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Don’t call it an Unofficial Andrea Tafi Comeback Thread

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Mar 14, 2009
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Amazinmets87 said:
Squire said:
Amazinmets87 said:
Could a 50 year old not subject to doping controls compete with riders under the restrictions of said controls?
He made himself available for doping controls a while back.
I know, it was a hypothetical question

I think you may be up to something here!

He could have gone "Full-genius" for a while, train really hard, gain some fitness, and then "sign up" for the official UCI joke testing ... :confused:
 
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barmaher said:
This is a completely ludicrous idea. I refuse to believe he is capable of finishing in the top 50 or within 20 minutes of the winner.
A group of 44th to 71st in this year’s Roubaix finished 11.52 behind Sagan. (50th place was Iljo Keisse)
Dries de Bondt of Willems-Crellan finished on his own in 94th at 20.12.
20 minutes behind would mean an average speed of 41.3kmh to Sagan’s winning 43.
It’s not impossible that a 50 year old could do that. Just very unlikely.

If Tafi sets out to just look after himself, stay in the wheels, and not make any crazy attacks, and if he’s in EXTREMELY good shape for a man his age, then I could see him posting a respectable result.

I can’t see a team like DD, who have a non-zero chance of winning the race through EBH, giving up a domestique spot for the sake of what is a publicity stunt. Cofidis don’t strike me as the kind to do it either. It’s a Vaughters-Esau’s stunt, but Drapac have vanMarcke and Phinney, so I doubt they’ll sacrifice their chances either.
 
He should get dropped in Arenberg. If he keeps up with the leaders..., it becomes Horneresque
if he stays in the wheels saving ~20% energy not taking a single pull and does not accelerate with the pack especially on the cobbles where the tank can get emptied very quickly, he can make it to the finish within 30 mins
 
Jun 30, 2014
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Let's be real, how many guys at DD will do better than him, last year only 3 of their riders finished the race inside the time limit, they don't have a great team for Roubaix.
 
Re: Re:

Leinster said:
barmaher said:
This is a completely ludicrous idea. I refuse to believe he is capable of finishing in the top 50 or within 20 minutes of the winner.
A group of 44th to 71st in this year’s Roubaix finished 11.52 behind Sagan. (50th place was Iljo Keisse)
Dries de Bondt of Willems-Crellan finished on his own in 94th at 20.12.
20 minutes behind would mean an average speed of 41.3kmh to Sagan’s winning 43.
It’s not impossible that a 50 year old could do that. Just very unlikely.

If Tafi sets out to just look after himself, stay in the wheels, and not make any crazy attacks, and if he’s in EXTREMELY good shape for a man his age, then I could see him posting a respectable result.

I can’t see a team like DD, who have a non-zero chance of winning the race through EBH, giving up a domestique spot for the sake of what is a publicity stunt. Cofidis don’t strike me as the kind to do it either. It’s a Vaughters-Esau’s stunt, but Drapac have vanMarcke and Phinney, so I doubt they’ll sacrifice their chances either.
EBH is an outside contender for Roubaix but his team is weak and we all know it.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but Tafi is probably a better Roubaix domestique than most of the Di Data team from last year...
 
Re: Re:

Amazinmets87 said:
Squire said:
Amazinmets87 said:
Could a 50 year old not subject to doping controls compete with riders under the restrictions of said controls?
He made himself available for doping controls a while back.
I know, it was a hypothetical question


The UCI is very clear about that and Tafi is following the rules.
Anyone else could just do the same.

Any rider MUST be part of the the anti-doping protocols (like the biologic passport data) for at least 6 months before being allowed to race.

To be honest I don't care if that's a publicity stunt.
A team is willing to take him on board? Happy for him... and damn curious to see how he performs.

I can bet anything that any amateur rider out there can't wait to see if he can stay in the bunch and finish within the time limit. If he can do it at 50... :D

Forza Tafi!
 
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tafi-sets-february-deadline-to-find-a-team-for-paris-roubaix/
Andrea Tafi has set a deadline of early February to find a team for his Paris-Roubaix comeback.

The 52-year-old Italian hasn’t raced since his retirement after the 2005 edition of the ‘Hell of the North’, but announced in October 2018 that he was looking to rejoin the professional ranks for the 2019 edition, the 20th anniversary of his victory there.

"In the first week of February I want clarity," he said in an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. “I can’t say anything about it yet.”

see also https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20190118_04112935

So will the dream come true? Or is this all some PR stunt?
 
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Robert5091 said:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tafi-sets-february-deadline-to-find-a-team-for-paris-roubaix/
Andrea Tafi has set a deadline of early February to find a team for his Paris-Roubaix comeback.

The 52-year-old Italian hasn’t raced since his retirement after the 2005 edition of the ‘Hell of the North’, but announced in October 2018 that he was looking to rejoin the professional ranks for the 2019 edition, the 20th anniversary of his victory there.

"In the first week of February I want clarity," he said in an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. “I can’t say anything about it yet.”

see also https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20190118_04112935

So will the dream come true? Or is this all some PR stunt?

I saw him this weekend at an Expo in Belgium and he said that he should be able to make an announcement on 1 February, he also said that it is not a PR stunt and he rode the Paris Roubaix Sportive last year and depending on how he does this year, he may try to do Tour de Flanders for the 20th anniversary.
 
Come on. Paris-Roubaix isn't in almost a month! (Does that sentence even make sense?) Didn't Hayman break something in his arm just over a week before winning P-R?
Of course I suppose when you're 52 your bones might take a bit longer to heal, than the did when you were a sprighty 37-year-old.
 
Re:

RedheadDane said:
Come on. Paris-Roubaix isn't in almost a month! (Does that sentence even make sense?) Didn't Hayman break something in his arm just over a week before winning P-R?
Of course I suppose when you're 52 your bones might take a bit longer to heal, than the did when you were a sprighty 37-year-old.
Hayman broke his arm at Omloop
 
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]
42x16ss said:
RedheadDane said:
Come on. Paris-Roubaix isn't in almost a month! (Does that sentence even make sense?) Didn't Hayman break something in his arm just over a week before winning P-R?
Of course I suppose when you're 52 your bones might take a bit longer to heal, than the did when you were a sprighty 37-year-old.
Hayman broke his arm at Omloop
Broke it badly enough to need a cast up past his elbow.

CgJdafJUAAEnRFz.jpg
 

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