Cancellara's big 5 aim.

rick_chasey
rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
edited April 2010 in Pro race
So now that he's won all the flat monuments; Milan-San Remo, Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Cancellara's stated he now wants to win all five (Luik-Bastenaken-Luik, and Lombardy)

Do-able?

He seems to think his performance at the worlds last year suggests he has the potential to, if he trains for it.

I think he'd have to lose plenty of weight, but I wouldn't put it past him.
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Comments

  • The Prodigy
    The Prodigy Posts: 832
    Definitely do-able.

    The most talented bike rider in the world.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243

    The most talented bike rider in the world.


    Yes.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I would love to see him do the worlds double. I was gutted last year (although it was a great attack by Evans).
  • Wasn't Boonen touted as a potential Leige winner not very long ago?

    Think Lombardy is more "do-able" than Liege, but great if he's gonna try. Think that's what we need more of in cycling. Rather than just sitting in your comfort zone, so to speak, have a go at winning something you shouldn't be able to.

    Not sure he's the most talented bike rider in the world, that's quite a big claim. What about Chris Hoy? How many world titles and Olympic titles does he have? Or even what about someone like Mark Beaumont? OK, that is maybe pushing it a bit, this is Pro Race after all, but you get the point?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    Wasn't Boonen touted as a potential Leige winner not very long ago?

    Never heard that before.
  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    Chris Hoy is a one trick pony, Cancellara for more talented as a bike rider.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Wasn't Boonen touted as a potential Leige winner not very long ago?

    Never heard that before.

    Yes, Around 2006? It followed the usual trend - Guy wins cobbled classics, then some quarters decide he can win the hilly classics and maybe grand tour if he lost some weight.

    Same pattern emerging with Fabian and Edwald Boassen-Hype-him.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    iainf72 wrote:
    Wasn't Boonen touted as a potential Leige winner not very long ago?

    Never heard that before.

    Yes, Around 2006? It followed the usual trend - Guy wins cobbled classics, then some quarters decide he can win the hilly classics and maybe grand tour if he lost some weight.

    Same pattern emerging with Fabian and Edwald Boassen-Hype-him.

    Fair enough.

    You don't think Canc can win all 5 then?
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784

    Fair enough.

    You don't think Canc can win all 5 then?

    LBL is likely. I mean, if Jens V can come 2nd in it, it's got to be possible.

    Lombardy - Harder to see, but he probably could.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • If Gilbert can be considered as a favourtie in all five, then Fabian certainly can, they are quite similar riders, sans Gilbert's time trialling prowess.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    iainf72 wrote:
    Wasn't Boonen touted as a potential Leige winner not very long ago?

    Never heard that before.

    Yes, Around 2006? It followed the usual trend - Guy wins cobbled classics, then some quarters decide he can win the hilly classics and maybe grand tour if he lost some weight.

    Same pattern emerging with Fabian and Edwald Boassen-Hype-him.

    Having thought about this one: Did Boonen ever tout himself as a potential LBL winner?
  • dougzz wrote:
    Chris Hoy is a one trick pony, Cancellara for more talented as a bike rider.

    Your kidding right? Hoy has 10 World and 4 Olympic titles in 4 different track events. I think he is every bit as good a rider at what he does as Cancellara. Maybe it should be that Cancellara is the most talented road rider. But anyway, this is going off topic.

    Didn't Cancellara also make comments recently about going for the hour or was that someone else?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    dougzz wrote:
    Chris Hoy is a one trick pony, Cancellara for more talented as a bike rider.

    Didn't Cancellara also make comments recently about going for the hour or was that someone else?

    He did, but I don't think he meant any time soon.
  • Having thought about this one: Did Boonen ever tout himself as a potential LBL winner?

    Think it was his coach who made the claims.
  • donrhummy
    donrhummy Posts: 2,329
    Definitely do-able.

    The most talented bike rider in the world.

    Depends what you mean by that, i.e. "talent." From a purely physical standpoint, I'd say Contador's the best in the world. He not only dominates the world in the mountains, not only has the ability to recover better than anyone else in a 3-week grand tour, but he's also one of the best TT's in the world too. That's a pretty incredible mix of cycling abilities.
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    Isn´t Contador riding Liege-Bastongne-Liege? I would have thought he has a chance there.
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  • ynyswen24
    ynyswen24 Posts: 703
    Cancellara:

    Absolutely do-able to win all 5.

