Professional Cycling - Denis Menchov Fan Club Thread

Thought it would be nice to start an unofficial fan club of Rabobank's top rider, Denis Menchov.

It was a sad day today for Menchov on Stage 16, losing about 30 seconds off the yellow jersey group, placing him more than a minute behind Schleck. I guess perhaps he lost concentration on the descent. I can't imagine going 50mph and taking turns like these guys do. Fastest I've gone is 37mph and that seems pretty dam fast on a bike. Hopefully the Russian Assassin can gain some time on the rest of the rider's tomorrow, as from what I understand, that is the only time Menchov will be able to gain any time on Schleck with the exception of the TT. And I'm not too sure how good of a time trialist Menchov is in comparison to Evans.

Evans put 7 seconds into Menchov on the earlier TT which was only 29.5 km. The remaining TT is almost twice as long, so I'd figure Menchov needs to have ~20 seconds on Evans before that last TT to be likely to finish ahead of Cadel.

Thought it would be nice to start an unofficial fan club of Rabobank's top rider, Denis Menchov.

It was a sad day today for Menchov on Stage 16, losing about 30 seconds off the yellow jersey group, placing him more than a minute behind Schleck. I guess perhaps he lost concentration on the descent. I can't imagine going 50mph and taking turns like these guys do. Fastest I've gone is 37mph and that seems pretty dam fast on a bike. Hopefully the Russian Assassin can gain some time on the rest of the rider's tomorrow, as from what I understand, that is the only time Menchov will be able to gain any time on Schleck with the exception of the TT. And I'm not too sure how good of a time trialist Menchov is in comparison to Evans.

d menchov = a olano :eek:.

ed rader

Denis was dropped after taking off with Sastre yesterday...then because everyone was d!cking around at the front, he crawled his way back into the group.

Heck he's gone from down and out to back in the game...if he smokes off a great TT Saturday, who knows what can happen?

Second place is a real possibility.

His remaining TT is for a podium finish, agreed.

Denis was dropped after taking off with Sastre yesterday...then because everyone was d!cking around at the front, he crawled his way back into the group.

Heck he's gone from down and out to back in the game...if he smokes off a great TT Saturday, who knows what can happen?

yeah....if.

the reason this thread isn't getting much interest is menchov is s a much bally-hooed stiff .... reminiscent of "the next miguel indurain" :eek:.

ed rader

Yah, I think a top 3 podium is realistic. He showed a lot of heart yesterday when he got dropped slowly bringing himself back in. Ok, he can also thank the schleck brothers....csc really put the hammer down yesterday...definitely the best team in the tour. Time Trials can often be unpredictable. One slight mistake can cost you...and the pressure is on when you are wearing that yellow jersey.

A Denis Menchov fan club...isn't that sort of like a spinach and brussel sprouts appreciation society?

A Denis Menchov fan club...isn't that sort of like a spinach and brussel sprouts appreciation society?

I like spinach...

Denis was dropped after taking off with Sastre yesterday...then because everyone was d!cking around at the front, he crawled his way back into the group.

Heck he's gone from down and out to back in the game...if he smokes off a great TT Saturday, who knows what can happen?

yeah....if.

the reason this thread isn't getting much interest is menchov is s a much bally-hooed stiff .... reminiscent of "the next miguel indurain" :eek:.

ed rader

Funny. I recall him winning a Vuelta.

I think the reason that this does not get more "interest" is that the thread is not about doping, or race strategy. Neither of those subjects are ones that very many people out here know anything about. But they think they do.

BTW...Laggard likes Menchov. HAs for a long time. Laggard is one of the few posters here that really knows what he's talking about.

Coincidence?

2001 Tour de l'Avenir - 1st
2003 TDF - white jersey
2004 Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco - 1st
2005 Vuleta a Espana - 1st
2006 TDF - 1st Stage 11
2007 Vuelta a Espana - 1st overall. 1st mountain clasification 1st combination clasification

He's definitely a stiff!

[QUOTE=erader;7124455]

Funny. I recall him winning a Vuelta.

I think the reason that this does not get more "interest" is that the thread is not about doping, or race strategy. Neither of those subjects are ones that very many people out here know anything about. But they think they do.

BTW...Laggard likes Menchov. HAs for a long time. Laggard is one of the few posters here that really knows what he's talking about.

Coincidence?


abraham olano -- aka "the next miguel indurain" -- won a vuelta too :eek:.

ed rader

[QUOTE=roadwarrior;7127240]


abraham olano -- aka "the next miguel indurain" -- won a vuelta too :eek:.

ed rader

As well as a world championship....on a flat tire.

