Jan still looks a bit chubby?

azdroptop said:

Did he gain weight back after the Giro? He looked it on the first stage of the TDS, but today when I watched the highlights on cycling.tv he actually looked good? I need glasses I guess.

i think you need

Looks like he still has some kilos th shred. Why he always comes heavy into the season I shall never understand, especially not this year - a Lance-free Tour and what possible be has last chance of a second win.
I think Basso will kill him in the moutains (unless Jan pays Ivan a stage win fee :p )

From Europosrt: Jan Ullrich's performance in Switzerland will serve as the final barometer of his fitness for the Tour de France, but the German enters the Tour de Suisse three kilograms overweight.
Reportedly weighing in at 75 kilos, three kilos over his fighting weight, Ullrich starts the Tour de Suisse with much to prove after a spring riddled with injury, and with less than a month to go until the start of the Grande Boucle.

"A good result is a key pointer to the Tour de France," Ullrich's T-Mobile sporting director Rudy Pevenage said.

Ullrich started his season late after a knee injury in training and retired from the Giro three stages from the finish line with back pains last month.

Though he won the long time-trial at the Tour of Italy, Ullrich did not show himself in the mountains against eventual victor and principal TDF rival Ivan Basso.

But Ullrich will finally be pressed to demonstrate his capabilities in several stages through the Swiss Alps, a crucial test for the mountain stages of the Tour de France, three weeks away.

"I have enjoyed success in this race in the past and feel very much at ease there", said the 32-year-old T-Mobile team captain.

"I live in Switzerland and so it's like I'm racing on home roads. I was originally planning to ride the Tour of Asturias race in Spain and then train in the Alps but racing more will get me in better shape."

Ullrich's support squad in Switzerland could be the best team at the nine-day stage race, including time-trial champion Michael Rogers, former Tour de France runner-up Andreas Kloden, Kim Kirchen, Patrik Sinkewitz, and Giuseppe Guerini all riding along-side Der Kaiser.

We`ll see😎

Anyone who actually watched live footage of the Giro would be aware that Ullrich's in great shape : he's lean and he's pedalling well.

There are ominous signs (for his opponents) that Jan is going well.
Udo Bolts (directeur sportif at Gerolsteiner) in the July edition of Cycle Sport
says that Ullrich's condition and form looks to be right on track.
Basso also said that he is under no illusion that JU is better prepared for this season and is intent on winning the TDF.

Chirst ! like have'nt we read this exact post in 900 different shapes and forms over the last 4 months ? Why repeat it ? and to quote a 5 day old EuroSport article is criminal.... if your 20kg's over your former racing weight and still win who cares. If your not and you still win who cares. Talking about Jan's weight proves that you don't know anything about cycling. Move on.

mikkemus said:

Looks like he still has some kilos th shred. Why he always comes heavy into the season I shall never understand, especially not this year - a Lance-free Tour and what possible be has last chance of a second win.
I think Basso will kill him in the moutains (unless Jan pays Ivan a stage win fee :p )

From Europosrt: Jan Ullrich's performance in Switzerland will serve as the final barometer of his fitness for the Tour de France, but the German enters the Tour de Suisse three kilograms overweight.
Reportedly weighing in at 75 kilos, three kilos over his fighting weight, Ullrich starts the Tour de Suisse with much to prove after a spring riddled with injury, and with less than a month to go until the start of the Grande Boucle.

"A good result is a key pointer to the Tour de France," Ullrich's T-Mobile sporting director Rudy Pevenage said.

Ullrich started his season late after a knee injury in training and retired from the Giro three stages from the finish line with back pains last month.

Though he won the long time-trial at the Tour of Italy, Ullrich did not show himself in the mountains against eventual victor and principal TDF rival Ivan Basso.

But Ullrich will finally be pressed to demonstrate his capabilities in several stages through the Swiss Alps, a crucial test for the mountain stages of the Tour de France, three weeks away.

"I have enjoyed success in this race in the past and feel very much at ease there", said the 32-year-old T-Mobile team captain.

"I live in Switzerland and so it's like I'm racing on home roads. I was originally planning to ride the Tour of Asturias race in Spain and then train in the Alps but racing more will get me in better shape."

Ullrich's support squad in Switzerland could be the best team at the nine-day stage race, including time-trial champion Michael Rogers, former Tour de France runner-up Andreas Kloden, Kim Kirchen, Patrik Sinkewitz, and Giuseppe Guerini all riding along-side Der Kaiser.

We`ll see😎

Another win for Ulle, 9 years after the first, would be HUGE!

I guess the mystery about his shape is part of his carisma - he is not a robot unlike others.

The first mountain stage in the TdF will provide some answers.

WBT: I dont question his ITT form after the giro, but his climbing. Sorry. But it seems like this topic interest a few.
Why have a forum if you`re not to discuss the fitness of one of the biggest favorites??😕

whiteboytrash said:

Talking about Jan's weight proves that you don't know anything about cycling. Move on.

As I recall, you're the guy who was maniacally rubbing his hands together this time last year and guaranteeing that Ullrich was on his form and merely laying in wait for Armstrong at the TdF, where he would treat us to something special.

