Originally Posted by
Keith99
I thought the cobbles were where experience was going to give them an advantage. We have already seen how that played out.
Experience helps, but it can not overcome better younger legs unless those legs make a mistake. Getting time on the pave was their best chance to put youth into a position where mistakes were reasonably likely.
The "old guys" were doing just fine on the Pave'. Armstrong's flat was just bad luck. Mechanical's don't discriminate by age. Look at Evans ..... he's no spring chicken either..... he did well on the Pave'.
Sure, rat shack isn't going to win the TDF, but they are still going to be one of the best teams. Youth is great and all for recovery, but for the most part young riders don't have the endurance that the older guys have. Contador is an exception, not a rule.
Look at all the TDf riders ,and see how many older riders there are, not just on rat shack.
Saying there "done" or "too old" is teenage talk. There isn't one person in this forum who could keep up with these "old guys" on their worst day and riding a 30 pound mountain bike. .. . so the smack talk is very cheap.