Catalunya stage 1 *spoiler*

iainf72

20 year old Nerz from Milram has the fastest time

iainf72

Klodi just went quicker.

iainf72

So far (no real order after top 2)

Paul Voss (Team Milram) 4:57

Andreas Kloden (Team RadioShack) 4:59

Vandevelde (Garmin-Transitions): 5:17

Tony Martin (Team HTC-Columbia) 5:13

Vladimir Karpets (Team Katusha) 5:13

Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank): 5:24

Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) 5:05

iainf72

Cavendish just did a 5:01, so obviously feeling better

afx237vi

Andy Schleck loses nearly 30 seconds in 3.6 km? Yikes.

I find it fairly odd when both of the Schlecks have seemingly accepted the fact that they're both awful at TTing and there's very little improvement (none, really) year by year. Compare them with how Riis treated Basso and the stories you heard about Basso doing 6 hour training rides on his TT bike in the Dolomites. Are some people just so naturally bad at some things that no amount of training can make them better?

iainf72

Voss wins, beating Levi and Klodi.

Others : Basso 5:20, but that was quicker than Menchov.

Pokerface

afx237vi wrote:

Andy Schleck loses nearly 30 seconds in 3.6 km? Yikes.

I find it fairly odd when both of the Schlecks have seemingly accepted the fact that they're both awful at TTing and there's very little improvement (none, really) year by year. Compare them with how Riis treated Basso and the stories you heard about Basso doing 6 hour training rides on his TT bike in the Dolomites. Are some people just so naturally bad at some things that no amount of training can make them better?

Can this really be considered a TT though?

Isn't this more like a sprint?

redddraggon

Prologue

Pokerface

redddraggon wrote:

Prologue

Thanks for pointing out the gigantically obvious.

But I was referring to AFX's comments on Schlek's TTing ability.

afx237vi

Pokerface wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

Andy Schleck loses nearly 30 seconds in 3.6 km? Yikes.

I find it fairly odd when both of the Schlecks have seemingly accepted the fact that they're both awful at TTing and there's very little improvement (none, really) year by year. Compare them with how Riis treated Basso and the stories you heard about Basso doing 6 hour training rides on his TT bike in the Dolomites. Are some people just so naturally bad at some things that no amount of training can make them better?

Can this really be considered a TT though?

Isn't this more like a sprint?

I guess so, but his problems only get worse as the TT gets longer.

redddraggon

I don't get WTF you are going on about. It didn't seem like you knew it was "gigantically obvious".

It's a prologue, what's a sprint got to do with it? Prologues are TTs.

It's close enough to a pursuit

Cumulonimbus

Thought Schleck did ok in the Annecy tt last year, ok so there was a climb but still an ok performance in a long tt so not sure he gets worse as it gets longer?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/96th-t ... 18/results

Disappointing to lose that much time in a short tt though i'd have thought - only lost 11 seconds to karpets and martin though who are good tters. Only lost 4 seconds to Basso. Was there a bit of a weather change during the race as Martin and Karpets lost quite a lot?

Pokerface

redddraggon wrote:

I don't get WTF you are going on about. It didn't seem like you knew it was "gigantically obvious".

It's a prologue, what's a sprint got to do with it? Prologues are TTs.

It's close enough to a pursuit

Because 3.6km isn't exactly true TT distance. it's a 5 minute all-out effort that is more like a sprint than a TT. It doesn't favour the TRUE TT specialists as much. As witnessed by Cav's 5:01 (if that time is correct).

redddraggon

Cav's won two Prologues before.

Romandie and Tour of Britain.

Chinny also seems to do OK in Prologues and normal TTs too.

Pross

redddraggon wrote:

I don't get WTF you are going on about. It didn't seem like you knew it was "gigantically obvious".

It's a prologue, what's a sprint got to do with it? Prologues are TTs.

