Radio Shack might skip the Giro d'Italia

[Carboncrank]

I would think it would be a bigger deal to win the Giro than the Tour of California, which is NOT a better tune up for the TdF.

Here you are saying the Giro is a better tune up than the TOC. If it's such a great tune up why don't more riders do it?

Which would you rather be a winner of the Tour of California or a winner of the Giro d'Italia? I know what my answer would be....

And the fact that Bruyneel has won 9 out of the 12 TdF since 1998 is not dispositive of anything other than they won 9 of the 12. It's what you do if your singular strategy is to win the TdF. Your answer presupposes that everyone has that same strategy. Or that wanting to win the Giro/Vuelta or TdF/Vuelta or Giro/TdF is not a plausible strategy.

Here your saying it is a plausible strategy.

It didn't have anything to do with the fact that most years the Giro winner simply not racing at the Tour de France.

Here you say most people don't use the plausible strategy.

It's a good tune up, but few use it.

Is using the Giro as a tune up for the tour a good idea or not? Quit talking out of both sides of your mouth.

 

[ravens]

Here you are saying the Giro is a better tune up than the TOC. If it's such a great tune up why don't more riders do it?



Here your saying it is a plausible strategy.



Here you say most people don't use the plausible strategy.

It's a good tune up, but few use it.

Is using the Giro as a tune up for the tour a good idea or not? Quit talking out of both sides of your mouth.

I would tend to disagree that it is a good tune up for the tdf, but my knowledge of training to peak for stage races is limited. Is a month to 6 weeks after a mountainous 3 week stage race sufficient to peak again for another mountainous 3 week stage race?

Then again, with hgh and other drugs that enhance/speed recovery time, the mathematics changes a lot.

Again, I defer to those with a deeper knowledge.

 

[Anonymous]

he never comes to the troll meetings.

He was assigned snack detail at the last one. he owes me a juice pouch and some goldfish.

See, its because you attend the high class troll meeting where the cool, smart trolls all hang out. He goes to the short bus troll meetings. They get helmets, leashes, a bib, and applesauce.

 

[ravens]

See, its because you attend the high class troll meeting where the cool, smart trolls all hang out. He goes to the short bus troll meetings. They get helmets, leashes, a bib, and applesauce.

you sound like the voice of experience

 

[Carboncrank]

Riding few races and the Tour as the only GT, is not so much a strategy, but the programme that brought Armstrong his year's of unbroken success. No doubt it worked for him and others now see it as a blueprint for Tour success.

It's no a strategy but a programme? That's being a bit picky about semantics isn't it?

However your second paragraph doesn't fly, since Lance had a lock on the Tour and only one rider won a GT and went to a Tour to contend, during this period.
You seem to be saying you don't think Lance could have defended his tour title and won a Giro, in the same year
I think Lance could definitely have "doubled", in 2002, given the entry levels of the respective races.

When it comes down to it, you seem to lack confidence in your idol's ability.

The risk of not winning the TdF is greater than the reward of winning both.

I can invision scenarios where Lance wins both, but I'm pretty sure that if he'd have tried it all 7 times, he would not have won 7 Tds, and some years where he wins neither one. That's usually what happens to racers that try both.

I can envision other scenarios where Merckx or Hinault won more TdF's if they hadn't raced both so much. Merckx didn't win a Grand Tour past age 29. Maybe he'd have lasted longer.

And thanks for not insulting me.

 

[issoisso]

I would tend to disagree that it is a good tune up for the tdf, but my knowledge of training to peak for stage races is limited. Is a month to 6 weeks after a mountainous 3 week stage race sufficient to peak again for another mountainous 3 week stage race?

No, it's not, but using the Giro as a tune-up means not peaking for it, but using it for......a tune-up. Self-explanatory, really

Then again, with hgh and other drugs that enhance/speed recovery time, the mathematics changes a lot.

Again, I defer to those with a deeper knowledge.

Precisely, it changed everything. No matter how much willpower you have, you will NEVER. EVER. EVER. train as hard as you race. So, you need lots of racing to improve your form. If you just train and don't race, you'll fall flat on your face when crunch time comes and you're nowhere near top form.

But with blood doping, that changed. it became far better to barely race and then "magically" show up in great form.

As a result, now we see a bucketload of contenders doing nothing for a month or two, then riding the Dauphiné/Tour de Suisse at which they're already at a good level, then suddenly showing up at the Tour in peak form.

That just screams "blood doping".

That and not being able to keep a form peak for more than two weeks (as opposed to 3 or 4 that would be normal), like certain riders. That's also an indication of "not playing fair". Especially when it's taken to the extreme of a guy who can only peak for about a total of 3 weeks per year like a certain Tour white jersey....

 

[Mellow Velo]

The risk of not winning the TdF is greater than the reward of winning both.

I agree that this is Armstrong's reasoning.

On the subject of Tour prep, I'm not sure either race is fit for purpose.
The Giro is all about recovery, Cali is really just about mileage, as it's not peaking time.

For instance, I don't think you will see many riders coming off a classics season, riding Cali or the Giro. (such as the Schlecks, possibly not Cancellara, either)
This would be their natural rest period.

I think the startlist will not resemble it's February cast.

 

[Anonymous]

you sound like the voice of experience

I do love the applesauce...

