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eleven said:He seems to be built for the Classics. Interesting to see if they try to dope him into a GT rider; Americans don't much understand the Classics, to put it mildly.
Kender said:fixed for you
erader said:the rap on lance armstrong pre-cancer -- he'll be a great one-day rider but he'll never win the tour de france.
ed rader
Kender said:because he was doped into a GT rider
9000ft said:I'm watching Phinney. It will be interesting to see how his career develops. While it's true that most casual US fans and the non cycling press doesn't pay much attention to anything but Le Tour, if he shows he has what it takes to excel at the classics, in the very least he won't have too much trouble getting a position with a good classics team.
La Vie Claire said:Phinney rules the under 23 circuit no doubt, but if you want to talk about a "birth of a superstar," then look no further than Peter Sagan. He's just 20 years old and already competing (and succeeding) in the pro ranks.
TeamSkyFans said:Im no Phinney fan '
Worth noting, it did take a sprint for him to win it, was not a particularly dominant win (although he won the sprint)
and as a slight reality check
1999 France Sébastien Joly
2000 Germany Eric Baumann
2001 Ukraine Yaroslav Popovych
2002 Russia Michail Timoschin
2003 Uzbekistan Sergey Lagutin
2004 Netherlands Koen de Kort
2005 Russia Dmitry Kozontchuk
2006 Netherlands Tom Veelers
2007 France Damien Gaudin
2008 Netherlands Coen Vermeltfoort
2009 United States Taylor Phinney
2010 United States Taylor Phinney
success at u-23 level does not guarantee success at a higher level, and as noted some of the better under 23 riders have gone to full pro-tour teams, Bobridge, Kennaugh, Sagan. So its pretty hard to judge if hes actually that good.
Hes a decent rider, not seen enough of him to say wether hes a future star. The next big thing? Dunno.. jury's still out. Bobridge on the other hand, seems class, both on and off the bike.
Jamsque said:I don't have a problem with Bobridge riding the first two weeks of the Giro at his age. The only way for young riders to get that experience of riding in a GT peloton day after day is to throw them in at the deep end. Young legs will recover more quickly from the strain of it anyway.
As for Phinney, he certainly looks like a promising talent. It's a shame that the individual pursuit won't be in the 2012 Olympic games, because I think we could have had an excellent cross-generational showdown between Phinney and Wiggo.
On the road he certainly seems to fit that Tom Boonen classics/sprinter mould, but he is young and could develop in any direction really. I think it's a real shame he'll be turning pro with Retirement Shack, though.
timmers said:So you have riden a GT at the age of 20 and are certain that "Young legs will recover more quickly from the strain of it anyway."
i think you are wrong and that Bobridge wont handle the pressure. He will be Australia's Tom Danielson! Of the young Aussies I fancy Travis Meyer who has GT potential which is different from being an early maturer like Bobridge!
joy118118 said:But Bobridge only did 12 stages in Giro, didnt he? The same with C Meyer last year. This year C Meyer finished Giro. Dont think Garmin did anything wrong on Bobridge.
TRDean said:I won't deny this (bold) but the way you are saying it makes it out like a slap at Phinney...and I'm sure you meant it that way. What is not class about Phinney? Since the track worlds Bobridge has done nothing...
If you don't think Phinney is "that good" you need to check yourself at the doctor. Dominating Olympia's Tour....second PR U23 and he is still under 20?? His Tour of Qatar sprints were very impressive.
And by the way...Bobridge should still be doing U23 races...not the Giro!! He is being mishandled. I'm sure he will have a fantastic career however.
TRDean said:Bobridge rode like crap!!