It's close enough to a pursuit

It's not that hard to understand Pokerface's point is it? He's just wondering whether such a short race demonstrates whether someone is any good / improving at a time trialling. The fact that Cav got so close to the leading times suggests that the short distance is more suited to a sprint effort than a typical middle / long distance TT although you can then argue about how long is a real TT, is it 20km, 50km, 100 miles, 24 hours??

afx237vi

Cumulonimbus wrote:

Thought Schleck did ok in the Annecy tt last year, ok so there was a climb but still an ok performance in a long tt so not sure he gets worse as it gets longer?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/96th-t ... 18/results

Fair point. Maybe I'm just unfairly comparing him with the "improvement" (ahem) that Basso made while he was at CSC.

Pross

redddraggon wrote:

Cav's won two Prologues before.

Romandie and Tour of Britain.

Chinny also seems to do OK in Prologues and normal TTs too.

But you wouldn't class him as a TT specialist would you? I assume that's Pokerface's point?

Cumulonimbus

Not quite sure who is arguing what but for the sake of comparison Cav's prologue wins were both short

Britain 2007 - 2.5km
Romandie 2008 - 1.9km

so a tt of today's length would be one that he would go well in. Cant find much on Voss, has he been cyclocrossing over the winter and so be in better shape than some others?

Pokerface

Pross wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

Cav's won two Prologues before.

Romandie and Tour of Britain.

Chinny also seems to do OK in Prologues and normal TTs too.

But you wouldn't class him as a TT specialist would you? I assume that's Pokerface's point?

Pretty much.

blazing_saddles

Radio Shack take a grip on that all important team classification.

micron

I'm glad that the hitherto neglected team classification is having its profile raised by RS's focus on winning it as often as possible.

deejay

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Radio Shack take a grip on that all important team classification.

are we getting a possible excuse ready in case the wondrous one (I'm saying my prayers) falls flat on his face.
Y'know the guy who waits 18 years to attempt to being a domestic rider and then with little success.


Poker man as a side issue, I read your initial post in the context of your reply to afx237.
No Problem here about me not understanding your meaning.
As I understand it. Then it dosn't matter what distance the brothers TT they just cannot concentrate on their own performances but need someone around to gauge their progress.

moray_gub

micron wrote:

I'm glad that the hitherto neglected team classification is having its profile raised by RS's focus on winning it as often as possible.

RS cant really win with you lot can they damned if they do damned if they dont...........entrenched viewpoints abound in this forum so they do.

andyp

Of which you are as guilty as any!

iainf72

Moray Gub wrote:

RS cant really win with you lot can they damned if they do damned if they dont...........entrenched viewpoints abound in this forum so they do.

Yes, it's a wierd unique bubble here. It's not like you get the same view points from journalists from various countries.

andyp

Maybe we should just take Bruyneel's word as gospel as he clearly only ever speaks the truth?

Kléber

I struggle to get excited about Radioshed, they represent the past, whether in management and "preparation" or just the "dynasty" of elderely riders on board. Nobody on the team seems that engaging and fun. Even the squad's token Frenchman Geoffrey Lequatre said Armstrong is primarily a businessmen and a cyclist second.

But I don't hate them. I'd just rather see some fresh talent winning a race and hope the team survives the moment when Armstrong walks away from the sport, possibly as soon as August.

iainf72

Noticed this in the CN results from today

Chris Froome (RSA) Sky Professional Cycling Team

I thought he was riding as British?

Kléber

Could just be a paperwork mix up? I thought he was Kenyan but riding under a British licence.

iainf72

Kléber wrote:

Could just be a paperwork mix up? I thought he was Kenyan but riding under a British licence.

That's what I thought. Probably is.

moray_gub

Kléber wrote:

I struggle to get excited about Radioshed, they represent the past, whether in management and "preparation" or just the "dynasty" of elderely riders on board. Nobody on the team seems that engaging and fun. Even the squad's token Frenchman Geoffrey Lequatre said Armstrong is primarily a businessmen and a cyclist second.

But I don't hate them. I'd just rather see some fresh talent winning a race and hope the team survives the moment when Armstrong walks away from the sport, possibly as soon as August.

I can take or leave them myself but my issue is the hypocrisy that many many posters display when it comes to them. Somehow they are judged diffferently from other teams and if they make a similiar decision to other teams their decision is obscene and the other teams' decision is a sound call.