Schlecks Rating of tour rivals

[The Hitch]

Gesink already outclimbed and out-time trialed Rodriguez last year. He's got nothing to prove.

He also outclimbed Ivan Basso and Cadel Evans. I guess that must mean hes better than them too

 

[roundabout]

Since The Hitch forbids using last year as an example i had to go out on a limb

 

[theyoungest]

He also outclimbed Ivan Basso and Cadel Evans. I guess that must mean hes better than them too

? I'm talking about the Tour... can we agree that Rodriguez had something resembling top form there?

 

[The Hitch]

Since The Hitch forbids using last year as an example i had to go out on a limb

Use what you want as an example. Ill just try to disprove it.

And your getting in the way of my baiting Ruben, TimmylovesRabo, El pistrollero and his fellow Belgian chauvinists

Move out of the way.

 

[theyoungest]

Use what you want as an example. Ill just try to disprove it.

And your getting in the way of my baiting Ruben, TimmylovesRabo, El pistrollero and his fellow Belgian chauvinists

Move out of the way.

God forbid Marek Unspellablelastnamewicz ever enters the Tour

edit: oh no, I meant Unspellablefirstnameslaw Niemiec. Rutkiewicz is not that unspellable.

 

[The Hitch]

? I'm talking about the Tour... can we agree that Rodriguez had something resembling top form there?

No. It fits my argument better to say that he wasnt on top form as he had come 6th paris nice including 2nd on Jallabert. Won Volta Catalunia. Won GP Miguel Indurain. 2nd Flech Walone and 3rd Vuelta a Pais Vasco.


Is it so far fetched to say that he had done a lot of races on top form, hence may not have been on top form?

 

[The Hitch]

God forbid Marek Unspellablelastnamewicz ever enters the Tour

All in all, a decent stab at guessing my name

And unless you have been under a rock somewhere you will know that Sylvester Szmyd could easily win the Tour if he wasnt too humble about it.

 

[theyoungest]

All in all, a decent stab at guessing my name

And unless you have been under a rock somewhere you will know that Sylvester Szmyd could easily win the Tour if he wasnt too humble about it.

And Szmyd, of course. How could I forget about Szmyd. He'll ride Ivan the Terrible off his wheel and he'll cross the finish line solo on the Alpe d'Huez (second behind Bauke).

 

[The Hitch]

And Szmyd, of course. How could I forget about Szmyd. He'll ride Ivan the Terrible off his wheel and he'll cross the finish line solo on the Alpe d'Huez (second behind Bauke).

Joke all you want, Szmyd has actually won on the mother of all TDF climbs. As i recall, he broke away from a group including Cadel Evans, paced wheelsucker Alejandro Valverde all the way up without complaint, then amazingly outsprinted the greatest gt sprinter since Eddy Merckx in an epic finish, even having time to break before the line as a celebration.

Rabo on the other hand needed a Spaniard to do it for them.

 

[BYOP88]

+1.

But what makes me most depressed is that Fat Pat has clearly hitched his wagon to Schlecklet, which means he's pretty much untouchable.

I read an interview with Fat Pat a couple of years ago, either on here on 1 of the cycling mags, in which Fat Pat said he was friends with the Schlecks father, who wanted to stop his boys from cycling due to the drugs etc, and Fat Pat said to him, let them cycle I'm cleaning up cycling they'll be safe etc etc.

So I guess if that interview is true, after all it was Fat Pat, then I guess the Schleck's ain't ever getting busted.

 

[El Pistolero]

J rod is more likely to podium than the fanboy favourites (Gesink and VDB).

Hes also more likely to not come top 10. Gesink and VDB will get you your 5-10 places but they wont stay with the heads of state. Hence they cant win. Purito has that ability, but he can also implode, especially on tts.

I say maybe Rodriguez because its dependent on whether he peaks for the Tour or tries to have similar season as last year.

And you cant use last year as the best example.

