Petacchi calls Boonen on trashtalk

[bobke]

As I have said, Boonen talks **** and it is not appreciated in the peloton.
Ask Ale-jet

from procycling:


Usually they let their legs do most of the talking, but since shortly before the Tour of Flanders a war on words seems to have broken out between Tom Boonen and Alessandro Petacchi, writes Susanne Horsdal. The spat apparently began when in a pre-Tour-of-Flanders press conference Boonen was asked what he thought of Petacchi’s chances of winning the race and answered: “They’re non-existent.”

Apparently that honesty didn’t go down too well with the Italian, who in Wednesday’s Belgian papers said of Boonen: “In races in Flanders and probably also in Paris-Roubaix he’s the strongest. He has no rivals. But I don’t really want to talk about Boonen. I don’t want to do the same as him. He should stop judging other riders. I don’t like the comments he’s been making about me. In the last three years I’m the pro rider with the most victories. I never comment on the competitors, I respect them. Boonen doesn’t. He talks like an old sports director.”

 

[DiabloScott]

As I have said, Boonen talks **** and it is not appreciated in the peloton.
Ask Ale-jet

from procycling:


Usually they let their legs do most of the talking, but since shortly before the Tour of Flanders a war on words seems to have broken out between Tom Boonen and Alessandro Petacchi, writes Susanne Horsdal. The spat apparently began when in a pre-Tour-of-Flanders press conference Boonen was asked what he thought of Petacchi’s chances of winning the race and answered: “They’re non-existent.”

Apparently that honesty didn’t go down too well with the Italian, who in Wednesday’s Belgian papers said of Boonen: “In races in Flanders and probably also in Paris-Roubaix he’s the strongest. He has no rivals. But I don’t really want to talk about Boonen. I don’t want to do the same as him. He should stop judging other riders. I don’t like the comments he’s been making about me. In the last three years I’m the pro rider with the most victories. I never comment on the competitors, I respect them. Boonen doesn’t. He talks like an old sports director.”

I predicted Peta would DNF - not trash talk, just a prediction.

 

[barnstorm]

funny, you look at tom and he seems like the fair haired boy, pettacchi always looks grouchy with a scowl on his face. now pettacchi looks like the classier rider. who woulda thunk it?

 

[theworm]

Sweet, this is awesome. It'll make their showdown at the TdF even more intriguing.

That said, Boonen was just telling it straight. If he had said that Petacchi had any sort of chance, everyone reading it would know he was just giving a bullcrap, safe answer.

 

[PartisanRanger]

Boonen is an asshole, he tells everyone that they have no chance and that he's the best. He needs to shut his mouth and ride his bike.

 

[bobke]

Boonen is an asshole, he tells everyone that they have no chance and that he's the best. He needs to shut his mouth and ride his bike.

Boonen suffering...
http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedoc...587af6fcb8748d738625714700718139?OpenDocument

 

[theworm]

He needs to shut his mouth and ride his bike.

You mean like this?

 

[Catabolic_Jones]

I think Boonen is just frank. Isn't that a Belgian thing? The Italians like to gloss things over with a lot of verbal finesse, except for Bettini, but then he's on a Belgian team.

I think Boonen would be the first to admit that Petacchi is his most formidable adversary anywhere other than the Northern Classics.

 

[wolfix]

I think Boonen is just frank. Isn't that a Belgian thing? The Italians like to gloss things over with a lot of verbal finesse, except for Bettini, but then he's on a Belgian team.

I think Boonen would be the first to admit that Petacchi is his most formidable adversary anywhere other than the Northern Classics.

somewhere today I read where Bonen acknowledges that Petacchi is a better sprinter.

 

[cyclingheroes]

somewhere today I read where Bonen acknowledges that Petacchi is a better sprinter.

Yes i saw him saying that on Belgium tv, he also said he never said those things about Petacchi in the way it was printed. he also said he would have a chat with Petacchi about it.

