Azevedo vs Heras

in article [email hidden], marathoner52 at
[email hidden] wrote on 6/28/04 10:01 AM:

Quoted message said:

i am just wondering if the signing of josé azevedo to help lance in the
mountain stages will offset the departure of roberto heras.

Azevedo is a highly experienced rider of the same caliber as Beltrán, but
he's also an ex-ONCE racer and a fine time-trialist. I think that
combination of qualities will serve Lance better than Heras' ever could.

-Sonarrat.

i have heard that too.
"Sonarrat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in article [email hidden], marathoner52 at
[email hidden] wrote on 6/28/04 10:01 AM:

Quoted message said:

i am just wondering if the signing of josé azevedo to help lance in the
mountain stages will offset the departure of roberto heras.

Azevedo is a highly experienced rider of the same caliber as Beltrán, but
he's also an ex-ONCE racer and a fine time-trialist. I think that
combination of qualities will serve Lance better than Heras' ever could.

-Sonarrat.

"Sonarrat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in article [email hidden], marathoner52 at
[email hidden] wrote on 6/28/04 10:01 AM:

Quoted message said:

i am just wondering if the signing of josé azevedo to help lance in the
mountain stages will offset the departure of roberto heras.

Azevedo is a highly experienced rider of the same caliber as Beltrán, but
he's also an ex-ONCE racer and a fine time-trialist. I think that
combination of qualities will serve Lance better than Heras' ever could.

Roberto has the advantage of knowing how to win a Grand Tour. Azevedo has
the advantage of knowing that he will have his chance in the Vuelta and he
has to support Lance 100% in the Tour.

Heras is a pretty good guy. Whether or not he can challenge Armstrong
remains to be seen but I doubt that he can since Jan and Lance are both so
superior in the TT's and yet can stick withing second of Heras on the
hardest mountain stages and do better than him on the mountain stages where
the pitches aren't more than 10%.

I will say this - I think that Roberto is a more balanced human being than
Jan or Lance but then that's to be expected from people who have devoted
most of their waking time over the last 10 years to racing the Tour de
France.

marathoner52 said:

i am just wondering if the signing of josé azevedo to help lance in the
mountain stages will offset the departure of roberto heras.

Heras was good for about 5 minutes at a time on various mountains. I think the new guy is better
for Lance overall, but then it really comes down to Lance himself at crunch time anyway.