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Tour de Suisse

715 views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  atpjunkie 
#1 ·
Ullrich appears strong without trying too hard.

Mayo finished with the lead group. Maybe his problems are over and we will see him kick a Tour mountain stage up a notch or two.

Cadel Evans and Horner got tailed off the lead group by a few secs just at the end. Given their lack of racing, they are looking good.

Michael Rogers also looks good. His transformation from a time trialist to a GT contender is going well.

Beloki is done. He loses three minutes in a short TT and almost six on a cat 2 climb. Hope for even a Tour start is unlikely.
 
#3 ·
Have they climbed yet?

Dwayne Barry said:
Bad timing on my part, I just posted something on the TdS as well :)

Other than Beloki, Julich also looks to have not brought his climbing legs with him, but then again, that's been his problem every year since '98 :)
IMO

The Parcours have yet to develop to a degree where folks can say, hey they are really climbing well. By this weekend they will have multiple HC climbs..Then we will know where everyone is
 
#4 ·
ttug said:
IMO

The Parcours have yet to develop to a degree where folks can say, hey they are really climbing well. By this weekend they will have multiple HC climbs..Then we will know where everyone is
Well not really other than the cat. 2 ascent at the end of today's stage that read like it at least split the bunch up pretty good by the top that's why only 25 or so riders finished at the front after the short run-in to the finish. That's why I would think Julich and Beloki's loss of 3 and 6 minutes respectively would be particularly troubling for them.
 
#5 ·
Dwayne Barry said:
Well not really other than the cat. 2 ascent at the end of today's stage that read like it at least split the bunch up pretty good by the top that's why only 25 or so riders finished at the front after the short run-in to the finish.
The autobus finished eleven or twelve minutes down, so the pace must have been pretty high.

Julich you can overlook because he did a good TT and looked really strong the previous week, but Beloki looks to be screwed.

We'll have to wait for Thurs., Sat., and Sun. to get a better idea of where people are.
 
#6 ·
Beloki and Mayo both lost 2:23, 2:24 in the time trial. In fact Fast Freddie got a better time than Mayo. Still it is no idication of what he will be like in a month. I don't see Beloki making the come back though IMO. He should have been within a minute or so if he was contending this year.
 
#7 ·
Utah CragHopper said:
The autobus finished eleven or twelve minutes down, so the pace must have been pretty high.

Julich you can overlook because he did a good TT and looked really strong the previous week, but Beloki looks to be screwed.

We'll have to wait for Thurs., Sat., and Sun. to get a better idea of where people are.
CSC seems reticent to let their riders conditions out of the bag too soon. i bet Julich is in great form all around (as good as he can be), but is just spinning in anticipation of helping mayo/sastre in the tdf. i remember that basso looked like hell in a race a month before the giro, and he certainly brought his legs to that race.
 
#8 ·
I think you meant Basso

but said Mayo in regards to Bobby J. We'll see, KAiser looks good, Vino looked good at the Dauphine I think TT's will kill Mayo. He seems better suited to Vuelta or Giro. Cadel should fare well but I think his team will be chasing green. maybe he gets green light for a stage or so. McEwen thinks Cadel is shooting for a top 10.
 
#9 ·
I think Evans is dreaming if he thinks top 10. Losing 2 minutes in the TdS TT is not a good indicator of form. He can still be ramping up for peak mountain performance 3 weeks before a GT, but should have most of the TT goods. Of course, maybe he just had a sh1tty ride - or his collarbone is sore. :D Lotto's best chance for a good GT showing might be in Van Huffel, but probably not for a year or two until he hits the top 10 in the TdF. And if you want an Australian top 10 TdF contender, I'll pick McGee.
 
#10 ·
atpjunkie said:
I think TT's will kill Mayo. He seems better suited to Vuelta or Giro.
I don't think Mayo really has his sites set on a high Tour finish. I think he'll go for a stage victory or two and then try to unseat Heras at the Vuelta. Psychologically he was knocked down a couple of pegs last year at the Tour and needs time to rebuild.
 
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