Sastre or Cervelo team faltering ?

[Laszlo]

Interesting question, and one I was pondering as Sastre finished well back in the mud the other day and looking like a ghost. I have a ton of respect for Sastre both as a cyclist and as one of the very few genuine gentlemen in professional cycling. He is one of the best pure climbers in the world and impressively durable in grand tours.

As others have said, the Cervelo team is not the Riis outfit Sastre left, but I think the biggest issue might be a combination of Sastre's passivity and his lacking the kind of physical fortitude to survive what was an incredibly grueling first week of the Giro. While he's a joy to watch going uphill, this Giro doesn't seem to suit him very well at all. I'm not articulating this particularly well: Sastre's ability to finish GTs well is an indication that he's tough, but he's not one of the hardmen of the peloton...

I think you made your point very well, and I do have to agree with what you say. It's too bad, as a TdF champion and Cervelo rider I hold higher expectations than either the man or the team can deliver- and certainly higher than what he has achieved thus far in the Giro.

-looking at the angle of his back he looks a bit too stretched out on his bike by the way

 

[Laszlo]

Yeah, sure there is no motivation for cyclists to dope. It's perfectly normal for riders to show nothing in races before a grand tour and then contend for the podium. It is also normal for riders who have been top ten GT contenders for a decade, when all the other contenders were doping, to be clean.

When riders have massive swings in performance it makes me suspicious. Just sayin'.

I was not aware that Cervelo has been designated the new "clean" team. When did this occur? It's getting hard to keep track of the pious.

I think Gerrard would pull the company out if a doping result shamed his team. Like Phonak did. Privately held, more than enough profile and a strong presence in the Tri crowd. It doesn't cost too much to be pragmatic on your way up, but when you are already there, it might be more important to demonstrate your values than risk guilt by association.

 

[Angliru]

I don't buy this luck excuse, a guy makes his own luck by riding at the front and out trouble. A guy checks the bolts on brake and shifters to ensure the mechanic did his job and make them tight enough. He speeds wheel changes by having his wheel out and ready for the switch. All that adds up, as does the time lost when you fail to grab opportunity and look after yourself. He has been just too content. He did better with Riis. His Giro was flawed last year as well.

I don't see what riding on the front has to do with getting flats other than you're among the first to hit whatever caused the flat in the first place.

 

[taiwan]

Sastre will never podium a GT again.

It's quite clear his TDF win was a fluke thanks to an insanely strong team.

The last Giro.

 

[scribe]

I'd bet Riis regrets letting Sastre go instead of the Schecklets, in tdf08. Any one of them could have put enough bite in to win it that year.

 

[kurtinsc]

I'd bet Riis regrets letting Sastre go instead of the Schecklets, in tdf08. Any one of them could have put enough bite in to win it that year.

If I remember correctly, Andy had already bonked on an earlier stage and wasn't high enough up the GC to have a shot at winning. Riis apparently tried to get Frank to go but Frank couldn't.

That left Sastre. It was him or nothing.

Given Frank's TT a few stages later... it was the best possible result for Riis. If Frank HAD gone and gotten the same gap, Evans would have won the Tour since Frank's TT was so bad.

 

[scribe]

Sastre's TT was a real concern as well, but he managed out of that one at the time. During the critical mountain stage it wasn't clear to anyone who Riis would send up the road.

 

[Galic Ho]

He was the demonstrably the best climber at the 2006 and 2008 Tours and the 2007 Vuelta. How is he only a solid top10ish rider?

I'll agree with an exception to the 2006 Tour. Floyd Landis. I will say no more about him other than he was the best climber. Carlos was the only rider apart from Perreiro to try and pull Floyd back on stage 17. Carlos pulled a minute back. Nobody else did.

 

[Boeing]

apart from a couple of stages where did his form go after he won the tour?

I admire the fact that he rides hard still. It looks like he rides through pain though

 

[Galic Ho]

I'd bet Riis regrets letting Sastre go instead of the Schecklets, in tdf08. Any one of them could have put enough bite in to win it that year.

Not true. Andy's ITT was not as good as it is now and neither was Franks. They've both improved. Frank dropped 5 minutes to Schumacher and over 3 to Carlos. Carlos was the strongest overall. Andy in 2009 could have come close to replicating Carlos chrono in 2008, but needed the extra year to grow and improve. Andy's 2008 chrono was not as bad as his brothers, but it would not have been sufficient to hold off Kohl and Evans, let alone Menchov.

 

[Galic Ho]

apart from a couple of stages where did his form go after he won the tour?

I admire the fact that he rides hard still. It looks like he rides through pain though

Probably sitting in a fridge in Spain at the gynaecologists office. That is where it went or more aptly, where it stayed.

 

[BroDeal]

I'll agree with an exception to the 2006 Tour. Floyd Landis. I will say no more about him other than he was the best climber. Carlos was the only rider apart from Perreiro to try and pull Floyd back on stage 17. Carlos pulled a minute back. Nobody else did.

I have always suspected that Kloden was not having a great day during stage 17, so T-Mobile could not chase as hard as they wanted for fear of popping Kloden. But you are right about Sastre. On the final climb he went after FLandis himself, pulled some time back, and looked good doing it.

 

[eljimberino]

sastre will now aim for a few stages at giro, kom at tour, retire at the end of this year. i know, he just rang. hola carlos.

 

[Barrus]

sastre will now aim for a few stages at giro, kom at tour, retire at the end of this year. i know, he just rang. hola carlos.

I think he's going to aim for the giro win now

 

[Zerak-Tul]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmBxVfQTuvI

Gotta be Sastres new favorite track

 

[TRDean]

This thread should have its name changed from Sastre to Cadel and BMC, or Vino and Astana...

 

[Magnus]

Not true. Andy's ITT was not as good as it is now and neither was Franks. They've both improved. Frank dropped 5 minutes to Schumacher and over 3 to Carlos. Carlos was the strongest overall. Andy in 2009 could have come close to replicating Carlos chrono in 2008, but needed the extra year to grow and improve. Andy's 2008 chrono was not as bad as his brothers, but it would not have been sufficient to hold off Kohl and Evans, let alone Menchov.

Some's speculating that Frank softpedalled so that Sastre would have the advantage of him as rabbit. (Didn't they use to make TT-startlists s.t. teammates didn't start next to each other?)

@Scribe:
Why would Riis regret that? He got the tour victory and didn't have to pay a tourwinners salary.

 

[scribe]

Sastre jumped ship, and the shreks became riis' clear future. Shecklets definitely soft pedaled once sastre got up the road. It might have been a different race had they not all been on the same team.