Professional Cycling For the Fans - Fabian CANCELLARA?

Whatever people think, cycling specialists recognise very early potential Tour winners. That's why a Frank Schleck is not considered as a potential future winner, but his brother Andy is !

yeah this guy Lance was a one day classics rider and they said he could never win the tour. He seems to have fooled the " cycling specialist". I think he did alright

http://i17.tinypic.com/4ktnhc8.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/4zcmaf5.jpg:D

sure. that fat guy in the banesto kit couldn't climb at all.

http://grahamwatson.com/dublin/lemond/images/image10.jpg


Sorry, wouldn't consider the big guy a "top-tier" in the mountains. Didn't say that a 176lb guy could get up a mountain...but are you going to make the arguement that he was considered a climber or that Indurain was the standard in terms of body physique for someone who could maintain top GC through the three-week stage?

gave you another, more aero position, or so the scott marketing folk said.

i bought into it, back in the day.

i used to have a pair as well.....i tried the lemond launched over the handlebars trick once....scared the hell out of me.

Sorry, wouldn't consider the big guy a "top-tier" in the mountains. Didn't say that a 176lb guy could get up a mountain...but are you going to make the arguement that he was considered a climber or that Indurain was the standard in terms of body physique for someone who could maintain top GC through the three-week stage?

I don't think Indurain was bright enough to realize that a 176lb guy shouldn't be a climber.....thats what made him so great

Is CSC jeopardizing their fitness to produce and defend a high GC finish by spending so much energy defending a yellow jersey they know they are going to lose? Surely the sprinters men would not let a break stay away if CSC didn't come up to pull it back in these early stages.

Sorry, wouldn't consider the big guy a "top-tier" in the mountains.

For 5 years no one could ride away from him in the mountains. I'd say that makes him a pretty good climber. And IIRC Indurain won some stages with mountain top finishes.

I don't think Indurain was bright enough to realize that a 176lb guy shouldn't be a climber.....thats what made him so great

LOL. Correction: ONE of the things that made him so great. :D

Indurians genes had nothing to do with it...not something I can say for Fabby Wussiliara

For 5 years no one could ride away from him in the mountains. I'd say that makes him a pretty good climber. And IIRC Indurain won some stages with mountain top finishes.

Ok Ok, I'll admit that the soft spoken Spaniard had skillz in the mountains. But to use him as an argument that in general 170lb+ cyclist are climbers is misleading (the origin of all this).

170lbs is HEAVY for a cyclist who can climb in the pros. Doesn't mean one CAN'T do it (case in point: Indurain).

3 days in the mountains and Wussilara is going to be an hour behind the leaders...

3 days in the mountains and Wussilara is going to be an hour behind the leaders...


Oh please stop posting like you know something about bike racing.

Oh please stop posting like you know something about bike racing.

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Oh please stop posting like you know something about bike racing.

I read this book its called, "bike racing for dummies".

IM AN EXPERT NOW

Relax socal your boy Fabby is going to be dropped like a potato in the mountains!!

yeah this guy Lance was a one day classics rider and they said he could never win the tour. He seems to have fooled the " cycling specialist". I think he did alright

http://i17.tinypic.com/4ktnhc8.jpg


He did alright precisely after cancer took away a bunch of his upper body weight thus increasing his power to weight ratio by 10%.

That 10% increase carried him to 7 titles. That and a VO2 max of a whale and a lactic acid build up half of normal.

Its not ALL about weight people. Its about body composition and power to weight ratios. Some guys have all their power and weight in their legs which doesnt have nearly as much of a damning effect, in the climbs, as guys who have more upper body strength.

Winning the TdF takes a special balance of weight, power and body composition(along with a whole host of other factors). And Cancellara does not have the correct dimensions to do so.

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one of my favorites

He had huge lungs and huge heart.

incorrect-ish. he's basque.

:rolleyes: Fixed your post.

http://www.raceandhistory.com/worldhotspots/images/basque.gif

Indurain was born in the Spanish side of the Basque region.

He's still Basque.

LOL. OK.

yea i'm with botto on this one.......calling a Basque a Spaniard is bound to get you into trouble

yea i'm with botto on this one.......calling a Basque a Spaniard is bound to get you into trouble

OK; got it. Consider me a victim of listening to those in the press (never trust the media) who refer to him as Spanish. Will have to remember that if I'm ever fortunate enough to visit Northern Spain/Southern France.

Stand by my earlier claim that 170lb + is heavy for a climber. Doesn't mean someone can't be a climber at that weight...but you can't argue that 170lbs is the standard weight for a pro-tour level climber.

In htat case it would not surprise me if he managed to keep through the first mountians and see flat land again in Yellow.
No chance. If they carried him on a litter, hell would freeze over first.

