Sammy Sanchez for this year's Tour?
piedwagtail
Posts: 42
There's been a fair bit of discussion about some of the favourites already: we've had threads on Wiggins, Andy Schleck (the 'Why Not Giro?' talks alot about the Tour) and in those people have talked about Cadel and Menchov, but I don't think I've seen anything on Samu.
I seem to remember him cracking on one of the big mountains last year, but he won Luz Ardiden, 2nd on Plateau de Beille and 2nd on the Alpe. Then 7th in the TT, 1'30 down on Evans. (Also he crashed before the TT in 2010 I think?? Leading to Menchov beating him to 3rd??)
So a reasonable pedigree, plus a few stages this year finishing with descents that he might be able to escape on, I think he should be pretty good.
Might be an interesting dynamic if he went away on the penultimate climbs with Schleck and let him follow down the decent before sharing the work going up again.
Anyone else reckon he might have a decent chance this year? Podium perhaps?
I seem to remember him cracking on one of the big mountains last year, but he won Luz Ardiden, 2nd on Plateau de Beille and 2nd on the Alpe. Then 7th in the TT, 1'30 down on Evans. (Also he crashed before the TT in 2010 I think?? Leading to Menchov beating him to 3rd??)
So a reasonable pedigree, plus a few stages this year finishing with descents that he might be able to escape on, I think he should be pretty good.
Might be an interesting dynamic if he went away on the penultimate climbs with Schleck and let him follow down the decent before sharing the work going up again.
Anyone else reckon he might have a decent chance this year? Podium perhaps?
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Comments
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Sanchez's problems in GTs are threefold.
#1 - he always comes just a bit short when the mountains get really high. He has been known to overcome this by not going so deep on the way up and catching up on the way down, but that's not a way to get big time gaps.
#2 - He seems to struggle come week 3 in GTs. He's that bit further back.
#3 - He's still good enough few teams/riders will let him off the leash.
He's great at the one weekers which are sans TT.0 -
Fair enough.
Number 3 I suppose is certainly true, he probably only got away for the win last year because he'd lost a load of time on the first stage.
I'm hoping he can do something though
He's pretty far up my favouite rider list 0 -
piedwagtail wrote:Fair enough.
Number 3 I suppose is certainly true, he probably only got away for the win last year because he'd lost a load of time on the first stage.
I'm hoping he can do something though He's pretty far up my favouite rider list
Indeed. I'd put him in the 'classy' category, and another chap on here'd probably call him 'heavyweight' - though obviously not literally.
He's good a good turn of speed - one of the faster sprinters of the climbers.0 -
No. 4 - he has a relatively weak team?0
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He's good over a short TT - say 20km, but over a longer one he always loses too much time compared to the likes of Wiggins and Evans.0
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Rick Chasey wrote:Sanchez's problems in GTs are threefold.
...He's great at the one weekers which are sans TT.
I'm not buying any of that twaddle, even if it is true. You're just trying to put everyone of off Sanchez's scent for Tour GC on PTP... Then BOSH! Oh look - you've picked him!
How many points would you have if you took him and Boonen out of PTP choices?
Is a p!ss-poor showing in PTP starting to make anyone else bitter?0 -
OCDuPalais wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Sanchez's problems in GTs are threefold.
...He's great at the one weekers which are sans TT.
I'm not buying any of that twaddle, even if it is true. You're just trying to put everyone of off Sanchez's scent for Tour GC on PTP... Then BOSH! Oh look - you've picked him!
How many points would you have if you took him and Boonen out of PTP choices?
Is a p!ss-poor showing in PTP starting to make anyone else bitter?
I refer you to this thread: viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12851720&start=20
Bitter PTP behaviour is the behaviour of the weak and feeble. :P0 -
Rick Chasey wrote:Bitter PTP behaviour is the behaviour of the weak and feeble. :P
Not at all.
When I say "bitter", I mean in a Bernard Hinault sort of way.
I'm looking to not just being The PTP Badger... I'm talking HONEY Badger: almost universally regarded as the biggest nutter in the animal kingdom.
Vattenfall Classic. That's all I'm saying (now that I know where it is - thanks afx).0 -
Rick Chasey wrote:OCDuPalais wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Sanchez's problems in GTs are threefold.
...He's great at the one weekers which are sans TT.
I'm not buying any of that twaddle, even if it is true. You're just trying to put everyone of off Sanchez's scent for Tour GC on PTP... Then BOSH! Oh look - you've picked him!
How many points would you have if you took him and Boonen out of PTP choices?
Is a p!ss-poor showing in PTP starting to make anyone else bitter?
I refer you to this thread: viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12851720&start=20
Bitter PTP behaviour is the behaviour of the weak and feeble. :P
OI! I resemble that remark!Warning No formatter is installed for the format0
