Tour de France 2008

Even if Evans had someone in the mould of Andy Shleck to do the damage on the HC climbs, I doubt he would attack.

I am bored of hating on him. He was hopelessly outnumbered this year,but I would love to have seen him attack at Alpe Duez, he would win many more fans if he went for it rather than stick in the pack marking wheels. Easy for me to say but that's what I want to see from a big tour winner.

He needs a better team for sure.

Evans would make a very good super domestique.

Evans would make a very good super domestique.

apart from beating almost all of the team leaders....

Even if Evans had someone in the mould of Andy Shleck to do the damage on the HC climbs, I doubt he would attack.

I am bored of hating on him. He was hopelessly outnumbered this year,but I would love to have seen him attack at Alpe Duez, he would win many more fans if he went for it rather than stick in the pack marking wheels. Easy for me to say but that's what I want to see from a big tour winner.

He needs a better team for sure.
seriously dude, who cares about fans, when you are trying to win the biggest prize in cycling there are priorities. biggest is to finish a stage and minimise time lost. what if he attacked on alpe d'huez? there were both schleks and kohl. he would be insane to try to take them on, pushing 110% risking blowing up and going out the back door.

seriously think some of you need to actually get out and ride in a race instead of sitting on the sofa drinking beers and playing with your balls.

thought Jens Voight had a great tour also, though busting his saddle on the Champs Elysees must have been annoying!

seriously think some of you need to actually get out and ride in a race instead of sitting on the sofa drinking beers and playing with your balls.

But maybe they don't want to be gay

have you 2 thought about going back home?
you country needs 2 of it's finest chest beating jingoists to man the soapboxes for the forthcoming olympics for the good of the national psyche.

your county needs you!

Jingos got my baby!

by jingos by crikey.

as opposed to the middle class, yelling jolly good showing cavendish and mr hoy, jolly good.

you love it you slaaggs

don't confuse jingo with dingo.

the middle classes can go fuck themselves.

so dogsballs is an aussie too?

you love it you slaaggs

don't confuse jingo with dingo.

the middle classes can go fuck themselves.

you heathen you!

so dogsballs is an aussie too?

Im saying yes. Fucking convicts :)

i'm greek ;)

seriously dude, who cares about fans, when you are trying to win the biggest prize in cycling there are priorities. biggest is to finish a stage and minimise time lost. what if he attacked on alpe d'huez? there were both schleks and kohl. he would be insane to try to take them on, pushing 110% risking blowing up and going out the back door.

seriously think some of you need to actually get out and ride in a race instead of sitting on the sofa drinking beers and playing with your balls.

To be fair if Evans had attacked there he may have won valuable time and the Tour as it was he didnt and he finished second, again. It was his last chance as he obviously didn't have the legs in the TT. It was just my observation. Im not a master tactician. I have raced in the past but its a hard game not for me I like cycling for fitness/fun.

What about yourself?

Do you compete?

Whether or not Evans was foolish not to attack on Alp D'Huez, the clear fact is that at some point in the last 2 weeks he needed to make some more time, to add to his very tenuous 1 second lead ( when he was in yellow). He didn't, and he left the gap as very small, and then lost it again. Betting everything on the final time trial seemed a bit chancy to me, and so it was proved - he wasn't up to it.

And it's all very well for the high-pitched voices to pipe up with 'it's bloody hard, you try it, he did his best' - well, maybe so. but the fact is a great champion would have got himself a bigger lead and defended it. like a champion.

and i don't need to go out and ride a local race to know that.

Fin.

have you 2 thought about going back home?
you country needs 2 of it's finest chest beating jingoists to man the soapboxes for the forthcoming olympics for the good of the national psyche.

your county needs you!

there's more than 2 of us. pay attention!

seriously think some of you need to actually get out and ride in a race instead of sitting on the sofa drinking beers and playing with your balls.

that is the best thing i've heard dale say in 10 years.

Merak: Cadel couldn't attack on Alpe d'Huez no matter how "tactical" it might have been. he was fucked, he was busy fending off attacks from two schlecks and sastre, and he busy trying not to blow up. Just the same as Kohl, Vavlerde, Menchov (who was out the back already) and all the other best riders in the world. They'd just ridden up two and a half HC category climbs, after two and a half weeks of intense racing. It's not fucking easy, no matter how exciting you think it might have been. Especially when you're clean (unlike the exciting riders like Pantani, Basso, Ricco, Mayo or Vinokourov).

Merak: Cadel couldn't attack on Alpe d'Huez no matter how "tactical" it might have been. he was fucked, he was busy fending off attacks from two schlecks and sastre, and he busy trying not to blow up. Just the same as Kohl, Vavlerde, Menchov (who was out the back already) and all the other best riders in the world. They'd just ridden up two and a half HC category climbs, after two and a half weeks of intense racing. It's not fucking easy, no matter how exciting you think it might have been. Especially when you're clean (unlike the exciting riders like Pantani, Basso, Ricco, Mayo or Vinokourov).

Look, Im not arguing the toss. Evans wasn't/ isnt good enough to be a Grand Tour winner. End of.*

and i don't need to go out and ride a local race to know that *+1

Evans is a cunt and he'll never win cos he's not good enough.

Hang on, he was 58 seconds down on the winner after 3 weeks? Um, actually that means he IS good enough to be a grand tour winner.

I bet you get the horn for Ulrich

Hang on, he was 58 seconds down on the winner after 3 weeks? Um, actually that means he IS good enough to be a grand tour winner.

if he was 59 seconds faster, yes

Hang on, he was 58 seconds down on the winner after 3 weeks? Um, actually that means he IS good enough to be a grand tour winner.

but he didn't a better rider did instead.

But he is good enough to win one.