"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Will Jan finish the Giro?

With all the talk about Jan and the Tour on this forum, his next big test will be the Giro. Do you think that he'll finish the Giro and if so where?

Yeah, he'll finish. I'll say eighth.

Edit: Oops. I didn't know he was riding as support. He'll finish, but way, way back.

I think he wants to beat himself into shape on the TT's and the mountains. As I recall, there are few mountain stages in the last week so I think he'll finish. Placing, hmm, maybe around 50 or 60.

For the record I voted for the broom wagon. Too many hard climbs and he's nowhere near race shape.

Well, according to the man himself at his own website www.janullrich.de and translated via www.altavista.com he alludes that not finishing the Giro is a possibility: "I may not cover however. Otherwise I lose too much strength and become susceptible to Infekte."

January Ullrich successfully completed last week the heavy route de Romandie. Why it accepted there voluntarily large time arrears, it explained in the picture newspaper. THEREFORE I DRIVE STILL AFTERWARDS Of January ULLRICH In front: The knee does not grumble any longer and also the balance motzt not, if I me times draufstelle. I am in the limit. I must up-get however training arrears because of a provoking in the right knee. For the route that should not be a problem, probably however for the giro, which I want to drive in this year as preparation, because I promise myself much of him. For the Italy round travel I need a few correct mountains in the legs. Therefore I die the risk to start from the conditions with the route de Romandie who ranks among the heaviest short round travels. I must come through, if I want to the giro. I may not cover however. Otherwise I lose too much strength and become susceptible to Infekte. Therefore I go at the end into the Gruppetto. Thus the last large group is called in the all drivers collects itself, who carried their work out and now with little force kraftverschwendung into the goal to drive. Is no matter to them, how many minutes lose it. The main thing is, it remains in the time limit. Why should I be faster than the Gruppetto? I am here, in order to train, so that I can drive with the route fast! January: "at Saturday giro beginning I will continue to myself roll up for the route."

http://www.janullrich.de/index.php?id=17&dat_id=10665

Broom wagon. He has stated he's supporting others and using it as a training run for TDF. He's really not a factor in this Giro, and it wouldn't make sense for him to do every stage this year.
May 26th from Pordenone will be the leg buster...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006//giro06/graphics/profile19.jpg

For the record I voted for the broom wagon. Too many hard climbs and he's nowhere near race shape.

I'm visiting the psychiatrist this afternoon -- I'm starting to think like El Diablo Dos Caminos! Now, if i could only recapture my youth and ride like him...WAIT! He IS El Diablo, right? Maybe we can arrange a little "soul" transaction...

Der Jan won't finish the Giro, and that'll be one more excuse for July.

Well, according to the man himself at his own website www.janullrich.de and translated via www.altavista.com he alludes that not finishing the Giro is a possibility: "I may not cover however. Otherwise I lose too much strength and become susceptible to Infekte."


That dang infekte will get your a$$ every time!

I'm visiting the psychiatrist this afternoon -- I'm starting to think like El Diablo Dos Caminos! Now, if i could only recapture my youth and ride like him...WAIT! He IS El Diablo, right? Maybe we can arrange a little "soul" transaction...

Der Jan won't finish the Giro, and that'll be one more excuse for July.

If I were truely El Diablo I wouldn't be saving my beer money for late July! Levi is the one who better be bartering with his soul.....where the hell is he!!!!!!

Yeah, he'll finish. I'll say eighth.

Edit: Oops. I didn't know he was riding as support. He'll finish, but way, way back.

Add a zero

Being a huge Ulle fan I automatically said YES and Woohoo etc. etc. but after looking at the Giro parcours, it looks like they have tried to make this year pretty damn epic especially on Stage 17 when they literally climb a ski slope on a gravel road so maybe he will drop...?

Broom wagon. Not because he couldn't finish, but because (as others have said), this is training for him. He'll go for as long as it provides beneficial training for the TDF. I'll guess he bails after stage 16.

if he was going for GC or a high finish, i'd say he'd bail once he feels he's done enough...but i think he'll finish. HOwever, there are time trials and who knows, he could end up doing pretty well at one of those.

