P-R Odds

chris

So, Hincapie was left stranded again at Flanders, and now no 'Slava'
for Roubaix. I say he's got no chance in hell. I've heard George say
Postal was his best option, but someone has to be telling him they
can't support him...

Ekimov out

US Postal Service's Viatcheslav Ekimov, third place in last year's
Paris-Roubaix, has been forced to forfeit his place in this year's
team. Ekimov injured his wrist in the Dwars door Vlaanderen on March
24. He returned to race last week in De Panne, but abandoned early.
Once again back on the road at the Tour of Flanders, the tough Russian
found the going too tough and decided to take a pass for the coming
classics.

psycholist

"chris" <excel_sports@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:a7157f5e.0404070752.178880cc@posting.google.com...
> So, Hincapie was left stranded again at Flanders, and now no 'Slava'
> for Roubaix. I say he's got no chance in hell. I've heard George say
> Postal was his best option, but someone has to be telling him they
> can't support him...
>
> Ekimov out
>
> US Postal Service's Viatcheslav Ekimov, third place in last year's
> Paris-Roubaix, has been forced to forfeit his place in this year's
> team. Ekimov injured his wrist in the Dwars door Vlaanderen on March
> 24. He returned to race last week in De Panne, but abandoned early.
> Once again back on the road at the Tour of Flanders, the tough Russian
> found the going too tough and decided to take a pass for the coming
> classics.

I thought Max VH was supposed to be flying now. Haven't seen much of him in
the last two weeks.

I keep wondering what would happen if Riis could get his hands on George.

Bob C.

JTN

it doesnt matter if he has support or not. remember when boonan was towing
him to the finish last year? he ended up in a ditch on his back. boonen said
screw this clown, im going on to a podium finish. he cannot and will not
ever win P-R. he doesn't have the abilities necessary for such victory.
in his own words, "forgot to eat", yea, after your fifth or sixth P-R you
should have this figured out.....



"chris" <excel_sports@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:a7157f5e.0404070752.178880cc@posting.google.com...
> So, Hincapie was left stranded again at Flanders, and now no 'Slava'
> for Roubaix. I say he's got no chance in hell. I've heard George say
> Postal was his best option, but someone has to be telling him they
> can't support him...
>
> Ekimov out
>
> US Postal Service's Viatcheslav Ekimov, third place in last year's
> Paris-Roubaix, has been forced to forfeit his place in this year's
> team. Ekimov injured his wrist in the Dwars door Vlaanderen on March
> 24. He returned to race last week in De Panne, but abandoned early.
> Once again back on the road at the Tour of Flanders, the tough Russian
> found the going too tough and decided to take a pass for the coming
> classics.

chris

If he could turn timid Tyler into a champion who knows...but George
seems stuck with USPS. Too bad, he has the physical talents.

CH

"psycholist" <technico@wctel.net> wrote in message news:<c51888$75b3$1@news3.infoave.net>...
> "chris" <excel_sports@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:a7157f5e.0404070752.178880cc@posting.google.com...
> > So, Hincapie was left stranded again at Flanders, and now no 'Slava'
> > for Roubaix. I say he's got no chance in hell. I've heard George say
> > Postal was his best option, but someone has to be telling him they
> > can't support him...
> >
> > Ekimov out
> >
> > US Postal Service's Viatcheslav Ekimov, third place in last year's
> > Paris-Roubaix, has been forced to forfeit his place in this year's
> > team. Ekimov injured his wrist in the Dwars door Vlaanderen on March
> > 24. He returned to race last week in De Panne, but abandoned early.
> > Once again back on the road at the Tour of Flanders, the tough Russian
> > found the going too tough and decided to take a pass for the coming
> > classics.
>
> I thought Max VH was supposed to be flying now. Haven't seen much of him in
> the last two weeks.
>
> I keep wondering what would happen if Riis could get his hands on George.
>
> Bob C.

Tom Arsenault

"JTN" <jtn@usps.com> wrote in message news:<1078a1l7iq2cle6@corp.supernews.com>...
> it doesnt matter if he has support or not. remember when boonan was towing
> him to the finish last year? he ended up in a ditch on his back. boonen said
> screw this clown, im going on to a podium finish. he cannot and will not
> ever win P-R. he doesn't have the abilities necessary for such victory.
> in his own words, "forgot to eat", yea, after your fifth or sixth P-R you
> should have this figured out.....
>
>
>
> "chris" <excel_sports@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:a7157f5e.0404070752.178880cc@posting.google.com...
> > So, Hincapie was left stranded again at Flanders, and now no 'Slava'
> > for Roubaix. I say he's got no chance in hell. I've heard George say
> > Postal was his best option, but someone has to be telling him they
> > can't support him...
> >
> > Ekimov out
> >
> > US Postal Service's Viatcheslav Ekimov, third place in last year's
> > Paris-Roubaix, has been forced to forfeit his place in this year's
> > team. Ekimov injured his wrist in the Dwars door Vlaanderen on March
> > 24. He returned to race last week in De Panne, but abandoned early.
> > Once again back on the road at the Tour of Flanders, the tough Russian
> > found the going too tough and decided to take a pass for the coming
> > classics.

