Who was your biggest dissapointment

dulldave

in the Tour? and while you're at it who was the revelation.

For me it's between Popovych (sp?) and Cunego (I had a tenner on him).

I enjoyed Schumacher's efforts and the big Barloworld chap who fell of the site of the hill.

Doobz

Ricco - everyone else who finished cant be put in the "disappointment" category and neither can Cunego really - I was disappointed when fellow South African Augustyn went over the side of the mountain but that's about it.

dulldave

OK apart from drug cheats. I meant who did you expect to perform better than they did?

Kléber

I didn't think Cunego would do much. He's undergone a conversion from working with shady preparatore and now denounces doping, so matching his earlier performances always looked hard. If anything, the way he rode on day after day, and then with big injuries, shows his character.

A revelation was clearly Cavendish. He's done well but this time did it again and again, in all configurations of a sprint finish. Another was Andy Schleck. Like Cav, he's done well before but this time looks like a serious contender for the future. What about Kohl too?

Chris Froome looks impresive too. Maybe he should be representing Britain at the Olympics in the TT.

dulldave

Frrome can't change nationality for a few years from what I understand. He's only applied so far.

Yes Cavendish was great and Kohl must have earned himself some new gnashers for his efforts.

Blonde

Didn't really have a dissapointment. It was a good race this year. Much better than last years total wash-out/anti-climax. I found it really exciting to watch with so many good young riders. Little elf-man Carlos really deserved his win but I did feel a bit sorry for Cadel Evans - he rode so strongly but tthe lack of a strong team around him showed.

NervexProf

Kohl was surely the revelation - he personified doggedness, sans any whinging.

Disappointment has to be Cunego - but methinks he will be back!

skavanagh.bikeradar

Inexplicably I developed a soft spot for Damiano this year. He reminded me of what the tour used to look like in the mountains with the favorites looking spent at the top of climbs and having bad days etc. Strangely, and as has been alluded to elsewhere on this forum, both he and Valverde were reassuringly bad.

So, back to the OP, I thought Saunier Duval were a disappointment.

But was pleased to see Kohl getting on the podium in the spotty jumper rather than some opportunistic moron like Virenque winning it. I thought last year was an improvement in that respect with a proper climber, able to live with the GC boys winning it, this year is even better.

Cav's efforts were brilliant too, and I'm hoping he'll be after a green jersey in the future.

redddraggon

The Silence-Lotto team

drenkrom

My disappointment is Pereiro, in the sense that he never got to ride for himself while he was clearly stronger than his leader Valverde. You could see the frustration growing daily. Then, finishing the Tour as he did... Poor Oscar.

Very impressed by Augustyn, though. Kohl realized the promise many saw in him, which is always nice to see.

OffTheBackAdam

Soler, someone buy him a pair of stabilisers!

iainf72

Andy Schleck - Eat dude! Well, on the bike. Not off because we don't want you getting fat now.

dave_1

Cunego was no great surprise...he has been dissapointing since 04 in many grand tours...his 04 Giro looks like it was down to some help

dave_1

drenkrom wrote:

My disappointment is Pereiro, in the sense that he never got to ride for himself while he was clearly stronger than his leader Valverde. You could see the frustration growing daily. Then, finishing the Tour as he did... Poor Oscar.

Very impressed by Augustyn, though. Kohl realized the promise many saw in him, which is always nice to see.

indeed Pereiro actually looked very powerful prior to the juiced up sauniers attack on Col dAspin...Pereiro was attacking one handed at points listening to orders about Valvderde on the Aspin and easing off when he had lined the group out...

andyp

Dave_1 wrote:

Cunego was no great surprise...he has been dissapointing since 04 in many grand tours...his 04 Giro looks like it was down to some help

To be fair - he struggled on to finish after crashing on Stage 18 when many would have abandoned on the spot.

I also think it's encouraging that a young Italian is not doping (or if he is he needs to get a new prepatore) when others, and I'm talking about you Ricco, are.

dave_1

andyp wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

Cunego was no great surprise...he has been dissapointing since 04 in many grand tours...his 04 Giro looks like it was down to some help

To be fair - he struggled on to finish after crashing on Stage 18 when many would have abandoned on the spot.

