why is conserving energy seen as genius now ?

[BillytheKid]

Warning : just for BillytheKid

Since you are from New Mexico, I'll add this story.

When I lived in New Mexico i raced a number of times in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, (in its peaceful days). In one of those races I once missed a 4-5 guys breakaway.

Eventually, after many attempts, I also broke away from the bunch with one Mexican guy on my wheel who refused to collaborate and sat on my wheel the whole 20 km he took me to catch up (about 15 km before the finish line).

During the whole time of the chase he was being berated by his countrymen who were following us in a car.

He went on to win the race in the final sprint but I can tell you he got far less congratulations than I did.

PS : Around that time I won another race named "The Billy the Kid Alpine race" starting in Ruidoso and ending, of course, in Lincoln in front of the famous jail. That's a funny memory.

That's a great story. I never did Juarez although I had teammate who did and tried to get me to do it for several years. I went to school in Las Cruces and, well, had had a few experiences there. So I was not too keen on returning, but back then although the rest of the country was fine. I have a similar regard for El Paso.

I rode for Zia Velo and we use to have the Candlelight Classic in Las Cruces. I great stage race of the past, I guess now surpassed by the Tour of the Gila.

The last few years I rode with them we'd put on club races out on the frontage road by the airport. Flat and windy. Bowlin's Trading post is at west end of that circuit and was the start finish. We'd get riders from Juarez for those, but we had a really strong team and just beat them up for trying that stuff, but a lot of those guys didn't have the $$ we did.

Won of those once.

Matthew Busche was a runner at NMSU and crossed over to bike racing there, but I don't now if he ever road for Zia Velo. I've lost contact after almost 20 years.

I did find this youtube though with Busche on group ride.

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

There riding through the Pecan orchard country in the southern Mesilla Valley. Man, total Zietgeist. Like it could have been yesterday.

 

[BillytheKid]

What strength? He couldn't even do 1 pull because when Canc would pull back through, they had one hell of a time trying to hold his wheel.

So, they went the easy route, hope you don't get dropped off his wheel and can edge him out in a sprint.

Nothing special he did except prove he is a weaker rider and used a tactic to "win" a race.

He won't be winning any World TTs in his future, that is for sure.

His strength was making the break and not being drop on very fast and technical descent. You can look at it either way.

 

[The Hitch]

I don't understand why there are two threads on the same subject. Anybody who hangs around this forum knows that Hitch has a somewhat romanticised view of the sport, still I don't think there is a need for multiple threads merely to satisfy his need to vent. C'mon mods wake up how did this get to 6 pages.

I think some people are misinterpreting my message. Im not hitting on Gerrans, im hitting on the general reaction that it was a case of a superior tactician vs a weaker one.

Whether Gerrans was right or wrong to ride that way is a totaly different issue to the subject of what constitutes good tactics in cycling. In my opinion Gerrans used the obvious tactic (which does not mean a ethically wrong one) and Cancellara knew what he was doing rather than be outdone by a superior tactician.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Cancellara rides to victory when he can ride contenders off his wheel. Nibali and Gerrans were fresh enough to attack.

Cancellara's only chance was to attack on the uphill and solo. That did not happen.

The race has been won with an attack on the descent before. None other than Sean Kelly did it. He had another rider he bridged to were left with few flat kilometers to go. Kelly wouldn't pull in the closing kilometers. And then Kelly nailed the sprint with the field practically overtaking them at the line.

ANY race that Cancellara has targeted, the guy might as well ride with a target on his back and a hook sticking out the back of his bike for riders to hang onto. Cancellara did what he could and rode like a champion, attacking off the front.

Was there an alternative scenario where there's a Shack sprint train waiting in the second group? No. Outnumbered by Katusha (Friere too) and Liquigas. I'm guessing that means they had Bruyneel calling the shots and screwing things up for Cancellara.

Gerrans was the opportunist in this scenario. Let's see if he can repeat it. My guess is it will be a while before a similar opportunity gets him a top spot on the podium.