Road Bike Racing - Basso V. Levi @ ToC

....so I'm a big Basso fan and I'm watching this ToC every night wondering about the dynamic on the team. I'm also wondering why it is that on that climb yesterday, one minute everything seemed right with the world. There was Basso leading Levi up the climb as it should be. The next minute, no Basso in sight and Levi really looked strong.

Is this simply a case of time of the season? Basso is a TdF specialist and holding back now since it is early in the season?

Still, if that's the case, Levi doesn't seem to be holding anything back, and one could say they he too would have a shot in France, right?

....so I'm a big Basso fan and I'm watching this ToC every night wondering about the dynamic on the team. I'm also wondering why it is that on that climb yesterday, one minute everything seemed right with the world. There was Basso leading Levi up the climb as it should be. The next minute, no Basso in sight and Levi really looked strong.

Is this simply a case of time of the season? Basso is a TdF specialist and holding back now since it is early in the season?

Still, if that's the case, Levi doesn't seem to be holding anything back, and one could say they he too would have a shot in France, right?

Si.

Time of the season, the fact that Basso hasn't raced since last June and the fact that he is working for Levi so he is on the front of the group making pulls and setting tempo. It was his job to set a high pace at the base of the climb until he couldn't do it any longer and pull Levi along...it worked perfectly it seems.

Time of the season, the fact that Basso hasn't raced since last June and the fact that he is working for Levi so he is on the front of the group making pulls and setting tempo. It was his job to set a high pace at the base of the climb until he couldn't do it any longer and pull Levi along...it worked perfectly it seems.

Agreed.

But what does this do, if anything, to the dynamic come TdF time?
No clear team leader perhaps. I mean who's to say Levi won't end up as the better rider come July too? Basso working for Levi then?

Seems odd.
But also seems possible too.

Anyway...it's all good. Heck I'm talking about pro bike racing again. It's spring! The 'Classics' are just around the corner.

Agreed.

But what does this do, if anything, to the dynamic come TdF time?
No clear team leader perhaps. I mean who's to say Levi won't end up as the better rider come July too? Basso working for Levi then?

Seems odd.
But also seems possible too.

Anyway...it's all good. Heck I'm talking about pro bike racing again. It's spring! The 'Classics' are just around the corner.

History, genetics, temperament, team management... you name it.

Right...with the addition of Basso, Levi's job is smaller tours and being a 2nd GC guy in the TdF should Basso not be able to start (Puerto) or falter at soem point in the race. Basso is the leader for the Giro and the TdF unless something happens...

Right...with the addition of Basso, Levi's job is smaller tours and being a 2nd GC guy in the TdF should Basso not be able to start (Puerto) or falter at soem point in the race. Basso is the leader for the Giro and the TdF unless something happens...

has it already been announced that Basso is doing both again? I haven't seen it. (Then again I haven't been paying that much attention.)

What I'm really wondering is who's gonna lead the team in the Vuelta. Is it gonna be Tommy D again, or does Leipheimmer?

has it already been announced that Basso is doing both again? I haven't seen it. (Then again I haven't been paying that much attention.)
Disco hasn't released it's rosters for those events yet of course but in all of the articles I read about the signing it was clear that Basso expressed his goals as the Giro and the TdF and that Disco was on board with those goals.

Is this simply a case of time of the season?

toc could be considered a training race for basso. his spot in the disco limelight will come.

...yes....I read (don't ask me to remember where) that Basso came into this deal having the support of the team to ride as a potential winner in both the Giro and TdF.

Basso looks 10 pounds heavier than at Giro last year. May is a ways off.

It didn't seem like Basso was pulling Levi for very much of Sierra rd. before he popped. Even at this early point in the season I would have thought that he could've paced Levi up to Jens Voigt on such a solid climb. I mean Jens Voigt is a super racer, but I never thought of him as a super climber?

And where the heck was Danielson? He sat in for most of the chase and then popped on the hill.

what was that climb a cat2?

Sierra is classified as Cat 1 for the ToC. It's too short in distance to be HC.

It didn't seem like Basso was pulling Levi for very much of Sierra rd. before he popped. Even at this early point in the season I would have thought that he could've paced Levi up to Jens Voigt on such a solid climb. I mean Jens Voigt is a super racer, but I never thought of him as a super climber?

And where the heck was Danielson? He sat in for most of the chase and then popped on the hill.


On another thread there are some great pictures from Stage3 where Danielson's eyes looked bloodshot. Some people asked if it were allergies but apparently (from another post on that thread) he was having some food poisining trouble...he certainly didn't look good...

What I'm really wondering is who's gonna lead the team in the Vuelta. Is it gonna be Tommy D again, or does Leipheimmer?

I've been wondering the same thing. Leipheimmer seems the obvious choice, though I don't think he can win.

What I'm really wondering is who's gonna lead the team in the Vuelta. Is it gonna be Tommy D again, or does Leipheimmer?
That would be a pretty long season for Levi, leading in Feb and Sept?

History, genetics, temperament, team management... you name it.

That about covers it.

That would be a pretty long season for Levi, leading in Feb and Sept?

zabel's done it. boonen's done it. bettini's done it. etc, etc, etc...

It didn't seem like Basso was pulling Levi for very much of Sierra rd. before he popped. Even at this early point in the season I would have thought that he could've paced Levi up to Jens Voigt on such a solid climb. I mean Jens Voigt is a super racer, but I never thought of him as a super climber?

Basso was leading the chase for much of the stage before they got to sierra rode. He finished a long few hours of pulling a few minutes up sierra and then peeled off.

zabel's done it. boonen's done it. bettini's done it. etc, etc, etc...
Yeah, but peaking for a tour gc is different than peaking for sprint finishes or spring classics and the world championships. Levi could go for a two-peak season I guess. Of course, he's probably not at his peak right now anyway, so maybe he'll drop down for a while, and come back in May.