    His size is secondary to that kind of talent when it comes to L-B-L or Lombardy. Cancellara is not just talented he's smart and can focus, his team mates would work completely for him and he's respected in the peloton (always helps).
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Would his team work completely for him? Didn't Schleck win it last year? the two of them might have to decide who's the leader (assuming we are talking about this year, and assuming Schleck isn't injured).
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    iainf72 wrote:

    Fair enough.

    You don't think Canc can win all 5 then?

    LBL is likely. I mean, if Jens V can come 2nd in it, it's got to be possible.

    Lombardy - Harder to see, but he probably could.

    I agree LBL maybe but Lombardy the climbs tend to be a bit longer so i couldnt see it.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    I'd love to see Cancellara do this. Love the guy, a true athlete!
  • sparky24
    sparky24 Posts: 195
    of course he can win them. a strong and smart guy like fabien will do what ever it takes to win. we are talking about a olympic and world champion . i wish you guys could witness first hand how hard these guys and girls train.
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    edited April 2010
    sparky24 wrote:
    . i wish you guys could witness first hand how hard these guys and girls train.

    Dont see what difference that makes really.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    sparky24 wrote:
    of course he can win them. a strong and smart guy like fabien will do what ever it takes to win.

    What, like have his skeleton extracted and a slightly shorter, narrower one put in?

    He can have mine. I don't use it much.
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • sparky24 wrote:
    of course he can win them. a strong and smart guy like fabien will do what ever it takes to win. we are talking about a olympic and world champion . i wish you guys could witness first hand how hard these guys and girls train.

    Bettini was also an Olympic and World Champion but he didn't win Flanders or Roubaix. Don't see why Fabian is bound to win them just because he will do whatever it takes. Don't you think his rivals will also do whatever it takes?

    But I would suggest that Andrea Tafi was a similar rider to Cancellara, at least in terms of being a big powerful rider and he won Lombardy in '96. Not sure how similar the route was then to today?
  • Oops, sorry, double post...
  • sparky24
    sparky24 Posts: 195
    it makes a big difference. everyone has the muscles (leg) to race a bike , if it,s time trials sprinting or hill climbing but you need to train them if you switch discipline.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    sparky24 wrote:
    of course he can win them. a strong and smart guy like fabien will do what ever it takes to win. we are talking about a olympic and world champion . i wish you guys could witness first hand how hard these guys and girls train.

    Bettini was also an Olympic and World Champion but he didn't win Flanders or Roubaix. Don't see why Fabian is bound to win them just because he will do whatever it takes. Don't you think his rivals will also do whatever it takes?

    But I would suggest that Andrea Tafi was a similar rider to Cancellara, at least in terms of being a big powerful rider and he won Lombardy in '96. Not sure how similar the route was then to today?

    The difference is that Canc has already shown a stunning performance on a very hilly parcous: the Mendrisio world Champs.

    A full year focussing on those kind of hills, given the way he can focus on a race so entirely, and I think he could beat that performance in Mendriso.
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    sparky24 wrote:
    it makes a big difference. everyone has the muscles (leg) to race a bike , if it,s time trials sprinting or hill climbing but you need to train them if you switch discipline.

    I was not refering to the training itself more to do with not having seen him train making an opinion less valid.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • The difference is that Canc has already shown a stunning performance on a very hilly parcous: the Mendrisio world Champs.

    A full year focussing on those kind of hills, given the way he can focus on a race so entirely, and I think he could beat that performance in Mendriso.

    Not sure you got my point. Do you not think that the other contenders are not currently focusing and training on Liege/Lombardy and have been doing so for years? I think there are lots of riders who are better suited than Cancellara for these two races. But don't get my wrong, as I said before, I think it would be great for him to try. We need riders to think big and try different things rather than just doing the same races year in year out.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    The difference is that Canc has already shown a stunning performance on a very hilly parcous: the Mendrisio world Champs.

    A full year focussing on those kind of hills, given the way he can focus on a race so entirely, and I think he could beat that performance in Mendriso.

    Not sure you got my point. Do you not think that the other contenders are not currently focusing and training on Liege/Lombardy and have been doing so for years? I think there are lots of riders who are better suited than Cancellara for these two races. But don't get my wrong, as I said before, I think it would be great for him to try. We need riders to think big and try different things rather than just doing the same races year in year out.

    But they are not as talented!!