Lance stated last evening in his post-tour interview with Phil and Paul on OLN that THREE of Jan's team members had already crashed on the round-a-bout where Jan would eventaully fall in the final ITT. Furthermore, none of these team members let Jan know about the crashes in this slippery turn. Lance also mentioned that George H and Roberto H were on the radio/phone right after their rides to inform Lance about specific road and weather conditions.

Did anyone else catch this? It seems that Jan's team or his director needs to work on teamwork a bit for next year.

He was probably to high to understand what was going on anyway.

High on adrenaline, or are you insinuating that Jan is doping??? :confused:

It's almost typical Jan Ullrich, he rely's solely on his talent to get him through a tour, which as we've seen just doesn't work. The man is a monster in terms of power, but he doesn't have it all put together, and maybe he never will.

Lance was also talking about all the tactical errors that Bianchi and Jan made during the tour, including the parts about team-work and that final TT. It's amazing that more people aren't catching on to the way that USPS is running it's team.

Imagine if Jan were on USPS, to have that level of team-work around him, to have that strength helping him when he needed it, he would be unstoppable.

Andrew

Remember that this is a relatively new team for JU. But if what you are saying is that LA only won because his team were better, then I agee with you

Maybe it wasn't Jan's fault as much as it was just a miscommunication between him and his team. He is new to the team, and as a team, they should have been on the radio to the next riders to tell them what happened when they were out there riding. I don't think it was Jan being typical Jan- it was Jan's teammates again not acting as a team to warn him about what's happening on the course. Too bad for Jan.

I'm sure Jan will click a bit more with his team and develop better communication so he doesn't make the same mistake for his upcoming races.

Koffee

Also remember that Lance drove the final time trial course. Jan stayed in bed and watched a video of it.

It's little things like that that give a bid edge to riders.

As to the high comment. Once a cheater always a cheater.

When did Lance cheat? I missed that.

Not lance.

Oh, sorry.

Did Jan get busted for a performance enhancing drug? I only know of the X. :confused:

Lance also mentioned the attack that Jan threw @ him on the Tourmalet. Lance stated that he knew he had Jan when Jan attacked on the penultimate climb.

Interesting.

When's Jan been found to have been cheating? I know he got caught on recreational drugs when not racing but that's a little different...

Wasnt he the one who got the cars searched and everything. They found a trunk load of stuff. Wasnt that him.

Maybe not him, then who was it.

Are you talking about Virenque during the Festina affair?

Ullrich has had some mishaps off the bike, but as far as I know he's played by the rules on the bike.

Much has been made of the lack of cohesion in Bianchi. I think they did pretty d@mn good considering they've just got things sorted.

Just wait till next year!

I don't buy it, although maybe I'll take a long look at it

Jan is not new to this sport, he is a veteran. His reputation for being prepared isn't very good, especially compared to USPS. Yet he still places very high in the GC when he compete's, always a bridesmaid, rarely the bride I guess. Hence why I think if JU had a well run team behind him he would be unstoppable, even for LA and the USPS team or anybody else who wanted to challenge him.

I don't get it actually. Bicycling had a good short article on why Lance was going to win this tour, and a couple of the reasons were the level of prep the team does and the team itself (with thier almost perfect assortment of climbers vs TT'ers). Granted Bianchi is a new team, but they were Coast before that, they have been together for a little while at least. And even past that what was the team director thinking? Lance mentioned 3 Bianchi riders piling up at the same exact corner, why didn't the team management say anything about it while Jan was on the course?

There's no doubt that the team was what REALLY kept it together this year, even more so than last year.

But even in 99 and 00 when the USPS team wasn't the powerhouse it is today Lance (and I assume Johan) knew how to use the team to it's best. Like getting feedback on TT's, sending out team members on different gearing strategies because of small climbs to see if they would blow up on the big ring or go to slow on the small ring, to send Hindcapie to go flat out for the whole course to find problems on the course, etc.

This year is a perfect example of demonstrating to people how important a team is to cycling, since the average person doesn't understand the team principle in cycling. It shows a lot of other things like how important the team time trial is. How important it is to attack your opponents weakness's, imagine if LA didn't take some 2+ minutes out JU on Alpe D'huez, etc.

Andrew

Man, I still tear up when I look at that tape of the TTT... it was poetry in motion.

If Jan ever clicked with a team like that... watch out!

Koff

don't accuse Jan, as I can see you have no idea what you are talking about.

Sure is a lot of bile in this forum, today.

I missed that, but it taxes the imagination. How would Lance know what Jan was told? I cannot possibly imagine that Pevenage (sp?), would either not know about his other riders crashing, or knowing, fail to inform Jan. That's just crazy.

Lance had the luxury of riding after Jan. Jan did not have Lances TT splits, so in spite of the risk, chose to go all out. Possibly in spite of his DS's warnings. And for that matter, every time I see the tape of his wreck (and they replayed it about 17 times fer cryin out loud), it was scarcely a corner. He wasn't even leaning when he went down.

No doubt, Koffee. Watching them cross the line with smiles WIDE was pretty cool to see again too. However, the moment that I almost teared up (I'll never admit to a tear, though!) was the Beloki crash. Hearing him crying on the ground is REALLY tough to watch. I can't image the pain, and the disappointment he must have been feeling. Ugh.

(BTW, sorry to get off subject a bit)

The rider with the dope in the trunk (his wifes car actually)
was Raimundas Rumsas (sp?).

The difference as I see it between Lance and Jan is maturity.
lance is mature enough now to listen to his DS (johann),
he is mature enough to know when to attack and when not
to. He is not the Lance who used to go out and attack from
the first Km and blow up shortly thereafter.
He is mature enough to know how to use his team to both
their and his fullest advantage.
Jan is a tremendous powerhouse, he is a machine with huge
potential, however I do not see him ever living up to that
potential because his mindset isn't correct.
Look at the final TT, while both Lance and Jan had huge
stakes riding it, Lance got up and rode the course, Jan
watched a video tape from his hotel. Jan was as nervous as
a hound before a thunderstorm, Lance was cool as a cucumber
(although he tells it differently).
Granted Jan was the one who had to go out and win the stage,
who had to take risks, but don't you think if that was the case
he would want to be as prepared as possible? and that includes
getting up to the minute information on the course. Come on,
Bianchi, while a new team, isn't made up of rookies. These guys
should know enough to call in road conditions to their DS.
And Pevenage needs to take a huge bite of responsibility for
Jan not winning this years TdF. consider this, Jan is nervous
so what does he do? Drives close enough to Jan to increase
his nervousness, and tells him nothing about the course
conditions which might have calmed Jan down.
Now, Consider where Jan might have been standing in Paris
if he signed with CSC, and Bjarne Riis was his DS.

Marty

I agree with Lotek but extend the responsibility even futher into the DS's lap. If anyone was to blame for Ullrich not having yellow in Paris, it was Bianchi's DS. I'm willing to bet he placed a lot of pressure on Jan to go all out in TT despite road conditions. Jan knew the conditions were hazardous. He knew he was taking risky turns. He knew the course was slippery and I don't think he was totally ignoring that information. You can clearly see him signalling back to the car to slow down. For a rider in a TT to take the energy, time and effort to do that means that there's a serious communications breakdown and a serious disagreement in tactics between the rider and the manager. That fact that the DS did not back off and continued to ride Jan's wheel with the car indicates that the DS was the one who was not listening.

Was that not crazy?? Jan even waved his arm in an effort to get him to back off. It didn't work.