"Excuses" McEwen

ricadus

"Some guy crashed himself right in front of me and I had to go full on the brakes and I was already at my limit. I started to work my way back with Hoste and we were moving back up and they crashed in front of us again at the kilometre to go mark and again I had to chuck on the brakes and dive to the right. Again I just got around them but, hey, when you come to a standstill twice in the last two kilometers, you are pretty stuffed. I tried to come back into the last 400 metres and I passed about 35 guys but it was too late. It's the same old thing in sprint finishes, guys trying to squeeze through gaps that aren't there."

:roll:

Always a reason why its someone else's fault he wasn't up there. I'm not saying he should be on the front at 2 k but surely riding halfway down the peloton approaching the finish is inviting trouble from no-hopers. Maybe he hasn't the pace (or enough helpers) to keep him near enough the front .

takethehighroad

ricadus wrote:

Maybe he hasn't the pace (or enough helpers) to keep him near enough the front .

I think that's the crux of it. Yesterday he and Cav both punctured. Robbie had to get back on his own whilst Cav got help for Adam Hansen. Silence are all out for Evans this year and Robbie's only there 'cos he's been for the last 10+ years.

andy_wrx

I thought it was the job of a sprinter to "squeeze through gaps that aren't there."

I think you're right, are Silence-Lotto a sprinter's team or a GC team this year ?
Difficult to do both, so if they're concentrating on Evans, McEwan will have to tag onto the back of someone else's lead-out train
- but doesn't he have a reputation for doing just that ?

jimmythecuckoo

Wasn't the big thing with McEwen that he didnt need a train and could benefit from other teams trains?

I suppose age is catching up and he may need that support.

I am not saying too much in case he wins todays stage!

drenkrom

No one will really contest a sprint after being stuck behind two crashes in the last 2km, no one. McEwen used to have the nous not to be caught behind crashes, though.

He is on the later leg of his career. Cou7ld we see him with Steegmans at Tinkoff?

ricadus

On yesterday's finish:

"At about 300 metres from the finish I was coming in and then I got pushed, which put me right into a headwind," said McEwen.

"I tried to get back into the bunch but by then it was too late."

:roll:

synchronicity

LOL,
my sister in OZ started calling him Robbie Excuses McEwen before anyone, about 5 years ago. Nice to see the nickname has stuck.

sportzchick

shes not the only one - hes the only Aussie I cant stand

SteveR_100Milers

I like Robbie for the same reasons I like Cav. I suspect 10 years from now Cav will be a right P in the A like Robbie is becoming..goes with the territory perhaps.

Tim Farr

My hunch is that Robbie McEwen is struggling mainly because of his age. It was the same with Sean Kelly - suddenly the Grand Tour wins dried up; I seem to remember that Kelly needed one more TdeF victory to establish a record, and sadly it never happened. Eric Zabel and Oscar Freire are in the same boat. No disgrace - all have been, still are, and the record books will show, that they are fantastic riders.