ToC

thunder

Ciolek did not have the legs, and I think if he did, Cav opened it up too early anyhow. But Cav may not have had any choice, because the last QS rider was pulling off.

lucybears

CAVENDISH ANGRY AFTER SPRINT MIX-UP

plectrum

Slipstream in yellow, good god!

kennf

Some serious time-trialing power now in the top ten, with Leipheimer, Cancellara, Millar, and Zabriskie within 20 seconds of each other.

Bro Deal

How does Cancellara lose this?

It has turned out to be a good, tight race.

__________________
"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

thunder

Levi has the time checks, but that will not help him unless the tt is very very lumpy.

Cancellara can take 2 seconds per km out of Levi with not much trouble.

Eldrack

Wow, didn't know Cancellara could climb. Millar, sort of, Dave Z again sort of. But i'd always put down Cancellara as a big guy who was great on the flat but not on the really steep climbs like the Sierra grade.

The TT should be interesting, Levi's got some tt punch, and the course isn't entirely flat either so who knows.

AlvChen

Someone mentioned seeing Hamilton, Sevilla, and Botero riding with the Rock Racing kit going over the top of Mt. Hamilton. I think someone was saying this was in protest of them not being invited to ride. Can anyone confirm?

Bro Deal

I bet it's true. The three have been riding on the courses and hanging out with the Rock team, signing autographs.

__________________
"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

thunder

the guy is Indurain weight, and climbed like him last year at Tour de Suisse to hold his leaders jersey.

Should be able to win any tour on the calendar besides the GTs in the next decade. He climbs much better than Hincapie and Voigt at the same stage of their careers.

hawkeye87

Levi beat Cancellara on the same course by 37 seconds last year.

However, I think Fabian's form this year is better than last year for the TOC. Last year he was just building. This year, he's bringing it on.

Look out for Paris-Roubaix!

I, for one, will be cheering for Fabian, Dave Z and David Millar.

Levi lost me as a fan when he joined Disco last year and seemed to produce unbelievable results as if by magic. Call me a disenchanted Disco fan who got into cycling (as a fan) via Lance but that has faded.

Crankyfeet

Welcome to CF Hawk. This is not thepaceline.com however...

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thunder

nope, Cancellara was not in GC contention. You cannot take his effort into account as he was not riding for the overall.

Put the GC win in front of him, he probably goes one minute faster.


Hawkeye, dont get down on Levi, he must be given props, probably the greatest product from a measure of talent in the peloton. Tour of Germany, high place in Dauphine, I think he might have won actually, Tour of California. If you take out GTs, Levi has been the best classification rider in the current peloton. Which is a plaudit.

He is not doing anything anyone else is. Go back to 2000 at the Vuelta. The guy can ride a great tt. He was 3rd that year in the worlds tt. So, get some background and reassess. I am of the opinion he is not great talent, but his results speak otherwise, doped or not.

So, they timetrial at the tour was no doubt rocket fuelled, but hey, that is how Armstrong laid it down, and no one complained. Rass was unlucky.

Levi is boring, a whiner, and probably a prodigious doper. He sucks more wheel that Evans, who has atleast attacked is some selective classics on the calendar.

But Levi's results are all class, and he is no different to most riders in the peloton, bar the whining, which he shares with Evans with the penchant for cautious riding.

If he worked with Gesink to get away on the climb, he would have one more minute up his sleeve. As it is, Gesink did all the work, and the commentary was shithouse, they should have chewed him out, and given credit to the Dutchman.

hawkeye87

Can I say thank God!

I joined that forum last year and went on hiatus for months. I come back and it's Astana-mania.

I'm posting over there a bit but feel more brain cells die as I remain. Just reading Jeff Vader's posts makes me wonder where his parents are. He has to be a kid.