Menchov & Sastre: What are they thinking?

[DAOTEC]

Menchov & Sastre: What are they thinking?

Get the Hell out (of) there

[Team Geox-Tmc official video Battesimo neo prof 2]

 

[webvan]

Looks like Menchov might be riding for Riis...that would make the TDF more exciting!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/menchov-to-stay-with-geox-tmc-despite-tour-de-france-snub

Scimone revealed that Menchov has a get out clause in his standard UCI contract and could leave Geox-TMC. But this is because the team failed to secure ProTeam status, not for the lack of a Tour de France invitation.

It seems the only way Menchov would part ways with Geox-TMC is if the team fails to secure an invitation to the Giro d’Italia. A second grand tour snub could spark the demise of the whole team, with Geox rethinking its involvement in cycling.

It would be sad to see a big sponsor like Geox leave, but hopefully that would be the end of Gianetti!

 

[luckyboy]

I think it'd be pretty terrible for all those riders and staff to lose their jobs for one guy to go down (well, and Matxin).

Riis, Lefevre, Bruyneel, Savio and more are still gonna be there.

 

[webvan]

Given their poor showing on the Etna at the Giro today they must feel lucky to be the co-leaders of a team...

 

[luckyboy]

Could say the same about Rodriguez.

 

[La Pandera]

There is a belief that often in the first true mountain stage of a grand tour, some riders often have difficulty finding their climbing legs and that could be the case with Menchov, Sastre and any number of riders that struggled today. I recall in 2005, Basso struggling on the initial stage to Courcheval, being dropped by the eventual selection of Armstrong, Valverde, Rassmussen and Mancebo. Basso would come back and show his true form later in the Tour but for some reason that first mountainous stage his legs just didn't respond.

 

[webvan]

That's true, but they'd already done some decent climbing this time.

Sastre or Rodriguez I can understand because it seemed to be a very fast climb, Menchov is a bit more surprising if he's in good form.

 

[luckyboy]

Losing 2 minutes is a bit much for a pure climber like Rodriguez, even if this isn't his preferred type of climb. As much as I like Menchov I haven't really seen his good form recently.

 

[La Pandera]

That's true, but they'd already done some decent climbing this time.

Sastre or Rodriguez I can understand because it seemed to be a very fast climb, Menchov is a bit more surprising if he's in good form.

Nothing as sustained as this as the final climb. That's why I used the 2005 Tour Courcheval climb as an example.

 

[The Hitch]

Doesnt The Pope usually have problems the day after a rest day.

 

[La Pandera]

Losing 2 minutes is a bit much for a pure climber like Rodriguez, even if this isn't his preferred type of climb. As much as I like Menchov I haven't really seen his good form recently.

I guess I've run out reasons for why these guys didn't meet expectations. I can only hope that they can come back and save face. I really didn't expect too much from Sastre in terms of consistently climbing with the contenders. He's past that point in his career.

 

[Boeing]

sastre will struggle to recover after one big effort so he buys time

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Menchov is just at Geox to pick up that huge salary check. He already has his biggest successes in the bag at Rabobank

 

[Altitude]

Today's climb was supposed to be Mr. 9/10's bread and butter - long and gradual. Surprising to say the least.

 

[La Pandera]

Losing 2 minutes is a bit much for a pure climber like Rodriguez, even if this isn't his preferred type of climb. As much as I like Menchov I haven't really seen his good form recently.

Maybe Purito put too much into the Ardennes. What was his schedule before that? He seemed to be less than his best in L-B-L, allowing the Schlecks and Gilbert to escape.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Losing time to Contador is one thing. Losing time to riders you'd expect to be a tier (or more) behind them like Siutsou, Le Mevel, Gadret, Dupont, Carrara, etc is quite another.

There's still a long way to go, and Menchov and Rodriguez could find their form, but that was a pretty poor showing.

 

[La Pandera]

Losing time to Contador is one thing. Losing time to riders you'd expect to be a tier (or more) behind them like Siutsou, Le Mevel, Gadret, Dupont, Carrara, etc is quite another.

There's still a long way to go, and Menchov and Rodriguez could find their form, but that was a pretty poor showing.

Yep, I'm pretty disappointed and without a clue as to what happened.

 

[webvan]

I'd need to look at the profile again but that climb didn't seem to be very steep, nothing like Courchevel, but then again they climbed up higher, so it might have been the wide road? Nope, only up to 1892 :

 

[La Pandera]

I'm pretty sure I said they hadn't had to face a "sustained" final climb until this stage.

 

[Arnout]

I feel sad for Matxin and Geox, they pay a ****load of money and the guys don't deliver. Back in 2008 I liked Sastre as he was a humble, but ambitious guy, but he has lost it since long.

Menchov has always been erratic, but this is not the time for him to not deliver.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Maybe Menchov saw the UCI list and wanted to get a 0 next time

 

[Escarabajo]

Yep, I'm pretty disappointed and without a clue as to what happened.

Nowadays in cycling it is very difficult to really tell what's going on with cyclists because you never now what is going on behind those hotel doors.

 

[cineteq]

The thread title continues to be so relevant...
Actually, what was GEOX thinking?

 

[L'arriviste]

Annus horribilis. I can't even see this team holding together with Menchov and Sastre. They must try to win a stage if only to save face. Then if they're in it for the longer term, Geox will have to get itself a team and significantly improve in time for 2012.

 

[greenedge]

They should focus on Duarte and Valls for the future. I can just about see Menchov winning one more stage race but he's not the GT threat he was last yr. Get maybe a good spanish sprinter or maybe Castrajevo.