George is lifelong friends and connected with Lance. George isn't
going anywhere until Lance retires, and then there might be a move,
but until then... He's got Eki (well not this weekend, but normally),
Joachim, Max, and several others. He's got the team support, he
just hasn't lived up to his potential, quite yet. He's still got
time.

Tom

jim gravity

excel_sports@hotmail.com (chris) wrote in message news:<a7157f5e.0404081010.6313562c@posting.google.com>...
> If he could turn timid Tyler into a champion who knows...but George
> seems stuck with USPS. Too bad, he has the physical talents.
>

All is not lost. He has at least 5 more good years in him, and postal doesn't.

Bob Schwartz

chris <excel_sports@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I've heard George say
> Postal was his best option, but someone has to be telling him they
> can't support him...

Here is George's palmares page:
http://www.hincapie.com/biography.cfm

He has a win in a midweek semi-classic. He has zero (that's ZERO
folks) podium finishes in big weekend races. Zero. None. It has
never happened.

If you were looking for a star to build a classics team around,
why would you pick George? The list of guys with better records
as classics riders is really long.

Don't get me wrong. I like George. But I cannot imagine anyone
giving him a better deal than USP. That would be a crazy-ass thing
to do. If he were Belgian he would be expected to ride in support
of one of the many Belgian riders with better records in cobbled
classics than he has. If Boonen hadn't left USP George wouldn't
even be team leader.

So if George is saying that USP is his best option I would take
him at his word. He is very lucky that there are no other
options for an American team that wishes to be led in the
classics by an American rider.

If I were George and someone was telling me that there were
better options for me than USP I would check them for bloodshot
eyes.

Bob Schwartz
cvcc@execpc.com

JTN

time?
I just don't have that feeling. I think he has always been a top 5-10
finisher, just no a champion. after seeing the amateur mistakes in his PR he
should have placed top 2, I gave up hope....
not eating and not being able to keep the wheel of your domo is not a
mistake a leader makes.


"Tom Arsenault" <giantcu92@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b44a1227.0404081836.48c0adca@posting.google.com...
> "JTN" <jtn@usps.com> wrote in message
news:<1078a1l7iq2cle6@corp.supernews.com>...
> > it doesnt matter if he has support or not. remember when boonan was
towing
> > him to the finish last year? he ended up in a ditch on his back. boonen
said
> > screw this clown, im going on to a podium finish. he cannot and will not
> > ever win P-R. he doesn't have the abilities necessary for such victory.
> > in his own words, "forgot to eat", yea, after your fifth or sixth P-R
you
> > should have this figured out.....
> >
> >
> >
> > "chris" <excel_sports@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:a7157f5e.0404070752.178880cc@posting.google.com...
> > > So, Hincapie was left stranded again at Flanders, and now no 'Slava'
> > > for Roubaix. I say he's got no chance in hell. I've heard George say
> > > Postal was his best option, but someone has to be telling him they
> > > can't support him...
> > >
> > > Ekimov out
> > >
> > > US Postal Service's Viatcheslav Ekimov, third place in last year's
> > > Paris-Roubaix, has been forced to forfeit his place in this year's
> > > team. Ekimov injured his wrist in the Dwars door Vlaanderen on March
> > > 24. He returned to race last week in De Panne, but abandoned early.
> > > Once again back on the road at the Tour of Flanders, the tough Russian
> > > found the going too tough and decided to take a pass for the coming
> > > classics.
>
> George is lifelong friends and connected with Lance. George isn't
> going anywhere until Lance retires, and then there might be a move,
> but until then... He's got Eki (well not this weekend, but normally),
> Joachim, Max, and several others. He's got the team support, he
> just hasn't lived up to his potential, quite yet. He's still got
> time.
>
> Tom

Sonarrat

I wonder if Americans would start to pay more attention to the major classics,
rather than Le Tour, if Hincapie won Paris-Roubaix.

-Sonarrat.

Stewart Fleming

Bob Schwartz wrote:

> If you were looking for a star to build a classics team around,
> why would you pick George? The list of guys with better records
> as classics riders is really long.

"He is the strongest rider in the peloton and could ride Museeuw,
Boonen, van Petegem, Bettini et al off his wheel any time he chooses."
--anon

Roubaix

We'll probably never know the answer to that. But if he, or another
American did, it's somewhat doubtful. Too much of a cultural difference
between the Tour and the Classics.

