3MP Ullrich photo

I don't think that anyone is going to say that he didn't work hard for
that result and with Basso only 27 seconds slower it means that Jan
will either improve a WHOLE LOT between now and the Tour or end up
first loser again.

Ullrich beat riders who needed to win, Ullrich beat riders who had to
win, Ullrich beat riders who wanted to win.
He neither had to nor needed the win today. He may not even wanted to
win, but he DID!
I'd say if there was a podium position in jepordy, he would have smoked
the whole lot of them.

Rick in Tennessee

He did smoke the whole lot of them.

Tom Kunich said:

I don't think that anyone is going to say that he didn't work hard for
that result and with Basso only 27 seconds slower it means that Jan
will either improve a WHOLE LOT between now and the Tour or end up
first loser again.

I read somewhere that Jan had tried to alter his climbing cadence to
spin faster, a la Charly Gaul and LANCE, but he didn't like it and he
couldn't adjust. I wonder if the Tour result will come down to
Basso spinning faster than Jan or not. Of course, today proved that
Jan still TTs better than Basso... July ought to be very interesting. 🙂

~bob

cycledogg said:

Ullrich beat riders who needed to win, Ullrich beat riders who had to
win, Ullrich beat riders who wanted to win.
He neither had to nor needed the win today. He may not even wanted to
win, but he DID!
I'd say if there was a podium position in jepordy, he would have smoked
the whole lot of them.

Rick in Tennessee

Dear Fred in Tennessee -

Ullrich's been doing spin rides in the autobus while the GC contenders
are doing their best to destroy each other at the front.

Ever done a stage race? If so, it wouldn't be so meaningful to you that
he was good today.

That said, The Fat One will be a contender as usual in July. The win? I
don't know. Looking at photos of him winning in '97 and photos of him
in recent years, it's clear he's added a lot of bulk. Plus, he's on
T-Mobile - the only time in recent years that he's been at his best was
when he was on Bianchi.

thanks,

K. Gringioni.

Andrew F Martin said:

He did smoke the whole lot of them.

Don't tell [censored] Pound that.

-B

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

Quoted message said:

Tom Kunich said:

I don't think that anyone is going to say that he didn't work hard for
that result and with Basso only 27 seconds slower it means that Jan
will either improve a WHOLE LOT between now and the Tour or end up
first loser again.

I read somewhere that Jan had tried to alter his climbing cadence to
spin faster, a la Charly Gaul and LANCE, but he didn't like it and he
couldn't adjust. I wonder if the Tour result will come down to
Basso spinning faster than Jan or not. Of course, today proved that
Jan still TTs better than Basso... July ought to be very interesting. 🙂

No. It will come down to Basso being a better climber with nothing to do
with spinning or no.

Tom Kunich said:

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

Quoted message said:

Tom Kunich said:

I don't think that anyone is going to say that he didn't work hard for
that result and with Basso only 27 seconds slower it means that Jan
will either improve a WHOLE LOT between now and the Tour or end up
first loser again.

I read somewhere that Jan had tried to alter his climbing cadence to
spin faster, a la Charly Gaul and LANCE, but he didn't like it and he
couldn't adjust. I wonder if the Tour result will come down to
Basso spinning faster than Jan or not. Of course, today proved that
Jan still TTs better than Basso... July ought to be very interesting. 🙂

No. It will come down to Basso being a better climber with nothing to do
with spinning or no.

That's kind of a high-level take on it, though, isn't it? I mean, *what*
makes Basso a better climber than Ullrich? Is it the fact that he has
a slighter build? Is it his ability to react to attacks better on
climbs because he's spinning faster in a smaller gear? It seemed during
the Tour last year that LANCE countered attacks better than Ullrich
on climbs because it was easier to turn the smaller gear that much
faster; he didn't have to muscle over that massive gear that Ullrich
did.

~bob

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No. It will come down to Basso being a better climber with nothing to do
with spinning or no.

That's kind of a high-level take on it, though, isn't it? I mean, *what*
makes Basso a better climber than Ullrich? Is it the fact that he has
a slighter build? Is it his ability to react to attacks better on
climbs because he's spinning faster in a smaller gear? It seemed during
the Tour last year that LANCE countered attacks better than Ullrich
on climbs because it was easier to turn the smaller gear that much
faster; he didn't have to muscle over that massive gear that Ullrich
did.

It doesn't come from Basso "being" a better climber... it comes from Basso
KNOWING he's a better climber. Confidence is everything, especially when you
consider how shaken Jan's confidence must be, after all those years of
playing second fiddle to Lance, and KNOWING that he was going to lose it in
the mountains.

The fact that he beat Basso in the TT is one thing; the fact that Basso was
second place is another. Basso is clearly the man to beat, and doesn't
display an obvious weakness. And it seems like he really enjoys what he's
doing, which is a very different attitude from the last guy, for whom is was
simply his job to win the TdF. I never got the feeling that Jan enjoyed the
time on his bike.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

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

Quoted message said:

Tom Kunich said:

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

Quoted message said:

Tom Kunich wrote:
>I don't think that anyone is going to say that he didn't work hard for
>that result and with Basso only 27 seconds slower it means that Jan
>will either improve a WHOLE LOT between now and the Tour or end up
>first loser again.