I also think it's encouraging that a young Italian is not doping (or if he is he needs to get a new prepatore) when others, and I'm talking about you Ricco, are.

true ...he is still a very good rider...he resembles Valverde in some ways...big early success of 2003 and 04 for them in grand tours ...and predictions of great GT careers and yet just unable to build on it as testing and judcial level investigations intensified..still...they are not old...Fignon had to wait 5 years from 84 to 89 to get GT form back

FCE2007

Well, talking from my wallet - Cunego!
Straight out the back as soon as the climbs started pffffff

Il Piccolo Principe :roll:

victorponf

Riccó, i was :shock: with his performance and hoped more greats duels vs Contador

Arkibal

Ricco and Cunego

kmahony

Revelations:
Kohl - effort beyond anyone else.
Riis - tactically spot on in the end (and I'm not sure it was luck), but really give him credit for getting a group of riders like that to work for each other. Cancellara and Voigt gave up personal success for the team.
Evans - personality aside he gave it everything. Seemed like him vs everyone else in tour at times
ASO - They're getting there.

Disapointments
Popo - how much was he paid?
CSC staff handing out the feed bags on stage 10 (which Andy Schleck missed

ms_tree

Disappointment:
Cunego (how many times can he fall? Last year's Vuelta etc). Looked a bit 'chunky' to me as if he's built muscle.
Popovych. Well he should never have gone to Discovery (JB the Alex Ferguson of cycling - buy 'em up and leave 'em on the bench so no-one else get's ;em).
Valverde - probably peaked too soon.

Major disappointment - Pereiro- as I hoped he could get a stage win.

Revelation
Kohl
A Shleck v impressive
Chavenel(Sylv)

V Angry with Ricco blithering idiot.

allaction

Popo' was shockingly bad. Cadel could have won if he had anything like the form of old. One has to wonder if he was getting help earlier in his carreer?

Lots of great young talent coming through so for this reason I am more excited about cycling than I have been for a long time.

st68

im glad cadel didnt win & sastre did was impressed with kohl glad ricco got caught never liked him anyway hes just an ar**hole but generally this years tour didnt do it for me apart from cavendish hats of to him cant wait for next years

CHRISNOIR

dulldave wrote:

...and Cunego (I had a tenner on him).

Thank God it wasn't just me - I read the Procycling interview ("new coach, blah blah, concentrating purely on the Tour, yada yada") and put a tenner on. Still felt for the poor bloke though when he didn't make Paris.

beancounter

David Millar.

All mouth and...........that's it.

bc

dave_1

beancounter wrote:

David Millar.

All mouth and...........that's it.

bc

2 very good time trials from him...I think he could win the world TT champs again...he is very close

skavanagh.bikeradar

Not as close as Schumacher though!

idaviesmoore

I'm never dissapointed or surprised by the tour. It's a pantomime every year with the same heroes and villains taking to the stage, it's just that the actors that play these rolls change year by year.

You've just got to see it for what it is...a sporting spectacle without equal. For better or for worse it grinds on with the inevitability of a continental drift.

I'm glad Sastre kept it together on the final TT. I've often felt he was overlooked as a rider (maybe with just cause). But every dog should have its day.

unclemalc

Could be summed up by a comment Dave Millar made in the Eurosport box after his TT on Saturday - (paraphrasing a bit...) "with the likes of Cavendish, the Schlecks, Kohl, Ciolek etc, there is a very exciting decade of cycling ahead".
I just hope they are all clean....

unclemalc

....oh - I forgot to say: as a big disappointment - Big George Hincapie not getting a stage.

afx237vi

CHRISNOIR wrote:

dulldave wrote:

...and Cunego (I had a tenner on him).

Thank God it wasn't just me - I read the Procycling interview ("new coach, blah blah, concentrating purely on the Tour, yada yada") and put a tenner on. Still felt for the poor bloke though when he didn't make Paris.

Maybe that was his biggest problem.