"Sonarrat" <sonarrat@postmark.fishn..> wrote in message
news:107dvrjpu41ol20@corp.supernews.com...
> I wonder if Americans would start to pay more attention to the major
classics,
> rather than Le Tour, if Hincapie won Paris-Roubaix.
>
> -Sonarrat.
>
>

Sonarrat

"Roubaix" <Corsica@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:miDdc.2229$l75.1239@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...

> "Sonarrat" <sonarrat@postmark.fishn..> wrote in message
> news:107dvrjpu41ol20@corp.supernews.com...
> > I wonder if Americans would start to pay more attention to the major
> > classics, rather than Le Tour, if Hincapie won Paris-Roubaix.

> We'll probably never know the answer to that. But if he, or another
> American did, it's somewhat doubtful. Too much of a cultural difference
> between the Tour and the Classics.

Well, I think of the styles of races that we have in America. Besides the
criteriums, which are emblematic of American cycling in the world view, we've
got these things which resemble the Criterium International, many of them
amateur/professional affairs... we've got small-scale stage races in the style
of the Tour de Suisse or Pais Vasco...

But then, we've got our own World Cup, too, namely the PCT (Pro Cycling Tour),
and the single biggest crowd ever assembled for an American bike race was for
its season finisher last year, the T-Mobile International/SF Grand Prix... which
I believe qualifies as a kind of American Classic. (BTW, it seems this race has
been downgraded from UCI 1.3 to 1.9.1. Why? Too popular?)

-Sonarrat.

Carl Sundquist

"Sonarrat" <sonarrat@postmark.fishn..> wrote in message
news:107e1q1msb0gs97@corp.supernews.com...
> "Roubaix" <Corsica@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:miDdc.2229$l75.1239@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>
> > "Sonarrat" <sonarrat@postmark.fishn..> wrote in message
> > news:107dvrjpu41ol20@corp.supernews.com...
> > > I wonder if Americans would start to pay more attention to the major
> > > classics, rather than Le Tour, if Hincapie won Paris-Roubaix.
>
> > We'll probably never know the answer to that. But if he, or another
> > American did, it's somewhat doubtful. Too much of a cultural difference
> > between the Tour and the Classics.
>
> Well, I think of the styles of races that we have in America. Besides the
> criteriums, which are emblematic of American cycling in the world view,
we've
> got these things which resemble the Criterium International, many of them
> amateur/professional affairs... we've got small-scale stage races in the
style
> of the Tour de Suisse or Pais Vasco...
>
> But then, we've got our own World Cup, too, namely the PCT (Pro Cycling
Tour),
> and the single biggest crowd ever assembled for an American bike race was
for
> its season finisher last year, the T-Mobile International/SF Grand Prix...
which
> I believe qualifies as a kind of American Classic. (BTW, it seems this
race has
> been downgraded from UCI 1.3 to 1.9.1. Why? Too popular?)
>
> -Sonarrat.
>

What cycling 'stars' does the American public know if you went into a
'sports bar' and said their names? Hampsten (Grand Tour winner), Hamilton
(LBL winner)? Nothstein (Oly Gold Medal winner)? Horner?

Probably none of the above.

Both Armstrong and LeMond became popularized partially because they overcame
tremendous adversity, i.e. lots o' juicy up close and personal type stuff.
The next closest thing is Hamilton w/ his broken bones, and he's barely on
the radar, and not because of his LBL win either.

Your average Joe doesn't discern Paris-Roubaix from your local road race.

The best way for Americans to pay more attention to the classics, or any
bike race for that matter, would be to have the major sports network
producers and announcers and print media editors see a couple of _good_ US
races to learn some racing concepts, then fly them on an all expense (read:
unlimited beer) paid junket to Belgium for the two weeks leading up to and
including Paris-Roubaix.

For the media, you have real sports (pretty much anything consistently
covered on mainstream networks and major newspapers, even if it is NASCAR)
and you have freak shows. As long as the powers-that-be in the sports media
don't understand bicycle racing, it will remain a freak show in their minds.

Benjamin Weiner

Roubaix <Corsica@hotmail.com> wrote:

> We'll probably never know the answer to that. But if he, or another
> American did, it's somewhat doubtful. Too much of a cultural difference
> between the Tour and the Classics.

> "Sonarrat" <sonarrat@postmark.fishn..> wrote in message
> > I wonder if Americans would start to pay more attention to the major classics,
> > rather than Le Tour, if Hincapie won Paris-Roubaix.

Uh, Tyler Hamilton won Liege-Bastogne-Liege last year. Okay, so
it isn't as singular as P-R, but it is the oldest classic and
one of the five monuments (he was the first American to win one).
I didn't notice a huge upsurge of American interest in the classics;
even you guys seem to have forgotten about it. Although OLN has
started same day (not live) coverage of several classics, not just
Paris-Roubaix, which is nice. Perhaps we have Tyler to thank for that.