Sastre, Menchov and Evans

sing_for_absolution

Now then, what on earth happened to those three?

Chip \'oyler

They raced the Tour - and are still better cyclists than you'll ever be.

jimycooper

ouch :shock:

sing_for_absolution

Point acknowledged.

Now then, what on earth happened to those three?

takethehighroad

They raced the Tour, and didn't do half as well as I would have.... :roll:

teagar

Sastre and Menchov both rode the Giro at full tilt.

Evans lost contact after an abismal team time trial and began wasting his energy in silly little uncessary attacks. But I don't think he quite found last years' form, and, probably more importantly, the competition was much better.

Le Commentateur

And he was demotivated by week two.

jackhammer111 - banned

Le Commentateur wrote:

And he was demotivated by week two.

You can make the case that the Giro/ Tour double hurt Sastre and Menchov, even though you know who did it too, but Evans should be giving some of his money back.

They could use some team help for him but this performance damages his already somewhat shaky reputation.

I actually think Evans needs psychological help. Who knows, maybe he's already getting it but if he is it sure isn't helping him ride.
His collapse seems to have been in his head, although I have no way of knowing that other than examples of odd behaviour. I recently kind of told myself that maybe it was a kind of cultural thing with him because he's not only Austrailian, but from a very isolated part of Austailia. He's never seemed comfortable in his own skin and I think he hates the part of the sport that has to do with crowds and press and.... you know.. people looking at you.
He just can't cope with the big stage.

SpaceJunk

jackhammer111 wrote:

Le Commentateur wrote:

And he was demotivated by week two.

You can make the case that the Giro/ Tour double hurt Sastre and Menchov, even though you know who did it too, but Evans should be giving some of his money back.

They could use some team help for him but this performance damages his already somewhat shaky reputation.

I actually think Evans needs psychological help. Who knows, maybe he's already getting it but if he is it sure isn't helping him ride.
His collapse seems to have been in his head, although I have no way of knowing that other than examples of odd behaviour. I recently kind of told myself that maybe it was a kind of cultural thing with him because he's not only Austrailian, but from a very isolated part of Austailia. He's never seemed comfortable in his own skin and I think he hates the part of the sport that has to do with crowds and press and.... you know.. people looking at you.
He just can't cope with the big stage.

You really have no idea do you jackhammer?

richard wants a baum

SpaceJunk wrote:

jackhammer111 wrote:

Le Commentateur wrote:

And he was demotivated by week two.

You can make the case that the Giro/ Tour double hurt Sastre and Menchov, even though you know who did it too, but Evans should be giving some of his money back.

They could use some team help for him but this performance damages his already somewhat shaky reputation.

I actually think Evans needs psychological help. Who knows, maybe he's already getting it but if he is it sure isn't helping him ride.
His collapse seems to have been in his head, although I have no way of knowing that other than examples of odd behaviour. I recently kind of told myself that maybe it was a kind of cultural thing with him because he's not only Austrailian, but from a very isolated part of Austailia. He's never seemed comfortable in his own skin and I think he hates the part of the sport that has to do with crowds and press and.... you know.. people looking at you.
He just can't cope with the big stage.

You really have no idea do you jackhammer?

What a load of complete crap, yeah Australians hate people. :roll: Evans is just a bloke who speaks his mind, unfortunately he seems to have whinging on his mind alot. I really dont like him but do kind of feel sorry for him, his damned if he does and damned if he doesnt. Last year he didnt attack this year his attacked in quiet a few races and he gets shouted down for it.

SpaceJunk

richard wants a baum wrote:

SpaceJunk wrote:

jackhammer111 wrote:

Le Commentateur wrote:

And he was demotivated by week two.

You can make the case that the Giro/ Tour double hurt Sastre and Menchov, even though you know who did it too, but Evans should be giving some of his money back.

They could use some team help for him but this performance damages his already somewhat shaky reputation.

I actually think Evans needs psychological help. Who knows, maybe he's already getting it but if he is it sure isn't helping him ride.
His collapse seems to have been in his head, although I have no way of knowing that other than examples of odd behaviour. I recently kind of told myself that maybe it was a kind of cultural thing with him because he's not only Austrailian, but from a very isolated part of Austailia. He's never seemed comfortable in his own skin and I think he hates the part of the sport that has to do with crowds and press and.... you know.. people looking at you.
He just can't cope with the big stage.

You really have no idea do you jackhammer?

What a load of complete crap, yeah Australians hate people. :roll: Evans is just a bloke who speaks his mind, unfortunately he seems to have whinging on his mind alot. I really dont like him but do kind of feel sorry for him, his damned if he does and damned if he doesnt. Last year he didnt attack this year his attacked in quiet a few races and he gets shouted down for it.

