2011 Pro-cycling season thread

^I already did and he's older than oldest ever winners of Giro, TDF, Vuelta and same age as Petacchi and Zabel when they've won single stages.

Was wondering if I'd missed anything that wouldn't make it a win without precedent for a cyclist his age.

You can't keep a good man down

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ricco-sneaks-into-italian-sportif-ride

Can't cheat for your own wins anymore? No problem.

Ha! Awesome. He deserves a medal, really he does.

You can't keep a good man down

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ricco-sneaks-into-italian-sportif-ride

Can't cheat for your own wins anymore? No problem.

Fucking Hell, you couldn't make that up! I love that the other riders were telling him to fuck off too.
What's the bets he was off his tits on EPO for the event too?

Andy's results this season suggest that he's massively self-confident. Contador, on the other hand, will fade away.

Just sayin'.

Nutter.

Bertie will piss the TdF

Andy's results this season suggest that he's massively self-confident. Contador, on the other hand, will fade away.

Just sayin'.

Self confidence and ability are two totally different things.

Andy is bound to do his usual thing of attacking early on the climbs two or three times then dawdle around to see if Frank will bridge the gap, allowing the gap attack to be neutralised.

When Contador puts in a devastating attack Andy will crack and meekly follow for second place.

The only way Contador will be beaten is if he throws a giant whitey or if the other favourites conspire against him to attack in a calculated way, e.g. putting someone in the top ten in a break then refusing to chase, then doing that the next day and the next until Contador's boys crack.
Not very sporting, but it might work.

The only way Contador will be beaten is if he throws a giant whitey or if the other favourites conspire against him to attack in a calculated way, e.g. putting someone in the top ten in a break then refusing to chase, then doing that the next day and the next until Contador's boys crack.
Not very sporting, but it might work.

Could this really happen?

Forum whip around for bribe money?

smashes kids piggy banks

Looking at the way Bertie left Scarponi for dead in the Giro mountains, and the way he pissed all over the mountain TT. He's going to need to feck up, to loose. Bet hes gutted not to make my TdF fantasy team though.

Andy SCHLECK : 7.8
Popularity: 4/10
In next stage startlist');) LEO 38.0 GC
Mark CAVENDISH : 0.0
Popularity: 10/10
In next stage startlist');) THR 38.0 PC
Bauke MOLLEMA : 13.0
Popularity: 5/10
In next stage startlist');) RAB 18.0 KM
Christophe LE MEVEL : 0.0
Popularity: 3/10
In next stage startlist');) GRM 20.0 AR
Peter SAGAN : 12.6
Popularity: 2/10
In next stage startlist');) LIQ 35.0 AR
Jan BAKELANDTS : 4.6
Popularity: 4/10
In next stage startlist');) OLO 8.0 DS
John DEGENKOLB : 0.0
Popularity: 0/10
In next stage startlist');) THR 9.0 DS
Mathias FRANK : 8.8
Popularity: 3/10
In next stage startlist');) BMC 6.0 DS
Matthew WILSON : 0.0
Popularity: 4/10
In next stage startlist');) GRM 3.0 DS

It's been a long time since anyone achieved the Giro/Tour double.

That said, Contador shouldn't have been racing at all this year.

That said, Contador shouldn't have been racing at all this year.

+1

I have a fairly recent interest in cycling and was wondering what the relative importance of the criterium du dauphine is - and ultimately what (if anything) this means for our Bradders' form for the Tour....

While on the subject of le tour, fingers crossed for a less messy start to this year's.

Wikipedia says this

The Critérium is the only other race that has been won by all the quintuple winners of the Tour de France (Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault, Indurain and Armstrong). Seven racers also won the Dauphiné Libéré and the Tour de France in the same year: Louison Bobet in 1955, Jacques Anquetil in 1963, Eddy Merckx in 1971, Luis Ocaña in 1973, Bernard Thévenet in 1975, Bernard Hinault in 1979 and 1981, Miguel Indurain in 1995 and Lance Armstrong in 2002 and 2003.

and now over to AndyP in the armchair.

The Dauphine is a major race in it's own right but is always overshadowed by the Tour a month later.

In recent years it has been a poor indicator of Tour form, mainly due to widespread blood doping which means those aiming to win the Tour extracting blood around the time of the Dauphine, causing a drop off in form. Normally this was done after the rider had tested their form, seeing odd results where someone would win the stage one day, then lose 15 minutes the next.

I think Wiggins' chances in the Tour are like him, slim. The route does him no favours whatsoever as it is heavily weighted towards the climbers, with just one individual time trial on the penultimate Saturday of the race, so he's not going to have much chance to gain any time on his rivals, most of whom will gain time on him in the Pyrenees and the Alps. A top ten is possible, anything higher would be a bonus.

wiggo will not win the tour.
a very slim chance of a podium if 2-3 of the other contenders drop/crash out.
i wish people would stop bigging him up just because he's English. he's a rank outsider.

I am not sure how you can get higher than being in the top ten.

You could be tenth, then there would be nine riders who completed the course faster than you.

*A top ten is possible, anything higher would be a bonus.

*I suppose if 'top ten' is taken to exclude first. I still think it's Colemanballs.

I've seen your Colemanballs.

That doesn't even make any sense.
So, Vino in yellow on the first day? Great!

Vino is clean.

David Millar thought so.

#mustbetrue

wiggo will not win the tour.
a very slim chance of a podium if 2-3 of the other contenders drop/crash out.
i wish people would stop bigging him up just because he's English. he's a rank outsider.

Yeah, some of us get a bit giddy for Wiggo to win because he British.

So what? Hundreds of sad hopefuls used to crouch on Henman Hill losing excited wee drips at the very mention of Tiger Tim, secretly knowing he didn't have a cat in Hell's, but just enjoying the camaraderie of a bunch of screeching, menopausal mummies howling GO ON TIM! GO ON TIM! GO ON TIM GO ON TIM! GO ON TIM! GO ON TIM! GO ON TIM!

Can't we have a load of dads get together on the Galibier, get shit faced on tins of Stella before stripping down to tatty mankinis and hobbling along the side of the road bellowing, 'GO ON BRADLEY! GO ON BRADLEY! GO ON BRADLEY! GO ON BRADLEY! GO ON BRADLEY! GO ON BRADLEY! GO ON BRADLEY! GO ON... ooh, my fucking knee!'

http://inrng.com/2011/06/can-bradley-wiggins-win-the-tour-de-france/

"No"

:)

http://inrng.com/2011/06/can-bradley-wiggins-win-the-tour-de-france/

"No"

:)

lol, a point well made and well taken!

Re: "people bigging up wiggins" it's not just UK fanboys now is it, it's the whole of the Sky team...

Wiggo is a class cyclist, and as a brit, I for one am proud of his 2009 performance.

Hes no TdF winner though.