FabCan is great guy and a great rider, but he is not a climber, and the only form of team assistance that would really help him is illegal.

Cancellara actually climbed pretty well the first mtn stage, of the Tour De Suisse this year. He had the yellow at that point and kept it too!!..

But I would really doubt if he can pull that off at the tour especially with Saturdays stage or maybe even after tomorrow..

what are you guys talking about?

This guy is a bus, he has no chance in the mnts

just start rooting for Vino instead!!

what are you guys talking about?

This guy is a bus, he has no chance in the mnts

just start rooting for Vino instead!!
I don't think Vino will get restless until Saturday.

I don't think Vino will get restless until Saturday.

He needs to stomp the competition now!!!

He needs to stomp the competition now!!!

I expect the peloton will be chasing breaks most of tomorrow. Breaks with 10+ riders. I think Vino won't try to rip legs off until he gets to real mountains.

Cancellara actually climbed pretty well the first mtn stage, of the Tour De Suisse this year. He had the yellow at that point and kept it too!!..


ha can probably climb better than most would give him credit for if he realy put himself too it. EVERY rider in the tour is strong enough to get up a mountain respectably, its just that all but a few of them know they aren't good enough to win a stage or contend for GC with it, so they save their energy for what they are good at, in cancellara's case thats time-trailing. given his form, he probably has his sights set on the TT's and will be more than content to ride the autobus through the mountains.

just because a rider doesn't go hard in the mountains, doesn't mean they couldn't if provoked.

I don't think anyone expects Cancellara to be a serious GC contender. If he was, he would not have gone flat-out like he did in the prologue or Stage 3. And he himself admits he's not a climber -- which is based on far more than one basic physiological trait. Heck, Boonen spent the first few stages in Yellow in 2006, and no one thought for one instant that he'd stay there.

I think it's better just to enjoy Cancellara's performances for what they are: excellent and upholding the tradition of fighting for the MJ....

Ovoleg really has no idea what he is talking about. Vino is the only rider I'm sure he has ever heard of. I bet he couldn't even name his previous team without looking it up.

AV is a good rider and if all goes well for him will most likely get on the podium. He could win but Kloden has a better chance. If AV sticks to the "team" concept then after the first bit of mountains I'm sure the team will be riding for Kloden.

Regardless it's pointless to guess who will win. Don't start picking your favs till 3rd week

Ovoleg really has no idea what he is talking about. Vino is the only rider I'm sure he has ever heard of. I bet he couldn't even name his previous team without looking it up.


I've heard of Lance Armstrong !!!

He has a picture of his previous team in his avatar.

Indurain, from Spain,
Reigns mainly on the plain.

He has a picture of his previous team in his avatar.

team discovery all teh WAY!!

T-Mobile.

well no i said previous team as in team before his current

How come Ryanf can spell now??

How come Ryanf can spell now??
He's getting there.

I just read an article by Armstrongs coach which does state that he had a special diet so that he would go into important races about ten pounds below his normal weight. So I'm thinking his normal non race weight was around 170-175.

He would probably start the TDF around 165 and be down to 160 by the time the mountain stages were starting.

After seeing Levi's interview I see how tiny he is. One of the reasons he is good in the mountains.

One thing is for certain...95% of Tour riders wouldnt fair to well in a bar fight.

ROFL! I can just picture Rasmussen throwing a punch at some big biker dude only to end up breaking his own arm! :D

yeah this guy Lance was a one day classics rider and they said he could never win the tour. He seems to have fooled the " cycling specialist". I think he did alright

http://i17.tinypic.com/4ktnhc8.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/4zcmaf5.jpg:D

Hahaha, good one, please please don't get me there...:D

yea i'm with botto on this one.......calling a Basque a Spaniard is bound to get you into trouble

Why?

ha can probably climb better than most would give him credit for if he realy put himself too it. EVERY rider in the tour is strong enough to get up a mountain respectably, its just that all but a few of them know they aren't good enough to win a stage or contend for GC with it, so they save their energy for what they are good at, in cancellara's case thats time-trailing. given his form, he probably has his sights set on the TT's and will be more than content to ride the autobus through the mountains.

just because a rider doesn't go hard in the mountains, doesn't mean they couldn't if provoked.

+1

Why?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETA


read up.

I thought of Cancellara as a TT specialist, but I've been seeing him outsprint several of the sprint specialists on several stages. Has he shown such strong sprinting credentials previously?

Has he ever been viewed as green jersey contender?

If he's close in the last few miles of a stage, he makes a bid....He was closing fast on Hunter the other day...

If he's close in the last few miles of a stage, he makes a bid....He was closing fast on Hunter the other day...

This wasn't merely trying to break early on the sprinters if he is close, but beating them in a last couple hundred meters.