Le Tour de France 2013: who will win?

[The Hitch]

I stated that Contador's lack of race legs would hurt him, and I also said do not expect the Contador of 2011 Giro. And I called it right, as he almost lost the Vuelta. Oh wait...I told you so, is it starting to sound familiar?

lol at this Stalin like attempt at revising history. Just cut out the face with scissors and glue something else in.

This is what you actually said

This is not a Contador thread, LOL.

Seriously, I can't believe the lack of common sense I'm observing here. A guy who hasn't been competing for that long is now the overwhelming favorite to win??? A quick reminder, what happened in his latest GT before he was sent to the basement?

As for Froome, sorry I can only talk about him in the pharma forum. He doesn't count.

Everyone knows that you hate him, so you don't need to be angry. If it hurts your feelings, that he has got the most votes, than you should stop watch cycling, I think

Have you seen TdF 2011? That's your reference.

Yes I do, I think Purito or Robert have a chance of winning this. I'm no sheep, who vote for riders because you read it in a magazine, saw the odds or even fear his peers are not going to talk to them anymore.

.

This is a good gem

Just use common sense, see Tour 2011. Are you one of those posters who's going to to excuse him for being tired from the Giro, or that he wasn't in top form, or that he was injured and blah, blah, blah?

No magic 100% accurate prediction about Contador starting off slow then hitting top form as you now claim but outright dismissal of Contadors chances and predicting he would bomb like tour 2011.

Thankfully no one believes your bull**** anyway.

 

[The Hitch]

wait so if you said back then that the lack of racing would hurt him, why do you now say he was in top form? consistency much?

The way he ended La Vuelta is the current Contador, that's his top form. The one we're going to see next year.

Funny. What really happened was you repeatedly made clear Contador could not win because he was "undertrained"

As yours truly, Anton thinks Contador doesn't have racing legs/undertrained and he's going to pay for it:

So Contador can't gift away stages to his rivals

How can he do that if he's undertrained?

 

[cineteq]

Hitch, you must be infatuated with me, holy cow you have so much time in your hands. The funny thing is that you did it for nothing.

I can stand by my comments since they're consistent with I've been saying along, no problem, but can you admit your mistakes? Nope, you always hide behind the rock.

PS: How old are you btw?

 

[The Hitch]

Lol the old- oh you are obsessed, argument as if you didn't know what Google was.

You are on record attacking people.for voting that they think contador would win

Yet now you claim you knew contador would win all along.

Consistency? If you say so

 

[cineteq]

You are on record attacking people.for voting that they think contador would win

Yet now you claim you knew contador would win all along.

Consistency? If you say so

Now, you're posting nonsense. Did I hit a nerve Hitchie? You're infatuated with me, aren't you? Are you going to be man enough to answer those questions?

PS: how old are you again?

 

[Parrulo]

ok cineteq this is just reaching trolling levels now. . .

hitch clearly proved your lack of consistency so if you keep up your trolling you will have to get a warning.

and no, pulling the "oh eh is a mod and is abusing his power because i disagree with him" argument won't work here.

 

[airstream]

I wonder then how we might estimate Basso's fit say in the 2009 Giro. Apparently, 1. And he never could reach more than 5 compared to his pre-suspension level..

 

[cineteq]

ok cineteq this is just reaching trolling levels now. . .

hitch clearly proved your lack of consistency so if you keep up your trolling you will have to get a warning.

and no, pulling the "oh eh is a mod and is abusing his power because i disagree with him" argument won't work here.

Dear Parrulo,

Your buddy Hitch has proven nothing. All he's done is quote a bunch of stuff, must of the time out of context, for his convenience. Yet the essence of what it was quoted I stand for.

What I stated was my own opinion. Right or wrong is my opinion. I am entitled to my opinion. Last time I checked this was called a Forum.

If you have a personal vendetta because I called you out few times in the past for your behavior as a moderator, fine. As you know, there is a thread in the clinic (unless it's been deleted) where your behaviour was discussed by other posters and yours truly. Btw, we waited for you to participate but you never replied to our comments. Did you get a warning for that?

