Tour of Murcia - 4th to 6th March

[Ryaguas]

so after some research... fuji indeed owns kestrel (and oval components, by the way) and that same frame was already used last year under the fuji badge by footon-servetto somewhere along the season. They do have a timetrial bike themselves, though I have no idea why they don't use them. Maybe not UCI legal? who knows...

Thx for the research mate! I didnt know that... but is an interesting info...

Hey What about Menchov TT position?
For me... just perfect, although He needs a customized TT helmet =D

 

[El Pistolero]

I also don't see Romandie or Dauphine

or Asturias or Trentino for that matter

although i could be missing the logic behind how important one-week stage races for climbers are counted

Dauphine
Paris-Nice
Volta a Catalunya
Vuelta al Pais Vasco

You need to read the whole thing, I said if he didn't lose the Dauphine in the tt and win Catalunya this year he'd have won all the big ones.

Trentino or Asturias really aren't on the same level. Sure count in Romandie, he's probably riding that as well if he is serious about the Giro.

 

[Nearly]

Bling Matthews 13th - none too shabby for a sprinter! A classics rider in the making.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I wouldn't put Matthews in the sprinter category..
He is very very versatiles.

Was also top 10 in Tour l'Avenir for example. Ofcourse, the wins these year were all sprint wins, but he can do much more

 

[kurtinsc]

I wouldn't put Matthews in the sprinter category..
He is very very versatiles.

Was also top 10 in Tour l'Avenir for example. Ofcourse, the wins these year were all sprint wins, but he can do much more

He's a sprinter with very good climbing legs... but I'm not sure he's shown enough to be thought of as more then a sprinter quite yet.

I'm one of those guys that tries to compare newer riders to guys we've seen... I keep coming up with Erik Zabel when thinking of Matthews. Yeah... Zabel could climb fairly well... but he was always a sprinter.

 

[joy118118]

Matthews always has a goot tt in u23

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

alberto looks fine on the machine.

coppel,pretty weird position:

His climbing position is even stranger. He rides up hills in the same position Francesco Moser used to use on the flat: leaning way forward, back totally flat, teeth about the knock the stem. In both cases, though, his upper body seems to be pitch farther forward than most riders'.

 

[Nearly]

Matthews always has a goot tt in u23

OK - I give in - his sprint wins are none too shabby for a TT rider/climber!

My thought always was that this guy could be anything (other than perhaps a pure climber).

 

[Michele]

Maybe next year when He'll make Tour - Vuelta?

BTW curious INFO... Menchov didnt use a Fuji TT bike, He used Kestrel!

Kestrel is owned by Fuji, and if I recall correctly they have a sort of agreement to use Kestrel bikes for TT (cant rememeber if it's due to UCI 3:1 rule).

edit: cyclingnews "In case you're wondering (as perhaps you should), Harad also confirms that the frame has received explicit UCI approval in spite of its unconventional appearance.

"We submitted our design for approval prior to us doing the final design work," he said. "As you know, the UCI can be tough so we made sure to get approval first!""

alberto looks fine on the machine.

coppel,pretty weird position:

I would call it simply perfect; straight back, helmet close to the back.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

More importantly, aren't they really ugly?

they are indeed f'n hideous

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

He's a sprinter with very good climbing legs... but I'm not sure he's shown enough to be thought of as more then a sprinter quite yet.

I'm one of those guys that tries to compare newer riders to guys we've seen... I keep coming up with Erik Zabel when thinking of Matthews. Yeah... Zabel could climb fairly well... but he was always a sprinter.

matthews is way better, he is more like jalabert at a later age. excellent climbing and itt. he is also exatcly build the same with 176 and 72 kg, could perhaps lose a little weight and he'd be a gc racer too for gt's.