Is Kohl the real deal?
 

Asking because:

a - I'm not especially familiar with him
b - I'm a bit surprised he's so high up in the GC

Anyone have info on him beyond his scant online bio?

He has strangely aerodynamic teeth. That's his true advantage.

I'm not kidding.

edit: Well, the image seems to not be showing. Click http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/56599...0A659CEC4C8CB6 there to see it.

Holy crape batman

He's been a pro for about 5 years, he's an Austrian champion who rode with T-Mobile until 2006 or 2007 when he went to Gerolstiener because T-Mobile was pretty well stocked with talent and he thought he had a better chance with another team.

He's been on the podium in the Dauphine, and he's been a national champion, but he's only 25 or 26 and been a support rider on German teams, so that's why we in America haven't heard his name much.

Is he for real in the mountains?

well, he's from Austria, so yea, he's seen mountains before.

is he for real for the GC? not really. He hasn't shown himself to be a time trialist. I think he's riding for the KOM, but we'll see soon, won't we?

That was kinda my question. :o

He should talk to Simon Gerrans.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos...rranssmile.jpg


CyLowe wishes he had had braces as a teen....

Just because we in America haven't heard of him doesn't mean he's doping.

That you have new names at the front is a natural consequence of removing the dopers, isn't it?

Nobody said anything about doping

Understood - which is why I asked the question. I don't think the thought would have crossed my mind if Schumaker had not performed so unexpectedly well in the first TT. There's been a fair amount of speculation about that, and with them being on the same team...

true. They simply posted a picture of "Dopey", and I just made the great leap to assuming they meant he was doping.

also true sorry. I had little red x's when I looked at this thread first

ha! that's funny...I thought you just didn't recognize him as one of the Seven Dwarves!:D

Kohl, Schumacher and the rest of their Gerolsteiner teammates should be especially inspired to make their presence known at the Tour and all during this year considering Gerolsteiner is pulling its sponsorship at the end of this season.

good point. They either need to get results to secure a new sponsor, or they need some results to get a ride on another team

either way, those guys need some results!

2008 TOC........

http://www.fototime.com/BC9B5B1BD7B045A/orig.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/69910BCF58CDE60/orig.jpg

Man I would rather look at that conehead Shumacher 5 hours that have to look at Kohl for 5 mins.

Will there be a full moon Saturday?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2268/...1675b7.jpg?v=0

http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=39753&rendTypeId=4

i thought the government paid for braces over there...

I posted that because he physically looks like Dopey, not because he dopes.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...ctcNv/340x.jpghttp://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/newporttb/images/dopey.jpg

It's the ears.

When he's out of the saddle he has a very unusual style, his neck cranes left and right in an unusual way. Very easy to spot him when he's climbing out of the saddle.

Did anyone see the interview with Lance? He all but said that Kohl is doping. There have also been many articles written about Kohl with doping splashed in between the lines. Here is one:

http://www.velonews.com/article/80600/bernhard-who

What's up with all this? Do the insiders know something we don't, or is it just pure speculation?

... Brad

Could you post a link to the Armstrong interview? I've never heard any mention of Kohl and doping before. I have been watching German coverage of the tour this year. They are quick to point the finger, and they have not pointed it at Kohli.

It's sad where we speculate about riders like this. But understandable, given recent history. Schumacher's TT win was a surprise, but not unprecedented; he has TT form, so I think speculation about him is unfounded (at least for the last couple of years).

Right - I've not seen anyone come right out and say it. However, many have insinuated. Here's what Armstrong stated:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008...ng_predictions

Cyclingnews: It's been an incredibly tight race with plenty of excitement. What's stuck out for you?

LA: There's haven't been too many major shocks so far. I mean, you have Cadel Evans, and he's still as the favourite in my opinion. The guys from Team CSC have been doing what you'd expect and, of course, there's been [Denis] Menchov and Christian Vande Velde. To be honest I have been surprised by [Bernhard] Kohl though. I've simply never heard of that guy before the race. Who is he?

[Hint: Armstrong might have been focused on other riders instead of Kohl in this photo from the 2005 Dauphiné Libéré. -ed.]

Okay, perhaps I'm reading too much into Armstrong's comments. However, to me, "I've simply never heard of that guy before the race." (even though he'd raced with him) is code for "he may be doping". I read this, then I read the link (from Velonews) I posted above, and I scratched my head. Perhaps those are the only 2 sources ..... and none has stated that they know Kohl is doping. However, there is certainly suspicion in both.

I'm glad to hear that this doesn't seem to be based on anything specific. Until proven otherwise, I'm going to believe that he's just gotten better, and has had a great tour thus far.

... Brad