Lithuania

Does anyone know if he is going to race the Vuelta too?

ratebeer

They'll list the riders here but don't believe it. They said Haedo was doing TdF up until the day it started.
https://www.team-csc.com/races.asp?r_id=1036

chzman

is it considered ''racing'' when you are almost in last place??

ratebeer

SNAP!

I'm still expecting a Richie Tenenbaum thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac_RhrRnnuo

At WCs he'll cry for a while silently, get off his bike, take off his shoes and one sock, drop his bike and sit down on the course, thinking about quiet future days as a forest ranger.

Randomus

I think that finishing the TdF - regardless of what place you're in - is an accomplishment.

wfrogge

Its considered "racing" when your job is to stay fresh as to help your team's contenders on tough stages. His job is not to win or place, just make the time cut each day. Why expend more energy than needed?


https://www.csc.com/ee/teamcsc/zab_to...or_last_place/


Tuesday, July 10, 2007


Zab to Get Prize for Last Place


Being last sometimes has its perks. Team CSC’s Dave Zabriskie sat up in the final kilometer after doing his work and rolled across the line in 187th at 1:05 behind his winning teammate. That’s no big deal, because Zabriskie is here to work for team leader Carlos Sastre once the Tour hits the mountains next week. Local prizes are often awarded during each day’s stage as it winds around France and Zabriskie is set to receive one tomorrow morning. Yesterday’s winner, Gert Steegmans, for example, received a statue of a horse this morning. Sometimes it’s a bottle of wine, local delicacies or even a live cow. Though he didn’t know this when he finished, it was announced that local authorities will award Zabriskie with a basket of apples before the start of Wednesday’s stage.

BananaTugger

Apples?

Kick-ass.

blaronn

It appears that Z's strategy backfired today.

chzman

unless his strategy was not to race tomorrow...

ratebeer

It is too bad. I still admire DaveZ and hope whatever seems to bugging him works out.

Lithuania

I hope he isnt hurt but at the same time I kind of hope he is. I think it would be lame if he dnf'd for none injury reasons.

When I initially made this post I was hoping maybe he was taking it easy with the attention of trying to place well in the vuelta but I realized that was kind of silly afterwards.

KendallF

https://www.velonews.com/tour2007/new...s/12836.0.html

Sounds like he's having knee trouble.

merlinextraligh

damn, first american laterne rouge will have to wait another year.

Dick Rhee

He keeps talking about how they made him change shoes, which would make sense seeing as though he was sporting the Rocket7's while they were sponsored by Sidi.

Vinokurtov

Davey Sprocket is nails. As is Vino. You lose 2-5% of your fitness in the TDF and you're toast. Heart will only get you so far.

ratebeer

I guess some people are a lot more nails than others though? Or maybe that "2-5% yadda yadda" is more like "if a guy who is only nails loses more than one limb then..."? Vinokourov might possibly have no flesh at all under those bandages and 90 stitches and yet his wheels just keep on crushing like a steamroller. Tell me this, Chuck Norris and Vino in a cage match, who wins?

Exactly.

Hulk Hogan, Batman and The Green Lantern against the immortal Saul Raisin' From The Ashes. Saul is armed only with a frame pump and a plastic tire iron. Who wins?

Exactly.

Stallionforce

Who knows what the story is? He could be really ill. He did the Giro and the Dauphine which doesn't excuse his pitiful Tour performance but it goes some way to justifying it. His job was to escort Sastre and Schleck and it was clear he was not in form to do that.

Zabriskie is a tough dude -- all top time trial riders are. In the next couple of days we'll probably have a more cogent answer than some of the stuff being conjectured here and elsewhere.

bbp

I don't understand why they made him change shoes. Even though they were Rocket7s they were rebadged and most people don't know the difference.

bbp

He said he has knee pain which is a result of a mandatory shoe change.

grahny

Here's a video interview with him about dropping out of the tour and the shoes and whatnot:

https://www.velonews.com/vntv/

(the last of the zabriske diaries one, obviously )

jrennie

I like Dave Z but he sound like a international rider in an interview, kinda like english isn't his first language.

mynameistom

He never came across as loving being on the bike the whole tour in his velonews diaries, it seemed from the first day he wasn't exactly overwhelmed with joy to be at the tour. You watch Horners diary, and you can tell he loves what he does and enjoys explaining life on the tour and the tactics of each stage. Not saying Z doesnt love the bike as much but his heart didn't seem set on riding well this tour from the beginning.