I heard on tv(sbs ) that simoni will be in the tdf. Can he challenge him?. he is better than rumsas who was 3rd last year.
Can Simoni Challenge Amrmstong?
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Simoni just won (well, tomorrow I guess) the Giro, convincingly. He's gone out of his way to win stages, to beat Pantani. Pantani gets all the attention in the media, Simoni feels underrated.
This means, besides being fysically tired, he probably lost the appetite to challenge Armstrong in the tdf. How many riders did well in both Giro and TdF in the same year? Not many I think.
He'll probably go for a mountain stage win, after having lost a lot of time in the important stages.
It's just so hard to excel twice in the same season at this tough sport.
This means, besides being fysically tired, he probably lost the appetite to challenge Armstrong in the tdf. How many riders did well in both Giro and TdF in the same year? Not many I think.
He'll probably go for a mountain stage win, after having lost a lot of time in the important stages.
It's just so hard to excel twice in the same season at this tough sport.
Just thought I would throw in my two cents:
First, to answer the original question...I do think Simoni can challenge Armstrong. Whether he can beat him is a totally different story.
I have to admit I was very impressed with Simoni's form in the Giro. The man dominated in the hills, and for the most part held his own in the time trials. What struck me as the most impressive is how lean he is. If you look back at previous years, this is the leanest Simoni has ever been in any Grand Tour. Pair that with his innate ability to climb and you can probably come up with some ungodly w/kg figure.
Now, lets get to the real meat of the issue...can this guy actually pose a threat to Lance? My guess would be qualified yes. If we assume he can recover adequatley from his efforts in the Giro and arrive on form again for the Tour, my guess is that he will be very competitve in the hills.
Now, according to Simoni (in velonews) Lance has never been challenged by a serious climber in the Tour. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I saw Lance go toe to toe with Pantani no less in the Tour in 2000. I think Pantani qualifies as a serious climber considering he owns the record on some of the most storied climbs in all of cycling.
For arguements sake I will assume Simoni can climb just as well as we saw Pantani climb in the 2000 Tour. Given that, I will also venture to say that as long as Simoni is a threat to Lance on the GC, you can bet your ass Lance will be on his wheel up each and every climb and stalking every attack.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to see someone challenge Lance and at least make him work for his fifth Tour. But what everyone (including Simoni) seems to forget is that this guy can climb just as well as anyone in the world. Furthermore, even on his "bad days" in the time trial, as exhibited by his TT effort in the middle of the Tour last year, he only comes a close second to the winner when he is having an off day.
So, in my humble opinion, Simoni needs to stop threatening Lance with coming to the Giro, and actually step up to the plate with his best form for the biggest and best bike race in the world. Then we will see how much panicing actually takes place, and from whom.
First, to answer the original question...I do think Simoni can challenge Armstrong. Whether he can beat him is a totally different story.
I have to admit I was very impressed with Simoni's form in the Giro. The man dominated in the hills, and for the most part held his own in the time trials. What struck me as the most impressive is how lean he is. If you look back at previous years, this is the leanest Simoni has ever been in any Grand Tour. Pair that with his innate ability to climb and you can probably come up with some ungodly w/kg figure.
Now, lets get to the real meat of the issue...can this guy actually pose a threat to Lance? My guess would be qualified yes. If we assume he can recover adequatley from his efforts in the Giro and arrive on form again for the Tour, my guess is that he will be very competitve in the hills.
Now, according to Simoni (in velonews) Lance has never been challenged by a serious climber in the Tour. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I saw Lance go toe to toe with Pantani no less in the Tour in 2000. I think Pantani qualifies as a serious climber considering he owns the record on some of the most storied climbs in all of cycling.
For arguements sake I will assume Simoni can climb just as well as we saw Pantani climb in the 2000 Tour. Given that, I will also venture to say that as long as Simoni is a threat to Lance on the GC, you can bet your ass Lance will be on his wheel up each and every climb and stalking every attack.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to see someone challenge Lance and at least make him work for his fifth Tour. But what everyone (including Simoni) seems to forget is that this guy can climb just as well as anyone in the world. Furthermore, even on his "bad days" in the time trial, as exhibited by his TT effort in the middle of the Tour last year, he only comes a close second to the winner when he is having an off day.
So, in my humble opinion, Simoni needs to stop threatening Lance with coming to the Giro, and actually step up to the plate with his best form for the biggest and best bike race in the world. Then we will see how much panicing actually takes place, and from whom.
Is Aitor Gonzalez down to ride?
He has the attitude to psyche it out as well as pedal it out with Armstrong.
Cant wait for the centennial tour to get going.
He has the attitude to psyche it out as well as pedal it out with Armstrong.
Cant wait for the centennial tour to get going.
Aitor is riding with Fassa and that is a strong team with Frigo as well. I watched every Giro stage and i don;t think he will challenge.
On Simoni. he is great in the mountains. Lance, however, says that simonis talk is cheap. He is more concerned with jan and tyler. Personally i don;t think anyone is a real challenge. Personally i think that Simoni is a lot like heras. He might be able to stress lance, but Simoni will loose about 3 minutes overall in TT. the Saeco team is strong though for the TTT, but nothing fantastic. If you think that simoni is 4 minutes better in the montains then i guess he can win. I could also see simoni riding very hard in a stage. Breaking down the whole feild and someone else might pick up the pieces. Hamilton might be a prime pick as he might be willing to let Jan, Lance, Simoni, and Heras ride themselves to death.
