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What do you think about Alpe D'Huez in the Giro?

  • Will be considered as a flat stage by RCS

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
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Contador showed weakness in the ITT in 2010, sure. And Andy put in the best TT of his career, one that impressed many.

And Contador still beat him by 31".

Andy is young and is improving, but the improvement he'll need to show in the ITT to win the Tour is going to be huge, unless he does a 2008 Emanuele Sella on the mountains.
 
airstream

airstream

BANNED
Mar 29, 2011
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Libertine Seguros said:
Contador showed weakness in the ITT in 2010, sure. And Andy put in the best TT of his career, one that impressed many.

And Contador still beat him by 31".

Andy is young and is improving, but the improvement he'll need to show in the ITT to win the Tour is going to be huge, unless he does a 2008 Emanuele Sella on the mountains.
Click to expand...

Libertine, you just are a desperate prose writer. :)
 
El Pistolero

El Pistolero

Jul 16, 2010
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airstream said:
Really? Whoah! How could I forget it??? :p:p You know, all years are different. Contador rode a superb TT in Grenoble, Andy did worse than expected. But why the things are going to happen the same way next year? I read Schleck had a teeth problem during the Tour, in addition Alpe-d'Huez was his the second worst after Hautacam day thoughout all years of participating. It's always very hard to recover after such a day. Contador showed weaknesses in 2007 , having already been a specialist in ITT, in 2010 too. And looking back we see that sometimes a very close rivalry creates inexplicable things. But everyone on this forum writes only that Contador will get stronger and continue to destroy the field, whereas Andy is a loser, who blew all his chances. Ferminal is the only guy (as far as I read), who noticed, Andy was much weaker in the mountains this year and he's able to be stronger. Almost everybody concentrates on Contador and his priorities. Unpredictability is what we love sport for or I'm wrong? ;)
Click to expand...


One thing never changes: Schleck's inability in time trials. And him racking up second places in Grand Tours :)

Contador was 24 years old in 2007 and hadn't focused on time trials in a long time anymore. He was a pure climber back then.

Andy Schleck will never be good in time trials. If this Tour had more mountains and only one time trial he'd be a treat, but he isn't one next year.
 
Eshnar

Eshnar

Mar 24, 2011
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A few days ago there was a videochat on the facebook's page with the new director Michele Acquarone. Excluding the 341423534 questions about the start from Danmark he recieved, he also talked a bit about the final stage. He said that RCS's policy is to make it meaningful, so it will never be flat. So the options are:
1 - ITT
2 - Mountain stage.
He left the second possibility open ;)
 
T

theyoungest

Jan 11, 2010
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airstream said:
Really? Whoah! How could I forget it??? :p:p You know, all years are different. Contador rode a superb TT in Grenoble, Andy did worse than expected. But why the things are going to happen the same way next year? I read Schleck had a teeth problem during the Tour, in addition Alpe-d'Huez was his the second worst after Hautacam day thoughout all years of participating. It's always very hard to recover after such a day. Contador showed weaknesses in 2007 , having already been a specialist in ITT, in 2010 too. And looking back we see that sometimes a very close rivalry creates inexplicable things. But everyone on this forum writes only that Contador will get stronger and continue to destroy the field, whereas Andy is a loser, who blew all his chances. Ferminal is the only guy (as far as I read), who noticed, Andy was much weaker in the mountains this year and he's able to be stronger. Almost everybody concentrates on Contador and his priorities. Unpredictability is what we love sport for or I'm wrong? ;)
Click to expand...
Contador didn't ride such a superb TT, a Contador on top form would have crushed that TT and (I'm inclined to think) would have beaten Tony Martin on such a hilly course.
 
M

McLovin

Jun 18, 2009
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Libertine Seguros said:
Contador showed weakness in the ITT in 2010, sure. And Andy put in the best TT of his career, one that impressed many.
And Contador still beat him by 31".
Click to expand...
see, here you're wrong. In 2011 Andy had a stelar TT compared to 2010.

2010 - 44 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:06:14
2011 - 17 Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:02:38

The 9.5 km difference between the two stages it's not so relevant, it doesn't explain 4 minutes. IMO in 2010 Contador did an Andy, not Andy did a Contador. In the clinic it maybe can be explain why. Short...until 2009 he had Bruynel, in 2011 he had Mr.62. In 2010 he was all by his head and that might be his real TT. And that "all by his head" remark can also explain the Milka thing. You have to have a pro near you.
 
cineteq

cineteq

May 20, 2009
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McLovin said:
see, here you're wrong. In 2011 Andy had a stelar TT compared to 2010.

2010 - 44 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:06:14
2011 - 17 Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:02:38

The 9.5 km difference between the two stages it's not so relevant, it doesn't explain 4 minutes. IMO in 2010 Contador did an Andy, not Andy did a Contador.
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Your last statement is on the money. That's why chaingate should have not been/was not a factor.

Libertine is losing points quickly with these kind of comments, he lost a bunch already saying Andy's ride on the Galibier taking 2 minutes on Evans has nothing to do with his TT skills (or lack of).
 
T

theyoungest

Jan 11, 2010
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McLovin said:
see, here you're wrong. In 2011 Andy had a stelar TT compared to 2010.

