Petacchi calls Boonen on trashtalk

[barnstorm]

It seems there actually is one topic on which we all completely agree. Zabel is great in every sense of the word. That's probably the only place because it would be a boring chat otherwise.

 

[Capt.Injury]

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.

To me its a lost of 2 people that have marked the end of that type of rider. Especially to English speaking countries, People don't notice how good JaJa, was, a guy who won 2 Monuments, and several other one day races (Fleche Wallone, San Sebastian twice) along with one week races, Taking the Trifecta at the Vuelta in 95, 4th in the TDF in 95 also i believe. He also was a World Time Trial Champ. Unfortunately when Americans especially started paying attentiobn the the Tour, Jalabert was older, eventhough he still took a stage win on Bastille Day and won the King of the Mountains jersey.

Its just frustrating to see a great like Zabel finish 2nd a lot and can't win (I think he has 8 2nd places this year) He has 195 career wins and what seems like about 300 seconds.

Outside of Boonen, I guess the best hope for a good all rounder might be Valverde, but not sure bout him at any of the NOrthern Classics, if he has even competed in one yet.

 

[limerickman]

To me its a lost of 2 people that have marked the end of that type of rider. Especially to English speaking countries, People don't notice how good JaJa, was, a guy who won 2 Monuments, and several other one day races (Fleche Wallone, San Sebastian twice) along with one week races, Taking the Trifecta at the Vuelta in 95, 4th in the TDF in 95 also i believe. He also was a World Time Trial Champ. Unfortunately when Americans especially started paying attentiobn the the Tour, Jalabert was older, eventhough he still took a stage win on Bastille Day and won the King of the Mountains jersey.

Its just frustrating to see a great like Zabel finish 2nd a lot and can't win (I think he has 8 2nd places this year) He has 195 career wins and what seems like about 300 seconds.

Outside of Boonen, I guess the best hope for a good all rounder might be Valverde, but not sure bout him at any of the NOrthern Classics, if he has even competed in one yet.

Jalabert was a superb rider. Top notch, class down to the straps on his shoes.
Classy rider and modest as well.

 

[Bailei]

From what I can see Boonen let's his legs do the talking.

 

[barnstorm]

Jalabert was a superb rider. Top notch, class down to the straps on his shoes.
Classy rider and modest as well.

I loved Jaja and miss him a lot. He was not very French at all and perhaps that's why I liked him. He seemed to really have a brainstorm session each year before deciding his goals. Hmmmmm, how about Green Jersey at the tour? No, Vuelta title? No, KOM at the tour? No, World TT title? No, podium at the tour? No, classics, monuments, short stage races? whatever. He could do it all and did. He was the best part of the 2001 tour with all of those suicidal mt stage breakaways + KOM and two stages including Bastille Day. He is really what I remember from that tour. And some amazing tour crashes.

 

[bikeguy]

I don't know if Boonen is mouthy or not but I loved the way it came down to him and Hoste in the Tour of Flanders. I also loved how Boonen slowed down and Hoste tried to stay behind, just like match sprinters, then decided to go for it and got blown away. That was the most exciting finish I've seen to a race, although Hoste did look like he was standing still next to Boonen at the end.
Boonen did have a nice talk with Hoste before the sprint, personally I think it made the race more exciting.

-Bikeguy

 

[bobke]

To me its a lost of 2 people that have marked the end of that type of rider. Especially to English speaking countries, People don't notice how good JaJa, was, a guy who won 2 Monuments, and several other one day races (Fleche Wallone, San Sebastian twice) along with one week races, Taking the Trifecta at the Vuelta in 95, 4th in the TDF in 95 also i believe. He also was a World Time Trial Champ. Unfortunately when Americans especially started paying attentiobn the the Tour, Jalabert was older, eventhough he still took a stage win on Bastille Day and won the King of the Mountains jersey.

Its just frustrating to see a great like Zabel finish 2nd a lot and can't win (I think he has 8 2nd places this year) He has 195 career wins and what seems like about 300 seconds.

Outside of Boonen, I guess the best hope for a good all rounder might be Valverde, but not sure bout him at any of the NOrthern Classics, if he has even competed in one yet.

Valverde doesnt have to do the northern classics but he could win Fleche Wallone or L-B-L, or even Amstel.
Which would be cool.

 

[limerickman]

I loved Jaja and miss him a lot. He was not very French at all and perhaps that's why I liked him. He seemed to really have a brainstorm session each year before deciding his goals. Hmmmmm, how about Green Jersey at the tour? No, Vuelta title? No, KOM at the tour? No, World TT title? No, podium at the tour? No, classics, monuments, short stage races? whatever. He could do it all and did. He was the best part of the 2001 tour with all of those suicidal mt stage breakaways + KOM and two stages including Bastille Day. He is really what I remember from that tour. And some amazing tour crashes.

Agreed.
Here is a nice story about Jalabert.

1998 TDF prologue and opening stage were held in Dublin.
A few days before the TDF started the teams arrived in Dublin.

Myself and two of my cycling pals were out on our bikes in the wicklow mountains hoping to spot some of the TDF teams out training.

Who comes along? The ONCE team blasting along in their Yellow Jerseys.
Jalabert was wearing his French Champions jersey : we shouted "Bon chance avec LeTour, JaJa".
Jalabert shouted something to the ONCE train - cause they slowed down and let us catch up with them.

