Why Cadel Evans will not gain enough time on Andy Schleck in the TT.

[The Hitch]

Ok ive changed my mind again. Cadel is the favourite.

42km is just too long.

 

[davestoller]

Not one person, not nobody is gonna take it to Andy Schleck for whining like a little girl about Chaingate last year, but they clearly attacked and went ahead when Cadel had a mechanical today!?!?!

Seriously?

Personally, I think Contador SHOULD have attacked Andy and Andy and Contador SHOULD go ahead when Cadel had to stop--for sure the team directors saw it on TV and screamed at them to go.

Its just Andy's whining I find intolerable. On Luz Arididen and Plateau their tactics were ridiculous.

All this having been said, it is waaaay too close to call.
I really want Cadel to win.
But a cold hard look at the facts--Andy will sqeak it out.

Testa: "Andy did not impress in the Tour de Suisse ITT last month.
But the rider we see here, it is a different rider."

ahem

 

[Dr. Maserati]

57 seconds over 43k? Cadel will take a minute out of Andy in the first 15k. Cadel has been ITTing for 3 days already this week once it's him against the clock in will go to suffer level 10 and destroy the little rolling route

By that measure - didn't Andy take 2 minutes out of Cadel on the stage to Galibier?

But seriously - it is going to be really close. In the Dauphine Cadel was 6th 1:20 behind Tony Martin, obviously FrAndy were not riding there but (as examples) Vino finished 58 seconds behind Cadel and Uran finished 1:21.

So it is quite tight. (but to call it - Evans wins.)

 

[ManInFull]

Dude you need to lay off AS kool aid. Evans, AS, FS, and all of the top riders all know AC owns them without the Giro. New era my nuts!

The "New Era" depends on whether AC is banned or not. If he is banned next month, is it 2 years from Aug 2011?

 

[Teddy Boom]

Will Andy be allowed to wear his fairing? If so, it really will be deja vu.

 

[SilentAssassin]

The "New Era" depends on whether AC is banned or not. If he is banned next month, is it 2 years from Aug 2011?

AC is on the decline obviously as you can see from this tour. His ban will have no effect on the outcome.

 

[titan_90]

AC is on the decline obviously as you can see from this tour. His ban will have no effect on the outcome.

He was not in top form because he raced and won the Giro this year, which was the hardest GT or one of the hardest in the history of the sport(at least post WW2).

 

[BYOP88]

AC is on the decline obviously as you can see from this tour. His ban will have no effect on the outcome.

Hmm ok, next year Andy should ride the Giro try to win that, then pitch up at the Tour and try and win that.

 

[ansimi]

AC is on the decline obviously as you can see from this tour. His ban will have no effect on the outcome.

And he's declining FAST! So much weaker than he was just a few short months ago in the Giro Some sort of rapid aging disorder I think.

 

[ManInFull]

AC is on the decline obviously as you can see from this tour. His ban will have no effect on the outcome.

Hahaha. A 28 year-old in decline...Sure... You are funny. Did you watch the Giro in May?

 

[fatandfast]

Hahaha. A 28 year-old in decline...Sure... You are funny. Did you watch the Giro in May?

he didn't even watch a stage. Contador is in a funk not a decline. If the UCI can't get his issues resolved he will have a mental block until they are done. The guy is a great racer in every discipline. Decline that is truly funny indeed. I will bet there are going to be 3 or 4 guys that are wish the were also "declining" like Alberto..He has show he can do it all

 

[TimChristy]

The "New Era" depends on whether AC is banned or not. If he is banned next month, is it 2 years from Aug 2011?

The tour will be lame if he's banned. Like him or not, he animates the race like no one else.

 

[Nederick]

AS at the podium ceremony did not look like a man oozing confidence. He looked like a man who knew he needed to take more time out of Evans, and couldn't. Evans hasn't even looked like cracking this year. Certainly taken near the limit, but always in control physically and in my opinion mentally. In the back of Andy's mind, he probably thinks ah well, next year to dominate. Evans is about to throw the kitchen sink at the ITT. Brilliant, I think that the tour comes down to this. A+

 

[jobiwan]

To the OP: There is nothing definite about this TT.

Can't say Evans definitely will, can't say he definitely won't.

Too close to call.

 

[mulletCobra]

Bob Roll's sock puppets

 

[Kender]

By that measure - didn't Andy take 2 minutes out of Cadel on the stage to Galibier?

yeah but cadel took nearly 2 minutes out of andy on the way up the last climb of the day.

 

[Kender]

AS at the podium ceremony did not look like a man oozing confidence. He looked like a man who knew he needed to take more time out of Evans, and couldn't. Evans hasn't even looked like cracking this year. Certainly taken near the limit, but always in control physically and in my opinion mentally. In the back of Andy's mind, he probably thinks ah well, next year to dominate. Evans is about to throw the kitchen sink at the ITT. Brilliant, I think that the tour comes down to this. A+

ya i was thinking similar thoughts

in the interview after the race he looked defeated. he looked like a man who had just lost the tour

 

[dbrmuz]

The title of this thread indicates some of the Andy fan-boys are becoming as desperate & obsessive as the Lance ones! Surely Cadel would have to ride backward in cement gumboots to TT slower than Andy?

I will admit though,the margin may be a bit tight-I'd have preferred Cadel to be within 30-40 seconds.

 

[La Vie Claire]

Well, at least AS can tell his kids that he wore the yellow jersey for a day. Look for a repeat of the final TT of the 87 Tour when Roche took the yellow from Delgado on the penultimate stage. Cuddles will win the Tour by about a minute. He will then, in no particular order, slap a cameraman, hug his dog, and cry like a baby.

 

[egtalbot]

By that measure - didn't Andy take 2 minutes out of Cadel on the stage to Galibier?

So it is quite tight. (but to call it - Evans wins.)

No. From the time Monfort stopped pulling for Andy (granted, a few K before Cadel went to the front for good)to the top of the Galibier, it was fairly even.

And I agree, Evans wins it, but it's close. Will also be interesting to see how Frank S, Voekler, Contador and Basso do. I don't think we can predict how big the gaps will be, but I wouldn't be surprised by Frank S. or Tom V. either cracking or pulling our good TTs.

 

[dbrmuz]

Well, at least AS can tell his kids that he wore the yellow jersey for a day. Look for a repeat of the final TT of the 87 Tour when Roche took the yellow from Delgado on the penultimate stage. Cuddles will win the Tour by about a minute. He will then, in no particular order, slap a cameraman, hug his dog, and cry like a baby.

And make a nation proud!

 

[frizzlefry]

Well, at least AS can tell his kids that he wore the yellow jersey for a day. Look for a repeat of the final TT of the 87 Tour when Roche took the yellow from Delgado on the penultimate stage. Cuddles will win the Tour by about a minute. He will then, in no particular order, slap a cameraman, hug his dog, and cry like a baby.

......Lmao

 

[BYOP88]

......Lmao

Slightly off-topic, but is your username paying homage to the awesome Primus?

back on topic: What if the bunch on stage 18 had started working sooner, I mean Evans took back what 2-2 and half minutes on Schleck on the climb if the gap hadn't got out to 4 minutes then Evans would be nailed on to wim, now it's a 50-50.

 

[The Barb]

I am more confident it will be the closest Tour finish ever than I am about the chances of either rider. 57 seconds would be basically exactly where I would've handicapped it pre Tour.

 

[maxmartin]

who knows what is going to happen, Andy might drop his chain again like in tour of swiss