I saw he was doing the tour of portugal, i believe how is the route this year? Difficult enough for climbers to do anything?
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It's all in the eye of the beholder, I guess.webvan said:Yes, he was very impressive on Baldy but he didn't look particularly thin to me on TV, unlike Gesink. Hope he finds a good team on the European scene.
Trek-Livestrong will ride Portugal? That's quite interesting, better than some 3rd rate teams. I hope Rabobank and Garmin send their U23 teams too. About the Volta a Portugal, it's a climber's tour really. Usually features 2 main MTF: Serra da Estrela (28km@5% or 25km@6% - typical french alps climb) and Senhora da Graça (7km@8% - more or less).MizzouJack said:I saw he was doing the tour of portugal, i believe how is the route this year? Difficult enough for climbers to do anything?
trevim said:Trek-Livestrong will ride Portugal? That's quite interesting, better than some 3rd rate teams. I hope Rabobank and Garmin send their U23 teams too. About the Volta a Portugal, it's a climber's tour really. Usually features 2 main MTF: Serra da Estrela (28km@5% or 25km@6% - typical french alps climb) and Senhora da Graça (7km@8% - more or less).
All in all, it should give him plenty opportunities to show potential.
It will be nice to see him here anyway. God knows this race needs a decent line up.MizzouJack said:I think I saw somewhere you was going with something like team USA, looked for the article but couldn't find what I was looking for. Thought that it was on a cycling news article.
trevim said:It will be nice to see him here anyway. God knows this race needs a decent line up.
Jason_Mercier said:Best young in Gila, queen stage of California, Utah and Colorado with 21 years. Also dominated the Giro Bio with two stages win. Absolutely amazing. I think he will be the next big thing for GTS, only Pinot or maybe Quintana will be able to beat him in the future. It seems that he'll be the best american pure climber since Andy Hampsten.
maxmartin said:a talent for sure, next big thing for GT I am not so sure, at least too early to tell. Both he and Pinot sucked big time in ITT, oh well maybe they can improve just like JR did.
Jason_Mercier said:When we talk about two superclimbers the tt is not esential for the possibilities to win GTS. If the TDF design next routes like 2008, 2010 or 2011 with few kilometres of ITT i think (and if they progress) Pinot and Dombrowski will be able to win any of the three grand tours.
gerundium said:this is so premature it's not even funny. it is a completely unknown if they will be able to perform over a 3 week span.
gerundium said:this is so premature it's not even funny. it is a completely unknown if they will be able to perform over a 3 week span.
Jason_Mercier said:When we talk about two superclimbers the tt is not esential for the possibilities to win GTS. If the TDF design next routes like 2008, 2010 or 2011 with few kilometres of ITT i think Pinot and Dombrowski (if they progress) will be able to win any of the three grand tours.
Jason_Mercier said:Thibaut Pinot demonstrated in the last Tour that he is a three weeks rider. Also with 22 years in his first GT and in a bad route for him. He was one of the four best climbers, i saw a GC without time trials and he was 4°
He shaked a bit on the 3rd week, but he held it together just like a GT rider mustAngliru said:I thought that's what Pinot did in this year's Tour? He seemed to not weaken in the 3rd week, actually climbing till the end of the last mtf and finishing within seconds of Wiggins and Froome, ahead of the other gc contenders. He had the usual bad day but he showed that he's capable of enduring the 3 weeks of a grand tour with energy to spare.
Pinot doesnt need to progress, the level he showed in the TdF i think would be enough to win the Giro D Italia this year. He was the strongest in La Toussuire and the third in Peyragudes. Pinot is in other level. I never saw talents like him trip in their careers. He is the youngest winner in the history of the Giro Valle D'Aosta. In his second year as pro he was with guys like Rodrìguez, Evans or Vinokourov in Dauphiné... He's in other level, pass to professional with 20 years. Amazing guy.Michele said:There are many guys turning from U23 category who are supposed to be making the podium at GTs but then failing big time.
Of course I was all the best to him but you never know how it will go.
Michele said:There are many guys turning from U23 category who are supposed to be making the podium at GTs but then failing big time.
Of course I was all the best to him but you never know how it will go.
Jason_Mercier said:Thibaut Pinot demonstrated in the last Tour that he is a three weeks rider. Also with 22 years in his first GT and in a bad route for him. He was one of the four best climbers, i saw a GC without time trials and he was 4°
Angliru said:I thought that's what Pinot did in this year's Tour? He seemed to not weaken in the 3rd week, actually climbing till the end of the last mtf and finishing within seconds of Wiggins and Froome, ahead of the other gc contenders. He had the usual bad day but he showed that he's capable of enduring the 3 weeks of a grand tour with energy to spare.
trevim said:He shaked a bit on the 3rd week, but he held it together just like a GT rider must
will10 said:He was lucky enough to have his bad day on the Cap d’Agde stage, dropped on the first climb but it didn't matter with the ridiculous stage design. All in all a very impressive Tour debut and I'm sure in the next few years we will see at least one Tour route heavily favouring the pure climbers for exactly one reason