Schleck should give up yellow.

[Darrylc]

First of all apologies if I am repeating anything here. Have not been on the forum for a while due to new job, moving etc.
It is really apparent now that Andy Schleck is not a tour winner. He is a fantastic climber and what he did on the Galibier was amazing. He seems to believe that being this climber can win him the tour, but I do not believe he will ever be a complete cyclist. Evans and Contadour are also great climbers, but they are also fantastic descenders and time trialists. This is why Evans and Contadour are tour winners and Schleck won't be. Maybe he should start looking to polka dot instead.
Anyway apologies if this has been repeated by someone with 180,000+ posts, before you send me a link to your thread.

 

[will10]

If you were targetting the polka dots with this current system, you have to be up front on all the summit finishes, and hence may as well ride for GC.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Cadel is a testament why not to give up on yellow. The talent is there, the dedication i am not so sure.

 

[Bumeington]

Cadel is a testament why not to give up on yellow. The talent is there, the dedication i am not so sure.

+1 It took Cadel 2 2nd places and years of trying and he finally does it at 34. Why should Andy give up?

 

[Jeanne]

don't think he should give up on a future tdf-win. I'm sure he will win one day. all the why nots and what to change are discussed in other threads.

 

[sublimit]

Schleck is improving, he has miles more natural talent than Evans and should stick with it and keep going as he's still young. Maybe ride more early season Belgian classics to toughen himself up next year would help, ride the Dauphine instead of Suisse to give him another week of recovery etc etc.

He shouldn't throw the towel in like a girl he should come back fighting next year.

 

[veganrob]

Schleck is improving, he has miles more natural talent than Evans and should stick with it and keep going as he's still young. Maybe ride more early season Belgian classics to toughen himself up next year would help, ride the Dauphine instead of Suisse to give him another week of recovery etc etc.

He shouldn't throw the towel in like a girl he should come back fighting next year.

That is an insult to girls. There are many girls tougher than Andy.

 

[Franklin]

If his TT doesn't improve dramatically it becomes a REALLY long shot tbh.

In the last forty years there is no example of a similar bad TT rider winning a TdF.

I simply can't think of a single one.

*For those wondering check out the last TT of Sastre, van Impe and Pantani.
** Actually van Impe did a top five in a pancake TT several times.
***Sastre is by far the worst with 12th.
**** AC 2010 is also odd, but he won the flat TT the year before, so he's hardly a bad TT rider. And he took a lot of time in the prologue.

 

[HL2037]

He is good at climbing (and whining) and nothing else. He should target mountain stage wins and polka dots jersey.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

That is an insult to girls. There are many girls tougher than Andy.

Yea. In 2010's biggest stage race we saw the two best climbers in the world fighting tooth and nail on one of the sport's mythical passes.

But it wasn't Andy and Alberto holding hands on the Tourmalet, no, it was Mara Abbott and Emma Pooley wrestling their ways up the Passo di Stelvio.

 

[JimPanzen]

I think he shouldn't give up yellow, but he should certainly change his approach and give up concentrating his entire season planning around the TdF. I know he also targets the Ardenne classics, but he's giving up a lot of other opportunities for victories by his Lance-type preparation.

 

[Magnus]

Cunego should give up on GC. Andy should keep on trying.

 

[Carlo Algatrensig]

He shouldn't give up yellow he should give up his brother.

I think they would both benefit greatly if they didn't ride on the same team.

 

[erader]

If his TT doesn't improve dramatically it becomes a REALLY long shot tbh.

In the last forty years there is no example of a similar bad TT rider winning a TdF.

I simply can't think of a single one.

*For those wondering check out the last TT of Sastre, van Impe and Pantani.
** Actually van Impe did a top five in a pancake TT several times.
***Sastre is by far the worst with 12th.
**** AC 2010 is also odd, but he won the flat TT the year before, so he's hardly a bad TT rider. And he took a lot of time in the prologue.

how about marco pantani? yeah i know his TT suddenly improved but he was also doped to the gills. but i do agree. he'll never win unless he learns how to TT, comes off his high horse and trains more seriously.

erader

 

[Richeypen]

If he had last year's form I believe he would have won this year. His problem isnt talent its commitment and tactics, things which can be improved. He will win yellow (maybe at CAS in a few weeks )

 

[davestoller]

If there are two long ITTs, and even a medium team TT...this makes him more of a Robert Millar or Andy Hampsten--

Its only because they are not heaving real TTTs and two long ITTs that its even close.