FWIW.....This is going to be a very difficult Giro. Very mountainous...and some good climbers will be setting a ferocious pace on the most difficult stages.

It's going to be very tough for Jan considering his condition presently. I think he will have a tough time finishing. If he does finish...then he will surely suffer. The suffering will be great for whipping him into Tour de France condition.

Greg Lemond suffered like a dog in the '89 Giro..and went on to win the Tour in July.

I'm pulling for Jan come July...along with Landis and Hincapie.

In a word--No.

26.05.2006/ Jan Ullrich is out of the Giro d’Italia. The T-Mobile rider abandoned the race during Friday’s Stage 19 to the Passo di San Pellegrino following consultation with T-Mobile sporting director Rudy Pevenage.

I had planned to ride it through to Milan, but I have also always pointed out that I wouldn’t finish the Giro at any price,“ said Ullrich. Due to the tough race profile, the final two mountain stages in particular, we took the decision that Jan would pull out of the race and not overdo things,” says Pevenage.

Allegations influenced timing of abandoning
The allegations that emerged in Spain Wednesday linking Ullrich to doping investigations surrounding Eufemiano Fuentes have not spurred the decision. They merely influenced the timing of Ullrich’s abandoning: „Even though there is nothing behind the allegations, it would have looked ill-timed if I had abandoned on Thursday", said Ullrich, who agreed with Pevenage, that "we wouldn’t let the reports coming out of Spaindictate our training program".

The Giro went very well, unfolding as exactly the tough Tour preparation that had been hoped for in advance. "The sporting demonstration has to take priority. We don’t want to jeopardise the Tour build-up.“

Pevenage: "Ullrich is on track"
Both Ullrich and Pevenage have come out of the world’s second biggest race in a positive frame of mind. "My form improved from day to day,“ said Ullrich. Looking ahead to the Tour de France Pevenage says "everything is going to plan. Jan was racing very actively and he impressed in the time trial. We are on the right track and we will continue to follow our race program".

On Saturday Ullrich returns to his home base in Scherzingen (Switzerland) to continue honing his form for the Tour. Then in June Ullrich plans to scout a Tour stage, as well as starting one more stage race before the Tour.

http://www.t-mobile-team.com/cms/tmoteam/en/archive/news/templateId=renderInternalPage/yearID=2006/monthID=4/itemID=95868/id=78100.html

So, would is it too late (being Friday afternoon) for me to venture a guess?

and Doc Ray wins the prize.

doc got it on the spot!

RAI watched Ullrich closely yesterday, he tried to attack off the group three times, and was immediately caught. He has some work to do before July.

I really thought it would be more competitive than this, Gutierrez has been impressive, but I thought Cunego and Danielson would have more. Savoldelli has got a problem with asthma and will likely end up >15 minutes back.

Given Vinokourov's problems with his sponsor cutting out, it looks like Basso or Flandis..

RAI watched Ullrich closely yesterday, he tried to attack off the group three times, and was immediately caught. He has some work to do before July.

I really thought it would be more competitive than this, Gutierrez has been impressive, but I thought Cunego and Danielson would have more. Savoldelli has got a problem with asthma and will likely end up >15 minutes back.

Given Vinokourov's problems with his sponsor cutting out, it looks like Basso or Flandis..

I hear ya, I really expected a bloody battle for the top step but Basso was very Lance like in his domination of this race. If can only recover this form in July!

Doc you've just coined a new nickname 'Flandis'.....I like it!

Yep Flandis and Basso, maybe Hincapie or Popo are in with a shout. Can't really discount Jan until we see him in action in July.

Looking at the live coverage wire from Velonews, it looks like The Jan has dropped out of the Giro today! Guess that makes the poll a moot point, so I'm sorry....

DrPete

Looking at the live coverage wire from Velonews, it looks like The Jan has dropped out of the Giro today! Guess that makes the poll a moot point, so I'm sorry....

DrPete

Cyclingnews also reported the same. Apparently he was complaining about back problems

Cyclingnews also reported the same. Apparently he was complaining about back problems


It was a German translation problem, he wasn't complaining about back problems, he was complaining about getting his ass kicked.

