muhahahhaaha

Rasmussen will make us all poor gamblers.

in one of earlier thread i DID mention that Chicken could spoil all the party for the rest " GC " guys.

in one of earlier thread i DID mention that Chicken could spoil all the party for the rest " GC " guys.

Should we consider Rasmussen one of the worlds best climbers for sure now?

(at least until he falls off his bike while climbing)

was there ever any question about him being one of the best climbers? In terms of GC, the tour is just beginning. The rest of the GC guys likely aren't that worried about him as they will go into next weekend's mountain stages after a tough ITT on Friday. He'll likely lose big time on Friday (probably lose the jersey) and the next 3 stages after that are just brutal, especially coming after a long ITT.

was there ever any question about him being one of the best climbers? In terms of GC, the tour is just beginning. The rest of the GC guys likely aren't that worried about him as they will go into next weekend's mountain stages after a tough ITT on Friday. He'll likely lose big time on Friday (probably lose the jersey) and the next 3 stages after that are just brutal, especially coming after a long ITT.


Well, being let away on a long solo breakaway to get KOM points is different than riding everyone off your wheel to take a stage victory.

I guess I don't remember enough from before to put him in such a category.

was there ever any question about him being one of the best climbers? In terms of GC, the tour is just beginning. The rest of the GC guys likely aren't that worried about him as they will go into next weekend's mountain stages after a tough ITT on Friday. He'll likely lose big time on Friday (probably lose the jersey) and the next 3 stages after that are just brutal, especially coming after a long ITT.

The GC guys may not have been worried about him before stage 8. Now they are.

He put in 3.5 minutes on all the GC guys. He did this by himself on the final two climbs and descent. The conditions were less than ideal for a solo effort as they were gradual climbs with a headwind.

On the tougher climbs with uphill finishes, who's going to keep up with him? Who's gonna stop him from gaining more minutes? He'll pile on the minutes and try to hang on in the TT.

He is a threat for yellow in Paris. The pro betting lines favor him now and Valverde.

fc

He is a threat for yellow in Paris. The pro betting lines favor him now and Valverde.fc

Is Rabobank strong enough to bring him to Paris in yellow?

They call Rasmussen "the cadaver" for a reason - he's shot his wad, imho.

Please indulge my naïveté - Who has had both KOM/Yellow jerseys' at the finish?

Is Rabobank strong enough to bring him to Paris in yellow?

Sure, if they work for him. Boogerd is tough. Flecha is a hardman. Menchov is very fast.

They call Rasmussen "the cadaver" for a reason - he's shot his wad, imho.

Nah. He did this in 2005, too -- a long, mostly solo breakaway to get the KoM jersey, and then hung with the leaders on essentially every climb. Only the TT killed him

Please indulge my naïveté - Who has had both KOM/Yellow jerseys' at the finish?

Eddy Merckx! He had the Green Jersey, too. :)

Thanks for the historical perspective - the modern era has brought on the specialist I guess. Go Axel! a sentimental favorite

So how does the Cadaver get refueled? Fried chicken perhaps, sorry for that

Also thanks for the Rabobank perspective - Three strong riders gives the Dane a fighting chance certainly, having the yellow puts more pressure on the team to perform and take charge.

I guess the question is how will Rabobank handle "being in yellow"?

Boogie, Dekker, Menchov... Rabobank certainly has some horsepower to help him...

Thanks for the historical perspective - the modern era has brought on the specialist I guess. Go Axel! a sentimental favorite

So how does the Cadaver get refueled? Fried chicken perhaps, sorry for that

Also thanks for the Rabobank perspective - Three strong riders gives the Dane a fighting chance certainly, having the yellow puts more pressure on the team to perform and take charge.

I guess the question is how will Rabobank handle "being in yellow"?


Well I'm pretty excited to see a pure climber actually have a shot at the podium, should make things very entertaining..

I think Rabobank if very strong with Menchov and Rasmussen....and when they hit the Pyreenees, which are much steeper and will suite the chicken much more than the Alps... we'll see him attack, attack, attack... and it will be up to the others to chase and limit their losses.. and Menchov will be able to sit on..

