Lidl-Trek (no longer Radioshack-Leopard Trek)

[Parrulo]

He still lost his WC time trial title fair and square against Tony Martin.

And then he's coming with these stupid excuses that he was focusing on the road race instead... Sometimes I think there's a brain disease in Leotard. Focusing on the road race instead of the time trial despite every pro cyclist knowing that it was going to end in a bunch sprint

that part is true but i was only talking about the classics.

 

[roundabout]

Cancellara won 4 World titles in the ITT so I would say that a Road title would mean more to him even if there have been better courses for him to focus on.

 

[Christian]

Radioshack Nissan Trek official team presentation on January 6th in the Rockhal in Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg). Free entrance

http://www.rockhal.lu/agenda/other/show/detail/radioshack-nissan-trek-team-presentation-2012/

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Cancellara won 4 World titles in the ITT so I would say that a Road title would mean more to him even if there have been better courses for him to focus on.

Yes, but everyone knew he would never win the road wc, so focusing on it was in that case really stupid

 

[roundabout]

So knowing that he was very unlikely to win the TT he should have focused on that anyway and ignored the road race?

 

[will10]

He still lost his WC time trial title fair and square against Tony Martin.

And then he's coming with these stupid excuses that he was focusing on the road race instead... Sometimes I think there's a brain disease in Leotard. Focusing on the road race instead of the time trial despite every pro cyclist knowing that it was going to end in a bunch sprint

He's won the ITT before, he wants a RR rainbow jersey, he'd been caned all year by Martin, why focus on the ITT?

 

[El Pistolero]

He's won the ITT before, he wants a RR rainbow jersey, he'd been caned all year by Martin, why focus on the ITT?

He says he only lost the WC tt because he didn't focus on it. I call BS on that. Of course the road race is more prestigious. One road race > 2 time trials

 

[AussieGoddess]

yeah well I actually think he did the right thing focussing on the RR anyway.

He had a chance at it, and wanted a road race jersey so badly .... the TT - he has climbed that mountain so many times, he had to have a decent shot.

And he didnt fall that far short.

I do wonder what he will do this year though, for the Olympics and the WC. Will he go for the RR still, or go back to winning the TT.

 

[El Pistolero]

If he doesn't focus on the road race next year he's even more stupid then I thought.

For the Olympics, his best chance is to focus on the time trial though. At the worlds --> road race
But he'll enter both as the road races takes place before the time trial.

If he manages to win the Olympic time trial he'll probably not even enter the WC time trial.

 

[Panda Claws]

I do not really think that Cancellara was weaker in the classics this year.
He was simply overestimating himself and being dumb. (Attacking on the Leberg )

 

[La Pandera]

RaNT doing the trash talking again

Fabo having a go now - http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-this-season-shows-that-im-human



While somewhat true - re focus - always mid field , George says Hello

I was thinking the same thing. The constant references to how he gained even more respect in 2011 from the fans for his determination is a bit laughable. His dramatic whining and insulting of Nuyens really must done the trick in that regard. I'm hoping for an epic fail for him, Bruyneel and his team.
Just another rider who thinks his sh!t don't stink.

 

[El Pistolero]

I was thinking the same thing. The constant references to how he gained even more respect in 2011 from the fans for his determination is a bit laughable. His dramatic whining and insulting of Nuyens really must done the trick in that regard. I'm hoping for an epic fail for him, Bruyneel and his team.
Just another rider who thinks his sh!t don't stink.

Cancellara is liked in Belgium, he's not saying something weird there.

 

[La Pandera]

I just cant believe that anyone would think FC's season wasnt that successful

No - he didnt win a big one ....

but he was
- 2nd at MSR,
- 2nd at PR,
- 3rd at RVV,
- 3rd at WC TT and
- 4th at WC RR
- plus winning E3

Thats not a bad season by anyone's measure.

Point is he complains that he lost because he was a marked man but so was Boonen during his dominant period and yet he still won. You don't think Gilbert wasn't a marked man last year? No, it wasn't a bad season but definitely not up to the expectations when Leopard-Trek was initially launched. They weren't exactly the juggernaut that they hoped they would be.

