Floyd really didn't get cheated out of the "06 Tour

[webvan]

Yep, I have one of these programs as well, with just Basso and Ulle though...being a big Ulle fan I was pretty annoyed, especially since he seemed to be in a good shape. He would have taken tons of time on these two long ITTs and I can't see where he would would have lost much time to Basso, the only really difficult climb was up Joux Plane that year, they all looked like they were about to die, except FL!

The climb up the Cote de Chatillon above Cluses with Honchar and Voigt mashing it was quite something to look at too.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I kind of have to agree. Floyd was a monster in 2006. His win in the ToC debut was good and I think he won Suisse as well. Might be wrong on that. I still think Vino would have been a threat and Valverde might have shown some form if he didn't break his collarbone with that fall on day 6 or 7.

T-Mobile was very strong that year but had a leadership crisis. Kessler was on some other kind of juice...that man was a monster. Nothing stopped him, not even a brutal fall. Nobody knew who the man was in terms of leadership though. Oscar and Jan gone a day before the Tour...Kloden steps up or does he? Andreas lacks the mentality to win which has shown at Astana and the Shack the last 3 years despite him being stronger than other prospective GC team mates. I still think Jan would have been stronger and in front of Kloden, but don't know if he had it anymore to come into Paris in yellow. One of the other guys would have had his number. 2003 was the last year Jan had his head and game all together for July.

Funnily enough, Even though T- Mobile were a very strong year tatically they were poor and they let Landis go even though he was flying that day and his team ripped the race to pieces. Kloden really should of won that year especially because of how Phonak let the Pereiro break go so far away.

 

[BroDeal]

I kind of have to agree. Floyd was a monster in 2006. His win in the ToC debut was good and I think he won Suisse as well. Might be wrong on that.

Landis was testing himself in the early season. He won Paris-Nice, Georgia, and the ToC. At Paris-Nice, on a really cold stage he was bare legged, bare armed, and just killing it. At the Dauphine he seemed to be there for training. On climbs he was not with the lead group, but he was not with the grupetta either; he was riding solo in between at his own pace.

At the Tour he was holding back for most of the race. The press complained about how boring he was. His response was that he would not take any risks and the only thing that mattered was getting to the finish in first. I think he intended to follow the Armstrong-Bruyneel model of how to win the Tour. If he had not dehydrated on stage 16 then he would have cruised to a boring victory. When the gloves came off on stage 17 we saw how strong he really was.

 

[webvan]

Yep, most impressive ride by a GT contender ever, at least since the Merckx years. Whatever happened later we still have to thank him for the emotins of that day.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

We all got robbed 2006... and for what? The Rest of T-Mobile was still going to Freiburg, Landis was still blood-doping, and nothing changed since then.

Deep down inside, we all have to admit that the 90s were more fair. Chances for winning didn´t depend on the better hidden and/or more expensive dope programms. All were on the same stuff. It was not a level field, but much more fair than after Festina.

To some posters that Ullrich was done. Well, he won the long ITT at the Giro, then dropping out to prepare for the TDF (winning the TdS). It would have been an epic battle between him and Basso decided by Ullrich´s strenght: ITT.

No doubt in my mind Ullrich wins 2006. I am still bitter about it. No wonder Ullrich got sick. Not only us, but he got robbed too.

I am still bitter, especially by the double standard of the UCI letting Epo-Lance come back for 2009 & 2010, and never sanctioning Valv-Piti and AC back then. What a farce!