And yet, as usual, he was still below LA on the podium.

I'm rooting for Ullrich as hard as anyone this year, but you and your Irish pal seem to respond to any critical comment about Ullrich's physical condition by insulting the person and claiming "they obviously know nothing about cycling".

Whatever. The point remains that, as usual, there is doubt about Ullrich's preparation again this year. He may prove his detractors wrong, and I hope he does. In the meantime, however, his fitness is a legitimate point of discussion, no matter how much you'd prefer we all genuflect at the altar of the mighty Teutonic one.

rejobako said:

As I recall, you're the guy who was maniacally rubbing his hands together this time last year and guaranteeing that Ullrich was on his form and merely laying in wait for Armstrong at the TdF, where he would treat us to something special.

And yet, as usual, he was still below LA on the podium.

I'm rooting for Ullrich as hard as anyone this year, but you and your Irish pal seem to respond to any critical comment about Ullrich's physical condition by insulting the person and claiming "they obviously know nothing about cycling".

Whatever. The point remains that, as usual, there is doubt about Ullrich's preparation again this year. He may prove his detractors wrong, and I hope he does. In the meantime, however, his fitness is a legitimate point of discussion, no matter how much you'd prefer we all genuflect at the altar of the mighty Teutonic one.

I never said that the poster knew nothing about cycling.
I said that it was clear that the poster in question had not viewed live footage of JU from the Giro - if he/she had, he/she would have seen that JU isn't overweight.

In addition, I posted two independent comments from Bolts and Basso who both stated that JU looked in shape.

Now - are you still contending that the poster in question knows what he/she is talking about ?
Or are you suggesting that myself, WBT, Udo Bolts and Ivan Basso are all genuflecting at the Teutonic altar?

I guess I am "the poster in question."
Yes i did watch the giro. The ITT win looked great.
Yes, Jan looked fine, but heavy compared to 1996-1997.
He still does.
Riis says Jan cant keep up in the mountains. Other experts say otherwise. Does that make them these persons who "don't know anything about cycling"?

So who knows?

WBT/L? Maybe - they pretend so. Halleluja.

[font=Verdana]I'll put it another way. Are you at work now ? Are you sitting at your PC ? Glance down and take a look at your own gut. How does it look ? Now take a look at other people on the floor. How do their guts look ? Some larger than others ? Some skinner than others ? Some skinny guys eating burgers and chips for lunch ? Some fat guys eating chicken salad ? You see, this world is made up of people of all shapes and sizes and some people have to diet like Bobby Sands to drop a few pounds whilst others can eat all the pies and chips they want. Chics hate this and it makes them scratch their friend’s eyes out. Ullrich is not lazy, he is in good form and through his life has had a eating disorder because father was an alcoholic and beat the living [censored] out of him as a child. Can you understand how it does his head in when people continually talk about his weight ? He is over this now and grew his hair longer to stop idiots like you talking about in this way. When I say you don't know cycling what I mean is you don't know Ullrich. EOS. Has anyone noticed that of recent that Ullrich hasn’t risen to Riis’s or Arsmtrong bait about his fitness or weight ? The man has changed.
[/font]

mikkemus said:

Another win for Ulle, 9 years after the first, would be HUGE!

I guess the mystery about his shape is part of his carisma - he is not a robot unlike others.

The first mountain stage in the TdF will provide some answers.

WBT: I dont question his ITT form after the giro, but his climbing. Sorry. But it seems like this topic interest a few.
Why have a forum if you`re not to discuss the fitness of one of the biggest favorites??😕

mikkemus said:

I guess I am "the poster in question."
Yes i did watch the giro. The ITT win looked great.
Yes, Jan looked fine, but heavy compared to 1996-1997.
He still does.
Riis says Jan cant keep up in the mountains. Other experts say otherwise. Does that make them these persons who "don't know anything about cycling"?

So who knows?

WBT/L? Maybe - they pretend so. Halleluja.

......and you look exactly the same today as you did in 1996, per chance?

And remind me again - wasn't it Riis who said that Ullrich's form was a catastrophe before the Giro?

Well if you saw the Giro - you'd have seen Ullrich's form wasn't anywhere near
a so-called catastrophe.
Nor did you see an overweight Ullrich for that matter.

This presumes of course that you actually did watch the Giro.

I cant understand how my post could harm him. Do you?
To me this is nothing more than the annual Ulle/tdf/fitness discussion - if you dont like it or think his fitness is superb - why dont you just ignore it?

Making statements like this is just primitive.
"...you know nothing about cycling"
"...idiots like you"
To continue OT: WBT/L - do you think Ulle will win the TdF? I would like your opinions on that topic, not on what you think of me.

Unfair demand?

mikkemus said:

I cant understand how my post could harm him. Do you?
To me this is nothing more than the annual Ulle/tdf/fitness discussion - if you dont like it or think his fitness is superb - why dont you just ignore it?

Making statements like this is just primitive.
"...you know nothing about cycling"
"...idiots like you"
To continue OT: WBT/L - do you think Ulle will win the TdF? I would like your opinions on that topic, not on what you think of me.

