Straight from the Hog's mouth

[WinterRider]

I know speculation is rife around here about what the Schleck's will be like under Johan's tutelage.

But I wonder what the clinic's take is on this quote after the TdF presentation today (from velonews):

“This is the anti-Schleck Tour,” Bruyneel said. “We will have a very strong team, and that will compensate for the route that will not favor the Schlecks. We can make the race hard and force the action. Andy will also be better than people expect in the time trial.”

He's really throwing down the gauntlet with a statement like that!

 

[roundabout]

when he TT's badly as in top-20 he is a lazy bum who neglects his training, should he be better, or rather his boss expect him to be better, it's almost an instant clinic thread

 

[happychappy]

He's going to win both Time Trials!

 

[thehog]

I know speculation is rife around here about what the Schleck's will be like under Johan's tutelage.

But I wonder what the clinic's take is on this quote after the TdF presentation today (from velonews):

“This is the anti-Schleck Tour,” Bruyneel said. “We will have a very strong team, and that will compensate for the route that will not favor the Schlecks. We can make the race hard and force the action. Andy will also be better than people expect in the time trial.”

He's really throwing down the gauntlet with a statement like that!

I'm more concerned with the "strong team" comment. Fully expect Leopard-Radioshack riding the entire peloton off their wheels. Radioshack will be the only team left come the base of the final climb.

 

[mewmewmew13]

I'm more concerned with the "strong team" comment. Fully expect Leopard-Radioshack riding the entire peloton off their wheels. Radioshack will be the only team left come the base of the final climb.

Oh Yeah, shades of the Disco Blue Train.

argh..

 

[AngusW]

I'm more concerned with the "strong team" comment. Fully expect Leopard-Radioshack riding the entire peloton off their wheels. Radioshack will be the only team left come the base of the final climb.

I guess when you have a successful template, you run it again and again and again...

 

[Orvieto]

I guess when you have a successful template, you run it again and again and again...

It always makes me laugh when Bruyneel is called a master strategist. His master strategy is: "let's have have our whole team go really fast so no-one can keep up with them." This is, of course, not a strategy but a brute force demonstration of your doping program's dominance. If he's allowed to do this again at the TDF, I will stop watching.

 

[fatandfast]

It always makes me laugh when Bruyneel is called a master strategist. His master strategy is: "let's have have our whole team go really fast so no-one can keep up with them." This is, of course, not a strategy but a brute force demonstration of your doping program's dominance. If he's allowed to do this again at the TDF, I will stop watching.

he is called a master because of his race record. The fact that many of world's top riders what to ride on a team under his direction is a far greater example of his dominance than on a post on the interweb

 

[Orvieto]

he is called a master because of his race record. The fact that many of world's top riders what to ride on a team under his direction is a far greater example of his dominance than on a post on the interweb

Your comment regarding posts on the interweb is amusingly self referential.
Regardless I would be happy to hear other examples of Bruyneel's strategic nous.

Many of the world's top riders may want to ride under the Hog's direction. I'll take your word for it, but the Schlecks appear not to be amongst them or they would have signed for Radio Shack rather than Leopard in 2011.

It will be interesting to see how they take to his program. Will they be embarrassed when a "strong team" of doped domestiques delivers them to the last climb, or will they take it as their due? Will they suddenly find time trial form comes in a bottle?

 

[ElChingon]

With the number of climbing stages with descents instead of mountain top finishes I think its safe to say the TT's won't be much of a factor

 

[Race Radio]

If the Hog wants to really show his magical powers coming to the US and talking to the Feds would be far more impressive then getting Andy to TT better.

Hog is too scared....

 

[Maxiton]

It always makes me laugh when Bruyneel is called a master strategist. His master strategy is: "let's have have our whole team go really fast so no-one can keep up with them." This is, of course, not a strategy but a brute force demonstration of your doping program's dominance. If he's allowed to do this again at the TDF, I will stop watching.

he is called a master because of his race record. The fact that many of world's top riders what to ride on a team under his direction is a far greater example of his dominance than on a post on the interweb

Translation: OMG, you're right and I have no response.

Your comment regarding posts on the interweb is amusingly self referential.
Regardless I would be happy to hear other examples of Bruyneel's strategic nous.

*crickets*

Many of the world's top riders may want to ride under the Hog's direction. I'll take your word for it, but the Schlecks appear not to be amongst them or they would have signed for Radio Shack rather than Leopard in 2011.

It will be interesting to see how they take to his program. Will they be embarrassed when a "strong team" of doped domestiques delivers them to the last climb, or will they take it as their due? Will they suddenly find time trial form comes in a bottle?

Yes and yes.

 

[Kretch]

Translation: OMG, you're right and I have no response.



*crickets*

Yes and yes.

And this my friends is the very essence of what is wrong with pro-cycling. As it stands now the risk-reward ratio is so heavily biased that the Schlecks have so much to potentially gain with very little probability of a down-side scenario. And ultimately you can't really blame the Hog - he doesn't make the rules up or police them. The real bad actor in all this shyte is the UCI.

 

[karlboss]

With the biopassport I don't think we'll see the USPS train.

 

[will10]

With the biopassport I don't think we'll see the USPS train.

We've seen it, Cali '11.

 

[Publicus]

And Kloden is tweeting about it this morning (TT improvement):

Radio Shack-Nissan-Trek ll be also very good in the tdf.We ll have a strong team and @andy_schleck will be much better in the tt

We have one of the best tt riders in the world in our team (if not the best)@f_cancellara.We both will try to learn them (schleck brothers) to be better in the TT

That's over three tweets.

