Stage 9 TDS: Liestal ITT - 26.9km

[auscyclefan94]

I can see the high fives in the Team Radio Shack bus right now.

Lance will get his whipping boys Levi and Klodi to run him a nice hot bath after that preformance!

 

[luckyboy]

Hmmm, 4x more the climbing and it's harder though only 2x the amount of tt'ing and it is all flat!

+more competition.

 

[Chef_Vodnik]

Okay, true. Thanks!

Not saying there's definately nothing fishy to see here, just pointing out that Franks TT is pretty much like the Sastre one. Horrible on days he does not care or does not need to care (i.e. Time difference to other riders too big to be a risk), half-way decent on times when it's important (like today).
Unsurprisingly, it's only the bad performances that get noticed Like the Gesink-falls-down-a-cliff-on-downhills jokes.

 

[Parrot23]

Lance will get his whipping boys Levi and Klodi to run him a nice hot bath after that preformance!

LOL, I've seen them pull rabbits out of hats before.

Meanwhile, Bertie is doing his famous pre-Giro beach ball preparations, with a giant refrigerator nearby with Dr. Fuentes.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I guess having the KOM jersey, sprints jersey, points jersey 4th overall and two stage wins ain't bad going into the tour for the mighty red devils!

 

[Parrot23]

+more competition.

+ more blood too. Remember, the big boys are not topped up yet.

 

[luckyboy]

I guess having the KOM jersey, sprints jersey, points jersey 4th overall and two stage wins ain't bad going into the tour for the mighty red devils!

Didn't think Cofidis were in this race?

 

[auscyclefan94]

I guess having the KOM jersey, sprints jersey, points jersey 4th overall and two stage wins ain't bad going into the tour for the mighty red devils!

4th best team in the tt today. Not bad for such a "weak" one man team, eh?

 

[Parrot23]

I guess having the KOM jersey, sprints jersey, points jersey 4th overall and two stage wins ain't bad going into the tour for the mighty red devils!

Hey, and we can now watch this on Nippon feed, aka kamikaze Shack goin' for the kill and the forum explodes.

 

[Barrus]

I guess having the KOM jersey, sprints jersey, points jersey 4th overall and two stage wins ain't bad going into the tour for the mighty red devils!

Did the Belgians really win that much?

 

[Moondance]

I guess having the KOM jersey, sprints jersey, points jersey 4th overall and two stage wins ain't bad going into the tour for the mighty red devils!

Bring Me Cadel had an outstanding TdS absolutely and proved that they're not a one-man team anymore. It probably is the first time this year that they've gotten a consistently good performance over more than one day from riders without the last name Evans.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Better Made Cyclists had an outstanding TdS absolutely and proved that they're not a one-man team anymore. It probably is the first time this year that they've gotten a consistently good performance over more than one day from riders without the last name Evans.

Edited!!!

 

[Publicus]

No doubt. Finishing 2nd is very impressive for Armstrong. He's coming into Tour form.

No doubt it will be spun this way. But from what I saw, he's not really improved in either the mountains or TT.

 

[Cerberus]

Is that something he can find as he finds his clothes in his wardrobe? Or is it something he can borrow from his elder bro?

Clearly Andy disappointed in the Ardennes this year, but he did better in TdS this year than last year. There's cause for concern, but I don't think he can be ruled out of the Tour by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[auscyclefan94]

No doubt it will be spun this way. But from what I saw, he's not really improved in either the mountains or TT.

Morabito dropped him on the final part of the climb and he is only a super domestique!

 

[Publicus]

Morabito dropped him on the final part of the climb and he is only a super domestique!

A lot of folks did.

 

[Parrot23]

No doubt it will be spun this way. But from what I saw, he's not really improved in either the mountains or TT.

What's wrong with you guys. 2nd is a 2nd. I'm not a Lance fan and don't want or think he will win or maybe even podium, but math is math.

I want other guys to win, and of course would favour Bertie, but math is math. There's no spinning the math.

Shack will take anything anyway they can.

 

[auscyclefan94]

A lot of folks did.

Some did but for just a super domestique of evans, his ride was imprssive.

 

[Alpechraxler]

4th best team in the tt today. Not bad for such a "weak" one man team, eh?

For sure the youngsters learned a lot from Big George. They're even doing better than him. Anyway is he going to ride the tour side by side with Evans ?

 

[auscyclefan94]

For sure the youngsters learned a lot from Big George. They're even doing better than him. Anyway is he going to ride the tour side by side with Evans ?

Yep, just imagine BMC pacing evans up the tourmalet then Evans making a massive attack and winning by 2 minutes. That is what the future beholds in july!

 

[cineteq]

Well, I never would've expected that!
Frank Schleck TT-ing that well?! WTF?!

It's simple, he got a crash course from Cancellara.
Can't deny he really looked smooth today...

 

[hfer07]

No doubt it will be spun this way. But from what I saw, he's not really improved in either the mountains or TT.

but we all know that LA was "just training" in Suisse
the hog has to recognize by now that "kloden" is the rider to receive full support if they want some success in the tour, otherwise is just another media show like last year...

 

[staubsauger]

gesink should have done il giro......i have alwasy said that. he would have had an excellent chance there against basso.

but he/rabo wants him to ride tds/tdf. if you ask me it's a fault.

but maybe the vuelta could be his race, if mentsjov rides a good tdf and isn't going for the win in spain.

 

[Cerberus]

What's wrong with you guys. 2nd is a 2nd. I'm not a Lance fan and don't want or think he will win or maybe even podium, but math is math.

I want other guys to win, and of course would favour Bertie, but math is math. There's no spinning the math.

Yes and no. It's a good result no doubt, but LA's performance was not such that I'm going to re-evaluate my opinion that he cannot realistically beat Contador or Andy Schleck if the latter finds his form. I won't rule out 3rd (or even 2nd if Andy does not find his form), but there are several rider who could beat him to it. Frank Schleck for example is looking good. He could also fail to finish in the top 10.



I think I covered all my bases there.

 

[Publicus]

What's wrong with you guys. 2nd is a 2nd. I'm not a Lance fan and don't want or think he will win or maybe even podium, but math is math.

I want other guys to win, and of course would favour Bertie, but math is math. There's no spinning the math.

Shack will take anything anyway they can.

Nothing is wrong with me. I agree 2nd is 2nd. But it won't have the meaning that will be attributed to it over the next couple of weeks. Dude gets 5th in a prologue at the Tour of Luxembourg and suddenly it means he's back and on form. He finishes 5th on the queen stage (but was dropped and gapped at the top of the climb) and it was that he had found his climbing legs. I can't begin to imagine the overreaction for finishing on the podium.

It's indictment of the media's/fans' overreaction, not intended to dismiss the accomplishment.

EDIT: And for an opposite reaction, look at how the cycling media questioned AC's performance at the Dauphine. He finished 2nd, but because he didn't crush JB on Alpe d'Huez and in the TT, his form leading into the Tour is suspect. Put those two together and we are about to hear some serious bs hype about Lance's chances at the Tour.