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The Hog scolds Levi, praises Lance as teachers pet !

whiteboytrash

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Levi riding for Garmin next year ?
_________

Like a school teacher writing term reports, Bruyneel was not so happy with his own team. He scolded Leipheimer for cracking on the stage to Monte Petrano but was full of praise for Armstrong.

His thoughts were in line with the marks out of ten given by Italian paper Gazzetta dello Sport. Leipheimer got a four, while Armstrong got a seven and a pat on the head.

“Obviously we're disappointed that the situation is what it is now,” the Belgian team manager said.

“We were hoping that everything could stay as it was and we hoped for a good day for Levi and a bad day for Menchov and the others. That's what we calculated it would have taken for Levi to have a chance after the time trial.”

“Obviously yesterday he had a bad day, the last week is getting a little long for him. But that's expected. If you look back on the season, he's been there since February, since the Tour of California, on a very high level. He didn't race that much, but he won every single race he did until now. So he came into the Giro real strong, which was good because the beginning was hard. But no matter (how) a big stage race is designed you always have to be strong the last week, and he's going down a little bit now."

“As a team we did everything we could. We rode a good race team-wise, strategy-wise but then if you don't have the legs you don't have the legs.

That's the way it is. There's no regrets. Sastre was the best yesterday. Menchov is a solid leader, so obviously we lost all our options now for the Giro. The podium is also going to be difficult."

His judgment of Armstrong, who is clearly the teacher's pet, was much more favourable.

"It's exactly what I hoped for,” Bruyneel said with his gloating big smile.

“I didn't hope for a great result in the Giro. I didn't expect him to be with the favorites all the time, but I'd hoped that he could be progressing or be close to the favorites in the last week and that's a little bit what's happening.”

Now we'll see what happens in the next stages. The Blockhaus is a very short stage, it's a very weird stage. And then there's Vesuvio. I would like to see if we can continue this progression, or at least stay at the same level."
 
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sounds valid to me...

levi has underperformed but perhaps raced a bit too much already this season to be able to maintin it..

lance overperforming considering 4 years out and a broken collarbone..

i think JB has pretty much said what eveyone else, including if you listen to what he has had to say, levi, have said..

but garmin? you do like blowing things out of proportion dont you.. :D
 

whiteboytrash

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dimspace said:
sounds valid to me...

levi has underperformed but perhaps raced a bit too much already this season to be able to maintin it..

lance overperforming considering 4 years out and a broken collarbone..

i think JB has pretty much said what eveyone else, including if you listen to what he has had to say, levi, have said..

but garmin? you do like blowing things out of proportion dont you.. :D

“I didn't hope for a great result in the Giro. I didn't expect him to be with the favorites all the time, but I'd hoped that he could be progressing or be close to the favorites in the last week and that's a little bit what's happening. However Contador is still the leader for the Tour” :p
 
Mar 10, 2009
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Funny! The world still over expects from Levi :D

From my expectations he's doing great! A 10 out of 10. I never have positioned Levi as a GT contender and definitely not at the Giro where the hammer is dropped big time eventhough they may take it easier at the beginning of the stages. The Giro is a bad place for wheelsuckers!

Lance? Well he's the 7 time tour champ, so he's definitely getting a failing score from me for failing to at least be in the top 3. No excuses! Fail, send him back to retirement.
 
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ElChingon said:
Lance? Well he's the 7 time tour champ, so he's definitely getting a failing score from me for failing to at least be in the top 3. No excuses! Fail, send him back to retirement.

have you been smoking something...

have a think of something you where very good at 4-5 years ago, but havnt done since.. then go try and be the best at it, break your collarbone, and still try....

he's now 12th, and judging as most people around here thought he would not make top 10, i would think that if he does sneak top 10 then that would be surpassing expectations..

levi for me has been very dissapointing..
 
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I can't really see what Astana are doing with Leipheimer. Are they trying to win every small race and two GTs and count on Levi staying at a high level for 6 months. He clearly targeted ToC but after that he didn't seem to slow down but instead looks to have kept his form up and now tried to peak for the Giro. Is he still going to be of any help for Contador? The plan would work well if Leipheimer could reach his absolute peak in July but after this spring I can't see that happening.

Then you have to ask Astana why the hell didn't they let Leipheimer peak more for the Giro. With the level he had in the last Vuelta he could maybe have won the Giro. Which is more valuable a Giro win or a Tour of California win...hmm...let me think...THE GIRO. Astana also has this potential GT winner named Klöden who they could have assigned for the smaller stage races or for the aid of Contador in the Tour.
 
RdBiker said:
I can't really see what Astana are doing with Leipheimer. Are they trying to win every small race and two GTs and count on Levi staying at a high level for 6 months. He clearly targeted ToC but after that he didn't seem to slow down but instead looks to have kept his form up and now tried to peak for the Giro. Is he still going to be of any help for Contador? The plan would work well if Leipheimer could reach his absolute peak in July but after this spring I can't see that happening.