If you decide to call me troll and yet you decide to ignore (selectively) the Hitch's abuse to others, fine.

Do what you have to do. And I'll do what I need to do.

Over, and out.

 

[movingtarget]

According to your rates, Contador is able to beat anyone while being at 50% fit. Are you serious? I'm agree to admit lack of 1 point not more. Why do you save a myth that 'a gap between Contador and others may reduce' so tremulously? Giving Purito and Valverde 7 and 8 respectively, you call them gazelles as the Hitch did.

There is no doubt that Valverde and Contador would have been training the house down while they were suspended. Valverde had much more time to prepare for the Vuelta than Contador who went into the race with a very light racing schedule but was probably hoping to use the first week to accelerate his fitness and he struggled but hung in there. I honestly thought Rodriguez had the race won but I think often it is the psychology that makes great riders especially where the physical attributes of riders are so similar. When Contador attacked on the deciding stage Rodriguez and his team had no answer, mentally and physically. They were caught completely off guard. What he did was something Eddy Merckx used to do. The legendary stories about him attacking from the beginning of a stage after being dropped the previous day. This is what makes riders like Contador so great. They are willing to take big risks to win and they hate to lose. Hinault was the same. Would Valverde or Rodriguez have tried the same tactic ? No. They would have ridden for a podium place. The question I have about the Vuelta result is how good were Valverde and Rodriguez and how much improvement did Contador have ? I could be wrong but maybe Rodriguez and Valverde who pushed Contador were not as good as we thought. Either way, Contador with a full preparation will have other riders worried after what they saw in the Vuelta. I don't believe anyone is unbeatable but it will be interesting to see what price bookmakers will have for Contador before the Tour. Lots of questions should be answered in the next Tour regarding comparisons between riders. Would have been even more interesting if Wiggins was there as well instead of riding the Giro.

 

[Parrulo]

Dear Parrulo,

Your buddy Hitch has proven nothing. All he's done is quote a bunch of stuff, must of the time out of context, for his convenience. Yet the essence of what it was quoted I stand for.

What I stated was my own opinion. Right or wrong is my opinion. I am entitled to my opinion. Last time I checked this was called a Forum.

If you have a personal vendetta because I called you out few times in the past for your behavior as a moderator, fine. As you know, there is a thread in the clinic (unless it's been deleted) where your behaviour was discussed by other posters and yours truly. Btw, we waited for you to participate but you never replied to our comments. Did you get a warning for that?

If you decide to call me troll and yet you decide to ignore (selectively) the Hitch's abuse to others, fine.

Do what you have to do. And I'll do what I need to do.

Over, and out.

hitch isn't my buddy, we have disagreed many times in the past and i think his posting style has been way too condescending for a while now, but his quotes aren't out of context , his quotes show that you have been changing your argument to the most suited to disagree with contador fans for a while now, just like airstream has done by switching his support from andy schleck (who apparently sucks now according to him when 6 months ago he was "the boss") to froome. those are clear signs of trolling. the fact that you are yet to provide evidence to back up your claims is another sign.

also if you have anything to add on my moderation do it on the appropriate thread on the about the forum section and wait for an admin to reply to your complains as talking to me won't change much.

 

[The Hitch]

Dear Parrulo,

Your buddy Hitch has proven nothing. All he's done is quote a bunch of stuff, must of the time out of context, for his convenience. Yet the essence of what it was quoted I stand for.

What I stated was my own opinion. Right or wrong is my opinion. I am entitled to my opinion. Last time I checked this was called a Forum.

If you have a personal vendetta because I called you out few times in the past for your behavior as a moderator, fine. As you know, there is a thread in the clinic (unless it's been deleted) where your behaviour was discussed by other posters and yours truly. Btw, we waited for you to participate but you never replied to our comments. Did you get a warning for that?

If you decide to call me troll and yet you decide to ignore (selectively) the Hitch's abuse to others, fine.

Do what you have to do. And I'll do what I need to do.

Over, and out.

