Tour of the Basque Country 2012

[meat puppet]

The route was demanding and technical yes, but downright dangerous, no. Crostis would have been dangerous.

Also it is the rider's job to negotiate the course and stay on the edge if they choose to push it, not fall over it. You know, be Roadrunner, not Wile E Coyote.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Sure he didn't want to fall. But the only thing after the race he said was how ****ed this route was and that it was absolutly no fun racing it and way to dangerous.

Anyway, great performance still.

Nobody wanted to fall, so what makes it different for him?
Has he already become a prima donna?
Fact is, much of that course was the same tried and tested route as in 2005,
(9.3kms back then) including all of the back end.
In 2005 it was even wetter than today.
Nobody whined then.

As Waterloo Sunrise says, another excuse, but in reality he chose to take no risks on a course that meant to test bike handling skills as well as watt output.

 

[Frosty]

How many people fell today?

 

[El Pistolero]

So in conclusion, the world time trial champion has now rode 4 time trials this season, and had a good excuse why he didn't win each one.

It's better than not having an excuse. Then it's just flat out embarrassing

 

[cineteq]

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Nobody wanted to fall, so what makes it different for him?
Has he already become a prima donna?
Fact is, much of that course was the same tried and tested route as in 2005,
(9.3kms back then) including all of the back end.
In 2005 it was even wetter than today.
Nobody whined then.

As Waterloo Sunrise says, another excuse, but in reality he chose to take no risks on a course that meant to test bike handling skills as well as watt output.

I'm not of opposite opinion at all really, I just wanted to point out how he seems to see it and that it was a very good performance considering that he didn't take any risks at all. Which indicates good or growing form.

Concerning the excuses I guess they really weren't bad. Before this TT the exuse was "I'm not really in form yet and not as good as last year" which is plainly honest. He did come to form in Basque country as he thought he did. So today was the only time he really made an excuse for why he couldn't live up to his real self.
I think his critique of the course was too harsh, but he was pretty frustrated, so I don't care to much about it. He could take more riks once in a while, but maybe he's really not good enough of a bike handler, thats something he'll have to deal with than. But as long as he doesn't star claiming that he couldn't do well because to many non TT specialists competed I don't see a reason to construct the claim that he's a permanet whiner who's always making excuses if it doesn't go his way.

What I do find disturbing in general though is the notion that great seasons have to be repeated or betterd, otherwise the rider must be crap, lazy, making excuses while he in reality just is crap .... and so on. That's really childish talk.

 

[Forunculo]

One word, EPIC

 

[Cancellator]

So in conclusion, the world time trial champion has now rode 4 time trials this season, and had a good excuse why he didn't win each one.

Only one man looks good in that jersey. Sadly for Tony, it's not him.

 

[will10]

Only one man looks good in that jersey. Sadly for Tony, it's not him.

Indeed.

 

[greenedge]

Congrats to Samu for winning the ITT/ GC. Also nice ITT's by Cunego and JROD ( even though the course was hilly ).

 

[Caruut]

Sure he didn't want to fall. But the only thing after the race he said was how ****ed this route was and that it was absolutly no fun racing it and way to dangerous.

Anyway, great performance still.

What kind of TT does he enjoy then? Should we just try and make sure all TTs are held on airport runways for his benefit? Maybe if he hates roads so much, he ought to go away and have a crack at the hour record instead of whining about it.

 

[Eric8-A]

Only one man looks good in that jersey. Sadly for Tony, it's not him.

I don't like the way Tony looks in rainbow. He can't rock the WC kit like Spartacus.

 

[greatking88]

Etxeondo manufacture the País Vasco jerseys. You can get them if they're in stock from a few places that stock them, Cento Cycling, Prendas and Outletbici being among them, or try writing to the manufacturers.

Thanks a lot for that, I will try them out

 

[hrotha]

You guys are being unfair to Martin. It's not like he was the only one who complained - tons of riders did.

 

[AntonioRossi]

You guys are being unfair to Martin. It's not like he was the only one who complained - tons of riders did.

yeah others did complain as well. But I guess people do expect more from a world champion. He really hasn't shown much at all yet

 

[krismtb]

Sanchez looks good but it seems all the stages were setup for his style of riding, including the TT.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Sanchez looks good but it seems all the stages were setup for his style of riding, including the TT.

Even the rain was bask.

 

[movingtarget]

You guys are being unfair to Martin. It's not like he was the only one who complained - tons of riders did.

Maybe but from what I have seen of Spanish races this year, they need to have safer sprint finishes for a start. Did not see the TT so can't comment on that. Martin can be a bit of a whiner sometimes but he has not yet approached Andy Schleck's olympian heights as far as that side of his personality goes. How good is Rodriguez going ? The Ardenne classics await. Sanchez also looking very good.

 

[Bavarianrider]

yeah others did complain as well. But I guess people do expect more from a world champion. He really hasn't shown much at all yet

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

So out of the 4 TTs he's lost, where was the good showing?

Or was it the ability to come 10th rolling up some 5km hills that we're to be impressed by (from a guy who was climbing better in the 2011 PN).

He's had a weak start to the season by his standards, and you keep making excuses for him, whether you like it or not. If he hadn't had a weak start, you wouldn't be making excuses.

 

[Alpechraxler]

I said it before Tony should have choosen a alu rim, maybe some profiled tyres as well.. I'm almost sure he would have won yesterday that way..

Sanchez once crossed the pylon line in a righthand bend after a roundabout to hold his speed - pure class

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

So out of the 4 TTs he's lost, where was the good showing?

Or was it the ability to come 10th rolling up some 5km hills that we're to be impressed by (from a guy who was climbing better in the 2011 PN).

He's had a weak start to the season by his standards, and you keep making excuses for him, whether you like it or not. If he hadn't had a weak start, you wouldn't be making excuses.

he would've won the algarve timetrial if he hadn't rode over a cat

and for real? the guy started injured to the season. he lost 30 minutes in a stage in mallorca because of a crash. he started nice with lack of trainingbase and is now getting back.

 

[Lexman]

VDB says he has lot of fear in the descents since his fall in last years TDF, and that's what made him lose a lot of time in the ITT saturday

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/120410_Vdb_na_Baskenland