The Schlecks - Gracious in Defeat

[Preemo]

I've found them both very gracious and likeable. Had Andy won I would have been quite pleased although I have been cheering Cadel on since stage 1. He will become a great champion ..... if he doesn't get too distracted by the trappings of success.

 

[simoni]

I don't really understand the vitriol that flies the Schleck's way on here (or towards many other cyclists for that matter - in fact, I sometimes wonder why so many people who are so ****ed off about so many things to do with cycling are even taking notice of the sport - shrill australians, gutsy frenchmen, ASO, confident manxmen, the list goes on and on). If hate it all so much why not go and watch bowls or something? Anyway, I digress...

FWIW, I find the Schlecks (Frank in particular) fairly engaging and enjoyable interviewees but I don't think either of them are all that bright and that sometimes comes across in what they say and how they ride. e.g. Andy's moaning about the descents even before the stage into Gap was ill-judged from both a PR and sporting point of view (why come across as a moaner - fans don't like that of well paid sportsmen - and why let your rivals know you're uncomfortable?)

You do have to make allowances for the fact that they're often interviewed in a second or third language however.

That all being said, in the first half of the race I thought more than once that Andy seemed to be handling the interviews in a calm and mature way showing respect to the race and his opponents.

All in all, I don't see a problem with them and certainly don't see how they deserve the flack that heads their way.

 

[YoRUsh]

Anyone notices that after basically every race everyone tweets to the winner that he deserved it and that he was just better?
Doesnt say too much IMO. However I do feel they mean it, its just that it doesnt make up for the comments during the race complaining about everything...

 

[malknight]

It's not hard to be gracious if you lose all the time.

It does take practice.

 

[Angliru]

I've found them both very gracious and likeable. Had Andy won I would have been quite pleased although I have been cheering Cadel on since stage 1. He will become a great champion ..... if he doesn't get too distracted by the trappings of success.

I think that is what's hindering his progress, along with a stunted maturity.
We had a person from Luxemboug post on here saying that all the adoration and media attention that has been heaped on him in his native country has gone to his head, changing him from a relatively humble person to one quite taken by himself.

 

[pedaling squares]

It is not specially gracious to publish in twitter. It is silly to say it is a good thing being 2nd and 3rd when a week ago they said that was not at all a good situation (they said 1st and 20nd was the goal). They just said the obvious and politically correct ("congrats mate!"), nothing really gracious

A week ago they were in the middle of a race they were trying to win. Would you have had any respect for them if they said at that time that 2nd and 3rd placings were acceptable? How would their teammates have felt, giving everything for guys who were ok with losing? After the race they can accept that they did what they could but were beaten. Sending out a tweet is the modern form of communicating for many people, there's nothing wrong with it and it doesn't come across to me as anything but a respectful tribute to Cadel.

 

[thehog]

After the last stage Andy was interviewed for danish tv. He said that he didn't mind coming in second this year as much as he did last year, because he knew that Evans was a stronger rider than him. Implying that Contador didn't deserve to win last year. Gracious I think not.

….& there lies the problem. He’s still caught up with the Contador chain-gate thing. Has to let it go because in 5 years he still can’t be talking about. He thought this year would be the revenge year but Contador losing time on stage 1 scuppered those plans! He really didn’t know what to do with himself once Contador was so far back.

Those need to sit down and work out how they’re going to win this event. How do you turn an obvious deficiency in the ITT into an advantage? You can’t pick the route. You take what’s presented. Look at Contador in 2009. Zero mountain climbing for almost 2 weeks to favour a certain older rider but in planned that race out down to the T. He knew where he had to gain time and where he had to limit the losses. Shleck needs to do the same. If there’s a MTT in 2012 then that’s an advantage but he needs 3 minutes going into a ITT to be on the safe side. How do you turn that around? There are ways he just needs to practise the ITT course 1000 times so his loses are minimised.

Andy just hopes that things work out. If he didn’t have Fabien on his team both the Shleck’s would be 10 minutes off the pace. That guy gifts them 10 minutes and they still can’t win.

As another poster said. Half the favourites crashed out, Contador lost more time that was achievable claw back , FC gives them time for the TTT and they still can’t win. What’s up with that? Someone has to tell them and the media needs to stop pouring adulation over the Shleck boys. They’re not that good. Look at Gilberts season compared to those two. Even Contador with all the worries and problems he’s had all year has had a better season.