I read somewhere that Jan had tried to alter his climbing cadence to
spin faster, a la Charly Gaul and LANCE, but he didn't like it and he
couldn't adjust. I wonder if the Tour result will come down to
Basso spinning faster than Jan or not. Of course, today proved that
Jan still TTs better than Basso... July ought to be very interesting. 🙂

No. It will come down to Basso being a better climber with nothing to do
with spinning or no.

That's kind of a high-level take on it, though, isn't it? I mean, *what*
makes Basso a better climber than Ullrich? Is it the fact that he has
a slighter build? Is it his ability to react to attacks better on
climbs because he's spinning faster in a smaller gear? It seemed during
the Tour last year that LANCE countered attacks better than Ullrich
on climbs because it was easier to turn the smaller gear that much
faster; he didn't have to muscle over that massive gear that Ullrich
did.

~bob

Quoted message said:

It doesn't come from Basso "being" a better climber... it comes from Basso
KNOWING he's a better climber. Confidence is everything, especially when you
consider how shaken Jan's confidence must be, after all those years of
playing second fiddle to Lance, and KNOWING that he was going to lose it in
the mountains.

Seriously... you got to be kidding me. Jan was the one attacking Lance
and fighting for it... You can also turn it around and say that the
competition is scared of the only one who could threaten Lance. So my
answer is quite simply: NONSENSE... armchair psychology of someone you
do not know at all.

Quoted message said:

The fact that he beat Basso in the TT is one thing; the fact that Basso was
second place is another. Basso is clearly the man to beat, and doesn't
display an obvious weakness. And it seems like he really enjoys what he's
doing, which is a very different attitude from the last guy, for whom is was
simply his job to win the TdF. I never got the feeling that Jan enjoyed the
time on his bike.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

*ROLLS EYES*

Jan gives the impression he doesn't enjoy cycling? Now where do you get
these ludicrous ideas? Ever seen interviews with Jan, seen him with his
fans, friends, colleagues?

Sorry, but your post strikes me as severely biased, unfounded and a
general lack of understanding of cycling. (Your surprise over Basso's
TTing proofs you haven't got a clue about Basso, he was just as good
last year)

Tuschinski said:

Jan gives the impression he doesn't enjoy cycling? Now where do you get
these ludicrous ideas?

Dumbass -

He's social all right.

I wouldn't say he doesn't enjoy racing - he looks fine to me.

What he doesn't enjoy, from the interviews w/ his colleagues, is
training. And he loves eating.

The only way they can get him into shape, it seems, is by stage racing
him. A stage race is a situation where he doesn't have to train and he
can eat to his heart's content.

thanks,

K. Gringioni.

Kurgan Gringioni said:

(In stage races) he can eat to his heart's content.

Clearly this isn't the case...
See, for example:
http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/9868.0.html

VN: What's typically on the menu?

SK: It can be chicken or turkey or beef. If it's beef there can be
not fat. If there is fat they will not touch it. There is no cream.
No ice cream. Ice cream is totally forbidden.

Dan Connelly said:

No ice cream. Ice cream is totally forbidden.

Lemond would have quit.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Donald Munro said:

Dan Connelly said:

No ice cream. Ice cream is totally forbidden.

Lemond would have quit.

No he wouldn't have. You can't win a Tour on ice cream and water.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

It goes without saying that changing ones pedaling style is a daunting
task. My guess is that probably to comfortable pushing big gears. If
Ullrich was younger than he could probably change. Hinault was much the
same. If Hinault changed his technique it's quite probable that he
could have won 6 or 7 tdf's. The odd thing about Hinault's technique
was that he climbed in the big chain ring while still in small rear cog
at times.

bob sullivan said:

Tom Kunich said:

I don't think that anyone is going to say that he didn't work hard for
that result and with Basso only 27 seconds slower it means that Jan
will either improve a WHOLE LOT between now and the Tour or end up
first loser again.

I read somewhere that Jan had tried to alter his climbing cadence to
spin faster, a la Charly Gaul and LANCE, but he didn't like it and he
couldn't adjust. I wonder if the Tour result will come down to
Basso spinning faster than Jan or not. Of course, today proved that
Jan still TTs better than Basso... July ought to be very interesting. 🙂

~bob

Quoted message said:

If Hinault changed his technique it's quite probable that he
could have won 6 or 7 tdf's.

Lame armchair quarterbacking. The guy wins 5 Tours of France, pro
worlds, Lombady, LBL, Fleche Wallone, Paris to Robaix, Ghent Wevelgem,
Amstel Gold and a ton of other events and you think you know more
about pedalling than him and the superbe directors he had in his
career.

JT

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John Forrest Tomlinson said:

Lame armchair quarterbacking. The guy wins 5 Tours of France, pro
worlds, Lombady, LBL, Fleche Wallone, Paris to Robaix, Ghent Wevelgem,
Amstel Gold and a ton of other events and you think you know more
about pedalling than him and the superbe directors he had in his
career.

Of course - I am an observer. He was too busy at the time to note his
obvious mistakes. Some of the so-called successes would do well to log
into rbr on occasion.

It isn't that we are arrogant - we are simply performing an important
public service. There is a term for that if you get caught.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Not really, when you consider the tdf's that Hinault missed and dropped
out of in 1980 due to knee problems the outcome could have changed
dramatically. Most people seem to forget or overlook the fact that
Hinault lost the 1986 tdf due to tactical decision.