Failure/Success Season 2011

[blaxland]

What Happens to riders who dont get a result at the TDF,when their whole season was based around this race?
I'll start Andy Schleck=If Andy doesn't beat Contador in this TDF his season will be considered a complete Failure.(No results for the Ardennes week and no TDF)
Ivan Basso=Needs to finish top 3 in TDF or another quiet season.(skipped riding Giro)
And im sure their are many others..

 

[Martin318is]

and thus, the Vuelta start list is formed....

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

What Happens to riders who dont get a result at the TDF,when their whole season was based around this race?
I'll start Andy Schleck=If Andy doesn't beat Contador in this TDF his season will be considered a complete Failure.(No results for the Ardennes week and no TDF)
Ivan Basso=Needs to finish top 3 in TDF or another quiet season.(skipped riding Giro)
And im sure their are many others..

I wouldn't call a TDF podium and LBL podium a failure + suisse Kom.

But whatever.

 

[blaxland]

I wouldn't call a TDF podium and LBL podium a failure + suisse Kom.

But whatever.

But isnt this his best opportunity to win a Grand Tour...Rather than amasing a lot of second places.(Evans,Poullidor)I guess there is always the vuelta,as others have posted.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Interesting topic, certain riders who don't perform in one single race have seasons which are failures.

 

[hrotha]

Interesting topic, certain riders who don't perform in one single race have seasons which are failures.

Yes, typically those who sacrifice their whole season for one or two races.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

I wouldn't call a TDF podium and LBL podium a failure + suisse Kom.

But whatever.

For a guy that has the talent of Andy, you can consider it a failure. If your whole season is about 2-3 races and you don't win any of them, in my opinion you failed.

 

[Kwibus]

For a guy that has the talent of Andy, you can consider it a failure. If your whole season is about 2-3 races and you don't win any of them, in my opinion you failed.

Ofcourse. With his talent he should be able to get better results at other races, but there are only a few riders that can say they stood on the podium of the TdF and L-B-L in the same year.

It depends on how you look at it. Andy can do better, but his results (if he ends on the podium of the TdF) are good and lots of riders wish they could do it.

 

[taiwan]

and thus, the Vuelta start list is formed....

Maybe Schleck could ride the Vuelta FTW for once. More GT racing for him and his fans, and he might even win at less than 100% fitness. Of course, he doesn't seem that interested but if he finds himself becoming aPoulidor like figure that's something he could do. Basso doesn't have a Vuelta either, can't hurt.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

For a guy that has the talent of Andy, you can consider it a failure. If your whole season is about 2-3 races and you don't win any of them, in my opinion you failed.

of course it does come down to expectation and different levels of such, I concede.

Hanging all your season on one thing is putting a lot of pressure on yourself.

 

[Angliru]

I wouldn't call a TDF podium and LBL podium a failure + suisse Kom.

But whatever.

Suisse KoM is quite minor for a rider of AS's prominence. Unlike his brother he has absolutely no major stage race wins on his record and seems to have no desire to achieve any. The LBL would normally be a plus on any rider's palmares but the way they just bent over for Gilbert was sickening. Yes a Tour 2nd place in the gc would be a plus but anything less than that, even 3rd place is a failure (in his and Leopard's eyes for certain).

On second thought, with Contador coming from one the toughest Giro's in years, AS has to be the favorite. To lose again in these circumstances would have to be considered a major disappointment.

 

[Havetts]

On second thought, with Contador coming from one the toughest Giro's in years, AS has to be the favorite. To lose again in these circumstances would have to be considered a major disappointment.

And a major blow to his morale.

 

[veganrob]

I wouldn't call a TDF podium and LBL podium a failure + suisse Kom.

But whatever.

I would, and I bet Andy would also. He is the self proclaimed man to beat in the TdF. He has been pretty smug about it too. Yes, fail.

 

[Angliru]

Maybe Schleck could ride the Vuelta FTW for once. More GT racing for him and his fans, and he might even win at less than 100% fitness. Of course, he doesn't seem that interested but if he finds himself becoming aPoulidor like figure that's something he could do. Basso doesn't have a Vuelta either, can't hurt.

He seems a rider that unless motivated by the importance (in his eyes) of the event, that he can't and will not focus as he should on the task at hand. For him the Vuelta isn't worthy of his full attention, example being his less than enthusiastic support of his brother's gc run at last year's Vuelta. I couldn't see him seriously pursuing the Vuelta gc after another Tour 2nd place to Contador. Worse yet imagine him, after losing another Tour to Contador and them both doing battle again at the Vuelta. Could AS's ego take another beating by the same rider in 2 months time?

 

[Midnightfright]

This slowly seems to be turning into a dissecting Andy schleck character thread

 

[lancaster]

If Gilbert doesn't win the tour his season will be a write off.

the guy just can't catch a break. his career is slowly drifting into one of mediocrity and unbounded potential never to be achieved.

 

[movingtarget]

And a major blow to his morale.

It's Schleck's big chance and he knows it. Next year Contador will probably attack the TDF/Vuelta if he is allowed to compete. Another second after getting so close last year would be demoralising to someone with so much ambition.

 

[jobiwan]

This slowly seems to be turning into yet another dissecting Andy schleck character thread

Fixed it for you.

 

[Scansorial]

I could see Basso really struggling with his form thanks to his training crash, taking it relatively easy the final week, then winning the Vuelta.

I'll be interested to see how Evans does. I hope he does well, but it seemed like a waste of time for him to finally center his whole season around the TDF when he has very little chance of winning.

 

[Siriuscat]

Fixed it for you.

If the cap fits....

If he doesn't win the Tour then is season is a disaster. He's put every egg in a single basket, not for three weeks but the final week of the Tour. He can be as healthy and in as good a condition as feasible but he has lost the tactical nous of Riis and knocked his chances back a few notches, he has also proclaimed he will win the tour. Contador will wipe the floor with him this year.

Basso is another rider heading for a supreme failure this season, everything on the tour and his form stinks.

Griepel - his much vaunted claims that he's quicker than Cav will be seen on the biggest stage if he's found lacking that's a EPIC failure...