Someone probably did a thread on this already, but...
I think this year categorically shows you can't go for GC in the Giro and GC in the Tour. It's either or.
Say what you like about him, but for me Contador is the best grand tour rider of his generation and maybe beyond that. He absolutely dominated that Giro, nobody was even close to his level. He'd won all bar one of the grand tours he'd ever ridden in... and comes 5th in this Tour. If he can't combine the two, I don't think anyone can.
Then you've Gadret and Kreuziger from the Giro top 10 this year who made no impact at the Tour.
Last year Basso went from 1st in Italy to awful in France. Evans, Vino, Cunego and Wiggins all had a bad Tour as well. I guess we'll never know for Vino and Wiggins, but the other 3 certainly did better in this year's Tour than last having skipped the Giro.
The same probably holds for the Tour+Vuelta combination - we've seen before riders like Evans, Sastre gain a lower placing in Madrid than they had two months before in Paris.
It seems to me that if you want to double up, it has to be Spain and Italy.
Let me also say that I think it's great that a non-Italian rider like Contador really targeted the Giro this year. Everyone is talking now like he's had a bad ride, disappointment etc. I say he's won more grand tours this year alone than Andy Schleck has won in his life. He's also won Catalunya this year. What's Andy Schleck won? I want to see a cycling that's more like Contador, and more like Cadel Evans, guys who wins big races in March, big races in July and big races in October. It seems you cannot race to win Giro and Tour in the same year, but I hope what comes out of it is big name riders targeting both races in different seasons. I'm convinced Schleck could have won a Giro or Vuelta if he'd tried, especially given the great first Giro he rode. Instead he's won nothing. I know the Tour has the most prestige, but for me a win in Spain or Italy trumps a podium or 4th place in France.
I think this year categorically shows you can't go for GC in the Giro and GC in the Tour. It's either or.
Say what you like about him, but for me Contador is the best grand tour rider of his generation and maybe beyond that. He absolutely dominated that Giro, nobody was even close to his level. He'd won all bar one of the grand tours he'd ever ridden in... and comes 5th in this Tour. If he can't combine the two, I don't think anyone can.
Then you've Gadret and Kreuziger from the Giro top 10 this year who made no impact at the Tour.
Last year Basso went from 1st in Italy to awful in France. Evans, Vino, Cunego and Wiggins all had a bad Tour as well. I guess we'll never know for Vino and Wiggins, but the other 3 certainly did better in this year's Tour than last having skipped the Giro.
The same probably holds for the Tour+Vuelta combination - we've seen before riders like Evans, Sastre gain a lower placing in Madrid than they had two months before in Paris.
It seems to me that if you want to double up, it has to be Spain and Italy.
Let me also say that I think it's great that a non-Italian rider like Contador really targeted the Giro this year. Everyone is talking now like he's had a bad ride, disappointment etc. I say he's won more grand tours this year alone than Andy Schleck has won in his life. He's also won Catalunya this year. What's Andy Schleck won? I want to see a cycling that's more like Contador, and more like Cadel Evans, guys who wins big races in March, big races in July and big races in October. It seems you cannot race to win Giro and Tour in the same year, but I hope what comes out of it is big name riders targeting both races in different seasons. I'm convinced Schleck could have won a Giro or Vuelta if he'd tried, especially given the great first Giro he rode. Instead he's won nothing. I know the Tour has the most prestige, but for me a win in Spain or Italy trumps a podium or 4th place in France.
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