Last year he had already been on top form for PN, Pais Vasco, Catalunia, GP miguel indurain, Ardennes classics, before the Tour.

So it would be wrong to claim the fanboy favourites, who didnt do 1 quarter of that before the tour, are better than him based on that. (and yes we get it, if those evil Basque hills didnt make Gesink crash he would have won Pais Vasco by 10 minutes. Weve all heard that one many times before)

And Rodriguez has proven he can do well on the climbs, breaking away from Schleck on Jallabert, and 3rd on Tourmalet.

As Rujano said, hes the 2nd best climber in the world (replace Contador with Schleck).

Yes we get it. In Flemish fantasy land, JVDB and RBGs age mean that they will win everything. Just like in ozzie fantasy land, richie porte is a gt contender.

But in the real world, RIGHT NOW, Rodriguez is a superior climber to both.

To paraphrase BPC, I think we can all agree with that

In the real world Rodriguez got beaten by JvdB with almost 5 minutes.
Contador had a busier season than Rodriguez and he ended up like a year in front of Rodriguez at the Tour this year. Did he finish yet?

And JvdB did the Ardennes classics as well, working as a domestique for Gilbert. Helping him win AGR in process.

GTs last 3 weeks. GTs have time trials. The Tour doesn't have a lot of steep climbs that favor the likes of Contador and Rodriguez. Rodriguez will never podium at the Tour. He's just that horrid at time trials. Before you start calling someone a fanboy, I don't see JvdB getting on the podium as well.

 

[El Pistolero]

Gesink already outclimbed and out-time trialed Rodriguez last year. He's got nothing to prove. VDB beat Rodriguez on the cobbles stage and the time trial, not in the climbs.

Yeah, stage 8 and 15 don't count I guess?

And why exclude time trials? They're part of the game And Rodriguez is so crappy at them that it's not even funny anymore. He wouldn't even be able to finish top 20 if the Tour had 2 long flat time trials and a prologue. He can be very glad there's only one anymore these days.

 

[theyoungest]

Yeah, stage 8 and 15 don't count I guess?

And why exclude time trials? They're part of the game And Rodriguez is so crappy at them that it's not even funny anymore. He wouldn't even be able to finish top 20 if the Tour had 2 long flat time trials and a prologue. He can be very glad there's only one anymore these days.

I checked it for you: VDB took 1'32" on Rodriguez on the cobbles, and 3'07" in the TT. That makes 4'39". The difference between VDB and Rodriguez on GC was 4'44".

So ok, fair enough, VDB beat Rodriguez on the climbs. By 5 seconds. BTW I don't exclude the time trial, I was just interested in Hitch's comment about Rodriguez being easily stronger than VDB on a course like this year's.

Let's just hope VDB doesn't succumb to the pressure already put upon him by fanboys like Karl Vannieuwkerke

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I checked it for you: VDB took 1'32" on Rodriguez on the cobbles, and 3'07" in the TT. That makes 4'39". The difference between VDB and Rodriguez on GC was 4'44".

So ok, fair enough, VDB beat Rodriguez on the climbs. By 5 seconds. BTW I don't exclude the time trial, I was just interested in Hitch's comment about Rodriguez being easily stronger than VDB on a course like this year's.

Let's just hope VDB doesn't succumb to the pressure already put upon him by fanboys like Karl Vannieuwkerke

He won't, he knows exactly what he's doing imo Hence his reactions last year when asked about the top 5. When he got 5th in the Giro-I don't count Ricco and Sella and everyone knows why- nobody really paid attention to it like they did with Van Huffel, and see what happened to him..
Jurgen on the contrary seems to know exactly how to cope with the pressure. He nevers took the bait last year when journalists ask him about going for the podium in the future, or staying in the top 5. He's very down to earth. That's the impression I get from his interviews.

