Feedback on Jan's gut...
- Thread starter whiteboytrash
- Start date
I'm excited but I'm not creaming myself yet.... he has put in one big effort in his event but still needs to string a few days toegther on top form to have WBT signing on the bottom line.......thebluetrain said:
Its great for the Giro having riders like Jan riding... it promotes the race even more... maybe Big Jan will be back next year to have a go at winning ??
I know he wants to have the Giro on his palmares, he would have won all 3 of them (Vuelta, TdF and Giro) if he succeeds (but i also speak about next year)...whiteboytrash said:
agreed that it is important for him. But let's not forget that he hadn't even ridden the race until last year. His team and DS clearly have him pegged primarily for the tour, based on the fact that he had to push Riis just to let him ride it and only when he made the case that it wouldn't hurt his tour chances. I also doubt seriously that he will pull out but will he completely sell out to win if it looks like it will empty his tank? That's something we still don't know and won't until the chips are down. And, even if he will not hold back in the Giro for anything... that doesn't change my point. My point was that perhaps Jan is hiding form in hopes that it will provide Basso more comfort in riding harder in the Giro. This is about Jan's strategy and not what Basso will do. If Jan were completely and openly hammering right now, all of the tour contenders, especially Basso, would have to give serious consideration to what they are doing right now. If he is less of a factor and CSC, like us, are speculating about him being fat and out of shape, then he provides less of a worry for the tour and less of a reason for Basso to worry about what he does in the Giro.limerickman said:
Good tactic if that's what they are doing, IMHO
CSC wants him to focus on the TdF, but he is their star rider and insisted on riding the Giro, to win it. Even with his physical problems last year, he insisted on finishing it. And I can tell you that a LOT more people know of Basso here in Italy since his performances in the Giro last year.barnstorm said:
Make no mistake about it, Basso is racing to win the Giro. What happens later with the TdF is another matter.
I think you are right and i also believe that Jan's form is much better as a lot of people think (or where thinking untill yesterday). I wrote a couple of times i had my doubts about the knee story...barnstorm said:
I have watched this thread without any real opinions except some disappointment in the fact I would love to see JU in a decent form starting in March...... However, today it just registered with me that the TDF is still about 7 weeks away. JU has plenty of time to drop a few kilo's and fine tune himself to possibly peak at the end of the TDF. We all agree he is a always finds form by the end of the TDF......
The TTT yesterday should have surprised no one yesterday. I have noticed that TT'ers that are large in size [Not JU pastry large] always do better when the course is flat, downhill, and has a tailwind. They simply can turn a bigger gear.
The smaller riders and the high RPM riders seem to do better when there are some technical turns , up-hills, and acceleration is an issue.
What the TTT pointed out to me was not that CSC was so strong, but that Basso was. The fact he could motivate himself to ride as strong as the other riders on his team and match T-M says alot. I have a feeling Basso wants this Giro bad. But JU riding as well as he did had to keep Basso and Riis up all night though...... JU['s dimished strenght has been overplayed.
The TTT yesterday should have surprised no one yesterday. I have noticed that TT'ers that are large in size [Not JU pastry large] always do better when the course is flat, downhill, and has a tailwind. They simply can turn a bigger gear.
The smaller riders and the high RPM riders seem to do better when there are some technical turns , up-hills, and acceleration is an issue.
What the TTT pointed out to me was not that CSC was so strong, but that Basso was. The fact he could motivate himself to ride as strong as the other riders on his team and match T-M says alot. I have a feeling Basso wants this Giro bad. But JU riding as well as he did had to keep Basso and Riis up all night though...... JU['s dimished strenght has been overplayed.
maybe it's the angle but think maybe time to stop talking about Jan's Gut.. and maybe start talking about the lack there of...
after 6 stages of the Giro, he's looking pretty slim and trim to me...
after 6 stages of the Giro, he's looking pretty slim and trim to me...
I will state this one more time. Jan had a problem knee and missed almost three weeks training time.
Although it has been noted by team mates that he can be training with them and struggling and two weeks later no one can keep up with him, it takes time to recover from an injury.
