I didn't know stabbing someone in the back was considered help.Craig Walsh said:So is LA hinting he may do a Hinault and help another rider win it, like Hinault did to Lemond in 1986?
I didn't know stabbing someone in the back was considered help.Craig Walsh said:So is LA hinting he may do a Hinault and help another rider win it, like Hinault did to Lemond in 1986?
Craig Walsh said:So is LA hinting he may do a Hinault and help another rider win it, like Hinault did to Lemond in 1986?
Roadrash Dunc said:Sounds like Popyvich has a bright future , but this years young jersey winner does too , Karpets.
Next few years i predict lots of single wins , its possible we havent even seen the next multi-tour winner yet.
Kloden have a shot at it?
gntlmn said:That's an interesting question about Kloden because I don't think it's clear that Ullrich will be out as team leader. He claims his poor showing this year was from contracting a virus before the Tour from his baby daughter. This sounds like Armstrong of 2003. I don't know what will be in store for Ullrich 2005.
Popyvich, Karpets, Cunego--all rising stars to watch.
philoakley said:I cannot understand why Karpets is seen as a future winner of the race. Yes, he has won the white jersey but he finished 13th in this year's race (Greg Lemond and Jan Ulrich finished on the podium). He looks a competent time trialist and climber but is not great at either discipline. In my opinion he has done nothing to say that he will be better than Giles Delion(best young rider in 1990) or Mancebo. Personally, i think that his teammate Menchov has shown more promise. As for Cunego, Saronni never developed into a Tour rider whilst Italian Giro champions have a poor track record at the Tour. He will need to be come a better time trialist and probably skip the Gito (something that it will be very difficult for him to do) in order to have a chance in the Tour.
Popovych looks the best bet of these three. He is a good time trialist and can improve on the climbs. His move to Discovery with the assistance of Armstrong and Bruynelel give him a chance of winning the Tour. To predict a future 5 time winner is impossible.
philoakley said:If he doesn't become the best time trialist, it is likley that he will have to attack in the mountains to gain enough time to win - something he has yet to do.
tcklyde said:Actually, I think he has done this to an extent: Ullrich beat Basso in both Time Trials in the Tour and Basso still came out ahead in the end just on time he made in the mountains. If you take Lance out of the equation, Basso beat the Best TTer just by dominating in the mountains.
philoakley said:I cannot understand why Karpets is seen as a future winner of the race. Yes, he has won the white jersey but he finished 13th in this year's race (Greg Lemond and Jan Ulrich finished on the podium). He looks a competent time trialist and climber but is not great at either discipline. In my opinion he has done nothing to say that he will be better than Giles Delion(best young rider in 1990) or Mancebo. Personally, i think that his teammate Menchov has shown more promise. As for Cunego, Saronni never developed into a Tour rider whilst Italian Giro champions have a poor track record at the Tour. He will need to be come a better time trialist and probably skip the Gito (something that it will be very difficult for him to do) in order to have a chance in the Tour.
Popovych looks the best bet of these three. He is a good time trialist and can improve on the climbs. His move to Discovery with the assistance of Armstrong and Bruynelel give him a chance of winning the Tour. To predict a future 5 time winner is impossible.
Virenque said:karpets is not the only young and talented cyclist! every year there is somone new, like valverde last year, voeckler, cunego this year! and everyone can surprise like cunego did..
gntlmn said:I don't know why Voeckler keeps getting mentioned as a big surprise. He was gifted the lead because the top contenders knew he wasn't a threat. If Ullrich had been in that breakaway pack with Voeckler, the pack would have reeled him in.
Karpets is the unsung hero on this tour as a young rider. Voeckler got the publicity; Karpets got the best young rider award.
Tuschinski said:Will he ever win a GT? Hell no
*shrug* I am probably completely wrong anyway, as I never remotely expected Lance winning one GT and if you had said he would win 6 I would have given you the direction to the Loony bin
What to people think of Alejandro Valverde's chances?gntlmn said:When we need a laugh, we'll just log into Cycling Forums.
I thought Lance was going to die. I would have never said that to anyone he remotely knew at the time because it's good to have a positive attitude. But I saw the way he looked with his hair gone--pale and emaciated. I'm surprised he survived. He was pretty far along before they detected it.
oely said:I think Rogers could do with some more of a mention. We all know the guy can mix it with the best in the TT (which will improve even more) and his climbing is decent and importantly improving all the time. He needs to get his body a bit stronger or something, at the moment he can win the smaller stage races but he needs to show alot more at a Grand tour.
Im not convinced of Cunego or Valverde just yet, i think to be able to win MANY tours your TT has to be strong and neither has that right now. Maybe they can TT well enough to hold onto advantages gained in the mountains against most guys but still to win or hold on to a lead against the real top riders is a differant story. Like when Basso took an advantage over Kloden in the mountains but he also lost 2nd place to Kloden coz he cant TT with the very best. Voeckler made the tour really entertaining this year it was my highligh, but other than that i have not seen that much from him. No doubt they are great talents though.
I´d back Popyvich and Rogers before those other guys at the moment. Also I think the question of which rider would be capable of winning the tour multiple times would be fairer as opposed to the next 5 time winner, gotta be pretty special to do that.
Craig Walsh said:What to people think of Alejandro Valverde's chances?
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