 

[Publicus]

Here you are saying the Giro is a better tune up than the TOC. If it's such a great tune up why don't more riders do it?



Here your saying it is a plausible strategy.



Here you say most people don't use the plausible strategy.

It's a good tune up, but few use it.

Is using the Giro as a tune up for the tour a good idea or not? Quit talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Unfortunately you are completely wrong in your analysis of what the author (in this case me) wrote. Though I must commend you on the effort. That's the only way you are ever going to improve your reading comprehension skills. I would recommend starting over from the beginning, but read the words slowly and take sometime to reflect on the author's intent while being mindful of the full context of the sentence and the previous/following sentences (if any).

You only get better if you keep practicing. Good luck slugger!

 

[craig1985]

I agree that this is Armstrong's reasoning.

On the subject of Tour prep, I'm not sure either race is fit for purpose.
The Giro is all about recovery, Cali is really just about mileage, as it's not peaking time.

For instance, I don't think you will see many riders coming off a classics season, riding Cali or the Giro. (such as the Schlecks, possibly not Cancellara, either)
This would be their natural rest period.

I think the startlist will not resemble it's February cast.

I'm pretty sure Frank will be riding the TOC. Nibali is also turning up. If Cancellara rides the Giro then he will pull out after a week, or when the hard mountains appear. I would think that Specialized would want Cancellara at the TOC.

 

[flicker]

But with blood doping, that changed. it became far better to barely race and then "magically" show up in great form.

You could be right in the old school training. Now its all tech with heartmonitors wattage meters, wind tunnel ane computers. If you have the dough and the experience ,experienced trainers. Cyclists have become slaves to the machines and the trainers.

If you add doping to this technique you might see "special performances" but the biological pasport should catch the dopers...right?

 

[Race Radio]

the biological pasport should catch the dopers...right?

How many has it caught so far?

 

[flicker]

RR as I have stated before and I feel like Vaughters is **** and Bull the bio pass is a way for riders to enhance and stay within a balanced limit of enhancement as opposed to rocket ships Rebbelin, Pantani, Riis etc. I feel UCI is in the comfort zone with bio pass, do you think David Millar has issues with it? I don't race so I don't know.

 

[Race Radio]

RR as I have stated before and I feel like Vaughters is **** and Bull the bio pass is a way for riders to enhance and stay within a balanced limit of enhancement as opposed to rocket ships Rebbelin, Pantani, Riis etc. I feel UCI is in the comfort zone with bio pass, do you think David Millar has issues with it? I don't race so I don't know.

The UCI has said that Contador's numbers are spotless. It certainly has not slowed him down.

 

[flicker]

The UCI are in El Pistoleros' pocket. No matter what I respect Contador. Any one who has ridden a stage race would.

 

[Publicus]

The UCI has said that Contador's numbers are spotless. It certainly has not slowed him down.

Really? I hadnt heard that. When was this said? Thanks in advance.

 

[Race Radio]

Really? I hadnt heard that. When was this said? Thanks in advance.

I first heard it from a friend in a team that was trying to land him it but it was also in Velonews about 6 months ago. McQuaid has also said publicly that Contador is clean.....not that we should believe anything McQuaid says.

 

[Delicato]

Lol'd HARD.

I personally think it's a shame that RS won't be in Italy--I think a Kloden V Vino race would be pretty cool (if that's how both teams decided to play their cards). If nothing else, the TTs would be spectacular.

This wish is based on nothing but speculation--I have no idea what Astana is planning RE the Giro. But I think it would be an interesting match-up. We certainly won't ever see those two square off as captains at the Tour.

Kloden already had a chance for winning Giro, and was a designated team leader, that was in 2008, he failed (I think that even the management didn't expect that Contador would be on top level). Giro mountains are too steep for German, and anyway, he does not have a GT winner mentality, IMO.

As for Astana, Vino already played down his chances given the fact that 2010 edition is mountainous and there won't be a long TT where he could make up time lost on mountaintop finishes like Zoncolan.

 

[ustabe]

I do not see that the Sponsor Radio Shack would benefit by having an Italy team. I do not think the Shack does business in

The raison d'etre of Team Radio Shack is a European marketing push by the sponsor.

 

[luckyboy]

Really? I think the only shop left in Europe is in Belgium, and that's under a different name - Tandy. Unless they're building new stores..

 

[Carboncrank]

The UCI has said that Contador's numbers are spotless. It certainly has not slowed him down.

You say the strangest things sometimes.

Just what do spotless numbers look like?

Doesn't sound like the Passport system I read about.

 

[Galic Ho]

I haven't been on the site for a week but saw this thread the moment I came on. Pretty simple, RadioShack will not get an invite. RCS do not want Armstrong back and TOC is on at the same time. They won't have a team worth sending if they get an invite. Hence they won't be there. Stop giving these muppets at the Retirement Shack attention.

 

[craig1985]

And if you look on the RS website, for the month of May, the Giro does not feature for them.

 

[markene2]

As for Astana, Vino already played down his chances given the fact that 2010 edition is mountainous and there won't be a long TT where he could make up time lost on mountaintop finishes like Zoncolan.

He did not. He said if he had the form and the mentalty then he would aim for the podiums. If not the stages, Vino can TT and Climb. And can easily gain time with his attacks
I am hoping for a kick@ss Giro with Vino

 

[theswordsman]

bump, for old times sake