Danielson to Slipstream

iainf72

I know everyone likes to beat up on Tommy, but he's a good addition to Slipstream I think. Millar and Dave Z. would be able to offer him good support in the mountains - Although Vaughters is saying TD is a man for stages and single day races.

IMO, he could excel at week long efforts like the Dauphine - He proved it a bit in the tour of Austria last year.

Levi is due to announce where he's going in the next week or so too.

andyp

iainf72 wrote:

I know everyone likes to beat up on Tommy, but he's a good addition to Slipstream I think.

"Beat up" on him? Surely that would be like beating up a puppy?

I think he has a lot of talent but his "gee whizz, lil' ol' me is learning how to be a bike rider here in Yurp" schtick gets on my wick. He'll be thirty next year I think so someone, hopefully Vaughters, should point out he hasn't got long left to make his mark.

girofan

So little Tommy is goin' to Slip-up, and he's made a fortune doing very little for years. The "Great White Hope" of US cycling. The only thing of note he's done is irritate a lot of people with his whingeing columns in ProCycling.
Hope I'm wrong but Slip-up look a team of also-rans but perhaps Vaughters has a secret supply of Big Tex's ointment!

iainf72

girofan wrote:

So little Tommy is goin' to Slip-up, and he's made a fortune doing very little for years. The "Great White Hope" of US cycling. The only thing of note he's done is irritate a lot of people with his whingeing columns in ProCycling.
Hope I'm wrong but Slip-up look a team of also-rans but perhaps Vaughters has a secret supply of Big Tex's ointment!

So, Tour de France prologue winners, Paris-Roubaix winner and a guy who finished top 10 in a Grand Tour are also rans, eh?

Do you actually know anything about cycling? Or are you out from your bridge because the sun is shining?

LangerDan

Girofan can defend himself, but he has a point- the Slipstream line-up does depend heavily on those trading on former glories. Despite what he says about not gaining greatly from EPO, David Millar is far from his pre-ban best. Magnus is a good rider, but take out the P-R win and his profile drops a level. I don't know if Dave Z can recover his form of a year ago. At least they didn't sign Frank Hoj!

What I would hate to see is someone like Danny Pate of the current Slipstream squad being denied an opportunity to ride at the highest level because of riders selected for PR reasons. I've seen Pate race in Ireland several times now (Rás and currently in the Tour of Ireland) and is a strong, attacking rider - a rarity these days.

iainf72

While I can see what you're saying, Millar hasn't been terrible - Okay, certainly not the force he was, but he's still good. Paris-Nice prologue this year and a Vuelta TT last year. Dave Z looked good in the Dauphine - 5'th is a solid ride.

I like Danny Pate too.

If Slipstream do get an invite to the Tour, for example, they need to fill 5/6 of the positions with guys who can do the 3 weeks and not be embarrassing. I remember I pick Slipstream for a Spanish stage race TTT this year on the basis they had some good testers etc - They came stone cold last.

Interested to find out if Voekler has indeed signed for them.

PS - Did you ever find any dirt on Slipstream?

vermooten

ketchup boy

LangerDan

iainf72 wrote:

PS - Did you ever find any dirt on Slipstream?

I'm still digging! The Slipstream team on the Tour of Ireland is being managed by Allen Lim, formerly sports physiologist for Floyd. At the stage end in Cork, I was planning a "Great Escape"-type trick to catch him out - chat with him for 5 minutes about the race and then as he's leaving "Allen, you've dropped some EPO" "Uh, OK - thanks. - DAMMIT!!" However, I dawdled too long in the crowd admiring Sean Kelly's latest hair-do and lost the opportunity.

andyp

LangerDan wrote:

However, I dawdled too long in the crowd admiring Sean Kelly's latest hair-do and lost the opportunity.

Has Kelly's hair-do ever changed previously? It must be something special for you to admire it!

