I get the feeling that Evans does not want the pressure of being on a team that could support him. If he were on a team built for GT GCs then he would not have an easy excuse for failure.
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Ferminal said:
Maybe you hit on something here - maybe his lotto contract prohibited him riding for another pro-team without paying a huge sum of money..
avanti said:
Well he was earning good dollars at Lotto, otherwise he would've gone elsewhere in 2008 or 2009.
+1 The circumstances which bmc have been through leading into the tour have been dreadfully unlucky. The loss of frei and ballan, crash of kohler, morabito not riding for some reasonPCutter said:
Eyjafjallajokull said:
OLO's squad is close to their best team. BMC's squad has a lot of holes in it which are riding the tour. Put both teams best ttt squads in and I think you will have a different result.
Teddler said:
Yep yes and yeah.
Is location also another factor? I think it is pretty obvious that family is a HUGE part of Cadel's life and being located in southern Switzerland would be important to him with his wife being Italian. BMC has lots of Swiss is based partly in Switzerland and USA. Was this always the case or modified for Cadel? If so then this was probably another factor to influence his decision.
Personally I think he is one interesting guy. he certainly wears his heart on his sleeve, and shows his true emotions. While this at times comes across as a bit peevish, it is also refreshing becasue of its honesty (as opposed to managed and manicured riders), and the more we get to know him (as much as we can based on the snippets we read or hear) the more many, including myself, have warned to him. He obviously feels life's jabs and jokes in a deep way, while others more readily brush them off (or do so for the camera).
Sure he sometimes speaks a little rashly, and maybe without thinking it through very carefully, but then so do half the people I know, and this is often after an exhausting race when the brain is not at its bets state to be nice and kind and rational.
The reality of course is that he is human: he praises, he complains, he hilights injustices, he reveals inner struggles .... This is one of the great things about him as an entertainer (which is after all what a professional sportsman is in many respects). The reality of his humanity and personality readily come through with refreshing honesty.
Sorry about getting off topic but I have been saving up these comments over the last couple of years.
Sasquatch said:
********! I think it is insulting that a rider just rides for money. He is not getting paid as much at lotto and had to pay out his contract at lotto. He wants to win and he wants to be on a team which will back him and do all they can for him. BMC put in their all but with a young squad, you can't expect miracles.
Eratosthenes said:But we will pray for them.
Liked your prior post about evans.
Stage 4's interesting CE diary entry
I think it may be a bit early to judge Team Bmc just yet.Remembering that they only started playing with the big boys this year...Ok there results so far haven't been the most impressive,but im not yet ready to write them off as a week team for Cadel..Lets just wait and see at seasons end?or the the end of Giro?I think this team will only be stronger in the coming season.
auscyclefan94 said:
Evans is getting some sort of deal. Maybe hookers?
I mean, no offence to the bloke but who in their right mind would go to a team that can't support him in a GT? Everyone knew at the start of the Giro that he wouldn't have much team support but believed he is strong enough to win it. Hell, I backed BMC to stay within a reasonable margin last night and they did just that.
However, after seeing he has weak team support over the last few stages which gives a 98% probability he'll be alone in the mountains against Liquigas, who have two cards to play, I think Evans is screwed.
At the moment Liquigas are in a strong position. Basso wanted the TDF but now he needs to reconsider and see if Nibali is strong enough to win. And if he isn't, Basso needs to sacrifice the TDF hopes. That's the only downfall for Liquigas, if there will be one.
If Valverde gets suspended, my advice for Evans will be to brush up on his Spanish and have a word with Caisse. Same with Mick Rogers or anyone that wants decent support in a GT.
There was a buyout clause, yes. But I don't think Evans himself paid the money. It's more likely BMC did.Ferminal said:
Caisse are doing even worse than BMC at the moment...Sasquatch said:
auscyclefan94 said:
The pope's literally a few kms from here right now. You guys want me to go put in a prayer for Evans?
Perhaps none of the big teams have have been abel to offer Cadel his newest contract request of personal dog security...just saying.....