I think Jalabert assumed that we were French - but we introduced ourselves to the ONCE anyhow.
Jalabert posed for photos as did the rest of the ONCE team.
We spoke to them in pidgin French and Spanish (they had little or no english).

They even agreed to cycle in formation for some photos that we took.
If I can get the photos scanned - I will post them on the site.
(I didn't have my digital camera with me that day).

There is one hilarious photo of us doing "we're not worthy pose" as the ONCE roll by.
Jalabert and the ONCE squad were very generous with their time that day.
I was a big fan of his before that anyhow but that day sealed it for me.

 

[wolfix]

Agreed.
Here is a nice story about Jalabert.

1998 TDF prologue and opening stage were held in Dublin.
A few days before the TDF started the teams arrived in Dublin.

Myself and two of my cycling pals were out on our bikes in the wicklow mountains hoping to spot some of the TDF teams out training.

Who comes along? The ONCE team blasting along in their Yellow Jerseys.
Jalabert was wearing his French Champions jersey : we shouted "Bon chance avec LeTour, JaJa".
Jalabert shouted something to the ONCE train - cause they slowed down and let us catch up with them.

I think Jalabert assumed that we were French - but we introduced ourselves to the ONCE anyhow.
Jalabert posed for photos as did the rest of the ONCE team.
We spoke to them in pidgin French and Spanish (they had little or no english).

They even agreed to cycle in formation for some photos that we took.
If I can get the photos scanned - I will post them on the site.
(I didn't have my digital camera with me that day).

There is one hilarious photo of us doing "we're not worthy pose" as the ONCE roll by.
Jalabert and the ONCE squad were very generous with their time that day.
I was a big fan of his before that anyhow but that day sealed it for me.

That must have been a great time ...you have to get those photos scanned......

 

[DiabloScott]

Who comes along? The ONCE team blasting along in their Yellow Jerseys.
Jalabert was wearing his French Champions jersey : we shouted "Bon chance avec LeTour, JaJa".
Jalabert shouted something to the ONCE train - cause they slowed down and let us catch up with them.

Manolo must not have been driving the car or that would never have happened.

And why weren't ONCE in their pink jerseys?

 

[limerickman]

That must have been a great time ...you have to get those photos scanned......

I have to : I'm just looking at those photos as we speak and they're great shots of JaJa in his French jersey : and the other shots are of the ONCE team riding in
formation, Jalabert at the back and Marcelino Garcia (I think) with a big smile and wave for the camera.
Herman Diaz Zabala (and his bald pate) is there riding beside Jalabert - protecting JaJa.
And one Johan Bruyneel is there too in his ONCE gear.

(I might post that one to Musette!)

 

[limerickman]

Manolo must not have been driving the car or that would never have happened.

And why weren't ONCE in their pink jerseys?

I wondered about that when we saw them in the Yellow Jerseys.
I do remember that for the TDF they were required to wear their pink strip, as I seem to recall.
But on the Thursday before the prologue they were in Yellow climbing Bray Head.

Good news - I am able to get those photos scanned and I hope to post them on either Monday or Tuesday.

 

[barnstorm]

I wondered about that when we saw them in the Yellow Jerseys.
I do remember that for the TDF they were required to wear their pink strip, as I seem to recall.
But on the Thursday before the prologue they were in Yellow climbing Bray Head.

Good news - I am able to get those photos scanned and I hope to post them on either Monday or Tuesday.

Lim, you big tease, gotta see those pics. Regardless of what you think of Disco, Bruyneel was a maniac on the bike, fun to watch. I remember him going over a cliff in the 98??? tour... no earlier, early 90s I think. He scratches up the cliff side without his bike then stands there looking impatient waitin for someone to give him a bike.

Once's strip was yellow. They were required to wear something else in the tour... so they picked pink... funny, I guess it was wishful thinking to wear the leaders colors of the GTs. I am not surprised they would be in yellow when training for the tour.

 

[limerickman]

Lim, you big tease, gotta see those pics. Regardless of what you think of Disco, Bruyneel was a maniac on the bike, fun to watch. I remember him going over a cliff in the 98??? tour... no earlier, early 90s I think. He scratches up the cliff side without his bike then stands there looking impatient waitin for someone to give him a bike.

Close - it was the 1996 and it was stage 8 at Les Arcs.
I remember that stage well because Stephan Heulot was in Yellow and climbed off in tears with knee trouble on the Cormet de Roseland
Jalabert blew apart because of the cold too.
Bruyneel went over the side of the descent as you correctly point out and was only saved by a tree.
He dusted himself off and demanded another bike !

But the biggest shock of all was BigMig bonking 6kms from the finish.
He said afterward that he couldn't remember finishing the stage - he was that tired.

LucLeBlanc won the stage that day. A superb days racing - very very hard going.

In fact the following day - Armstrong dropped out of the race complaining of a sore throat. Little did we know that he was in the throes of cancer.

 

[limerickman]

Manolo must not have been driving the car or that would never have happened.

And why weren't ONCE in their pink jerseys?

As promised to both you and Wolf - I have managed to dig out my photos of JaJa out on a training rider in Dublin before the 1998 TDF :

Tour 1 is the first shot of ONCE : JaJa has got the French colours on and to his right is the bald headed Herminio Diaz Zabala (super strong domestique).
Tour 6 : you can see Johan Bruyneel smiling (with cap on).

Tour 2 : that's (I think) Melchor Mauri (vuelta winner 1991) at the head of the pack in helmet.

 

[wolfix]

Great pics......Thanks