Gibert....stopped cheating or just out of form?

2»

Comments

  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,820
    It works the other way, Santambrogio went from being a bit cr*p at BMC to a world beater in another team.

    Not that I'm saying Gilbert was cheating, just fanning the flames really
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    He's actually had a slightly better first half of the season in 2013 compared to 2012. It's just that he won the WC at the back end of last year which made up for the rest of the year.

    I don't think there's any great mystery about it other than a rider struggling to hit the heights he did two years ago.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Last year he had a bad Spring, but the WC win wasnt the only thing rescuing his year, he also won two stages in the Vuelta. All in all a pretty good Autumn.

    About the cheating. Wiggins has gone down from world beater to also ran in a year; Millar is suddenly going backwards this year finding it hard to get into the best 100 even in TTs; JTL has gone from celebrated winner to, well, something else. Must be they stopped cheating.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    FJS wrote:
    Last year he had a bad Spring, but the WC win wasnt the only thing rescuing his year, he also won two stages in the Vuelta. All in all a pretty good Autumn.

    About the cheating. Wiggins has gone down from world beater to also ran in a year; Millar is suddenly going backwards this year finding it hard to get into the best 100 even in TTs; JTL has gone from celebrated winner to, well, something else. Must be they stopped cheating.


    Add Hesjedal to that too, eh

    Riders now having good years and bad years, instead of being at full throttle season after season. A sign of a healthier sport? I think so
  • gsvbagpuss
    gsvbagpuss Posts: 272
    If I was feeling hrash, I'd say those WC bands can make you look a little bit fat...

    More likely, I think it's just really hard to dominate for years in a row. Must be a good thing
  • TMR
    TMR Posts: 3,986
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Add Hesjedal to that too, eh

    I'm pleased you brought him up because he has had a shocking run of form since the Giro...
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    The Mad Rapper wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Add Hesjedal to that too, eh

    I'm pleased you brought him up because he has had a shocking run of form since the Giro...


    DELETE POST
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    It seems to be coming quite the done thing for big name riders to have a great year followed by a rubbish one, Evans, Wiggins, Boonen, Gilbert have all done it in the last few seasons (though Gilbert did have a brief return to form last year). I wouldn't be surprised to see Froome have a stinker next year, particularly with his history of health problems.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    for the record he had equipment issues for the early part of 2012 ( contracts with cleat and pedal manufacturers were enforced to his detriment seemingly), BMC seem to also employ the galactico Philosiphy (throw money at t team of slightly past it former champions), and don't train their athletes as well seemingly. an unfocussed or poorly trained rider, surely will therfore not produce as well as someone that is totally focused, and the level of success / failure is very fine in the peleton at the top level. I still think he's a great rider, but also that the forces of nature and the lackadaisical nature of BMC's training and tactics are taking their toll. hope he wins a tour stage or a vuelta stage, and maybe his form might be good enough for the worlds (though whether the course suits him, i'm unsure). think as a few others have pointed out, that the cash may have blunted his desire a little. I doubt very much that he's a drug cheat. his career path doesn't map out that way.
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    No drugs probably.
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Only a handful of riders go to BMC and improve or maintain their skillz. It takes a special rider.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    back in the day when everyone was geared up to the eyeballs riders still followed this pattern...

    ja ja springs to mind

    so its hard to read into this sort of thing.... you can not tell one wa or the other.

    more obvious in my wild a$$ guessing way is a rider who is consistently top tier who suddenly is consistently not quite top tier.. ie their pattern of form has not changed just their top end. but then again people get older and lose that top few percent so pffft!!!

    I think its becoming harder and harder to get away with it and the general "mood" of the peloton appears to have changed somewhat

    gilbert fffed if I know.
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    To have a season like Gilbert in 2011, Boonen and Wiggins in 2012 etc. etc. requires an incredible amount of luck in terms of everything coming right for you. You have to be 100% physically and mentally and then sustain that for a long period. The drop taken to become an 'also ran' is tiny. I suspect it is also very hard to remain motivated when you know it is almost impossible for you to have a better season. It must also be nice to just sit back a bit and enjoy your achievements. I still wouldn't be surprised to see Gilbert retain the stripes to be honest.

    And that is post 10,000, wish it could have been something a bit more profound!

Categories