Basso

josame
josame Posts: 1,162
edited June 2016 in Pro race
TdF round the corner has drawn thoughts of previous editions.

Just wondering why Basso was never a winner of the Tour, had the talent, the 'break' doesn't seem to have affected his performance - perhaps he concentrated on the Giro too much (great win in 2010) and by then perhaps Bertie was too much in the ascendancy.
'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'

Comments

  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Two words: Operacion Puerto.

    He was co-favourite to win the first post Armstrong Tour but then the scandal broke and he was one of the first up against the wall. He was never the same again (probably a good thing)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    He should've probably won in 04 and (definitely) 05, but Armstrong beat him mentally

    I do miss the Lighthouse. Exactly the right balance of style, blandness and excitement.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,104
    I remember him as a conservative rider who was unwilling to risk a podium spot to go for the win - I reckon at his drug fuelled peak he would have had a chance but he probably thought his career would continue at that level and he'd have chances in the future.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • onyourright
    onyourright Posts: 509
    Basso was stylish on the bike and clearly talented (doping aside), but he was nothing like the stereotypical Italian male and never one for putting his neck out. I don’t think he quite had the drive and ruthlessness of serial Tour winners like Armstrong, Contador, and most recently Froome.
  • type:epyt
    type:epyt Posts: 766
    Basso on the juice was a thing of beauty, he made it seem so effortless (Lance, Pantani, Ullrich etc. still always made it look like hard work) ... His 2nd Giro was won much the same as most other post Puerto Giro/Vuelta winners (bar Contador) with a combination of flashes of strength and stoic defence.

    Basso's smug look does remind me of another GT winner but I'd rather not get into that ...
    Life is unfair, kill yourself or get over it.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,308
    A lot of Italians look/looked classy on a bike: Moreno Argentin, Francesco Moser, Gianni Bugno, Mo Fondriest etc. But there's no link between looking classy and performance is there?
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Pinno wrote:
    A lot of Italians look/looked classy on a bike: Moreno Argentin, Francesco Moser, Gianni Bugno, Mo Fondriest etc. But there's no link between looking classy and performance is there?

    Unfortunately not, otherwise I'd be a 10 time winner of the Giro Tour double.


    ;)
    _
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,308
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Pinno wrote:
    A lot of Italians look/looked classy on a bike: Moreno Argentin, Francesco Moser, Gianni Bugno, Mo Fondriest etc. But there's no link between looking classy and performance is there?

    Unfortunately not, otherwise I'd be a 10 time winner of the Giro Tour double.

    ;)

    Les Rost Biffs: (Grenouilles sur les boîtes d'allumettes) Frogs on matchboxes as the French say.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,548
    Pinno wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Pinno wrote:
    A lot of Italians look/looked classy on a bike: Moreno Argentin, Francesco Moser, Gianni Bugno, Mo Fondriest etc. But there's no link between looking classy and performance is there?

    Unfortunately not, otherwise I'd be a 10 time winner of the Giro Tour double.

    ;)

    Les Rost Biffs: (Grenouilles sur les boîtes d'allumettes) Frogs on matchboxes as the French say.

    One word response to that; Virenque.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    Watched his ride up Bondone in the 2006 Giro on the turbo the other day. He did look effortless. It's strange looking back to think that would be Ullrich's last ever grand tour.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,308
    andyp wrote:
    Pinno wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Pinno wrote:
    A lot of Italians look/looked classy on a bike: Moreno Argentin, Francesco Moser, Gianni Bugno, Mo Fondriest etc. But there's no link between looking classy and performance is there?

    Unfortunately not, otherwise I'd be a 10 time winner of the Giro Tour double.

    ;)

    Les Rost Biffs: (Grenouilles sur les boîtes d'allumettes) Frogs on matchboxes as the French say.

    One word response to that; Virenque.

    I never said we were unique in that respect. You missed a couple of classic 'Grenouilles sur les boîtes d'allumettes':

    Charly Mottet
    Tommy Voeckler
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    And that Anquetil needed to put his saddle up.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    Basso would have won in 2006 but he was stopped a few days before. Before 2006 there was an even bigger doper on the scene, hence he never won the Tour de France, simples
    left the forum March 2023
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,308
    OCDuPalais wrote:
    And that Anquetil needed to put his saddle up.

    ...and that Merckx bloke - his bike was always too small for him :roll: useless git.

    905e49f009e4d83bf1871f840862b1f3.jpg
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Basso would have won in 2006 but he was stopped a few days before. Before 2006 there was an even bigger doper on the scene, hence he never won the Tour de France, simples

    That does slightly miss avoid the elephant in the room: Ullrich (apologies to Da Kaiser after all it was July not March :wink: )
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    josame wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Basso would have won in 2006 but he was stopped a few days before. Before 2006 there was an even bigger doper on the scene, hence he never won the Tour de France, simples

    That does slightly miss avoid the elephant in the room: Ullrich (apologies to Da Kaiser after all it was July not March :wink: )

    It's quite probable that he wasn't 'prepared' for the race, but Jan was roundly thrashed by Basso (as indeed was everyone else) in the 2006 Giro.
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    phreak wrote:
    josame wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Basso would have won in 2006 but he was stopped a few days before. Before 2006 there was an even bigger doper on the scene, hence he never won the Tour de France, simples

    That does slightly miss avoid the elephant in the room: Ullrich (apologies to Da Kaiser after all it was July not March :wink: )

    It's quite probable that he wasn't 'prepared' for the race, but Jan was roundly thrashed by Basso (as indeed was everyone else) in the 2006 Giro.

    The Giro was likely just prep for the Tour - he did DNF
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    josame wrote:
    phreak wrote:
    josame wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Basso would have won in 2006 but he was stopped a few days before. Before 2006 there was an even bigger doper on the scene, hence he never won the Tour de France, simples

    That does slightly miss avoid the elephant in the room: Ullrich (apologies to Da Kaiser after all it was July not March :wink: )

    It's quite probable that he wasn't 'prepared' for the race, but Jan was roundly thrashed by Basso (as indeed was everyone else) in the 2006 Giro.

    The Giro was likely just prep for the Tour - he did DNF

    Oh for sure, but he did the same at the 99 Vuelta (prep for the Worlds) but because he was in decent nick he went on and won it. He was just well off the pace in the mountains (although won the TT), so I'm not sure he'd have been a factor at the Tour anyway. From memory, his withdrawal was due to a back injury rather than resting up for the Tour.
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    phreak wrote:

    Oh for sure, but he did the same at the 99 Vuelta (prep for the Worlds) but because he was in decent nick he went on and won it. He was just well off the pace in the mountains (although won the TT), so I'm not sure he'd have been a factor at the Tour anyway. From memory, his withdrawal was due to a back injury rather than resting up for the Tour.

    Ok I don't want to labour this..

    Jan was on a huge contract with one aim for the year: win the Tour
    Lance was retired - all the papers were saying this was Jan's year because he was always Mr Second
    There is no way Jan was going for the G/TdF double the Giro would have taken too much out of his legs - DNF was always on the cards or 50th as in 2001 - he was using the Giro as Training a full 6 weeks (if he jumped early) to be ready for the tour
    The Vuelta is in September, after the tour, so has no relevance and he missed the tour that year (99) with a knee injury
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'

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