Ullrich heads home
Jan Ullrich's Giro d'Italia training camp ended Friday about 10km from the finish line. The 1997 Tour champion expressed satisfaction with how the Giro unfolded.

"I am much stronger in the mountains and I won a stage," Ullrich told German reporters. "I came here without any pressure at all and I was able to train in the high mountains. I feel good ahead of the Tour."

"After three weeks I feel a little tired and I don't want to compromise my preparations for the Tour de France," Ullrich said. "The penultimate stage on Saturday is also very difficult and I didn't want to continue.

"From the start of the Giro I imagined pulling out in the hardest final hill stages. I now want to go home and get my breath back before starting the last part of my preparation for the Tour de France"

VeloNews reports.

S/F,.
CEYA!

I voted wrong.Oh well. next The TOUR!

It was a German translation problem, he wasn't complaining about back problems, he was complaining about getting his ass kicked.

Doc - good call on the stage.

I have to ask a variation of the question that often is asked when people brag about dropping a poseur. If you beat a person who isn't racing against you, have you really beaten him? We're going to have to wait until July to know whether Jan was on the up-up about his intentions in riding the Giro. Given that he was wearing 219, and not 211, I'm inclined to believe him. The way Basso is riding now, I don't think Jan can beat him - but if he were ready and trying his best, Jan would be in the top five today.

My only concern about how he handled the Giro was that he really never gave it a go in the mountains. I would think that, like the TT, he would have at least tried to ride with the leaders during one mountain stage. If did do that then he's pretty far from being able to climb with them in less than 5 weeks.

Jan actually left the race to allow himself extra time to prepare the excuses he'll need when he does poorly in the TDF:D

weaksauce. If you're going to enter the Giro, you should really intend on finishing it.

Doc - good call on the stage.

I have to ask a variation of the question that often is asked when people brag about dropping a poseur. If you beat a person who isn't racing against you, have you really beaten him? We're going to have to wait until July to know whether Jan was on the up-up about his intentions in riding the Giro. Given that he was wearing 219, and not 211, I'm inclined to believe him. The way Basso is riding now, I don't think Jan can beat him - but if he were ready and trying his best, Jan would be in the top five today.

+1

If a guy sits in it doesn't always mean he can't hang; it means he has no reason to chase. Like today, I wouldn't post some dumb comment about Basso losing minutes to some guy who doesn't matter. Could Basso have kept up? Of course he could but that’s not in his game plan. Posts like “Jan lost 6 min in the mountains today, he must suck” just shows lack of understanding. For Jan nobody matters at the Giro. He came, logged big miles, won a stage and left. If he hurts in July then have at him; but not for this.

My only concern about how he handled the Giro was that he really never gave it a go in the mountains. I would think that, like the TT, he would have at least tried to ride with the leaders during one mountain stage. If did do that then he's pretty far from being able to climb with them in less than 5 weeks.

I'm not so sure he didn't try.

+1

If a guy sits in it doesn't always mean he can't hang; it means he has no reason to chase. Like today, I wouldn't post some dumb comment about Basso losing minutes to some guy who doesn't matter. Could Basso have kept up? Of course he could but that’s not in his game plan. Posts like “Jan lost 6 min in the mountains today, he must suck” just shows lack of understanding. For Jan nobody matters at the Giro. He came, logged big miles, won a stage and left. If he hurts in July then have at him; but not for this.

I blame Armstrong for this recent attitude, but just riding for the Tour erodes the sport. UCI should require that ALL riders qualify with points from the spring races to be allowed to ride the Tour.

I blame Armstrong for this recent attitude, but just riding for the Tour erodes the sport. UCI should require that ALL riders qualify with points from the spring races to be allowed to ride the Tour.

I agree with you about the focus on the TDF eroding the sport, but I don't see the proposed remedy being a likely response. They have a system like that for the big tournaments in golf, but there are exemptions for the defending champion and previous winners. I rather doubt that the defending champion would ever be barred from participating, and what would happen to someone who truly was just coming back into form following an injury? The suggestion - while having some appeal - is problematic.