Dark Horse



M

Michael

Guest
Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but to
do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?

Mine: Floyd Landis.

Mike
 
"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but
> to do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?
>
> Mine: Floyd Landis.
>
> Mike
>

Can you give a better definition of how to judge a dark
horse? If Floyd does a lot of work on the climbs but
finishes way down in the GC do you claim a win?
 
> "Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but
> > to do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?
> >
> > Mine: Floyd Landis.
> >
> > Mike
> >
>
> Can you give a better definition of how to judge a dark
> horse? If Floyd does a lot of work on the climbs but
> finishes way down in the GC do you claim a win?

No, Floyd Landis has got to finish surprisingly high, like
a top ten.

Mike
 
I have answers for this on several levels:

1. Flatlanders aka sprinters: I think Mario Cipollini will
actually stay in longer than usual. I think that he
wants once before he retires to finish the Tour and
will try to do so. Not saying he'll make it all the way
to Paris, just that he won't abandon on the first
uphill day.

2. Overall I think that Tyler Hamilton will be out to prove
that last year's performance (broken collarbone and all)
was not a fluke -- I look for 2 American's on the podium
-- one Mr. Lance Armstrong on the top step and Tyler on
the 2nd step.

Have a wonderful day,

Joe Hurley

who hopes that the USA (1) finds a replacement sponsor for
USPS after this season for the team and (2) develops some
good young riders to fill Lance's shoes when he does retire.

"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]
kc.rr.com...
> Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but
> to do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?
>
> Mine: Floyd Landis.
>
> Mike
 
"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> No, Floyd Landis has got to finish surprisingly high, like
> a top ten.

Floyd will be up there for the first half of the race but
will fall back after Lance takes over.

I expect the real dark horse to be Ivan Basso.
 
"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but
> to do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?
>
> Mine: Floyd Landis.

Since no-one seems to have mentioned the guy - has nobody
noticed that Mayo appears to have learnt to TT?

Alcobendas:

1 Luis Sanchez (Spa) Liberty Seguros 11.26 2 Iban Mayo
(Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.03 3 Isidro Nozal (Spa) Liberty
Seguros 0.06

Not exactly a dark horse, though.

Peter
 
> Since no-one seems to have mentioned the guy - has nobody
> noticed that Mayo appears to have learnt to TT?

Wasn't it uphill?

McGee is learning to hang with the climbers, and Alpe d'Huez flattens out in the second half.

Top 5 Giro...top 10 Tour.
 
"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but
> to do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?
>
> Mine: Floyd Landis.
>
> Mike

How about Levi Leipheimer? How about an American sweep of
the podium with Tyler on the top step? If Ivan Basso
struggles, Julich could finish well too.

I can't wait for the mountains this year; epic is a definite
possibility. Just think of the potential battles; Armstrong,
Ullrich, Hamilton, Vinokourov, Mayo, Basso, Simoni,
Garzelli, Sastre, Zubeldia, Laiseka. There's probably a
dozen more names that will show up once or twice. But all of
those above should be battling every day.

Roland
 
Heras until the penultimate stage. He will not be challenged
until the ITT on Saturday. He has a strong team for the TTT
(besides, he can only lose
2:30 - I think). Any time he has lost in the prologue or TTT
he should be able to make up in the Pyrenees the uphill TT
and the final day in the Alps. Heras in yellow until Sat
morning. Another nail-biter ITT.

"Ewoud Dronkert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...
> On 19 May 2004 06:36:38 -0700, Roland2k wrote:
> > Laiseka.
>
> Only reserve because of more focus on rouleurs. See
> http://www.cycling4all.com/r04rvf00.php and http://www.cy-
> clingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/may04/may19news
> halfway down.
 
in article [email protected], Roland2k at
[email protected] wrote on 5/19/04 6:36 AM:

> "Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]
> kc.rr.com>...
>> Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but
>> to do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?
>>
>> Mine: Floyd Landis.
>>
>> Mike
>
> How about Levi Leipheimer? How about an American sweep of
> the podium with Tyler on the top step? If Ivan Basso
> struggles, Julich could finish well too.
>
> I can't wait for the mountains this year; epic is a
> definite possibility. Just think of the potential
> battles; Armstrong, Ullrich, Hamilton, Vinokourov, Mayo,
> Basso, Simoni, Garzelli, Sastre, Zubeldia, Laiseka.
> There's probably a dozen more names that will show up
> once or twice. But all of those above should be battling
> every day.

