Thomas Dekker comeback thread

[Ryo Hazuki]

read my post

 

[theyoungest]

read my post

Thomas wasn't a hedgehog, but a reasonable climber... who suddenly turned into a really good one when he started doping. See the connection?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Thomas wasn't a hedgehog, but a reasonable climber... who suddenly turned into a really good one when he started doping. See the connection?

Dekker was never a really good one. He never showed anything that suggested he could compete on a HC climb, juiced or not.

 

[El Pistolero]

Thomas wasn't a hedgehog, but a reasonable climber... who suddenly turned into a really good one when he started doping. See the connection?

Dekker was definitely a hedgehog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4O3w0SEuVM

 

[hrotha]

sthis is not the mid 90s were one could totally abuse stuff and could make hedgehogs fly up the mountains

Pretty sure that's exactly what the likes of Saunier Duval and Navigare were doing.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Thomas wasn't a hedgehog, but a reasonable climber... who suddenly turned into a really good one when he started doping. See the connection?

he was never a reasonable climber. he always showed big promise in climbing. maybe you forget that he turned pro at age 19. look how andy schleck all of a sudden started to climb. he rode way more annimous in his first pro years than thomas who was more talented than andy as both an u23 and junior

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Pretty sure that's exactly what the likes of Saunier Duval and Navigare were doing.

uhh no.....

 

[hrotha]

uhh no.....

Great comeback. I'll share it with Perdiguero.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

yeah just as great as your evidence for it

 

[theyoungest]

Dekker was never a really good one. He never showed anything that suggested he could compete on a HC climb, juiced or not.

Not really, although his work in the Tour 2007 was really impressive. Plus those other results on not-quite-HC climbs Ryo posted above.

he was never a reasonable climber. he always showed big promise in climbing. maybe you forget that he turned pro at age 19. look how andy schleck all of a sudden started to climb. he rode way more annimous in his first pro years than thomas who was more talented than andy as both an u23 and junior

Even Lars Boom was a better climber than Andy Schleck back then...

 

[roundabout]

Zabriskie was 2nd in the TOC just last year and 3rd in Castilla y Leon in 2009

That's not 2007?

TOC with Big Bear as the big finish (admittedly he did win the stage over the Bonny Doon) and Castilla y Leon-lite with the "flat" side of San Isidro and Peces. 33km TT in TOC and 28 in Castilla y Leon

Mind you, Dekker doing that in 2012 would be pretty good.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Not really, although his work in the Tour 2007 was really impressive. Plus those other results on not-quite-HC climbs Ryo posted above.

Dekker was really impressive in one Tour stage, but more as a Tony Martin-type decent climbing super time trialist. He was aiming for the white jersey, if you recall. He just doesn't have it in him to compete in real mountain stages.

Isolated 2nd and barely 1st category climbs don't say that much. Someone like Devolder placed 5th in Verbier, for example. Tony Martin and Cancellara have been 1st and 3rd in Crans Montana.

 

[sublimit]

The comparison with Zabriskie sounds odd, maybe more like a Riche Porte? - Kind of can climb at times when he's in good form and a very fast tester.

So we can look forward to Dekker smoking Tony Martin in time trials from next year on.. Unlikely.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

No not likely. I just hope he at least returns to doing top 10 in time trials and top 15 in some hilly races

might be low but he's coming from far

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

No not likely. I just hope he at least returns to doing top 10 in time trials and top 15 in some hilly races

might be low but he's coming from far

that;'s not really what you hope for

 

[greenedge]

he was never a reasonable climber. he always showed big promise in climbing. maybe you forget that he turned pro at age 19. look how andy schleck all of a sudden started to climb. he rode way more annimous in his first pro years than thomas who was more talented than andy as both an u23 and junior

Andy finished 2nd in a GT in 07 however. When Dekker helped Rasmussen and might have been doping.

 

[greenedge]

Dekker was definitely a hedgehog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4O3w0SEuVM

I wasted 3:50 watching that ****

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Andy finished 2nd in a GT in 07 however. When Dekker helped Rasmussen and might have been doping.

the tour was wya harder than giro and thomas rode an incredible tour also in mountains and yeah the others in 2007 tour weren't doped

 

[theyoungest]

the tour was wya harder than giro and thomas rode an incredible tour also in mountains and yeah the others in 2007 tour weren't doped

Come on, Dekker couldn't have done what Schleck did in the Giro. If you think he'd be even close, you're delusional.

 

[Kwibus]

Come on, Dekker couldn't have done what Schleck did in the Giro. If you think he'd be even close, you're delusional.

Engaging pointless discussion with Ryo

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Dekker and Vansummeren as 'zwarte pieten'

http://yfrog.com/g0z7wfsj

Funny as hell

 

[jens_attacks]

nice!
why do i feel that a big win will come for TD in the next months?he still has the class

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Victory! albeit a team victory obviously.

But, promising. Very promising.

 

[El Pistolero]

Victory! albeit a team victory obviously.

But, promising. Very promising.

He's looking better than I thought at least

I still think we can't expect too much from him yet though. I mostly expect him to do well in hilly stages in some stage races like Tour of Belgium/Eneco Tour.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He's looking better than I thought at least

I still think we can't expect too much from him yet though. I mostly expect him to do well in hilly stages in some stage races like Tour of Belgium/Eneco Tour.

He's only 1kg from his former competition weight. And I think his time trial ability is already at a very decent level. Not that of pre-suspension, but not far off either.

I don't think he'll climb very well though. That will take some time. Something like top 25 in a hilly classic would already be good.