I know for a fact that he has not been displeased with his recovery,but again it does take some time.
As I have always maintained, I believe he will be ready.
Although it has been noted by team mates that he can be training with them and struggling and two weeks later no one can keep up with him, it takes time to recover from an injury.
I know for a fact that he has not been displeased with his recovery,but again it does take some time.
As I have always maintained, I believe he will be ready.
He doesn't look fat, but then again neither do I, and I could loose 3-5 Kg (6.6 - 11 pounds), so I reckon he can still loose some weight. Some nice big moutains in todays Giro stage, should give us some indication of how much the gut is holding him back.
Looked like jan was in pretty good tempo mood in the TTT. Seems to me that the form is coming around!
BTW, he is not fat, has never been fat in his life probably. Should start talking about optimal cycling weight instead of fatness. I realise "fat" has more flair to it so people will still be using it I guess.
BTW, he is not fat, has never been fat in his life probably. Should start talking about optimal cycling weight instead of fatness. I realise "fat" has more flair to it so people will still be using it I guess.
Yeah, I saw this in Velonews last night. This pic is before the start of stage 6.doctorSpoc said:maybe it's the angle but think maybe time to stop talking about Jan's Gut.. and maybe start talking about the lack there of...
after 6 stages of the Giro, he's looking pretty slim and trim to me...
It looks to me like he has already lost like 4-5 pounds from riding the Giro. Clearly things are going better for him so thats great.
And it is too bad about his knee problem, but even Arsmtrong who had picked him said that starting so late puts him at such a disadvantage for the Tour that he no longer picks him.
However, on todays climb in the Giro with Diluca struggling...
16:33 CEST 196km/40km to go
The bunch is definitely not working hard, as it sits 3'18.
There's at least one rider doing better than Di Luca today: Jan Ullrich. He sits quite relaxed, about 3/4 of the way down the small bunch."
This good news for all of us Ullrich fans. I cant wait to see him in yellow after the first ITT going into the mountains. I hoe he can exorcise those demons since the last time he was in yellow was Les Deux Alpes when Pantani attacked two mountains out in 40 degree rain and ruined the entire field. Ullrich has never recovered from that.
bobke said:
Yeah.. the way went up the previous climb was stunning. Standing in the bars passing blown riders. Tomorrow will be very interesting.
wow, those pictures look really good and he looked very comfortable today, moving through the back of the group easily and did anyone notice the other huge difference?????
CADENCE. I have seen him up his cadence when on attacks but never seen him spinning in the group on an 18% climb before. That was remarkable.
By the way, my wife had a really interesting observation about Ullrich. She noticed in Hell on Wheels that Ullrich's brother is actually fat.... not just above ideal cycling weight. She thinks Ullrich comes from one of those jolly fat families and he is the lone example of fitness. Coming from a family like that myself, I can relate to how difficult it is to maintain eating and training discipline and keep at an ideal weight. Can't underestimate the power of family influence.
CADENCE. I have seen him up his cadence when on attacks but never seen him spinning in the group on an 18% climb before. That was remarkable.
By the way, my wife had a really interesting observation about Ullrich. She noticed in Hell on Wheels that Ullrich's brother is actually fat.... not just above ideal cycling weight. She thinks Ullrich comes from one of those jolly fat families and he is the lone example of fitness. Coming from a family like that myself, I can relate to how difficult it is to maintain eating and training discipline and keep at an ideal weight. Can't underestimate the power of family influence.
Today he was great.
But i think tomorrows mountain top finish will be too steep for him (for his current shape). It's 8.4% climb over 13km. Jan is power climber, this climb is for pure skinny climbers. His shape is not good enough yet, he will struggle tomorrow. Today he finshed 36th place. I think tomorrow he will be top40-50.
Same for Gonchar, he will struggle tomorrow.
But i think tomorrows mountain top finish will be too steep for him (for his current shape). It's 8.4% climb over 13km. Jan is power climber, this climb is for pure skinny climbers. His shape is not good enough yet, he will struggle tomorrow. Today he finshed 36th place. I think tomorrow he will be top40-50.
Same for Gonchar, he will struggle tomorrow.
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