Its a nice tactic to try and isolate the opposition and now.claim that it is just the big bad hitch getting his panties in a twist over innocent cineteq.

To extent i admire the strategy.

But the reality is the over the last 4 or.5 pages netserk, parullo, la florecita, afrank, ferminal ryo hazuki have all openly challenged your postings. And at least 3 of us seem.to think the letters t-r-o-l-l perfectly describe your behaviour. Others seem.to have held back.from.using the t word.thanks to better manners.

But the reality is its not you vs the hitch. Its you vs over half the posters that have posted.on the thread in.the last 2 days.

Ps i find the way you launched a personal war on parullo after he called you out. Pathetic.

 

[airstream]

There is no doubt that Valverde and Contador would have been training the house down while they were suspended. Valverde had much more time to prepare for the Vuelta than Contador who went into the race with a very light racing schedule but was probably hoping to use the first week to accelerate his fitness and he struggled but hung in there. I honestly thought Rodriguez had the race won but I think often it is the psychology that makes great riders especially where the physical attributes of riders are so similar. When Contador attacked on the deciding stage Rodriguez and his team had no answer, mentally and physically. They were caught completely off guard. What he did was something Eddy Merckx used to do. The legendary stories about him attacking from the beginning of a stage after being dropped the previous day. This is what makes riders like Contador so great. They are willing to take big risks to win and they hate to lose. Hinault was the same. Would Valverde or Rodriguez have tried the same tactic ? No. They would have ridden for a podium place. The question I have about the Vuelta result is how good were Valverde and Rodriguez and how much improvement did Contador have ? I could be wrong but maybe Rodriguez and Valverde who pushed Contador were not as good as we thought. Either way, Contador with a full preparation will have other riders worried after what they saw in the Vuelta. I don't believe anyone is unbeatable but it will be interesting to see what price bookmakers will have for Contador before the Tour. Lots of questions should be answered in the next Tour regarding comparisons between riders. Would have been even more interesting if Wiggins was there as well instead of riding the Giro.

Probably I believe Hamilton too much but riding a GT can not affect on subsequent races very good. Penalty is inevitable to a certain degree even if the 1st GT is ridden in a resort mode. So Valverde amazed me. Sastre was quite mediocre in the 2008 Vuelta, finishing the third at the expense of stability and Mosquera's inability to TT. In 2010, Rodriguez was harshly flipped on Pal and later only lost in 3rd week. IMO, Valverde rode the Vuelta better than in 2003 and even 2009. Seemingly he could have won if hadn't lost 1 min on flat without rhyme or reason. Nobody belittles greatness of Contador's riding on that hilly stage, but I dont see any stages where Purito might have gained back the leadership given his far narrower range of skills and weak team. But Wiggins is able to play a role of a key domestique even after the Giro.

Anyway, neither Sky nor Saxo [btw, they still can not be invited] can have a team like RSNT. With a leader like Andy Shack will be a different team!

 

[cineteq]

hitch isn't my buddy, we have disagreed many times in the past and i think his posting style has been way too condescending for a while now, but his quotes aren't out of context , his quotes show that you have been changing your argument to the most suited to disagree with contador fans for a while now, just like airstream has done by switching his support from andy schleck (who apparently sucks now according to him when 6 months ago he was "the boss") to froome. those are clear signs of trolling. the fact that you are yet to provide evidence to back up your claims is another sign.

also if you have anything to add on my moderation do it on the appropriate thread on the about the forum section and wait for an admin to reply to your complains as talking to me won't change much.

I feel I have provided evidence to support my claims by being consistent with my thoughts. Do I need to provide more? I don't think so. And in the hypothetical case that I change my opinion with time, why this should be an issue to a moderator? Because you subjectively think it's trolling? So you're warning me for being myself, for not being a sheep, for expressing an opinion? If you're to do that I expect you and other mods to apply the same rules to everyone equally. I expect you to be consistent. Thus far, it hasn't been the case.

Rest assured I will use the right channel if I need to call you out again.