And J-Rod should stick to the Giro or the Vuelta with the climbs with very high percentages. That's what he excells at and that's what he should do. He'll never be able to take enough time on the climbs in the Tour to win.

 

[The Hitch]

In the real world Rodriguez got beaten by JvdB with almost 5 minutes.
Contador had a busier season than Rodriguez and he ended up like a year in front of Rodriguez at the Tour this year. Did he finish yet?

I dont care what Contador did. Joaquim Rodriguez is who we are talking about, and he got podiums in or wins in 4 big races, + a 6th in Paris Nice. Way more than taking a turn on the front for Gilbert at AGR.

If that doesnt make a difference, then why didnt your dear JVDB if hes so good not go for any earlier races. Why does Andy Schleck, or Lance armstrong before him, do pretty much nothing other than the Tour, if it doesnt make a difference how much peak form you have in a season

I checked it for you: VDB took 1'32" on Rodriguez on the cobbles, and 3'07" in the TT. That makes 4'39". The difference between VDB and Rodriguez on GC was 4'44".

So ok, fair enough, VDB beat Rodriguez on the climbs. By 5 seconds. BTW I don't exclude the time trial, I was just interested in Hitch's comment about Rodriguez being easily stronger than VDB on a course like this year's.

Let's just hope VDB doesn't succumb to the pressure already put upon him by fanboys like Karl Vannieuwkerke

See above. By the looks of it i might have to repeat that point a few times yet, seeing as people dont seem to believe things such as "fatigue" "stamina" or "peak" exist in cycling.

Rodriguez raced Cycling season 2010. JVDB raced the Tour de France 2010.

Coming 3rd on Tourmalet, 2nd on Muur and being the best climber at a VUelta after already racing a whole season, is worth more following wheels to 5th on a tdf gt. Wiggins, and CVV also came top 5 in tdf before. I guess that must mean they are better climbers than anyone who finished below them that year.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I dont care what Contador did. Joaquim Rodriguez is who we are talking about, and he got podiums in or wins in 4 big races, + a 6th in Paris Nice. Way more than taking a turn on the front for Gilbert at AGR.

If that doesnt make a difference, then why didnt your dear JVDB if hes so good not go for any earlier races. Why does Andy Schleck, or Lance armstrong before him, do pretty much nothing other than the Tour, if it doesnt make a difference how much peak form you have in a season



See above. By the looks of it i might have to repeat that point a few times yet, seeing as people dont seem to believe things such as "fatigue" "stamina" or "peak" exist in cycling.

Rodriguez raced Cycling season 2010. JVDB raced the Tour de France 2010.

Coming 3rd on Tourmalet, 2nd on Muur and being the best climber at a VUelta after already racing a whole season, is worth more following wheels to 5th on a tdf gt. Wiggins, and CVV also came top 5 in tdf before. I guess that must mean they are better climbers than anyone who finished below them that year.

JVDB also raced the spring classics. But he of course did not do as much as J-Rod, nobody of the big guns did actually...

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

J rod is more likely to podium than the fanboy favourites (Gesink and VDB).

Hes also more likely to not come top 10. Gesink and VDB will get you your 5-10 places but they wont stay with the heads of state. Hence they cant win. Purito has that ability, but he can also implode, especially on tts.

haha you are a joke. Seriously your posts just make me think you watch the last vuelta/tour and have thus made your conclusions based on only this. And silly points to as J-rod dominated no one, as posters above have already mentioned.

A fit gesink had no trouble being with the state at the head @ 09' vuelta, but again your posts illustrate you knew nothing about cycling before july 10', so no fault of yours. If you think a fit gesink wont be one of the head at state at the tour, especially with this course then your more ignorant then I gave you credit for.

But yeah, im dutch and supporting gesink. I am totally fanboying it out If were fanboys, I wonder what that makes you with sanchez. But yeah you're very cool to bait us, but I stand by that I only post facts and not delusional crap like others here

Last year he had already been on top form for PN, Pais Vasco, Catalunia, GP miguel indurain, Ardennes classics, before the Tour.