[QUOTE=erader;7128495]

As well as a world championship....on a flat tire.

true...i never meant to imply that olano or menchov didn't have talent. of course they do.

guys like olano, zulle, berzin, bugno etc. did have talent and maybe their curse was others expected more out of them....like to win the TDF.

let's face it, this year's tour contention is pretty weak yet your stiff will always find a way to lose and still give his followers just enough to believe "it will be different next time" :eek:.

ed rader

[QUOTE=Suzie Green;7128915]

guys like olano, zulle, berzin, bugno etc. did have talent and maybe their curse was others expected more out of them....like to win the TDF.



Some guys are born at the wrong time. Poulidor, Zoetemelk (even though he finally won a tour), Zulle, possibly even Ullrich! But that's what makes bike racing so much fun. Often the tragedy is as exciting as the victory. :)

[QUOTE=Suzie Green;7128915]

true...i never meant to imply that olano or menchov didn't have talent. of course they do.

guys like olano, zulle, berzin, bugno etc. did have talent and maybe their curse was others expected more out of them....like to win the TDF.

let's face it, this year's tour contention is pretty weak yet your stiff will always find a way to lose and still give his followers just enough to believe "it will be different next time" :eek:.

ed rader

Weak? I'd like to see you try riding with some of these guys :roflmao2:

[QUOTE=Suzie Green;7128915]

true...i never meant to imply that olano or menchov didn't have talent. of course they do.

guys like olano, zulle, berzin, bugno etc. did have talent and maybe their curse was others expected more out of them....like to win the TDF.

let's face it, this year's tour contention is pretty weak yet your stiff will always find a way to lose and still give his followers just enough to believe "it will be different next time" :eek:.

ed rader


Ed...you will have to post your UCI wins.

Calling any of these guys a "stiff" makes you no better than the guys on ESPN who "evaluate" professional athletic talent...of course the reason they are sports"writers" is that they could not play sports, were the last ones picked for kickball, and are "getting back" at people that are really good at what they do. :)

I once got paid to ride a bike. I rode with guys that were going to be world class. It's at that point that I realized I needed to figure out what I was going to do to make a living. They are not stiffs. I've been there.

Let's make fun of Oscar Freire. Green jersey? C'mon, what a stiff. Rides around in the back until a few sprint points or finishes come up, then jumps to the front for about five seconds, then back into the peloton he goes. Climbing? What a hoot. I mean, he's 72nd, and over two hours behind the leaders. Two hours. He must really really suck. You realize how many miles a pro can ride in two hours? That's how far behind he is.

BTW...it only seems he can win world championships, having collected three of them.

Why put these slugs in the race? They have no shot at winning anyway. They had to create a special race for these guys just to make it interesting.

:twitchy:

let's face it, this year's tour contention is pretty weak

So, who would you have rather seen?

Let me guess....

You don't have a "Let Levi Ride" tshirt, do you?

:)

So, who would you have rather seen?

Let me guess....

You don't have a "Let Levi Ride" tshirt, do you?

:)

in fact i do have that tee shirt.

i know which tee shirt you should get: "it will be different next time" because your man has, once again, lost "huge chunks of time" :eek:.

ed rader

[QUOTE=erader;7129207]


Ed...you will have to post your UCI wins.

Calling any of these guys a "stiff" makes you no better than the guys on ESPN who "evaluate" professional athletic talent...of course the reason they are sports"writers" is that they could not play sports, were the last ones picked for kickball, and are "getting back" at people that are really good at what they do. :)

I once got paid to ride a bike. I rode with guys that were going to be world class. It's at that point that I realized I needed to figure out what I was going to do to make a living. They are not stiffs. I've been there.

Let's make fun of Oscar Freire. Green jersey? C'mon, what a stiff. Rides around in the back until a few sprint points or finishes come up, then jumps to the front for about five seconds, then back into the peloton he goes. Climbing? What a hoot. I mean, he's 72nd, and over two hours behind the leaders. Two hours. He must really really suck. You realize how many miles a pro can ride in two hours? That's how far behind he is.

BTW...it only seems he can win world championships, having collected three of them.

Why put these slugs in the race? They have no shot at winning anyway. They had to create a special race for these guys just to make it interesting.

:twitchy:

freire is the best at what he does....a true champion.

he's not a GC pretender. he's not a much bally-hooed stiff like menchov :eek:.

ed rader