LangerDan

For some reason, big occasions such as the TdF in Ireland in'98 , his inaugural sportive last week and this weeks Tour of Ireland make Sean go that extra mile. His hair seems to take a very orange-green sheen not normally seen on the head of 50 year old men ( or not normally seen in nature either). Combined with his green and white striped sweater, it made him look like a Celtic supporter who had accidentally been exposed to mustard gas.

cougie

Interesting that Slipstream are taking on ex Disco riders then. And what about Davie Z - what went wrong with him this year ?

timoid.

Slipstream is signing a whole load of publicity. Seems to be a case of all hat no cattle to me. Millar is pretty damn solid, but Magnus is well past it, Zabriske has been rumbled by CSC's new regime and Tommy D, well he should be a good rider, but he just is too damn stupid.

I don't see any bona fide winners in the line up and the plethora of ex Disco riders makes me wonder about the commitment to clean cycling that the team is banging on about.

iainf72

Timoid. wrote:

Slipstream is signing a whole load of publicity. Seems to be a case of all hat no cattle to me. Millar is pretty damn solid, but Magnus is well past it, Zabriske has been rumbled by CSC's new regime and Tommy D, well he should be a good rider, but he just is too damn stupid.

I don't see any bona fide winners in the line up and the plethora of ex Disco riders makes me wonder about the commitment to clean cycling that the team is banging on about.

Dave Z. ain't that bad though. He got a 5'th in the Dauphine and didn't he have some kind of problem with his foot in the Tour?

Tommy D = Ferrari powered. Is he Slipstreams Sinkewitz?

LangerDan

iainf72 wrote:

Timoid. wrote:

Slipstream is signing a whole load of publicity. Seems to be a case of all hat no cattle to me.
Zabriske has been rumbled by CSC's new regime

Dave Z. ain't that bad though. He got a 5'th in the Dauphine and didn't he have some kind of problem with his foot in the Tour?

Word has it that Dave Z is being treated for bi-polar disorder and the medication is haing a detrimental effect on his performances.

drenkrom

I can't wait to see how TD does without the intestinal parasites he got cleaned up in July. He'd been toting one around since 2003, coincidentally the time he stopped his ascension to power. Of course, if he steps up, the clamor will be about unfounded accusations from all of us, me included.

How can any of you doubt Slipstream, though? They haven't won a damn thing yet! I thought that was our little rule, start bashing when they start winning.

dave_1

JV says Danielson got sucked into the next Lance type situation...but TD did that talking himself...putting training times for climbs on his weblog etc, saying of himself he is one of the best climbers in the world etc...with no such race performance to indicate so ...and the constant hiding behind the "I´m still young and learning" etc when he got blasted.. I don´t think the guy can handle being a team leader and think JV is right about his ability. Bruyneel claimed he got let away on the stage he won at the Vuelta 06 cause he was no GC threat...shows what Bruyneel thought

LangerDan

drenkrom wrote:

How can any of you doubt Slipstream, though? They haven't won a damn thing yet! I thought that was our little rule, start bashing when they start winning.

Have you not heard the expression "Get your retaliation in first"?

iainf72

LangerDan wrote:

Word has it that Dave Z is being treated for bi-polar disorder and the medication is haing a detrimental effect on his performances.

Isn't someone else on Slipstream being treated for the same thing?

Explains Dave's erratic behaviour a bit I suppose....

cougie

Didnt know that about Davie Z.

I am confused about Slipstream taking on TD though. How many ex Disco riders have been busted now ?

Then again - TD hasnt done anything spectacular - so he probably is clean ?

andyp

cougie wrote:

Didnt know that about Davie Z.

I am confused about Slipstream taking on TD though. How many ex Disco riders have been busted now ?

Then again - TD hasnt done anything spectacular - so he probably is clean ?

Hmmm. Rode for Ferretti when he first came to Europe and has, for some time now, had one Dr Michele Ferrari as his prepatore.

I'm sure he (Ferrari) is just providing "training plans" though, eh? :roll:

cougie

:shock:

iainf72

I'm really excited to post this awesome interview with Tommy D.

I hope you find it as exciting as I did. Tom's overuse of the word "excite" has affected me a bit

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13169.0.html