BroDeal said:
What are you thinking! It has always been clear as to the plan for the BMC squad - this year is a real development year, starting to play with all the Pro Tour Teams. They are continuing to show development (and that was something pointed out when the signing of Cadel was announced).
Cadel, has said in the past that one of the things behind the move is the relationship between the Riders and the DS and others within the team.
Doesn't this point more to Pharma Lotto, ignoring the riders (take the reactions in '09 Tour, when Cadel has his two bad days) and blaming them solely for the lack of results.
Clearly unless riders are happy, the results won't happen.
Cadel, has chosen the team that makes him happy, and clearly his results show that.
Cadel's diary for Stage 4, shows that he is relaxed and not feeling the pressure and to quote from it
"The guys rode technically very well, putting all of their strength on the time sheet. Things had not exactly gone our way leading in. Besides missing Ballan and Morabito, we lost Martin Kohler (taken out by a Tv moto) in stage two. Ok, we'll do what we can....According to trusted friend Graham Watson who was out on the course taking pics, the crosswind was tailwind for the last teams...oh well..."
(http://www.cadelevans.com.au/cadelsdiary.aspx)
Giro plans, clearly have been upset (injury to Kroon, suspension of Ballan etc) and the team are honouring their US committments with Tour of California resulting in a split of their fources (remember they have less riders anyway to choose teams from compared to the PRO Teams.
An if the statement about a tail wind for the later starting teams is correct, the time that BMC did, really stacks up.
Why are we not talking about the poor Saxo Bank Time trial? BMC were closer that really expected to the Sky time (which was who everyone expected to win the TTT). You expect Saxo Bank to do a much better TTT than they did, and BMC were closer to this time.
As to what has happened on Stage 3 - Cadel and the BMC team were ruined by other's accidents. The course selected by the organisers really is to blame, as they should know in the first couple of stages of a GT it always in the last 20-30kms is a big bunch. the Tour organisers get it right as they can visit these areas, but make sure that the riders are safe (and we will see this in July).
Caisse suddenly look like a different team. Amazingly bad performance from a bunch of TTers, yesterday.theyoungest said:
Piti has had everybody taken off the hot sauce.
BMC? I few said they'd lose 1'-20" and that is exactly what they lost.
Better than losing another rider.
Evans did pay out his contract personally. BMC could not possibly have afforded one years salary (i think it was roughly 1 million aussie) that OPL needed to get Evans out, so he paid himself.
BMC is a pretty young team, and I doubt Evans joined BMC to miraculously win the Tour in 2010. I'm pretty sure he stated when he moved that this is a 3-year job to start over, build a team, and finish his career with them...
He has already had a high profile win (FW) this year, which he didn't last year (WC was with aussies, not OPL) and the atmosphere is clearly better at BMC than OPL.
Giro is no where near over yet. Evans can still win. He's toe-to-toe with Sastre (the main threat, IMO) and I think he can easily outclimb Basso and Vino in the mountains and plan de corones TT. He can gain another 30 seconds needed to beat Sastre in the final TT if necessary. He just needs to be patient and not get sucked into the media pressure after the TTT like he did last year and make that silly 'breakaway' like in the tour.
Darkhorse is Nibali. If Basso can't climb when Sastre and Evans take off, Nibali might play the defensive role and just wheel suck his way behind them for 2 weeks. Seriously, Nibali could well win this Giro from stage 4 to the finish.
There is so much time left in this GT, with that wicked route. Liquigas would be VERY wise to relinquish the jersey early, otherwise they will waste their energy before the mountains get heavy.
BMC is a pretty young team, and I doubt Evans joined BMC to miraculously win the Tour in 2010. I'm pretty sure he stated when he moved that this is a 3-year job to start over, build a team, and finish his career with them...
He has already had a high profile win (FW) this year, which he didn't last year (WC was with aussies, not OPL) and the atmosphere is clearly better at BMC than OPL.
