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Official thread TdF Stage 18 Annency-Annency 40.5 km ITT

Page 14 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Sorry, I hate to say I told you so, but I have to do it this one time as I feel like I was the only guy saying Lance would do better in the climbs than the TTs.

jaylew said:
What on earth have you seen from Armstrong since his comeback that leads you to believe he'll win the TT? He is not the TTer he was in his heyday.

jaylew said:
I understand what you're saying but the 1st TT was hardly an uphill TT. Cancellara did win it, after all. Also, I'm not sure how you could tell anything from the TTT. At this point I actually think he's going stronger on the climbs than in the TTs. I'd say he finishes between 7th and 15th.

jaylew said:
I'm not sure why so many people have LA on their list for this stage. So far, he hasn't shown any sign of that old TT form. He's actually shown more on the climbs so far. That's actually one of the reasons I don't rate his chance for the overall. Things could obviously change, but the way things are looking so far AC will wipe the floor with him in the TTs.

I must have posted stuff like that several times this Tour. People kept predicting Lance would win the TT or finish in the top 5 and he finishes 16th, behind Moreau, Monfort, Chavanel, Karpets, etc... and only 15 secs up on Andy.

jaylew said:
I think the results will look eerily similar to the 1st TT, with Cancellara, Contador, Kloden and Evans being the favorites. Not sure about Wiggins; he usually goes better in shorter TTs. Of course he usually can't climb so who knows what to expect from him?

Results from the two TTs in order for top 6 on GC(+ Evans for fun)

1st TT: Contador, Wiggins, Kloden, Evans, Armstrong, Schleck, Schleck

2nd TT: Contador, Wiggins, Kloden, Evans, Armstrong, Schleck, Schleck
 
TRDean said:
Exactly...AC has always been an above average time trialist.

Agreed. I don't know why there is such a misconception regarding this. AC has always been a very, very good TTer and started winning TTs right from the start of his career. In fact, I think he was known more as a TT specialist when he was a neo-pro.

I guess people just assume otherwise because he is such a great climber and isn't a big guy.
 

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I met LA when I was a teenager (circa 1988). I knew his girlfriend at the time through a friend and we were over her house. He was there watching some old tour footage. This was around the time he was just switching to bike racing from triathlons (my friend and I were "real" bike racers so we looked down on him as a tri-geek). Anyway my friend asked him if he was going to do the tour some day (in a sarcastic tone), LA replied "Fu@k that Sh!t, I'm gonna win it". We laughed at him, probably called him some names and left.

Fast forward a couple years, I'm off the back of some race he won- I think it was that million dollar triple crown, and I remember thinking "son of a *****!". The rest is history.

Point is I've thought he was a douche from the first encounter, and while I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, I believe everything negative I read about him.

While I'm at it....I've read comments doubting wiggo's clean, citing his weight loss doesn't explain his great performance: but isn't that the same thing LA did?
 
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jaylew said:
Sorry, I hate to say I told you so, but I have to do it this one time as I feel like I was the only guy saying Lance would do better in the climbs than the TTs.

I must have posted stuff like that several times this Tour. People kept predicting Lance would win the TT or finish in the top 5 and he finishes 16th, behind Moreau, Monfort, Chavanel, Karpets, etc... and only 15 secs up on Andy.



Results from the two TTs in order for top 6 on GC(+ Evans for fun)

1st TT: Contador, Wiggins, Kloden, Evans, Armstrong, Schleck, Schleck

2nd TT: Contador, Wiggins, Kloden, Evans, Armstrong, Schleck, Schleck

You get to pat yourself on the back. Just like in the Giro, and the first ITT, to me the significance is not only Armstrong's time, but his relative position (12th, 10th, 16th). I admit, I thought he would do much better in the TTs--it seemed to me that an older athlete could maintain a higher level of aerobic conditioning easier than the ability to attack on climbs. Obviously not so.

Armstrongs Twitter comment: TT done. Finally back to the hotel. That hurt like hell. Ran outta fuel and paid for yesterday's effort I suppose. Happy to move to 3rd tho.

As a mid-50s former recreational athlete trying to ramp up a workout routine after 15 yrs lost to injuries, work demands, etc., I can definitely relate to the gap between desire and performance :(
 
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rhubroma said:
Contador is better than Ullrich was and Lance too, the guy just does what he wants. Has more natural talent and class. Wins in the spring too. Lance is a gregario compared to this man. :p

Lance a gregario?? More like black ice on the road, coming down the Mortirolo at 90 kph.:D
 
indurain666 said:
just read an interview that LA gave to Spanish press:

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/Alberto/bueno/elpepidep/20090723elpepidep_3/Tes

When asked about his cold relationship with AC he replies:

"Si me pusiera en su lugar, en 1999 o 2000, cuando era joven y ambicioso, e Indurain hubiera venido a mi equipo, él seguiría siendo el líder del equipo, ¡es Indurain! No significa que vaya a ganar, pero es el líder porque es una leyenda.'

."..If I would put myself in his place, in 99-00, young and ambitious, and Indurain would have returned, he would have been the team leader!! Not because he could win, but because he is a legend..."

hilarious...earth lo Lance...this guy is high on crack...:D

Can't believe I bought the livestrong crap a few year ago :(

Absolutely ridiculous.
 