Then you have to ask Astana why the hell didn't they let Leipheimer peak more for the Giro. With the level he had in the last Vuelta he could maybe have won the Giro. Which is more valuable a Giro win or a Tour of California win...hmm...let me think...THE GIRO. Astana also has this potential GT winner named Klöden who they could have assigned for the smaller stage races or for the aid of Contador in the Tour.


We might need to re-wind a little here. So if I think back...(wavy lines on the screen flash back moment ;) ) ... So Levi was set up to win the ToC with a view to supporting Lance who was going to focus on the Giro (and not even ride the Tour) - I think that was the original plan. This then morphed into Lance gradually shifting focus from the Giro to the TdF. He then breaks his collar bone and ... well since it's been more and more about the Tour.

So Levi got his early season gift of the ToC ... and because his form was so good ... and Lance fell off his bike ... he becomes a contender for the GC in the Giro.

So I think this is a situation that emerged - I don't think it was ever planned in the way we now look back and with the benefit of our hindsight goggles have a view that there may have been a better way.

The Kloden one for me is more about the 'cloud' that sits over the guy and may have (and may still) break at any moment. It's hard to plan with that stuff going on. And I have got that right haven't I - there is still some outstanding issues around Kloden - I get a bit mixed up with who is and isn't in the frame - what with the Spanish, the German and the Austrian yada yada yada :rolleyes:

Sorry - long way of saying I don't think it was ever planned that way.
 
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Odessa Gunn is built like a '69 Porsche 911 Carrera. How did that little troll Levi get a girl like that? She has to lean over to kiss him on his bald spot like he was a little kid. Pfff:(
 
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Odessa Gunn is built like a '69 Porsche 911 Carrera. How did that little troll Levi get a girl like that? She has to lean over to kiss him on his bald spot like he was the little old man from Benny Hill. Pfff:(
 
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Odessa Gunn is built like a '69 Porsche 911 Carrera. How did that little troll Levi get a girl like that? She has to lean over to kiss him on his bald spot like he was the little old man from Benny Hill. Pfff:(
 
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RDV4ROUBAIX said:
Odessa Gunn is built like a '69 Porsche 911 Carrera.

Was there really a Carrera in the '69 911 lineup?

Or are you just implying she has big round eyes, wears treaded rubber boots and carries most of her weight in her rear end.
 
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yourwelcome said:
Was there really a Carrera in the '69 911 lineup?

Or are you just implying she has big round eyes, wears treaded rubber boots and carries most of her weight in her rear end.

no there was no carrera in 69.... and for that you win this weeks special prize of a limited edition t-shirt..

cpp.jpg


as for Odessa... i think shes kinda cute.. :D
 
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yourwelcome said:
Was there really a Carrera in the '69 911 lineup?
I don't know, but you get the point.
Or are you just implying she has big round eyes, wears treaded rubber boots and carries most of her weight in her rear end.
Now that's funny.:) She's still smoking hot, even after she quit racing. Looks more like a lady now rather than a jock.
 
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Just getting back to the OP, I think Levi is a Hog favourite and everything I've read from him about Levi during this Giro has been positive. But facts are facts and that's what he has been saying-

Levi came into this race in great form and looking to win - and he has busted!
Lance came into his first major tour in 4 years with a collar bone break a month before and has been pretty impressive.

Facts are facts.
 
RDV4ROUBAIX said:
Now that's funny.:) She's still smoking hot, even after she quit racing. Looks more like a lady now rather than a jock.

Yes she is smoking hot and I think we must all give big props to Levi for bagging such a hot biking female!

That being said, I do think after this Giro we can officially say that Levi will not ever win a Grand Tour. He always seems to lose it in the mountains in the last week. Doesn't mean he isn't a great rider, but should probably focus on races besides three week tours. I think he should go for the Ardennes Classics before calling it quits.
 
BikeCentric said:
Yes she is smoking hot and I think we must all give big props to Levi for bagging such a hot biking female!

That being said, I do think after this Giro we can officially say that Levi will not ever win a Grand Tour. He always seems to lose it in the mountains in the last week. Doesn't mean he isn't a great rider, but should probably focus on races besides three week tours. I think he should go for the Ardennes Classics before calling it quits.

He's not aggressive enough to win in the Ardennes plus he couldn't outsprint 98% of the contenders if it came down to a hard drive to the line. He's better served to continue pursuing wins in the week long stage races and acting as first lieutenant to someone in the grand tours...at least until his retirement which can't be too far off.
 
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Angliru said:
He's not aggressive enough to win in the Ardennes plus he couldn't outsprint 98% of the contenders if it came down to a hard drive to the line.

Also, I can't remember ever seeing him excel in races or stages much longer than 200km.
 

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