The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to
In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.
Thanks!
Zinoviev Letter said:They were really moving it on the Colombiere. Not only did Martin set a new record all of the lead group were inside the old one. And that’s with a headwind. It’s not really surprising that nobody attacked except Martin (who knows he can do an anaerobic effort better than any of the others except Valverde).
CERA test unveiled. The test was kept secret and none of the teams or riders knew it was testable until the 2008 Tour positives began.rlntlssly said:Manuel Beltrán tested positive for EPO at the Tour. No idea why this should be the marker, though.AnatoleNovak said:Libertine Seguros said:The post-doping era began on July 11th 2008 and ended on September 9th 2008.AnatoleNovak said:Frihed89 said:It's been this way for most all of the post-doping era.
What year would you say that this era began?
September 9th: Armstrong return announced?
July 11th: no idea
Yeah, we have all hyped Valverde up to win the Tour... yes, we havent done that.Dekker_Tifosi said:Let's hope this shuts up the Valverde Tour winner believers.... He really isn't enough climberwoodburn said:Valverde distanced a bit at the top but got back on before descent.
LaFlorecita said:Mega cool picture!Mayomaniac said:Erik Zabel giving a bottle to Bennati:
I think it's just through Canyon.GuyIncognito said:LaFlorecita said:Mega cool picture!Mayomaniac said:Erik Zabel giving a bottle to Bennati:
How is Zabel affiliated with Movistar? Through Canyon?
He doesn't have an actual role with that team, does he?
Valv.Piti said:And when a rider who has won a pretty insane amount of MTFs since 2017 isn't a climber (Yes, against Froome, Contador, and Bernal among others), I don't know who is....
I think many people don't think he is a real climber simply because he is awesome at pretty much anything else on a bike. Had he only been able to climb, he would obviously be one of the best climbers in the peloton.Blanco said:Valv.Piti said:And when a rider who has won a pretty insane amount of MTFs since 2017 isn't a climber (Yes, against Froome, Contador, and Bernal among others), I don't know who is....
He was a climber since day one of his career, and he still is!
Guy who beat Armstrong, Heras, Contador, Froome is not enough climber :surprised:
Guy who won in Courchevel, Morredero, Ventoux, Collada de la Gallina, Peyragudes is not enough climber
Who the hell is a climber then?
After his major crack riders would be even more afraid of doing that.Lequack said:We need a Simon Yates to animate the race.
Adam Yates is practically the same rider, yet he is completely opposite of his brother in this aspect..Escarabajo said:After his major crack riders would be even more afraid of doing that.Lequack said:We need a Simon Yates to animate the race.
Valv.Piti said:Adam Yates is practically the same rider, yet he is completely opposite of his brother in this aspect..Escarabajo said:After his major crack riders would be even more afraid of doing that.Lequack said:We need a Simon Yates to animate the race.
Escarabajo said:After his major crack riders would be even more afraid of doing that.Lequack said:We need a Simon Yates to animate the race.
Zinoviev Letter said:Valv.Piti said:Adam Yates is practically the same rider, yet he is completely opposite of his brother in this aspect..Escarabajo said:After his major crack riders would be even more afraid of doing that.Lequack said:We need a Simon Yates to animate the race.
In fairness, he won San Sebastián solo. He also memorably had the flame rouge inflatable collapse on his head while he was leading a Tour stage solo. He’s no Meintjes, he just hasn’t often been in a GT situation where he was good enough to attack the favourites.
I’d prefer if everyone who finds themselves the fifth or seventh or whatever best climber in a race treated that as an indication that they can only win by attacking. But the only guy who actually does respond like that is Dan Martin and the main result is that Martin has never finished a GT better than 6th.
del1962 said:Its only his 4th in a row
Broccolidwarf said:del1962 said:Its only his 4th in a row
LOL - sorry man - 4th - anyway, thanks for the suggestions, without checking my damn math
I'm still very curious to see, if he can actually make it.
They are even talking about him possibly riding the Vuelta.... which to me is crazy talk, with worlds and Lombardia coming up just after.
I still believe he will crash physically week 3, because it should not be humanly possible, to ride podium GCs, in 4 GTs in a row..... especially in a 4th race being the tour, where the competition is fiercer than ever, with multiple in-form rivals.
Libertine Seguros said:He was one of the top U23s in Spain in 2003, and in 2004 he got injured in his very first pro race, at the Tour of Qatar, and hardly raced. In 2006 his head wasn't in it and he tried to quit the sport only for Matxín to talk him out of it. In fairness, looking back at the 2009 Fuji-Servetto lineup at the Vuelta it's a fair bit stronger than I remember it being, there's a fair few strong riders, albeit often very early in careers so they were far from polished. Still, by the end of it the only reliable hand he had was David de la Fuente, and the two of them have long since been a double act.roundabout said:Libertine Seguros said:movingtarget - more unnecessary dogpiling on Cobo. El Bisonte was a pretty good espoir in Spain, had some prospects, built up through 26 and 27, handicapped by the Saunier Duval withdrawal of course, and even with next to no support on Fuji-Servetto managed a Vuelta top 10 in 2009. There are more factors at play with him due to both his team association history and his psychological history too, as we all know.
Dekker_Tifosi: That 2007 Giro was kind of won by Nibali's teammate though - team roles play a lot of the part, after all on paper Nairo Quintana's 36th in the 2012 is far less impressive than him being the top climber for Movistar and dragging Valverde around through week 3.
Sky_Bot: Unzué is surprisingly bothered by the team classification. Lord knows why other than place of car in cavalcade.
yaco: in fairness though, the Tour has started giving out some pretty ordinary HCs. At 6km in length I'm not sure about this one as a 'legit' HC. It's certainly no Madeleine.
Cobo had next to no results in his first 3 years as a pro. Is this now called "having some prospects"?
And next to no support in the Vuelta is not supported by facts. In every difficult stage except the one he won, there was at least 1 Fuji rider within 90 seconds of Cobo at the finish.
We all know that you like Cobo for whatever reason, but maybe a more factual discussion would be in order next time?
The problem with Cobo is that making a definitive judgement on him is nigh on impossible because of that psychological background. While there's plenty of obvious reasons for discussion of him to take a Clinic turn, he simultaneously doesn't have anything against his name at all, and while his ability to ride competitively as a pro fluctuates wildly (in 2010 he couldn't finish even the most basic of races, in 2011 he won a Grand Tour), his psychological history plays a large role in that so that judging what he is or isn't capable of is nigh on impossible.
tobydawq said:Broccolidwarf said:del1962 said:Its only his 4th in a row
LOL - sorry man - 4th - anyway, thanks for the suggestions, without checking my damn math
I'm still very curious to see, if he can actually make it.
They are even talking about him possibly riding the Vuelta.... which to me is crazy talk, with worlds and Lombardia coming up just after.
I still believe he will crash physically week 3, because it should not be humanly possible, to ride podium GCs, in 4 GTs in a row..... especially in a 4th race being the tour, where the competition is fiercer than ever, with multiple in-form rivals.
I really don't hope it was your math that failed you :lol:
"Hmm, four times one..... Five!!"