I also thought Moreau looked very strong and what a great ride by Mayo and too bad about the flat that Contador had.... Good to see the more pure climbers have their day... but the TT's will level that out soon enough... can't wait!!

The GC guys may not have been worried about him before stage 8. Now they are.

He put in 3.5 minutes on all the GC guys. He did this by himself on the final two climbs and descent. The conditions were less than ideal for a solo effort as they were gradual climbs with a headwind.

On the tougher climbs with uphill finishes, who's going to keep up with him? Who's gonna stop him from gaining more minutes? He'll pile on the minutes and try to hang on in the TT.

He is a threat for yellow in Paris. The pro betting lines favor him now and Valverde.

fc

everyone else but Moreau was dosing their effort yesterday.....None of the contenders are afraid of The Chicken. He will be marked and allowed to win the Polka Dot, but not allowed to gain enough time to overcome his TT'ing weakness.

He put 51/2 minutes into the group on the first climb and then lost time after that to 2 groups that weren't chasing him while he was working as hard as he could. You are overestimating his dominance.

As to the betting lines.....betting lines are a function of where the public is betting, which tells me there are many like you crowning a guy after one good (not great stage).

He's a great story but a non-issue.

len

Eddy Merckx! He had the Green Jersey, too. :)


And the White too ( in 1969 ):thumbsup:

At best francois is upping his post count, at worst trolling for a fight ;)

Nobody fears Chicken maybe a rooster but not a chicken

With these two strong efforts does this lift Rasmussen and his team to another emotional level to fight for the Maillot jaune? or will the grind of the Tour just make him fade away?

It seems if he even has a small chance at the final podium he will take his game and his team to another level.

Kloden, Vino, Evans, Menchov, Levi, Valverde are going to get most if not all that time back on Saturday.

Is Rasmussen faster on the steeper climbs. Can he handle frequent accelerations if attacked. The Pyrenees may be a very different situation for him. The advantage of the long solo effort in the alps is the steady predictable pace.

At best francois is upping his post count, at worst trolling for a fight ;)

Nobody fears Chicken maybe a rooster but not a chicken

With these two strong efforts does this lift Rasmussen and his team to another emotional level to fight for the Maillot jaune? or will the grind of the Tour just make him fade away?

It seems if he even has a small chance at the final podium he will take his game and his team to another level.

ha, ha. I'm just animating the forums. Just keep it fun. Take it easy btw, Len J.

I say Rasmussen has a decent chance. There's whole lot of you that says he has zero chance. I disagree. Put your bets down gents. My horse against yours. I think I have 4 bets right now. I'll summarize in another thread.

fc

He's a great story but a non-issue.

len

IMO... I think he is a big issue... yes true the other GC men will gain the time back & more in the tt's... but the other GC guys will have to now chase him in the Mt's... Rasmussen is a pure climber and will be much stronger in the steeper climbs of the Pyrenees... Just how much time will they let him have or will they suffer to try to stay in contact??? And this year he wants to be on the podium.. before he was happy with just the polka dots. I think he will definitely be an issue for the GC guys to deal with.


Whatever happens it will be fun to watch!

I would love to see Rasmussen win the Tour. But as I see it he will have to have at least a 5-6 minute lead on the other major contenders prior to the final time trial to make it to Paris in yellow.

I think he will lose the yellow jersey in the TT next Saturday . This means he'll have to do some serious attacking in the Pyrenees to regain the jersey and get himself that 5-6 minute time buffer.

Animate LOL - Where's the premiums?

Keep er Rolling!

Take it easy btw, Len J.



that about?

I thought I countered your "argument" pretty well.

Len

that about?

I thought I countered your "argument" pretty well.

Len

from here: "which tells me there are many like you crowning a guy after one good (not great stage)."

I thought I heard 'crowing a guy'... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=riX&defl=en&q=define:crowing&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

That's my bad, carry on.

fc