Unfair demand?

................because it's a re-reun of an old, tired and in the case of this 2006 season inaccurate, cliche.
"he looks like he needs to shed pounds...."

Based on watching the Giro - and taking your statement that you saw the Giro - I don't think that you're accurate when you say he needs to shed weight.
If you don't believe me - look at page 39 of the July 2006 Cycle Sport magazine.
There is a lovely photo of Ullrich and Basso in animated conversation.
Look at their respective body shapes. You still contending that JU's over weight?

At the time of wrting JU looks lean - he looks to be pedalling well and an opposing DS and his main TDF rival concur with what I think and with what I saw at the Giro.

Do I think JU will win the TDF?
I do.
But don't just accept my word - looks at the pundits predictions in the July CS mag.
Of the five pundits, two believe that JU will win outright.

Thats better! Finally an opinion about cycling - not my (lack of) knowledge. That wasnt so hard was it?

I hope Jan wins, I think Basso does.
Jan, please prove med wrong.

Must remember: I need to watch every stage of the Giro/Tdf closely to speak/have an oppinion.

mikkemus said:

Thats better! Finally an opinion about cycling - not my (lack of) knowledge. That wasnt so hard was it?

I hope Jan wins, I think Basso does.
Jan, please prove med wrong.

Must remember: I need to watch every stage of the Giro/Tdf closely to speak/have an oppinion.

Well if you'd seen the Giro - as you claimed to have - you couldn't possibly suggest that JU is overweight.

This leads me to conclude either one of two things :
1.You didn't see the Giro
2.You did see the Giro - but you instead want to post the same old cliches rather than accurately reflect the reality.

limerickman said:

I never said that the poster knew nothing about cycling.

Not this poster. In the other thread on this issue, however, you said this with respect to those questioning JU's fitness at the Giro:

Quoted post said:

I've no doubt that he is in shape too : that was evident at the Giro despite the best efforts of people here who couldn't view the Giro microscopically reprinting photos from Cyclingnews here - and posting garbage about his being overweight.

The same people it has to be said who know nothing about the sport and aren't actually fans of the sport.

JU's fitness is always a hot topic among his fans and fans of cycling in general. As we've seen from links posted in the several threads, there is disagreement not only among people here, but within the professional cycling community and media. None of us is qualified to say definitively that Ullrich is at his ideal weight, or that he was or was not as fit as he should have been at the Giro. No matter how much weight you might allow as to your own opinion, it remains a debatable issue, and I bristle at claims that those who disagree with you must necessarily be ignorant.

whiteboytrash said:

[font=Verdana]? He is over this now and grew his hair longer to stop idiots like you talking about in this way. [/font]

Jan grew his hair out to stop people from talking about his weight?

Makes sense.

:eek:

rejobako said:

Not this poster. In the other thread on this issue, however, you said this with respect to those questioning JU's fitness at the Giro:

JU's fitness is always a hot topic among his fans and fans of cycling in general. As we've seen from links posted in the several threads, there is disagreement not only among people here, but within the professional cycling community and media. None of us is qualified to say definitively that Ullrich is at his ideal weight, or that he was or was not as fit as he should have been at the Giro. No matter how much weight you might allow as to your own opinion, it remains a debatable issue, and I bristle at claims that those who disagree with you must necessarily be ignorant.

And I still hold to the opinion I expressed earlier in this thread.

It was evident from the Giro that Ullrich wasn't overweight.
The poster in this thread claimed to have viewed the Giro, while stating that Ullrich was overweight.

If he/she had viewed the Giro, they couldn't possibly conclude that JU was overweight at the Giro.

And as regards opinions from experts - people can express an opinion for sure.

I expressed my opinion in the context of actual footage of the Giro.
I further expressed the fact that if one goes to page 39 of the July 2006 Cycle Sport mag - they will see a photo of Basso and Ullrich chatting and I would defy anyone to suggest that Ullrich is overweight.
If Ullrich was overweight at the Giro, so too was Basso.

I know 16 year old girls who are less weight obsessed than you are....

If you're going to have opinion about cycling you need to write something more intelligent than: "I hope Jan wins, I think Basso does." What the ? Doesn’t even make sense !

WBT United 4 Mikkemus 0

mikkemus said:

Thats better! Finally an opinion about cycling - not my (lack of) knowledge. That wasnt so hard was it?

I hope Jan wins, I think Basso does.
Jan, please prove med wrong.

Must remember: I need to watch every stage of the Giro/Tdf closely to speak/have an oppinion.

limerickman said:

Anyone who actually watched live footage of the Giro would be aware that Ullrich's in great shape : he's lean and he's pedalling well.

There are ominous signs (for his opponents) that Jan is going well.
Udo Bolts (directeur sportif at Gerolsteiner) in the July edition of Cycle Sport
says that Ullrich's condition and form looks to be right on track.
Basso also said that he is under no illusion that JU is better prepared for this season and is intent on winning the TDF.

I don't think a single stage win denotes good form? And he was a bit heavy in the Giro. I will say he looks much better in the TDS though.