top GC = TDF. giro or vuelta is not top GC. lance won the TDF seven times without contesting the giro or the vuelta because frankly the races were beneath him. if you can win the TDF you can definitely win the giro or vuelta.

your manlust for the bolshevik could pay off as long as long as his sister denise doesn't show up in the mountains ;).

ed rader

Uhh this Giro does....and it may be better:thumb:

From a viewing stand point, you are spot on.


From a prestige perspective, you are dead wrong.

Incorrect. There is only one TDF.

contador didn't think so, and he's the man to beat. if contador loses the tour you may have a point :thumb:.

ed rader

Assuming he did let up today, do you think it was maybe because of the stage profile? He's not known for his climbing or descending skills, but he is known for his time trialing abilities. You get a goofy TT like today's and it tends to mess with the numbers, for whatever reason. That was kind of my point.

See how he does on Stage 21. Likely better than than 118th.

I want Garzelli's Giro helmet!

of course it was because of the stage profile, he didn't even think about racing it to win. dave z isn't versatile like levi, he can only go fast on flat straight TT's and short prologues... we'll probably see what the real Z can do at the tdf. he's probably just racing into shape like cancellara.

incorrect - see below
13th and 14th for the overall
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2007...phinelibere077

maybe dave z will captain the squad now that vandevelde is hurt?

ed rader

Which part are you saying is incorrect? Z can do pretty well when the road turns up, but he needs to have a compelling reason. If he was not feeling well, or if it wasn't a race that mattered to him, he would probably have done what he's done quite a few times - dial things way back and save himself for another day. If he'd given it his absolute best he might possibly have cracked the top ten, but there's no way he would have won the stage.

he's not one dimensional like david millar - hows that

Sounds right to me.

David Millar is not "one dimensional". Not only can he time trial, but he can also attack and get into a few good breaks as well. Perhaps the OLD David Millar was one dimensional, but since he's been back from his ban he seems to be doing alot more than just decent TTs.

He's going out for the track team for the 2012 Olympics.

Track and Field, that is. Discus.

Vegas is mailing the check. I got great odds on Menchov thanks to all the Levi bettors.

Ulrich, 1999. I think he's Spanish?

Big Mig felt disrespected because his team low balled their contract offer. Nothing to do with the Vuelta.

Olano beat Lance when he won the Vuelta in 1998, Lance got 4th in his one try and never went back. Olano was also world TT champ in 98. What a loser.

People like to rate racers on what they personally think the racer SHOULD have done, rather than what they DID do. Yeah, Ulrich sucked too. I thought he should have won the Tour 100 times.

Saying Menchov's a loser shows some deep seated man-hate myopia. Right now he's one of the top 5 stage racers in the world.

And BTW the Vuelta is a hard-arse race. If you use Lance's race schedule to determine which races are worthy, the TOC obviously is much better/harder/stronger/more Enzyte-like than, say, Paris Roubaix.

Most of those guys didn't show up at the Vuelta for a nice 3 week holiday in Spain or to tour the Anrgilu. The reality is TDF champ Sastre has never been able to win the race (he's Spanish too BTW), nor have a lot of other racers who have been on the TDF podium since Ulrich. That is compelling testimony.

If you asked any pro racer if they'd like a Vuelta win on their resume, what do you think the answer would be? It might not be their first choice, but if they are stage racers it's one of the big three.

Menchov only beat Cadel and Sastre the last time he won, so he really wasn't racing against anyone of quality...

correct.

I'm curious if you guys think that Basso is just saving his strength, or is he just not in contention?

Erm, no, he's not Spanish, but it doesn't make any difference to the real point.

No, but his blood is. :thumb:

i will admit how well he throws his bike - great form

Given he hasn't gained or lost ground in the GC, I'm think he's still saving his strength. Descending isn't his forte so he probably didn't plan on gaining time at this TT.

Doubtful. If you are GC guy you never willingly give up time to other GC possibles.

He's been away from racing for quite some time, and didn't have a high volume build up. I think he's going to be a factor in the upcoming mountain stages; he's in 7th and only 3 minutes down, 2:40 out of a podium spot. Sastre took over two minutes out of Evans on Alpe d'Huez, two good days, one crack for Menchov and Basso might well be in pink.

The guy who should have been saving himself was Bosisio; with your teammate in the leader's jersey getting a top ten in the TT was a bit more effort than I'd like to see if I was his DS.

I understand he shortened his name from Ulrichexxeberra. Basque then?

Double

http://imagecache.allposters.com/ima...nt-Posters.jpg

There's something fishy about this photo...
(nsfw)
http://velo.hu/UserFiles/b/e/t/betti...0x474t0_ic.jpg

Certainly something to look up to...