Agree for the most part; E-E announced their roster and
unfortunately, Laiseka won't be riding. Nor will Sammy
Sanchez, which is probably just as well after he went HD on
l'Alpe d'Huez last year... Also, Vini Calridola is not one
of the teams invited to the Tour this year, so no Garzelli.

My version of that list would consist of Armstrong,
Hamilton, Leipheimer, Ullrich, Mayo, Zubeldia, Julich,
Simoni, Totschnig, Frigo if he goes, Aitor Gonzalez, Heras,
and - this one I want to stress - Sevilla, in his new
Phonak colors.

-Sonarrat.
 
On 05/19/2004 07:36 AM, in article
[email protected], "Roland2k"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> "Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]
> kc.rr.com>...
>> Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but
>> to do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?
>>
>> Mine: Floyd Landis.
>>
>> Mike
>
> How about Levi Leipheimer? How about an American sweep of
> the podium with Tyler on the top step? If Ivan Basso
> struggles, Julich could finish well too.
>
> I can't wait for the mountains this year; epic is a
> definite possibility. Just think of the potential
> battles; Armstrong, Ullrich, Hamilton, Vinokourov, Mayo,
> Basso, Simoni, Garzelli, Sastre, Zubeldia, Laiseka.
> There's probably a dozen more names that will show up
> once or twice. But all of those above should be battling
> every day.

Laiseka is being left off the Euskatel team
(http://www.procycling.com/news_main.asp?newsId=5274).

Vini Caldirola (Garzelli) wasn't invited.

--
Steven L. Sheffield stevens at veloworks dot com veloworks
at worldnet dot ay tea tee dot net bellum pax est libertas
servitus est ignoratio vis est ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee
sea aye tee why you ti ay aitch aitch tee tea pea colon [for
word] slash [four ward] slash double-you double-yew double-
ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash
 
"Peter Allen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:gIIqc.61$6K2.49@newsfe1-win...
> "Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]
> kc.rr.com...
> > Who's your "dark horse" -- not necessarily to win -- but
> > to do surprisingly well in the TdF this year?
> >
> > Mine: Floyd Landis.
>
> Since no-one seems to have mentioned the guy - has nobody
> noticed that
Mayo
> appears to have learnt to TT?
>
> Alcobendas:
>
> 1 Luis Sanchez (Spa) Liberty Seguros 11.26 2 Iban Mayo
> (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.03 3 Isidro Nozal (Spa) Liberty
> Seguros 0.06

Think about this - how long is a TT that takes 0:11:26?
 
"jim gravity" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Since no-one seems to have mentioned the guy - has
> > nobody noticed that Mayo appears to have learnt to TT?
>
> Wasn't it uphill?
>
> McGee is learning to hang with the climbers, and Alpe
> d'Huez flattens out in the second half.
>
> Top 5 Giro...top 10 Tour.

Yeah, to a meager 8%.
 
"Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > 1 Luis Sanchez (Spa) Liberty Seguros 11.26 2 Iban Mayo
> > (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.03 3 Isidro Nozal (Spa)
> > Liberty Seguros 0.06
>
> Think about this - how long is a TT that takes 0:11:26?
>
>

About eleven and a half minutes long.
 
Carl Sundquist wrote:
> "Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
>>>1 Luis Sanchez (Spa) Liberty Seguros 11.26 2 Iban Mayo
>>>(Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.03 3 Isidro Nozal (Spa) Liberty
>>>Seguros 0.06
>>
>>Think about this - how long is a TT that takes 0:11:26?
>>
>>
>
>
> About eleven and a half minutes long.

(rim shot)!

Steve