So it would be wrong to claim the fanboy favourites, who didnt do 1 quarter of that before the tour, are better than him based on that. (and yes we get it, if those evil Basque hills didnt make Gesink crash he would have won Pais Vasco by 10 minutes. Weve all heard that one many times before)


Yes we get it. In Flemish fantasy land, JVDB and RBGs age mean that they will win everything.

But in the real world, RIGHT NOW, Rodriguez is a superior climber to both.

yeah gesink actually did have a pretty long season also, he rode the ardennes and many stages races, pretty similar (maybe not as intense, but still) season as Jrod leading to the tour you know.. compare JVDB to schleck (his season and form/peak approach), not gesink. Do you actually watch this sport? (not meant as an insult, but seriously, one of gesink's strengths is his endurance and ability to be competitive at most races he attends)

But yeah, keep calling everyone else a fanboy to get your point across, you must feel like a big man now

@el pistolero.
Cadel evans might not win the tour, but he is certainly too good (if fully fit) to miss out on top 10. I don't like the guy either, but give him credit.

 

[El Pistolero]

With not getting the top 10 I mean he'll have some sort of bad luck like he always has. Not that he's not good enough to get a top 10(he obviously is good enough). But I swear he'll crash, have a mechanical or just bonk on a stage in this year's Tour.

 

[Angliru]

Their Sastre comments really solidifies my belief that these two characters really lack any degree of class. IMO Sastre kept himself within a shot of the podium and the top step leading to the Alpe d'Huez stage with his usual consistent riding. Andy has no one but himself to blame for dropping out of contention completely by that pivotal stage. Frank, while in yellow at the time lacked the wherewithal to mount an attack to further his lead, something that he knew needed to be done with a ITT looming. Sastre was the team's only shot at actually winning the Tour at that point and he did it in the most dramatic way possible, showing true panache. Instead of appreciating being a part of a great team win, they want to denigrate Sastre performance and have the audacity to take all the credit for it. I hope these two never ever win a Tour, a grand tour or another Tour stage.

 

[Angliru]

What an a**hole

I agree with you 100%.

 

[Angliru]

I would rather have my rivals under estimate me than rate me as a threat. I think people are reading a bit too much into this.

There isn't much to misinterpret based on his track record (Andy's). He's an arrogant, smug, cocky con man who's has the attitude that he's cycling's royalty. It probably gives him anger in his little belly that Sastre has a Tour win and he hasn't even won a grand tour yet. He's just bitter that he jacked up his own chances more than once and is just too immature to man up to it.

 

[Angliru]

I came about this far, a masterpiece in eloquency, diplomacy, and not to mention modesty:





lol a 6 page (and counting) thread begs to differ



Wow, you are full of **** and apparently know nothing about cycling.

I think this would be a fun catch phrase.

You've failed to mention the topic that has most of us in an uproar, that of the Schleck's denigrating Sastre Tour win. I'd like to hear your opinion on that.

 

[Angliru]

I agree with all the schlecks say in this article.

Let me say I'm not surprised. If anything you're consistent.

 

[Angliru]

Joke all you want, Szmyd has actually won on the mother of all TDF climbs. As i recall, he broke away from a group including Cadel Evans, paced wheelsucker Alejandro Valverde all the way up without complaint, then amazingly outsprinted the greatest gt sprinter since Eddy Merckx in an epic finish, even having time to break before the line as a celebration.

Rabo on the other hand needed a Spaniard to do it for them.

Excuse me, but didn't Valverde actually slow down drastically after the final turn, looking around to wait for Szmyd who admittedly had an incident of moment induced leg lock, such was the overwhelming nature of what the two had agreed upon would transpire at the top (Szmyd's first win and of course on one of the most important climbs in the sport)?

 

[taiwan]

Did they even mention Sammy Sanchez?