Cuddles doing Lombardy again

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited October 2009 in Pro race
And never one to rest much, he's doing a couple of races to prepare including the Giro d'Emilia.

What's with racing a full season?

I wonder what his longest non-racing stretch was this year
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
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Comments

  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Old-skool. I like it.

    Some riders can target July only but only one rider can win in Paris. You'd hope some more would use the back of the season to rescue some results and honour their backers some more?
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    83 race days so far this year. The other big name riders with more days are:
    Millar (84), Cavendish (86), Rogers (87), Kreuziger (87), Basso (88), Cunego (88), Pozzato (90), Gilbert (91) and Moncoutie (92). The rider with the most race days is Sprick with 97.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Interesting that a lot of the people with a large volume of races are the people thought to be cleanish, eh?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    iainf72 wrote:
    Interesting that a lot of the people with a large volume of races are the people thought to be cleanish, eh?

    Indeed it is. Interesting as doping helps recovery so we would expect some dodgy names, yet on the other hand it could be also mean the dopers ride less to reduce the risk of an in-competition drug test.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • finchy
    finchy Posts: 6,686
    frenchfighter wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    Interesting that a lot of the people with a large volume of races are the people thought to be cleanish, eh?

    Indeed it is. Interesting as doping helps recovery so we would expect some dodgy names, yet on the other hand it could be also mean the dopers ride less to reduce the risk of an in-competition drug test.

    Maybe it's also a difference in mentality - finding form by racing instead of sloping off for a fortnight to "prepare".

    David Millar said that he became lazier when he started to dope.
  • finchy
    finchy Posts: 6,686
    Anyway, back to racing, not doping. Lombardy should be a cracker this year.

    Evans will want to do well in the rainbow jersey, Cunego will of course be up for it, Sanchez might give it a good go to make up for not winning the Vuelta. Anyone know if the Schlecks are entering?

    Riders like Brajkovic, Kreuziger, Gerrans, Fedrigo could also play a major part.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Andy Schleck's stopped for the year.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,812
    IMO, Cuddles does his best racing in Italy.
    He and Cunego went head to head, at the Coppi e Bartali, in early Spring and hopefully, they can bring down the curtain on this season.

    Thank God, there are still a handful of decent "Spaghetti" single dayers left, even though Lazio is a bummer.

    FF: You are the man for the stats.
    Don't happen to know how many days Lancie, Bertie and Schlekette have turned out for?

    I bet the old guy hasn't ridden so much in quite a while!
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Tim Farr
    Tim Farr Posts: 665
    Who's Cuddles?
    T Farr
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Blazing, if you like stats then visit the Cycling Quotient website.

    Armstrong's on 63 days of racing this year. Contador's 54 and Andy Schleck on 74. See http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/ri ... iderid=387 for more.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Kléber wrote:
    Contador's 54
    That's just the most incredibley efficient year ever. Entering a grand total of 6 (!) events for the whole year, win four of them, pedal to third in preparation in the fifth, and have a bummer to finish 3th in the sixth. Impressive, but wholly uninspiring. Please give me old fashioned full season riders like Cuddles has become this year any time.
  • Chip \'oyler
    Chip \'oyler Posts: 2,323
    Is Banjo riding Lombardy too?
    Expertly coached by http://www.vitessecyclecoaching.co.uk/

    http://vineristi.wordpress.com - the blog for Viner owners and lovers!
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    FJS wrote:
    Kléber wrote:
    Contador's 54
    That's just the most incredibley efficient year ever. Entering a grand total of 6 (!) events for the whole year, win four of them, pedal to third in preparation in the fifth, and have a bummer to finish 3th in the sixth. Impressive, but wholly uninspiring. Please give me old fashioned full season riders like Cuddles has become this year any time.

    I believe if you divide his points by race days he has the largest value. I would have liked to see him compete more this year and think that the issue with Astana and Lance were key factors (although not the only reason) why he didn't race that much - 2008 was 67 and 2007 was 64; still not as high as I would like but they include mostly stage races which are significantly more demanding on the body than 1 day races here and there.

    There is a point where quality vs quantity is important, which is where an efficiency scale is useful.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    By the way another way to anlayse a riders performance is to measure against another rider in races they have both been in. If we do this with Contador vs other riders, then Contador trumps most riders (I picked a handful of GC riders off the top of my head). The only rider to beat him is Valverde due to le Dauphine.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,812
    Amazed at Lance.
    63 days is almost two normal years in one.
    Must realise he's on borrowed time!