Giro is no where near over yet. Evans can still win. He's toe-to-toe with Sastre (the main threat, IMO) and I think he can easily outclimb Basso and Vino in the mountains and plan de corones TT. He can gain another 30 seconds needed to beat Sastre in the final TT if necessary. He just needs to be patient and not get sucked into the media pressure after the TTT like he did last year and make that silly 'breakaway' like in the tour.
Darkhorse is Nibali. If Basso can't climb when Sastre and Evans take off, Nibali might play the defensive role and just wheel suck his way behind them for 2 weeks. Seriously, Nibali could well win this Giro from stage 4 to the finish.
There is so much time left in this GT, with that wicked route. Liquigas would be VERY wise to relinquish the jersey early, otherwise they will waste their energy before the mountains get heavy.
i sometimes get a bit worried about riders saying things like "its good to be involved in the running of the team" or "the relationship between the ds and the riders is really good". it suggests to me that riders get to do what they want a little more. i know that sounds like a good thing but having a good ds actually directing the riders gets them to all work for the same goal. i think at BMC at the moment you have their 2 main riders (evans and hincapie) working individually. obviously george wants to ride in the US but thats no good for cadel.
perhaps cadel sees BMC as a work in progress and is backing in his ability to still be a contender for GC in a couple of years. if this is the case, i think he's wrong.
perhaps cadel sees BMC as a work in progress and is backing in his ability to still be a contender for GC in a couple of years. if this is the case, i think he's wrong.
Someone mentioned rightly that Cadel's here with a growing team. Cadel doesn't mind not winning these GTs, as its all part of a 3-year plan. So, we can obviously expect some more big recruiting at the end of this season to build up the depth of their roster.
What I'm wondering, is who they're looking at? Personally, I have a feeling Fuglsang will be one of them...
What I'm wondering, is who they're looking at? Personally, I have a feeling Fuglsang will be one of them...
auscyclefan94 said:
Frie? lol the guy who always crucifies dopers and never stops *****ing about guys like valverde and vino mentions frei as unlucky? he cheated, thus he shouldn't be riding.. right? So yeah can't use him as an excuse.
Kohler isn't exactly the domestique going around, sure any member crashing out is a loss, but c'mon evans needs mountain goats to help him where it counts.
Morabito not riding for some reason: no one's fault but BMC for not bringing him.
On a whole BMC are just not that strong, and in terms of capabilities (maybe not motivation, and riders really wanting to support) evans has downgraded.
Timmy-loves-Rabo said:
In fairness Timmy, I think ACF suggested that Cadel was unlucky to be stung by an arse like Frei, and did not say that Frei was "unlucky". I think ACF even advocated that the entire team should withdraw from the Giro the moment Frei was found out.
auscyclefan94 said:
There you are ACF - knew you'd be onto this one in a flash
Agreed that it is most unlucky. "Morabito not riding for some reason" sounds ominous, though. Frei, Ballan ...That may put to rest my theory that Cuddles knows he can't win the Tour and so is doing a stealth move and going for the Giro win instead. Seriously good early season form certainly pointed that way. But then, as you note, BMC's Giro squad is lacking some of its major horsepower.
laziali said:There you are ACF - knew you'd be onto this one in a flash
That may put to rest my theory that Cuddles knows he can't win the Tour and so is doing a stealth move and going for the Giro win instead. Seriously good early season form certainly pointed that way. But then, as you note, BMC's Giro squad is lacking some of its major horsepower.
Lotto is lacking basically everyone. How are they anywhere near their best TTT team?
Francois the Postman said:
yes but were talking about bmc in terms of strength.
Honestly I don't think they are, yes Evans was unlucky to lose another domestique in such fashion I agree. But with them being committed to the tour as well as well as the giro and ToC, they were never going to be that strong here.
And I wanna make it clear, I'm not saying moving to BMC from omega isn't an improvement, because I think it is, Omega was a bad place for cadel, and mentally he seems happier, and taht brings the best out of him i am sure. but BMC simply aren't that physically great,
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