But.... i also heard some things he said after Flanders that where pretty arrogant...

 

[whiteboytrash]

You only need to go back to last year Giro to find out what a sound man Petacchi is... when he was failing to win stages and getting beaten by everyone and having his leadout train ride into a ditch with 3km to go he accussed the other riders of ganging up on him and using unfair tactics ! Robbiie McEwen put him back in his box and suggested that why should they let Petacchi win 9 stages again ? Petacchi later retracted his comments knowing it was mere frustration that he hadn't been winning.... same goes here... Petacchi is not a classics rider he is a stage winner at a grand tour on the flat and thats it. Nothing more.

Bonnen however is a classy winner and is here to stay and is better alone than the entire Disco team.

Yes i saw him saying that on Belgium tv, he also said he never said those things about Petacchi in the way it was printed. he also said he would have a chat with Petacchi about it.

But.... i also heard some things he said after Flanders that where pretty arrogant...

 

[cyclingheroes]

You only need to go back to last year Giro to find out what a sound man Petacchi is... when he was failing to win stages and getting beaten by everyone and having his leadout train ride into a ditch with 3km to go he accussed the other riders of ganging up on him and using unfair tactics ! Robbiie McEwen put him back in his box and suggested that why should they let Petacchi win 9 stages again ? Petacchi later retracted his comments knowing it was mere frustration that he hadn't been winning.... same goes here... Petacchi is not a classics rider he is a stage winner at a grand tour on the flat and thats it. Nothing more.

Bonnen however is a classy winner and is here to stay and is better alone than the entire Disco team.

A few more races like M-SR and Gent - Wevelgem and you can start Milram in disarray...

 

[Rhubarb]

Bonnen however is a classy winner and is here to stay and is better alone than the entire Disco team.

I like how you bring this back to the DC team. Good work tiger.

 

[Ricardo29]

i wouldve thought Boonen could say what he likes. world champion. paris-roub, flanders, flanders, tdf stages...what more can you do. in a class of his own at the moment.

petacchi...finish a race mate. ive got more balls when the road rises.

 

[limerickman]

I think Petacchi and Boonen are different types of riders : I consider Petacchi to be a pure sprinter. Accepting that he won M-SR last season.

Boonen reminds me of Kelly/Zabel - he can sprint/climb/race.

They're both compatible as regards sprinting but that's as far as it goes.

 

[bobke]

I think Petacchi and Boonen are different types of riders : I consider Petacchi to be a pure sprinter. Accepting that he won M-SR last season.

Boonen reminds me of Kelly/Zabel - he can sprint/climb/race.

They're both compatible as regards sprinting but that's as far as it goes.

Boonen needs work on his public pronouncements, but I guess it is refreshing that he is uncoached...no pre-prepared soundbites.

But a classy rider doesnt stick it in peoples faces in the press, only in the race.

It took Lance a long time to only partially curb his aggression into the race only.

I mean Boonen is now the face of cycling, and a good one at that. I hope he recalls that some over the top, if truthful, pronouncements to a gathering of Belgian press does get read worldwide and by his rivals.

But a little drama isnt too bad either.

I'm hoping for an out of control kick-ass race in P-R. I hope Lotto and QS square off and have a fist fight in the first 50 km. I hope Petacchu shows up in street clothes and challenges Boonen to a duel. I hope Lance is in the team car and rides up along the lead break with 30 km to go and looks at Boonen, Hincapie, Hoste and Devolder and asks him how he likes his Belgian team now. I hope it is all ouw war, mud and of course a victory for Hincapie.

 

[wolfix]

I think Petacchi and Boonen are different types of riders : I consider Petacchi to be a pure sprinter. Accepting that he won M-SR last season.

Boonen reminds me of Kelly/Zabel - he can sprint/climb/race.

They're both compatible as regards sprinting but that's as far as it goes.

