create the head-to-head grudge narrative that gets him fired up, and keeps the focus on him, regardless of the actual result).

 

[Raupi7]

I thought this thread was about Criterium International and not what you guys think goes on in Armstrongs or Contadors head but anyway.
Leipheimer won´t be at the race he said on his twiter page that he´ll be riding Catalunya and that was the plan for a long time.
And if take a look at the frontpage you´ll see that Cadel Evans will be at Crit Interational.
So there are more riders there.
Oh and I´m sure Armstrong and Contador are a lot less obsessed with it than you guys seem to be.
What about enjoying the race without trying to read something into it??

 

[Big GMaC]

I thought this thread was about Criterium International and not what you guys think goes on in Armstrongs or Contadors head but anyway.
Leipheimer won´t be at the race he said on his twiter page that he´ll be riding Catalunya and that was the plan for a long time.
And if take a look at the frontpage you´ll see that Cadel Evans will be at Crit Interational.
So there are more riders there.
Oh and I´m sure Armstrong and Contador are a lot less obsessed with it than you guys seem to be.
What about enjoying the race without trying to read something into it??

Calm down!

Also, when I said, not many, I meant yet, full list should be out soon

 

[Raupi7]

Great now I´m a hater for saying that this thread should be about the race.
Well I know why i´m normally not taking part in discussions here.

 

[markene2]

Vino and AC. This is going to be epic, Vino's kamikaze attacks and AC controling the yellow home.

 

[Big GMaC]

Great now I´m a hater for saying that this thread should be about the race.
Well I know why i´m normally not taking part in discussions here.

Is your irony filter switched off or something?

And tbh, Lance / Conta talk is relevant to the race, as THEY ARE BOTH IN IT.

As well as it being the first time they have raced against each other since the Tour.

Add in the fact that LA appears to be taking his diet tips from Jan Ullrich now means that, whether you, or I, or anyone else likes it, the LA / Conta thing is far bigger than the rest of the race or its participants, most of whom are not known yet cos, as discussed ^ the start list hasn't been released.

And as far as 'talking about the race' is concerned, Conta's gonna kill up the kill, as no one can match (esp consider I haven't ****ing clue who he is competing against appart from LA and Evans, and anyway it doesn't matter, no one is gonna beat him up hills unless he is really chilling)

Then he will kick back on the day off probably one by a sprinter who isn't doing MSR, before he ponys up in the ITT. Probably not for the overall ITT win as it is short as with not enough climbing, but whatever he gains up hill on day one will be his cusion.

HAPPY NOW *****?

(now, lets hear your talk about the race)

 

[Francois the Postman]

I thought this thread was about Criterium International and not what you guys think goes on in Armstrongs or Contadors head but anyway. [snip] What about enjoying the race without trying to read something into it??

That wasn't the background to how this thread started. This thread was started exactly about what it meant to have Contador and Lance in the same race, so that's why you are seeing all the replies coming in from that angle. Because it is totally on topic, and talking about the crit alone would be off-topic, in a weird way.

If you weren't aware of what prompted Hog to start this thread, I can see why you might be surprised (and annoyed) about the ongoing tea-leaf readings and psychobabble. But that's the showdown (as Hog called it) mentioned in the title thread, so all the responses of what-it-means are 100% justified.

And most of us will enjoy it regardless of the "showdown", myself included. Some will enjoy it that wee bit more.

Don't get too worked up about it.

 

[Polish]

"...but he always seemed like such a nice young man"

Ok, since this will be the first meeting between Lance and Contador since the TdF - we can certainly expect Alberto and his entourage to be snooping and sneaking around the RadioShack Equipment Van, checking out the wheelsets etc.

I find this very creepy in a "stalkerish" kind of way. Lance and the RadioShack Team should be a bit more wary THIS year. Keep their stuff and hotel rooms locked up for sure. yikes.

 

[BikeCentric]

Ok, since this will be the first meeting between Lance and Contador since the TdF - we can certainly expect Alberto and his entourage to be snooping and sneaking around the RadioShack Equipment Van, checking out the wheelsets etc.

I find this very creepy in a "stalkerish" kind of way. Lance and the RadioShack Team should be a bit more wary THIS year. Keep their stuff and hotel rooms locked up for sure. yikes.

I agree Polish, imaginary strawmen created from the murky depths of your brain are indeed creepy.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Ok, since this will be the first meeting between Lance and Contador since the TdF - we can certainly expect Alberto and his entourage to be snooping and sneaking around the RadioShack Equipment Van, checking out the wheelsets etc.

I find this very creepy in a "stalkerish" kind of way. Lance and the RadioShack Team should be a bit more wary THIS year. Keep their stuff and hotel rooms locked up for sure. yikes.

Nah. In an effort to make Lance more competitive, Alberto will be riding 32 hole tied and soldered pave wheels. And a steel frame that's not hollow.

 

[Polish]

Steel is REAL

Nah. In an effort to make Lance more competitive, Alberto will be riding 32 hole tied and soldered pave wheels. And a steel frame that's not hollow.

Lance won some Major Races on Steel.

Wonder if Alberto has even RIDDEN a Steel bike?

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Lance won some Major Races on Steel.

Wonder if Alberto has even RIDDEN a Steel bike?

Maybe he should start. He needs to give Cartstrong a chance.

 

[Oldman]

Vino and AC. This is going to be epic, Vino's kamikaze attacks and AC controling the yellow home.

Don't be surprised if Contador wants Vino to take this race and the heat off of him. He doesn't need to go overlimit to prepare properly for the Tour and he'd value Vino's loyalty later. Vino is the reason Astana exists so he deserves some props, at least in his own mind.

 

[Angliru]

I thought this thread was about Criterium International and not what you guys think goes on in Armstrongs or Contadors head but anyway.

The title of the thread is "Criterium International-The Showdown". What did you think it represented taking into account the announcement that Contador would be taking part AND that prior to this announcement the only time he and Armstrong would start the same race would be at the Tour?

Regarding Armstrong, I can't help to think he may be concerned that he may end up going into the Tour without a win in any major race since before his retirement. He stated that he wanted to at least have stage win or an overall win before going into the Tour but at this point I can't see where that is going to come from. ToC is no longer in February so those competing will have much better form than in the past.

 

[cyclopeon]

Add in the fact that LA appears to be taking his diet tips from Jan Ullrich now means that, whether you, or I, or anyone else likes it, the LA / Conta thing is far bigger

Did you mean it that way?

 

[ggusta]

I like AC, but it seems a lot of people are giving the impression that this is in the bag. I hope you are right, but there is an air of overconfidence in these posts that makes me uneasy.

 

[ggusta]

that isn't a backdown. It's clear LL is on better form so why wouldn't he lead?

If Levi's form is clearly better, the shack may as well disband right now. How did Levi do at P-N ?