Altimax said:
Iv'e never doubted Contador until today. Yes we've seen big stong TT experts convert themselves into almost top climbers (generally as it turns ot with some extra help:rolleyes:) but to see a pure super lightweight climber better the worlds best TT riders, especially Cancellara is just too much of an improvement in my opinion. Yes there was a climb on the course, but for Contador to produce so much power on the flat is just too incredible to be true

Crimey. He beat him up the climb (his strong suit) and lost a ton of time on the descent (Spartacus' strength). If the course had been 41KM, he would have slotted into second.
 
Escarabajo said:
I am not saying that he is not into something. But at least from a year and half ago to now he has been improving his TT. So people don't need to be surprised that he won today.

Just watch other races than the Tour de France and you will see.;)

Exactly. After the 2007 Tour, he's focused on getting better in the TT.
 
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Segment Speeds

speedspeedspeedspeedspeedkm/hrkm/hrkm/hrkm/hrkm/hrCONTADOR Alberto53.950.125.061.661.8CANCELLARA Fabian
52.352.423.565.765.6WIGGINS Bradley53.151.223.960.161.8KLÖDEN Andréas52.351.024.160.761.8ARMSTRONG Lance52.750.222.959.960.9SCHLECK Andy52.048.624.158.760.9SCHLECK Frank51.348.423.757.358.9
 
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CONTADOR Alberto 53.9 50.1 25.0 61.6 61.8
CANCELLARA Fabian 52.3 52.4 23.5 65.7 65.6
WIGGINS Bradley 53.1 51.2 23.9 60.1 61.8
KLÖDEN Andréas 52.3 51.0 24.1 60.7 61.8
ARMSTRONG Lance 52.7 50.2 22.9 59.9 60.9
SCHLECK Andy 52.0 48.6 24.1 58.7 60.9
SCHLECK Frank 51.3 48.4 23.7 57.3 58.9
 
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Altimax said:
Iv'e never doubted Contador until today. Yes we've seen big stong TT experts convert themselves into almost top climbers (generally as it turns ot with some extra help:rolleyes:) but to see a pure super lightweight climber better the worlds best TT riders, especially Cancellara is just too much of an improvement in my opinion. Yes there was a climb on the course, but for Contador to produce so much power on the flat is just too incredible to be true

Some superb timetriallers:
From letour.com

Contador 61 kg
Leipheimer 62 kg
Klöden 63 kg
Evans 64 kg

(quick google elsewhere)
Marco Pinotti 66 kg
Chris Boardman 69 kg

+ it was after three weeks of racing. If both Canc and Conta being fresh Canc most probably would have put some time to Conta.
 
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Altimax said:
Iv'e never doubted Contador until today. Yes we've seen big stong TT experts convert themselves into almost top climbers (generally as it turns ot with some extra help:rolleyes:) but to see a pure super lightweight climber better the worlds best TT riders, especially Cancellara is just too much of an improvement in my opinion. Yes there was a climb on the course, but for Contador to produce so much power on the flat is just too incredible to be true
Didn't he come 3rd or 4th in the TT at Beijing olympics? He's always been a good TTer. It's the light dancing up every mountain no matter how steep that makes me suspicious.
 
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mambo#5 said:
damn, my guess is that even the thread about "who has the bigger package?" turns into a doping discussion.

Hey, your hero put that shit on the table with his "almost impossible" statement. Obviously that guy is hiding someone else's balls in his pocket, because one would not be nearly enough to say something that freaking hypocritical.
 
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Wergeland said:
Didn't he come 3rd or 4th in the TT at Beijing olympics? He's always been a good TTer. It's the light dancing up every mountain no matter how steep that makes me suspicious.

I am suspicious too. But not because of AC's climbing or TT ability. I am suspicious because he was able to beat Lance. And we all know Lance is the standard all clean riders are meassured against. He is the best a clean rider could ever get to be. Thus anybody that beats Lance (who is a clean rider) is doping. And Lance (who is a clean rider) finished 16th in today's TT. So all 15 guys ahead of him are doping. All other guys after him are clean.

Did I mention that Lance is a clean rider? He is the most tested athlete in the world. He almost never has tested positive. And he showers a lot, so he can stay clean.
 
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Contador is "the man" now in cycling. Until someone new comes up to beat him, or he tests positive for an illegal substance, my hat is off to him.
 

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fulcrum said:
In clear contrast to the Club Med the brits and their american descendents politely set up for the natives in North America. The summer camps the germans promoted for 11 million people in Europe. The economic recovery programs the French spread all over Africa etc etc...

Put down the pipe son... put down the pipe...


The north american native indians are the most pampered people on earth.
The jews were extremely rich and powerful. The german people were the underdogs. Totally different. I won't defend the French.
 
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iceaxe said:
The north american native indians are the most pampered people on earth.
The jews were extremely rich and powerful. The german people were the underdogs. Totally different. I won't defend the French.

You sir are a moron.
 
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jaylew said:
You have learn to ignore him like most of us around here do. Look at his previous posts - almost every one has some really horrible stuff in it.

Yea, he is just here to jerk chains. I doubt anything he writes is genuine.
 

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jaylew said:
You have learn to ignore him like most of us around here do. Look at his previous posts - almost every one has some really horrible stuff in it.

I agree it is horrible. But the truth is horrible. The human condition is horrible. Life is horrible.
 

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