Without the crashes, you would have Wiggins, Evans, and Leipheimer/Kloden winning yellow on the first ITT, giving the jersey up, staying close in the mountains--which could have been very diferent if Horner was there since it is likely he could have gotten away either alone or with Andy etc, then fighting for the jersey at then end.

 

[The Ripper]

It's a bit severe to say he'll never win, especially given his age/maturity. However, this was more of a climber's race and he could not pull it off, so he'll have to make some changes in training and his approach to competition in order to succeed. He has some years still ...

 

[Benotti69]

+1 It took Cadel 2 2nd places and years of trying and he finally does it at 34. Why should Andy give up?

he'll be thinking about all the beer and women he could have between now and 34

 

[Franklin]

how about marco pantani? yeah i know his TT suddenly improved but he was also doped to the gills. but i do agree. he'll never win unless he learns how to TT, comes off his high horse and trains more seriously.

erader

You answered it yourself.. he had to become complete (and yes the method was clear).

If there are two long ITTs, and even a medium team TT...this makes him more of a Robert Millar or Andy Hampsten--

Andy Hampsten was a pretty good TT rider when it really counted... For example check out 1986.

 

[Mshengu]

Andy really has to work on his TT. His climbing is pretty good and he wouldn't lose much time on Contador if he is in top shape. However with Contador and the other like Wiggins so good in the TT, he'll have a hard time winning.

If the tour has two TT's I see him losing 5 mins to the other contenders. After that Galibier escape, the GC rider won't let him go next time.

On another note he should maybe try winning a much hillier race like the Giro or Vuelta, there he will really cement his place amongst great grand tour riders.

 

[joeoil424]

if contador had been denied last year,s win,,rightly or wrongly, then schleck would deservedly have won last year,,his mistake this year was watching contador,who fell away,and not breaking cadel in the mountains,his tt is hopeless but still got 2nd overall,,,,cheers

 

[Franklin]

On another note he should maybe try winning a much hillier race like the Giro or Vuelta, there he will really cement his place amongst great grand tour riders.

Just for laughs, check the final TT of Vuelta and Giro winners. I think the interesting ones should be Cunego and Simoni, because quite frankly.. the Giro and Vuelta gets decided in the last TT as well.

It's not clear at all Andy will have a walkover in different GT's. Becoming second in the TdF isn't a guarantee for winning a Giro or Vuelta.

 

[Richeypen]

if contador had been denied last year,s win,,rightly or wrongly, then schleck would deservedly have won last year,,his mistake this year was watching contador,who fell away,and not breaking cadel in the mountains,his tt is hopeless but still got 2nd overall,,,,cheers

His TT time yesterday was the same as Malori and quicker than Millar, Thomas and Westra. Do you really consider that hopeless?

 

[Franklin]

His TT time yesterday was the same as Malori and quicker than Millar, Thomas and Westra. Do you really consider that hopeless?

Considering everything was on the line... yes that's not good.

You can expect the TdF winner to be better than many specialists, this has always been the case. Even pure climbers managed top 5 in pancake TT's in the past.

Let me state this one example: Peter Winnen did MUCH better at a pancake TT compared to Andy. Doing that he managed to hold of van Impe who did a whopping third place but didn't managed to topple him from the podium

And Peter was riding for podium, not for winning it. If Andy isn't more complete than Peter.. well.. that is worrisome isn't it?

Statistics are incredibly heavily stacked against Andy for the TdF. He improves his TT or he will never win one it seems.

 

[Richeypen]

Let me state this one example: Peter Winnen did MUCH better at a pancake TT compared to Andy. Doing that he managed to hold of van Impe who did a whopping third place

And Peter was riding for podium, not for winning it. If Andy isn't more complete than Peter.. well.. that is worrisome isn't it?

Whats that got to do with anything?