    I wouldn't be surprised that Contador hanging up his frame, in July, is just down to the Astana admin change and not wanting to ride for the new, old regime.
    At least, that's what I hope.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,154
    Tim Farr wrote:
    Who's Cuddles?

    Cuddles, the Champion of the World
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Le Commentateur
    Le Commentateur Posts: 4,099
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    IMO, Cuddles does his best racing in Italy.
    He and Cunego went head to head, at the Coppi e Bartali, in early Spring and hopefully, they can bring down the curtain on this season.

    I agree, he uses that race well as a training event. His attack on Sunday was the second time I've seen him stick it to the field on the final climb -- the first time was in a mountain stage of C&B in 2008, where he tore a chunk of time out of Garzelli. Used to be a vid on YouTube but it's gone now I think.

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/photos.p ... 216_1_full
    Un uomo solo al commando
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    I wouldn't be surprised that Contador hanging up his frame, in July, is just down to the Astana admin change and not wanting to ride for the new, old regime.
    At least, that's what I hope.

    Let's hope so.

    He'll has to podium at LBL or Fleche Wallonne to start winning me over..
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,154
    FJS wrote:

    Let's hope so.

    He'll has to podium at LBL or Fleche Wallonne to start winning me over..

    He was second to Kirchen at Fleche last year
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    RichN95 wrote:
    FJS wrote:

    Let's hope so.

    He'll has to podium at LBL or Fleche Wallonne to start winning me over..

    He was second to Kirchen at Fleche last year

    He wasn't Evans was. FJS was talking about Contador.
    I like bikes...

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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,154
    redddraggon wrote:

    He wasn't Evans was. FJS was talking about Contador.

    My mistake - I thought we were still on Evans.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    RichN95 wrote:
    redddraggon wrote:

    He wasn't Evans was. FJS was talking about Contador.

    My mistake - I thought we were still on Evans.
    well, my mistake to go with the hiijacking of the thread. Evans has definitely won me over this year as all-round full season rider
  • why was i banned
    why was i banned Posts: 1
    Is it just me or has opinon on him changed dramatically with most of you regarding Mr. Evans. His an incredibly difficult person to like but it seems that there is a new level of respect for Cuddles all of a sudden ( i suppose he did just wint he worlds )
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    why was i banned wrote:

    Why WERE you banned?
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    why was i banned wrote:
    Is it just me or has opinon on him changed dramatically with most of you regarding Mr. Evans. His an incredibly difficult person to like but it seems that there is a new level of respect for Cuddles all of a sudden ( i suppose he did just wint he worlds )

    Because last year he was a boring rider. This year he has shown some attacking style, worked hard, complained less and been a pleasure to watch. Plus he's had some really tough breaks (crap team around him in the Tour TTT) and a shoddy wheel change that cost him the Vuelta - so it's easier to feel sorry for him.

    Plus he just won the World's. :D
  • alanmcn1
    alanmcn1 Posts: 531
    Don't you think in cycling riders often become popular only when they have struggled/shown a human side/ had rotten luck???

    I cheered on the champs elysee like an eejit 2 years ago when sastre pipped him to the tour as I said an attacker should win the race. I almost broke my sofa on Sunday i was cheering Evans on so much!!! Give a rider a few years of crap luck and misfortune and most people will want to see him come good eventually. I think at end of day he is too classy a rider to have finished his career without a biggy
    Robert Millar for knighthood
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Cunego has three. Who thinks he will eventually beat or match Coppi's 5?

    AP Photo
    610x.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    And who remembers Cunego following Ricco's attack in 2007?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKNRl3yKftA

    I really like Bettini's win as his attacks were superb, his descending ace and the look of pain on Rebellin's face entertaining!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikbII6fsQSA
    Contador is the Greatest
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    frenchfighter wrote:
    I really like Bettini's win as his attacks were superb, his descending ace and the look of pain on Rebellin's face entertaining!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikbII6fsQSA

    That's Fabian Wegmann.
  • finchy
    finchy Posts: 6,686
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Cunego has three. Who thinks he will eventually beat or match Coppi's 5?

    Yes. Especially if he makes it the main focus of the season.

    It would make sense for him to do that - Italian rider on an Italian team taking the record number of wins in an Italian monument.

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