Will Evans lose his 3rd GT by less than a minute?

[Lion of Flanders]

Good thing Cadel has come 2nd on the two toughest mountain finishes (Zonk, KronPlatz) and even won a tough rainy/muddy stage...

You must be supporting Cadel, otherwise you are talking about Scarponi?

You are correct, of course. I do apologize for forgetting about Evans' win on a very tough stage. When I say "third place every day" I really mean in a figurative sense, i.e. that is what we have generally observed about Evans throughout his road career. Sitting on wheels and getting 2nd, 3rd, 5th, whatever in tough stages and time trials. Uninspired riding from an obviously very talented pro.

...and I wouldn't like to see Scarponi win the race either.

Looks like now Evans can focus on blaming his team, equipment, Sunspots, etc for his failure at the Tour this year (no podium there, either, BTW). Apologies to Cadel's fans, but he just isn't a Tour winner. The poor excuse for a Grand Tour that was the 2008 version was his best shot and he blew that by hoping that someone else would chase Sastre on ADH. He could win La Vuelta if he focused on it.

 

[ludwig]

Evans Giving Up?

Evans' interview today seemed pretty grim...is he conceding the Giro to Basso?

Or is this a mind-game?

I think anything could happen. Either Vino or Evans could still get away and win the Giro tomorrow.

But most likely Basso will be the strongest and Nibali and Scarponi will fight for 2nd, with Arroyo maybe having a shot at the podium as well if he can repeat today's performance.

 

[junkie]

Looks like now Evans can focus on blaming his team

And he has a perfect right to do so, but he will not.

 

[Lion of Flanders]

And he has a perfect right to do so, but he will not.

Who can say what he'll do, but if he's a contender and he's in with a shout, based upon past mewlings, I'd say he will.

My favorite is from 2007. After being dropped 3k from the top of the last climb of the day Evan's quote:

"Unfortunately that is the way it is, you have to play the cards as they fall," he responded. "Unfortunately, the team does not have the budget to buy a rider who can close those gaps for me."

Maybe Cadel has learned that a rider who wants to win the Tour has to close his own gaps with 3k to go to the top of the last climb of the day.

We will see.

 

[auscyclefan94]

And he has a perfect right to do so, but he will not.

+1...it is annoying how this has turned out.

 

[Francois the Postman]

[response to: And he has a perfect right to [blame the team], but he will not.]

+1...it is annoying how this has turned out.

This I am not quite getting. How are you suddenly OK with the team deserving blame?

For months we have been hearing from you how great the team was, as a team, and how supportive they were of each other. A team that would grow over time and would only get better, etc. That even if they weren't the best, they had great team spirit.

We get a totally predictable third week in the Giro, and you seem ****ed with them.

Who is letting that team spirit down now? Not Cadel. Why you?

Most of us have stated from well before the Giro that in our eyes the team was too light for the job at hand, and most of us have been stating throughout the Giro that despite the team he was on, Cadel was riding admirably. To most of us the current situation "has turned out" as expected.

We weren't stating that Cadel was "smoking" the rest of the riders like you were at one point (at least I recall something to that effect - I might be wrong), nor are we/most-of-us saying now that Cadel disappoints because at stage 19 the wheels came off a bit. I'd argue that throughout and still, supportive posts of Cadel's accomplishments appear more often than you seem to receive.

I did expect some people to rub salt in the wounds, but I did not expect you to join that gang.

"None" of us are blaming the team, really. What you have heard were simply judgement calls they weren't up to the task and never were. Something that seems to have been a very appropriate call. Blaming suggest they were "at fault despite capacity to do otherwise". To me, if anyone is to blame for being on a team that is too light, it is the guy who decided to move to it. IF you blame the team. Which Cadel hasn't really done so far.

I am curious what Cadel will reveal as the thing that has been troubling him since mid race, and seems to be his reason for under performing this time round (he does state that Basso is the better rider, so he is giving credit too).

But if it is true that the suggested team criticism would indeed be justified in your eyes now (even if it has been more or less absent from Cadel's lips and I suspect will stay that way), why your back flip? And why isn't the team's strength something that Cadel has brought upon himself by moving to BMC? Why blame the team and exonerate Cadel (by the sound of it)? Or am I missing something?

I am not poking, just curious. What am I missing?

 

[dolophonic]

What happened with Cadel at the World Champs? I thought i heard the team tried to vote him off ? Some people might see that there is a pattern.
The pattern i see is he is a great cyclist that gives his all.. his personality etc i know nothing about.. He has certainly left it all on the road at the Giro.
Vino has had similar problems as far as his team goes, they lost some riders.

 

[LukeSchmid]

What happened with Cadel at the World Champs? I thought i heard the team tried to vote him off ? Some people might see that there is a pattern.
The pattern i see is he is a great cyclist that gives his all.. his personality etc i know nothing about.. He has certainly left it all on the road at the Giro.
Vino has had similar problems as far as his team goes, they lost some riders.

It is believed the Australian team decided/voted that Simon Gerrans not Cadel Evans would be team leader.