Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Loving the fact that I'm completely in the bag for fdj and have picked pinot numerous times, and now as soon as I don't he figures out how not to fold. At least not yet. I figure we're far enough in that if he starts to buckle madiot will just yell at him a bunch and make it all better, but **** if I can't peg him in this game. Just like f schleck a few years ago and horner more recently. Regardless, glad to see him doing well and hope he can keep it up.

Bit of a renaissance for French GC contenders lately. Pinot, Bardet, Rolland, Peraud.

When is Laurens ten Dam going to start getting some looks for team leadership? Two straight tours he's looked strong and this time he looks to be in much better form than mollema. We'll see if he can hold it in week 3 though as that is when he tailed off last year.

[Probert]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

Bit of a renaissance for French GC contenders lately. Pinot, Bardet, Rolland, Peraud.

When is Laurens ten Dam going to start getting some looks for team leadership? Two straight tours he's looked strong and this time he looks to be in much better form than mollema. We'll see if he can hold it in week 3 though as that is when he tailed off last year.

The issue with Belkin is that aside from Geesink they have 3 guys Ten Dam, Mollema and Krusewijk that are very very similar and my guess is the team philosophy is we will go for whoever's doing the best which until the last 2 days was Mollema.

Once again Nibali leaves the pretenders gasping in the Alps. When did Valverde become a wheelsucker.

Since it appears as if I am the only one in the USCHO league that picked Nibali my Velogames team is looking good.

[PrezdeJohnson09]

The issue with Belkin is that aside from Geesink they have 3 guys Ten Dam, Mollema and Krusewijk that are very very similar and my guess is the team philosophy is we will go for whoever's doing the best which until the last 2 days was Mollema.

Once again Nibali leaves the pretenders gasping in the Alps. When did Valverde become a wheelsucker.

Since it appears as if I am the only one in the USCHO league that picked Nibali my Velogames team is looking good.

I'm left praying for 2nd and hoping Bardet/Van Garderen come home 2nd and 3rd.

[Titleist]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

When did Valverde become a wheelsucker.

Piti has usually been a wheelsucker. He briefly moved away from that in some of the smaller 1 day races like Roma Maxima, but he has always relied on his sprint as his chief weapon. I once heard the saying that if you came to the finish with Valverde, you came to the finish 2nd.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

I had something poignant to say early on. But in my avoidance of this tread to not have any spoilers, I have forgotten it.

Trust me when I say it was equivalent to the greatest sports writers of our time.



On a semi unrelated note, vandevelde has been getting better every stage. He's easily my favorite in the studio. I think they've struck the right balance of commentary and play-by-play.

[XYZ]

I think detestable is pretty strong. As are embarrassment and disgrace.

Then you either aren't aware or don't care about the lives of those that him and his handlers either tried to or did destroy. The information is widely available. Go find it. Until then, end of discussion.

[Titleist]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

Yeah, detestable is about the perfect word, especially for what happened to Emma O'Reilly.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

Well, i finally got to see the recording of stage 15. I've never felt like **** after seeing someone I don't have any rooting interest in lose. That was truly brutal. Even to watch it was like a gut punch (despite it being absolutely thrilling)

[Titleist]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

Pumped for Pinot...seemed to conquer his fear of descending. Also a bit of a smile for Van Garderen cracking.

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

Pinot looked really good today.

Costa finally pulled out of the Tour after being diagnosed with pneumonia. What a brutal tour for him dealing with Bronchitis and pneumonia and still managing to stay in around the top of GC through it all until finally pulling out today.

Can't get over Nibali though in this Tour, he's the only one who hasn't had at least one major crack like the rest.

[Titleist]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

I picture 'Berto spiking his remote and limping out of the room... His team is this strong imaging how good he must have been.

A shame that Pinot was weaker today and shocked the Piti recovered so well on the final climb. Still happy that both Tinkoff and Omega have had decent tours after losing their leaders.

[rufus]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

Probert, why the hatred of Lemond?

And the thing about Nibali, and why I like him, is he went on the attack today, as he has done several times here and in the Giro, when he didn't have to, when he could have just sat on wheels and let them tow him to the finish. Sagan does the same thing, he tries to get away and win alone when he could just sit on a wheel and wait for the sprint.

I'll be really disappointed if it turns out the two of them are just another couple of dopers.

And is Nicholas Roche the ultimate teammate, or what? Killing himself and any chances he has for personal achievement to help his guy. Completely unselfish.

[manurespreader]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

Jens Voight said yesterday he averaged 380 watts for the first 1.5 hours. I can't even get to 380 watts, and if I get to 250 for 15 minutes it's a minor miracle.

[Probert]

Re: Your 2014 EPO Free Cycling Thread

Probert, why the hatred of Lemond?

And the thing about Nibali, and why I like him, is he went on the attack today, as he has done several times here and in the Giro, when he didn't have to, when he could have just sat on wheels and let them tow him to the finish. Sagan does the same thing, he tries to get away and win alone when he could just sit on a wheel and wait for the sprint.

I'll be really disappointed if it turns out the two of them are just another couple of dopers.

And is Nicholas Roche the ultimate teammate, or what? Killing himself and any chances he has for personal achievement to help his guy. Completely unselfish.

Most of my dislike of Lemond in terms of his riding comes at the end of his career because he was pretty good in 85 and 86.

To me he just comes off as a whiner everybody's against him, everybody lied to him, they didn't tell him the truth. One of the things I always remember about Lemond is whenever he didn't do well he always had an excuse it wasn't that somebody was better than him, the director was against him, he had an injury everyone else was against him. Especially during the 91 Tour when he couldn't admit that he couldn't keep up with Indurain and the bunch. He claimed to be suffering from lead poising due to the shotgun pellets left in his body when his brother in law shot him and for the longest time he claimed Mitochondrial myopathy as a reason he couldn't continue to win.

I also had a problem when he starting criticizing people who only raced to win the Tour, mainly Lance , when he did the same exact thing. In fact I am in the process of dubbing my old TDF vhs tape to disc, I have them going back to 1985, and he says this in numerous interviews how he always prepares himself and tries to peak in July. Also the 85 controversy where almost everyone involved except for Greg says he was brought in as a super domestique to help Hinault win his 5th tour but Greg claimed whoever was best would be the winner. I also find it ironic that he basically did a similar thing when he joined Team Zed which had several guys who had finished Top 10 in the Tour, Pensec and Millar but just became super domestiques to Greg, I guess it wasn't who was riding best when he was the top dog. Also later in his career he didn't ride the same and used his team and sat in the pack. One of 6 tour winners that never won a stage during the tour they won, that would be Greg in 90, another one of these is Perrero in 2006 I wouldn't even count him.

I also thought it ironic that he and Lance had such a feud because they were so much alike, but I guess that's why.


I loved watching Nibali today going balls to the wall and leaving it out on the course. While the Tour has been great I can only wonder what it would be like with AC going with or attacking Nibali and whether Froome would be able to respond.

[XYZ]

I'd love to see Pinot podium before he goes and signs with Sky, but I just can't see him holding off Peraud and Valverde. The parcours will help him to an extent but I still don't think it will be enough -- no matter how much Marc Madiot hangs out the window and screams at him. Hope I'm wrong...