2010 - 44 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:06:14
2011 - 17 Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:02:38

The 9.5 km difference between the two stages it's not so relevant, it doesn't explain 4 minutes. IMO in 2010 Contador did an Andy, not Andy did a Contador. In the clinic it maybe can be explain why. Short...until 2009 he had Bruynel, in 2011 he had Mr.62. In 2010 he was all by his head and that might be his real TT. And that "all by his head" remark can also explain the Milka thing. You have to have a pro near you.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but this is complete BS. Did you check the time loss of the other favourites in that TT? Remember the semi-hurricane they had to ride through, in comparison to the top-10, who all started in way better conditions? Menchov rode the TT of his life, and was still 4 minutes down on Cancellara at the finish.
 
airstream

airstream

BANNED
Mar 29, 2011
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theyoungest said:
Contador didn't ride such a superb TT, a Contador on top form would have crushed that TT and (I'm inclined to think) would have beaten Tony Martin on such a hilly course.
Click to expand...

Its a bold assumption. :) ;) As I see this, Contador was on good form on third week. Not on top one sure, but comparable to the Tour'10. The Alpe-d'Huez raid characterizes his form badly? Absolutely not. He could easily seat on the Schlecks' and Evans wheel, attack from 5-6 km to go and win. But he decided to smash everyone and dropped himself. He had no result on the Alpe, but he had form.As for ITT, I think he will never beat Martin on open windy terrain, no matter whether its hilly or flat as a pancake. Contador needs a real climb to have a possibility to dance on the pedals. He is likely to lose to Martin on 2-4% false flat. Moreover German goes faster false flat descent due to his weight and power.
 
M

McLovin

Jun 18, 2009
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theyoungest said:
Sorry, but this is complete BS. Did you check the time loss of the other favourites in that TT?
Click to expand...

Forget the times then, just look at their final position. I'm not going to explain it again all over. But if you only see what you want to see, ok, Alberto did a awsome TT, the best by far that day, even he was still tired beacuse of 2008 Giro. And plus, he had a really, really bad hair day.
 
Duartista

Duartista

Apr 14, 2011
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McLovin said:
Forget the times then, just look at their final position. I'm not going to explain it again all over. But if you only see what you want to see, ok, Alberto did a awsome TT, the best by far that day, even he was still tired beacuse of 2008 Giro. And plus, he had a really, really bad hair day.
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Look at the results of the TT.

http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/1900/classement/index.html

The wind played such a huge role that you can't really take anything meaningful from the GC contenders' results - other than that Menchov had a great day. Menchov was the only top 10 rider to finish ahead of guys like Jeremy Roy, Nikki Sorensen, and Danilo Hondo.
 
1

18-Valve. (pithy)

May 4, 2011
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Duartista said:
Look at the results of the TT.

http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/1900/classement/index.html

The wind played such a huge role that you can't really take anything meaningful from the GC contenders' results - other than that Menchov had a great day. Menchov was the only top 10 rider to finish ahead of guys like Jeremy Roy, Nikki Sorensen, and Danilo Hondo.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well said. Menchov destroyed the other GC contenders. Absolutely destroyed them.
 
Kwibus

Kwibus

May 25, 2010
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airstream said:
Libertine, you just are a desperate prose writer. :)
Click to expand...

Libertine had a very good point if you ask me. I agree with you that Andy wasn't very good this year. Specially if you compare it to 2010, but the problem is that this year the course was made for him, but his form just wasn't good enough. Now the TT's come back and it will be very hard for him to win the TdF.
 
Kwibus

Kwibus

May 25, 2010
8,863
414
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McLovin said:
Forget the times then, just look at their final position. I'm not going to explain it again all over. But if you only see what you want to see, ok, Alberto did a awsome TT, the best by far that day, even he was still tired beacuse of 2008 Giro. And plus, he had a really, really bad hair day.
Click to expand...

The final position doesn't mean anything either. The last riders had to ride in a storm while the first riders had practically no wind at all.
Imo Andy's TT last and this year were ok. Nothing more, his TT will always be his weakness. He will always lose 2-3 minutes to the GT riders that can ride a TT like Evans, Wiggins and Contador.
 
C

CicloSprint

Sep 23, 2011
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There are reports of dramatic floods in the Cinque Terre and Lunigiana, it seems that the path of the stage Serravezza-Sestri Levante (affecting those areas) could be changed.
 
Eshnar

Eshnar

Mar 24, 2011
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CicloSprint said:
There are reports of dramatic floods in the Cinque Terre and Lunigiana, it seems that the path of the stage Serravezza-Sestri Levante (affecting those areas) could be changed.
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I don't think so...
The flood is dramatic indeed (I live not far from there and I can tell you), but it's way too early to affect the race. It depends from many factor and I can't rule out at all what you said, but I don't think it'll happen. (And I don't want it, too)
 
Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
33,064
15,272
28,180
airstream said:
Who will represent Rabobank in the Giro? What do you think?
Click to expand...
Surely they should give Kruijswijk the chance to better his performance from last year, leave Gesink and Mollema to the Tour.
 
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