Interesting that they are now putting so much emphasis on them being able to improve. Seems to me that between Cancellara and Riis, we've seen all the improvement they are capable of producing. Any sudden leap in TT ability will rightly be questionable IMO.

 

[karlboss]

We've seen it, Cali '11.

weren't there are few questions over cali testing, and not so many over tdf?

 

[unsheath]

Seems to me like they're already prepping the cycling community that improvement is a given on the off chance it may make it more believable when it actually does happen. Must take us for fools.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

It would be a big surprise to me if the Schlecks didn't improve on a TT bike next year. Given that it cost them in this year's Tour and would cost them double in next year's Tour it would be weird if they didn't improve a bit regardless of which team they were riding for

No question Radioshack had a lot of good TT results the past season or two. Is that technique, equipment, clinic related ? Who knows - maybe all three

Now if Bruyneel gets the Schlecks to ride well in the wet that would be suspicious

 

[thehog]

Seems to me like they're already prepping the cycling community that improvement is a given on the off chance it may make it more believable when it actually does happen. Must take us for fools.

Agreed. But I’m sure there will be media releases, videos etc. showing Andy in a wind tunnel and doing specialised weight training etc. I’m sure they’ll provide plenty of justification for the massive improvement made.

Kloden tweets are ridiculous. Fabs has been with the Shelecks for years – he could have been teaching them since 2006 – why now the realisation that they have Cancellera and that he can assist.

 

[Benotti69]

Agreed. But I’m sure there will be media releases, videos etc. showing Andy in a wind tunnel and doing specialised weight training etc. I’m sure they’ll provide plenty of justification for the massive improvement made.

Kloden tweets are ridiculous. Fabs has been with the Shelecks for years – he could have been teaching them since 2006 – why now the realisation that they have Cancellera and that he can assist.

PR to cover the obvious doping.

 

[fatandfast]

it is nothing short of amazing that people can mold an opinion on nothing more than a sour stomach and a hate of all things Armstrong. As the new team is formed with national championships, world championships, classic wins and fantastic results in grand tours, suddenly those riders are idiots and have fallen under a spell from Bruyneel. Cancellara is one of the most popular and accomplished riders in the world, he could have gone to many teams with a phone call. The fact that he will ride for Johan is educating to the unknowing. Frank and Andy are a powerful combo in pro cycling, why would they use their market value to further the Hog's legacy? The answers are obvious.

Bruyneel being portrayed as anything other than a knowledgeable and accomplished pro cycling expert may be fun be not very functional. As a rider, coach and director he has set the bar very high and has the respect of greats from the past as well as the present. The spew won't stop but the guy has a resume of a cycling guru

 

[peloton]

Cancellara is one of the most popular and accomplished riders in the world, he could have gone to many teams with a phone call. The fact that he will ride for Johan is educating to the unknowing. Frank and Andy are a powerful combo in pro cycling, why would they use their market value to further the Hog's legacy? The answers are obvious.

No he couldn't, he has a valid contract with Leopard until 2012, so he would have needed to once again break his contract, something not as easy as "a phone call".
He sure didn't sound very happy when this merge came out.
Now how's that for an education to the unknowing?

 

[DirtyWorks]

Ohhh where to begin... How about,

it is nothing short of amazing that people can mold an opinion on nothing more than a sour stomach and a hate of all things Armstrong.

The thread is about JB.

As the new team is formed with national championships, world championships, classic wins and fantastic results in grand tours, suddenly those riders are idiots and have fallen under a spell from Bruyneel.

Be careful who you call an idiot. For all the classics winners they have, JB's record of one-day wins is short... Very short. The 'master strategist' label plainly doesn't apply to JB.

Cancellara is one of the most popular and accomplished riders in the world, he could have gone to many teams with a phone call. The fact that he will ride for Johan is educating to the unknowing.

You know this because you are Cancellara's agent? Business manager? Please enlighten us.

Frank and Andy are a powerful combo in pro cycling,

...That perform well maybe once a year. Otherwise invisible. Hmmm I can't seem to recall the name of another rider who did the same thing and was a doper...

.. has the respect of greats from the past as well as the present.

Do you know these greats? Can you please have them publicly testify to the greatness of The Hog? Let's not just keep one myth alive, let's build another one using another doping cheater.

It's reasonable to assume that The Hog will do about the same he's done in the past. Dope his team and send them to the front of the TdF to ride everyone off their wheels. Otherwise, please explain to me how he got religion and runs a clean team now versus the other years. Use facts that anyone can reference to make your case.

 

[MacRoadie]

As a rider:

National Championships - 0
World Championships - 0
Classics Wins - 0
Grand Tour Wins - 0
Grand Tour Podiums - 1 (third, 1995 Vuelta)
Grand Tour Stage Wins - 3 (one Vuelta, two TdF)

Bruyneel did win one Yellow Jersey in the 1995 Tour (and held it for 6 days) by beating Indurain after sucking his wheel for about half of Stage 7 (after Indurain chased him down solo and rode the rest of the course like a TT). He also won the Grand prix de Nations TT in 1993, but aside from those two events, he really didn't do much else as a professional rider.

By comparison, Tommy Voeckler, with his 19 days in Yellow, two French National Road Championships, two TdF stages, Tour of Luxembourg, Four Days of Dunkirk, Tour Du Haut var, etc, etc must be a cycling god...