Well said Richard. I'm not a fan of him either, and he does like to whinge. As I mentioned elsewhere, he is a complex character; Procycling did a good piece on him recently (as has Ride).

What went wrong in '09? Who knows - I'm not sure we'll ever get the true, of full story either.

Suffice to say I know he was pretty peeved off with the team (read management, not riders) after the TTT.

That was always going to be his Achilles' Heel. He would've known that, the team would've known that; we all knew it.

IF as reported, Cadel wanted to do extensive TTT practice on the course, and management stated the Zolder race course was adequate, well I think I could understand why he might be jacked off. Imagine spending 12 months preparing for this big event and you feel you've been let down by management.

That all said, I think Cadel would've learnt heaps about himself through this Tour. He's not the first favourite to have bombed at the tour; he won't be the last either.

His imperfections and poor performance makes him human. Cycling needs characters and individuals - good and bad - to make it more interesting. A peloton full of emotionless robots is very boring.

Nice to see a rider have some insecurities; Sastre was a bit like that when his bro-in-law died.

jackhammer11- Banned agai

SpaceJunk wrote:

jackhammer111 wrote:

Le Commentateur wrote:

And he was demotivated by week two.

You can make the case that the Giro/ Tour double hurt Sastre and Menchov, even though you know who did it too, but Evans should be giving some of his money back.

They could use some team help for him but this performance damages his already somewhat shaky reputation.

I actually think Evans needs psychological help. Who knows, maybe he's already getting it but if he is it sure isn't helping him ride.
His collapse seems to have been in his head, although I have no way of knowing that other than examples of odd behaviour. I recently kind of told myself that maybe it was a kind of cultural thing with him because he's not only Austrailian, but from a very isolated part of Austailia. He's never seemed comfortable in his own skin and I think he hates the part of the sport that has to do with crowds and press and.... you know.. people looking at you.
He just can't cope with the big stage.

You really have no idea do you jackhammer?

If you need to say something say it.
I could be wrong about my impression. I mean no cultural disrespect.

I was thinking it was more about the isolated area he comes from. I was also tying to allow that what I was finding odd about him may be due to a cultural difference that I don't understand. I wasn't making a value judgment on it.

graeme_s-2

Why does Menchov fall off so much? He's a professional cyclist, he's paid to ride a bicycle, yet sometimes he seems unable to ride up the road without falling off. It's the equivalent of me being unable to remain seated at my desk for more than 20 minutes without spontaneously hurling myself to the floor. If that were the case I think my employer (and I) would be asking some serious questions about my suitability to my job!

jackhammer11- Banned agai

Graeme_S wrote:

Why does Menchov fall off so much? He's a professional cyclist, he's paid to ride a bicycle, yet sometimes he seems unable to ride up the road without falling off. It's the equivalent of me being unable to remain seated at my desk for more than 20 minutes without spontaneously hurling myself to the floor. If that were the case I think my employer (and I) would be asking some serious questions about my suitability to my job!

At least once he slipped on a painted white line which happend repeatedly to riders. Boonen did it, and if you look at poor Jens Voit his front wheel slips and follows the white center line.

Can someone out there please invent a marking paint with some grit in it?

afx237vi

The thing with Menchov only seems to have developed since his uphill crash last year. I can't remember him having a reputation as a serial crasher before that. Maybe it's a confidence thing - you have a stupid crash once, and after that you overcompensate, get more tense, leading to more crashes...

graeme_s-2

afx237vi wrote:

The thing with Menchov only seems to have developed since his uphill crash last year. I can't remember him having a reputation as a serial crasher before that. Maybe it's a confidence thing - you have a stupid crash once, and after that you overcompensate, get more tense, leading to more crashes...

That crash last year just looked like really bad luck, and could have happened to anybody. Will be a shame if that has affected him so badly.

SpaceJunk

I read somewhere that Menchov caused a bit of damage to his hip when he crashed in the final TT at this year's Giro.

Hence the no training leading into the TdF. If the hip was sore when the Tour commenced, well it's Murphy law that he crash multiple times.

Whenever you have an injury and try and be extra cautious to protect it, you inevitably crash more often; you become more conscious of protecting it. But that's me just talking through personal experience.

simon_e

afx237vi wrote:

Maybe it's a confidence thing

Often it's tiredness or a momentary distraction.

Re. Sastre, here's a characteristically honest, reflective interview:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/sas ... r-analysis
Can't help but admire the guy, seems to be an all-round 100% nice bloke.

Evans speaks:
http://www.ozcycling.com/newsarticle/in ... 174&page=1