Or alternatively:- The drug cheat, Cadel Evans, attacks when he is better than the other drug cheats in the race... and sits in when the other drug cheats are better (on the day) than him.biker jk said:
Wheelsucker Evans
- Thread starter wicklow200
- Start date
I think much of Evan's problem is that he is not flamboyant or charasmatic and seems to be a fairly dull character. Always a barr to sportng popularity and superstardom. I have to say though it is nice to see a modern Australian sportstar who is not a boorish prat!
As for wheelsucking in the Tour I think confidence plays a big part in this. The last few years Evans has merely been a top ten contender and seems to have ridden to maintain as high a place as possible. There is a psychological difference when you believe you are the best man in the race and ride accordingly. Finishing as runner up last year will make Evans think he really can win the race. I don't think it is coincidence that he has already won three hilltop finishes this season and been much more aggressive. He is a different rider mentally and I think we might see this come July.
As for wheelsucking in the Tour I think confidence plays a big part in this. The last few years Evans has merely been a top ten contender and seems to have ridden to maintain as high a place as possible. There is a psychological difference when you believe you are the best man in the race and ride accordingly. Finishing as runner up last year will make Evans think he really can win the race. I don't think it is coincidence that he has already won three hilltop finishes this season and been much more aggressive. He is a different rider mentally and I think we might see this come July.
like CF said, there is a difference b/w a breakaway, and being on the front of the field.fscyclist said:
On the front of the field, it behoves the strongest to ride, to put those behind them into difficulty, and gap them. Evans has proven, as a GC rider, he cannot, and will not, be able to win HC finishing climbs in the Tour. I would say he could win them if he was not in GC contention and could go in a break.
You should qualify everything with GC attempt. Schleck and Cunego can tussle for Alpe d'Huez expressly because they are not in GC contention.
Wasn't Bruyneel riding for Jalabert though? He would have been an absolute idiot (if that was the case) to help Indurain make time on his leader, wouldn't he? He would have been trying to make Indurain go as slow as posssible and use up as much energy as possible. His tactics would have been simple. His only other option would have been to drop off and help Jalabert. Am I mistaken here, as I didn't see the race? And winning the stage would have denied Indurain the bonus seconds.fscyclist said:
So you how well a little criticism can motivate Evans
Yesterday at the Fleche Wallone, he's hitting the climb to the finish thinking he's going to show Wicklow200 that he's no wheelsucker.
And what happens...he attacks and finishes 2nd.
I rest my case.
All he has got to do now is bring those thoughts with him every time he takes part in a race.
Yesterday at the Fleche Wallone, he's hitting the climb to the finish thinking he's going to show Wicklow200 that he's no wheelsucker.
And what happens...he attacks and finishes 2nd.
I rest my case.
All he has got to do now is bring those thoughts with him every time he takes part in a race.
Cadel checks out this forum everyday looking for your bashful quotes.wicklow200 said:
Thats why Lance was so bloody good.
Yeah, so all one has to do to get Cadel to attack in races is to make Wicklow2000 post bashful quotes before each race.coneofsilence said:Cadel checks out this forum everyday looking for your bashful quotes.
Thats why Lance was so bloody good.
Yes I agree Dark LordTheDarkLord said:Yeah, so all one has to do to get Cadel to attack in races is to make Wicklow2000 post bashful quotes before each race.
And by the way I do appreciate you upgrading me to Wicklow2000 (10 times better than before you're thinking), but lets reserve these accolades until I have shamed Cadel into doing some proper attacking in France this coming July
I have upgraded you to Wicklow Vista. It's 10 times better than Wicklow 2000 when it hasn't crashed.wicklow200 said:
I dont buy into the wheelsucker tag on Cadel, although this could be due to my pragmatic belief that when he doesnt attack, its because he's spent, or my patriotic slant on things. Anywho, anyone who saw LBL yesterday care to comment. was the tag re-enforced, challenged or didnt move one way or the other.
For a while, he seemed to be doing a lot of the pulling trying to chase back to the Schlecks/Valverde/Rebellin - they were getting closer then seemed to start dropping further back. Presumably Rodriguez would have been the wheelsucker in that group (ie. didn't want them to catch teammate Valverde ahead). I also figure that he was too tired to go with the leaders when they attacked ... also saw comments from Marc Sargent later that this was Evans' first race of such long distance this year, so fatigue could easily have been a factor.hoggy said:
Of course, it was on way too early in the morning, so it already seems a distant memory to me ...
Just to update the only thread dedicated to Cadel's presence at the front of a bunch:
Cadel was spotted on yesterdays stage in the DL pulling the group the final 2-3 uphill kms. in an effort to distance Leipi and take 2nd place
This can only bode well for the Tour in a few weeks time. Cadel's new mantra "taking my turn" could be the difference between him winning the tour and remaining the tour's nearly man.
Further Cadel sightings will be posted here.
Cadel was spotted on yesterdays stage in the DL pulling the group the final 2-3 uphill kms. in an effort to distance Leipi and take 2nd place
This can only bode well for the Tour in a few weeks time. Cadel's new mantra "taking my turn" could be the difference between him winning the tour and remaining the tour's nearly man.
Further Cadel sightings will be posted here.
Big attack by Evans today - very exciting - and then the battling between him and Levi before the rest of the yellow jersey group caught up again, wow!
so, the risk of attacking is that it doesn't work out, Evans lost a bit of time to Valverde in the end, but it was very exciting and better for Evans to try it here and test out the legs (rather than waiting for the Tour to try it and lose time if it doesn't work).
so, the risk of attacking is that it doesn't work out, Evans lost a bit of time to Valverde in the end, but it was very exciting and better for Evans to try it here and test out the legs (rather than waiting for the Tour to try it and lose time if it doesn't work).
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