I totally agree. And the northern classics do favor a roadman like Boonen. Of course the ultimate sprinters title is the green jersey of the TDF but the Italians do not seem to agree with me as evidenced by Cipo's & Petacchi's behavior concerning the TDF.
In my opinion that is why Zabel was so good. He did not have the men around him during the Classics that Boonen has currently nor did he have a train to get him to the line comparable to Petacchi. But Zabel found a way. And he seemed to show up at every race including some 6-Day events in off season. The German fans should be proud.
Sometimes I get the feeling that some of the comments made by riders are not so much arrogance as problems in translation. I am starting to see that in Italians. So much true meaning is lost in the world of the internet.
Right at the moment everyone thinks Boonen is the 2nd coming of Merckx. And I am a big fan of his as he will be my favorite rider as soon as Zabel retires. But every few years there is a rider in Belgium that comes along that seems invincible and then BOOM ...... They are off the back for the rest of their career.
After P-R Boonens real test will come. The cobbles and the mud will go away and then the road levels out for all the sprinters.

 

[Powerful Pete]

i wouldve thought Boonen could say what he likes. world champion. paris-roub, flanders, flanders, tdf stages...what more can you do. in a class of his own at the moment.

petacchi...finish a race mate. ive got more balls when the road rises.

LOL Ricardo, I am sure Ale-Jet is squirming following your attack. After all, you only win the pro races with the uphill sprints.

Sorry, just could not resist...

 

[limerickman]

I totally agree. And the northern classics do favor a roadman like Boonen. Of course the ultimate sprinters title is the green jersey of the TDF but the Italians do not seem to agree with me as evidenced by Cipo's & Petacchi's behavior concerning the TDF.
In my opinion that is why Zabel was so good. He did not have the men around him during the Classics that Boonen has currently nor did he have a train to get him to the line comparable to Petacchi. But Zabel found a way. And he seemed to show up at every race including some 6-Day events in off season. The German fans should be proud.
Sometimes I get the feeling that some of the comments made by riders are not so much arrogance as problems in translation. I am starting to see that in Italians. So much true meaning is lost in the world of the internet.
Right at the moment everyone thinks Boonen is the 2nd coming of Merckx. And I am a big fan of his as he will be my favorite rider as soon as Zabel retires. But every few years there is a rider in Belgium that comes along that seems invincible and then BOOM ...... They are off the back for the rest of their career.
After P-R Boonens real test will come. The cobbles and the mud will go away and then the road levels out for all the sprinters.

I think that there is a lot of merit in your comment about "lost in translation".
I think messages and nuances get lost when they're translated.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how TB performs in stage races as opposed to one day races (which he is dominating now).
All of Belgium awaits the new Merckx (all fans - regardless of nationality too
await).
Hinault has been the closest.

But a Merckx is very very rare. That man's record is simply astonishing.
we should treasure him while we can, I say.

 

[wolfix]

I think that there is a lot of merit in your comment about "lost in translation".
I think messages and nuances get lost when they're translated.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how TB performs in stage races as opposed to one day races (which he is dominating now).
All of Belgium awaits the new Merckx (all fans - regardless of nationality too
await).
Hinault has been the closest.

But a Merckx is very very rare. That man's record is simply astonishing.
we should treasure him while we can, I say.

Merckx was too much for all the riders. He won everything in sight. I think Lemond might have been a great all arounder like Hinault if the gunshot did'nt set him back. But since Lemond/Hinault we really haven't seen a rider of greatness that wasn't a specialists of sorts...... I think cycling has changed. Putting the Worlds late in the season changed it slightly. And the rise of importance of the Spanish Vuelta has made the season longer and divided up the riders into late season riders.

Some people point to the dope and say that has changed cycling but I disagree. Doping was always part of the sport. Teams today have more then one leader unlike the past. Lance's Discovery was a throwback to teams of old where it was all about one rider and one rider only.

It would be great if Boonen could challenge for more then mass sprints in the Giro/TDF.

I'm afraid though that cycling has seen the last of the Erik Zabel type of rider. When he retires cycling will have lost a great rider.