 

[airstream]

Stop slandering me. I didn't switch my support. I consider Froome the main favorite for the Tour. These are two different things. Man, moderador shouldn't be so inclined to conflicts. I support Schleck - I'm a troll, I started supporting Froome a bit - I'm a troll again. It is just laughable.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I agree with Parullo and Hitch and Afrank that cineteq has been trolling.

 

[Siriuscat]

Probably I believe Hamilton too much but riding a GT can not affect on subsequent races very good. Penalty is inevitable to a certain degree even if the 1st GT is ridden in a resort mode. So Valverde amazed me. Sastre was quite mediocre in the 2008 Vuelta, finishing the third at the expense of stability and Mosquera's inability to TT. In 2010, Rodriguez was harshly flipped on Pal and later only lost in 3rd week. IMO, Valverde rode the Vuelta better than in 2003 and even 2009. Seemingly he could have won if hadn't lost 1 min on flat without rhyme or reason. Nobody belittles greatness of Contador's riding on that hilly stage, but I dont see any stages where Purito might have gained back the leadership given his far narrower range of skills and weak team. But Wiggins is able to play a role of a key domestique even after the Giro.

Anyway, neither Sky nor Saxo [btw, they still can not be invited] can have a team like RSNT. With a leader like Andy Shack will be a different team!

I thought my birthday was going to be boring but thanks Airstream, your comedy post above has just made me smile...

 

[LaFlorecita]

I thought my birthday was going to be boring but thanks Airstream, your comedy post above has just made me smile...

back to fanboying andy I see..

 

[cineteq]

Stop slandering me. I didn't switch my support. I consider Froome the main favorite for the Tour. These are two different things. Man, moderador shouldn't be so inclined to conflicts. I support Schleck - I'm a troll, I started supporting Froome a bit - I'm a troll again. It is just laughable.

You should use the right channel to report him, if necessary, by contacting administrators via PM directly. You can also voice a general opinion in this feedback subforum: http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=7152

 

[The Hitch]

You should use the right channel to report him, if necessary, by contacting administrators via PM directly. You can also voice a general opinion in this feedback subforum: http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=7152

lol even i did not think you would be this desperate.

airstream complaining to the mods about other postrs? are you serious?

The only reason most posters don't report half the posts he makes is because we think it offers some comic value.

And even then its only thanks to the generosity of the mods that he hasnt been banned yet. You want to complain about airstream being unfairly treated by the mods? Wans't he trolling LF by talking about how Contador deserves to die? Its amazing hes not on a new account by now.

 

[LaFlorecita]

lol even i did not think you would be this desperate.

airstream complaining to the mods about other postrs? are you serious?

The only reason most posters don't report half the posts he makes is because we think it offers some comic value.

And even then its only thanks to the generosity of the mods that he hasnt been banned yet. You want to complain about airstream being unfairly treated by the mods? Wans't he trolling LF by talking about how Contador deserves to die? Its amazing hes not on a new account by now.

He got a 48 h ban for clinic talk in RR forum

 

[cineteq]

And even then its only thanks to the generosity of the mods that he hasnt been banned yet. You want to complain about airstream being unfairly treated by the mods? Wans't he trolling LF by talking about how Contador deserves to die? Its amazing hes not on a new account by now.

Airstream's banned now, enjoy hitting a man down.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

You should use the right channel to report him, if necessary, by contacting administrators via PM directly. You can also voice a general opinion in this feedback subforum: http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=7152

seems typical for someone like you to do. to backstab people and report them because you aren't grown-up enough to realize this is just a forum

 

[cineteq]

seems typical for someone like you to do. to backstab people and report them because you aren't grown-up enough to realize this is just a forum

Coming form a guy who's suspended every other day, I should consider this a complement, thanks Ryo.

 

[Carols]

He got a 48 h ban for clinic talk in RR forum

Well it's About Time...he ignored the rules for months....maybe this will wise him up that behavior has consequences!

 

[Parrulo]

back on topic fellas, cba to delete posts atm but will start doing so if the discussion doesn't go back on track.

thank you for defending me hitch, in this modern days it's rare to see a shinny armored knight