 

[La Pandera]

He says he only lost the WC tt because he didn't focus on it. I call BS on that. Of course the road race is more prestigious. One road race > 2 time trials

Does he have a consistent issue with giving credit when credit is due? Martin was bending him over a counter all year in TT's. He and the Schleck's need stop watching the Lifetime Network and grow a pair.

 

[La Pandera]

I do not really think that Cancellara was weaker in the classics this year.
He was simply overestimating himself and being dumb. (Attacking on the Leberg )

I think he was extremely cocky. When things didn't go as he hoped the whining and excuses came flowing like a river. Some attributed his the top remarks about being "a gladiator with all his opponents massed against him but he held his head high" to him being misquoted due to the language barriers. More likely he became a parody of himself, like poorly made cycling s**** of a famous Ridley Scott movie.

 

[The Hitch]

Point is he complains that he lost because he was a marked man but so was Boonen during his dominant period and yet he still won. You don't think Gilbert wasn't a marked man last year? No, it wasn't a bad season but definitely not up to the expectations when Leopard-Trek was initially launched. They weren't exactly the juggernaut that they hoped they would be.

Gilbert was not marked to anywhere near the same extent. Going into the cobbled classics, everyone thought it was just a case of when he will attack. There were "anyone but Cancellara" avatars, and if you look at the RVV thread, everyone is complaining about how boring it is that Cancellara is going to win.

Gilbert was expected to win AGR but not FW, and he was slight favourite at best for LBL.

 

[El Pistolero]

Gilbert was not marked to anywhere near the same extent. Going into the cobbled classics, everyone thought it was just a case of when he will attack. There were "anyone but Cancellara" avatars, and if you look at the RVV thread, everyone is complaining about how boring it is that Cancellara is going to win.

Gilbert was expected to win AGR but not FW, and he was slight favourite at best for LBL.

Seriously lol?

As for AGR. Re-watch the race please, everybody was sitting on his wheel. Gilbert dragged them to the Cauberg with some help of Jelle Vanendert and still outsprinted everyone with ease.

 

[Panda Claws]

Gilbert was not marked to anywhere near the same extent. Going into the cobbled classics, everyone thought it was just a case of when he will attack. There were "anyone but Cancellara" avatars, and if you look at the RVV thread, everyone is complaining about how boring it is that Cancellara is going to win.

Gilbert was expected to win AGR but not FW, and he was slight favourite at best for LBL.

Cancellara was indeed a much bigger marked man in the cobbled classics than Gilbert was in the ardennes classics (not the later ones.) But let us not downplay Gilbert's 'markedness'. As El Pistolero said he was indeed very much marked for AGR but also for LBL. Difference is that his accelerations are crazy, it is much harder to mark someone if you can't hold his wheel.

But next year will indeed be Gilbert's first test as the "Cancellara of the ardennes".

 

[Christian]

Official site launched:

http://www.radioshacknissantrek.com/

Reserve your free tickets for the team presentation on January 6th now and get ready for a "great surprise"!

 

[Cimber]

Official site launched:

http://www.radioshacknissantrek.com/

Reserve your free tickets for the team presentation on January 6th now and get ready for a "great surprise"!

Hmm the colours still seem very Leopard'ish

 

[theyoungest]

Hmm the colours still seem very Leopard'ish

Yeah, this looks like bad news... Leopard colour scheme plus logo.

 

[Havetts]

Atleast the Leopard colours were better than the RadioShack ones.

 

[theyoungest]

Atleast the Leopard colours were better than the RadioShack ones.

No, they were not. RadioShack had a great jersey, which I hoped they would keep. Leopard hardly had any colours, black and faint blue?

 

[Havetts]

Can't argue over what we both like better, I just HATE the way Leopard mutilated the national champions jerseys.

But we have too much teams with a black colourbase already. Bah

 

[Christian]

I wonder what they "great surprise" will be. Last year I thought they were going to book Prince but then it ended up being a bunch of unknown showacts. It's probably too expensive to get Prince, he recently played in the very same venue (Rockhal) and tickets started at 90€.

So maybe the Bangles?