On Simoni. he is great in the mountains. Lance, however, says that simonis talk is cheap. He is more concerned with jan and tyler. Personally i don;t think anyone is a real challenge. Personally i think that Simoni is a lot like heras. He might be able to stress lance, but Simoni will loose about 3 minutes overall in TT. the Saeco team is strong though for the TTT, but nothing fantastic. If you think that simoni is 4 minutes better in the montains then i guess he can win. I could also see simoni riding very hard in a stage. Breaking down the whole feild and someone else might pick up the pieces. Hamilton might be a prime pick as he might be willing to let Jan, Lance, Simoni, and Heras ride themselves to death.
you sure your not lances wife?
, your probably right though. At least it will create a bit of suspense.
Jeez, every year it's "I'm gonna kick Lance's butt", yet at the end of the race Lance seems to be the guy wearing YELLOW.
These guys are all fantastic athletes and there are quite a few (Simoni included) that could pose a challenge, but the best predicator of future results is past performance and I can't recall seeing Simoni on the top step of the podium at any recent TDF.
I also believe Lance has a tremendous team this year (with a new climbing specialist just added) and that is going to be tough to beat.
I would anticipate that Simoni might be seeing the third step of the podium, but he won't be going home with a new Yellow jersey!
As Lance succinctly put it "Talk is cheap".
These guys are all fantastic athletes and there are quite a few (Simoni included) that could pose a challenge, but the best predicator of future results is past performance and I can't recall seeing Simoni on the top step of the podium at any recent TDF.
I also believe Lance has a tremendous team this year (with a new climbing specialist just added) and that is going to be tough to beat.
I would anticipate that Simoni might be seeing the third step of the podium, but he won't be going home with a new Yellow jersey!
As Lance succinctly put it "Talk is cheap".
I don't think that simoni will win I was simply acknowleging how he lance could loose. Could is a possibilty...and it is a small one if you ask me.
Simoni might just do something that other riders haven't done in the Armstrong era and that is attack relentlessly, and not just wait for the high mountains. There's a lot of downhill finishes which are much harder to control than climbs and descending 'a la pedale' to make up grounds on your rivals is tiring. Simoni may be just the man to make Heras, Beltran and Rubiera ride and ride and ride on the flatter parts of the course.
Personally I think if you want to see someone put up a real challenge, look to Iban Mayo - he made Armstrong look ordinary on the Galibier in the Dauphine.
Personally I think if you want to see someone put up a real challenge, look to Iban Mayo - he made Armstrong look ordinary on the Galibier in the Dauphine.
Iban Mayo? Nope... Yea, he's really having a great season but I can promise you that Lance wasn't going full gas on the Galibier. He had a minute lead over Mayo and he knew that he would catch him on the downhill finish (he did). Mayo only put about 28 seconds on Lance on that climb AND don't forget that Lance was jacked up on antibiotics!! He's frickin superhuman. This is all the same talk as last year, and year before, and.... as Phil Liggett says, Lance ALWAYS makes his rendezvous.
The reason Lance will win, and Lazysegall said it best, he can TT like a mutha! Nobody is better...nobody! Lance has dominated the TT's the last 4 years...even in the ones he didn't win he usually was second. If somebody can take it to lance they have to put it to him BIG in mountains because they can't destroy him in TT. Someone might beat him in a TT stage, like Santi last year, but then Santi blew up like a firecracker in a mountain stage to follow. I just can't see Simoni (or anybody) taking 3 minutes out of Lance in the mountains if Lance is on. Simoni is terrific but then so has Jan and Beloki the last few years and they looked like club riders next to Lance on the big stages.
Mayo might challenge...but not this year. I think one of the future greats will actually be cadel evans from AUS...young, very good TT and hills...he blew up huge in giro last year in yellow but he's got a lot of talent and youth.
The reason Lance will win, and Lazysegall said it best, he can TT like a mutha! Nobody is better...nobody! Lance has dominated the TT's the last 4 years...even in the ones he didn't win he usually was second. If somebody can take it to lance they have to put it to him BIG in mountains because they can't destroy him in TT. Someone might beat him in a TT stage, like Santi last year, but then Santi blew up like a firecracker in a mountain stage to follow. I just can't see Simoni (or anybody) taking 3 minutes out of Lance in the mountains if Lance is on. Simoni is terrific but then so has Jan and Beloki the last few years and they looked like club riders next to Lance on the big stages.
Mayo might challenge...but not this year. I think one of the future greats will actually be cadel evans from AUS...young, very good TT and hills...he blew up huge in giro last year in yellow but he's got a lot of talent and youth.
Every day there is a new hot rider to beat lance...I really don;t think Mayo has it...I can at least listen to arguments about how simoni could take 4 minutes out of lance in the mountains, but Mayo certainly can;t. If mayo takes that amount of time out of lance in the mountains even two minutes then I would say that lance must be in pitiful shape and then really anyone could win. Personally I don;t think that anyone can be lance straight up. Either lance will crack because someone else attacks or he gets sick or injured. The only person who even has a claim in my view is simoni...I don;t think he will do it, but simoni can at least claim to be a significantly better climber...The only other man who might be as good a climber is heras, but he won;t be attacking.
Simoni might have a chance in the Mountain stages, at least he does in his own mind's view, but the fact is he will be blown away in the TTs and the TTTs. Simoni's prolly comparing himself to Pantini (Lance's old rival) who he blew away in the Giro. He's talking enough smack, but I don't think he will be able to back it up.
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