Can Hincapie win?

too bad that bettini is a better sprinter than george, so the chances of him coming around bettini
or even being able to mark him the entire race are very limited. george is now known as much more of
a classics specialist which doesn't necessarily qualify him to outsprint 'il grillo' himself. even
when he was more of a sprinter, he wasn't really in the upper echelon. outsprinting leon van bon at
GW doesn't really count in comparison to lets say the paris-tours duel between petacchi and zabel.
in reference to bettini hitting the nitrous button, george can try and follow but he'll still be
running on gas alone. i still keep my hopes up but we'll see.

shawn

"pista-1" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough gas
in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful" is
probably thinking the same thing.

"pista-1" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough gas
in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful" is
probably thinking the same thing.

Hincapie has a better sprint, but Bettini has great results because he knows how to drive a break
and he is a great sprinter from those small groups that tend to make the final break. Only if the
course is not too selective would George have a chance of Bettini.

pista-1 said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough gas
in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful" is
probably thinking the same thing.

Can Kurgan "jump"?

"<swj> >" <swjelley@spamshit.<just 'yahoo.com'> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

too bad that bettini is a better sprinter than george, so the chances of

him

Quoted message said:

coming around bettini or even being able to mark him the entire race are very limited.

No he isn't. Hincapie is usually dropped by the time Bettini wins the sprint. That is the problem.

Nick Burns said:

Hincapie has a better sprint, but Bettini has great results because he knows how to drive a break
and he is a great sprinter from those small groups that tend to make the final break. Only if the
course is not too selective would George have a chance of Bettini.

Stage 1 of the Tour:

1 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 3.44.33 (44.89 km/h) 2 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Lotto Domo 3
Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Telekom 4 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick.Step-Davitamon 5 Baden Cooke (Aus)
FDJeux.com 6 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 7 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank . . . 144 George
Hincapie (USA) US Postal-Berry Floor

Hincapie would not have finished third in this bunch, even if he had sprinted. Bettini's the
better sprinter.

Dan

"Dan Connelly" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Stage 1 of the Tour:

1 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 3.44.33 (44.89

km/h)

Quoted message said:

2 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Lotto Domo 3 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Telekom 4 Paolo Bettini (Ita)
Quick.Step-Davitamon 5 Baden Cooke (Aus) FDJeux.com 6 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 7 Oscar
Freire (Spa) Rabobank . . . 144 George Hincapie (USA) US Postal-Berry Floor

Hincapie would not have finished third in this bunch, even if he had sprinted. Bettini's the
better sprinter.

Dan

You should know better than to use one or two results to "prove" who is better, especially in
sprinting. I would say in that group it should not have shocked anyone if George placed 4th and beat
Bettini in to 5th. I would have been shocked if either of those two placed third out of that bunch.
I will concede that they are in the same class. Bettini certainly has been producing some great
sprints the last few years and on that basis alone he kills George. I just think that George has
nothng to fear in the World's RR except getting dropped. I will also say that there are certain
sprints that favor each of those two. I think that George has better top end speed, although I could
be wrong. Hell, we may never know. George hardly even gets in to those finishes any more these days.

Nick Burns said:

"Dan Connelly" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Stage 1 of the Tour:

1 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 3.44.33 (44.89

km/h)

Quoted message said:

2 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Lotto Domo 3 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Telekom 4 Paolo Bettini (Ita)
Quick.Step-Davitamon 5 Baden Cooke (Aus) FDJeux.com 6 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole 7 Oscar
Freire (Spa) Rabobank . . . 144 George Hincapie (USA) US Postal-Berry Floor

Hincapie would not have finished third in this bunch, even if he had sprinted. Bettini's the
better sprinter.

Dan

You should know better than to use one or two results to "prove" who is better, especially in
sprinting.

I don't have time to conduct comprehensive surveys. How about stage 2? :

1 Baden Cooke (Aus) FDJeux.com 5.06.33 (40.02 km/h) 2 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) Jean Delatour 3 Jaan
Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2R Prevoyance 4 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Telekom 5 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole
6 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Lotto Domo 7 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick.Step-Davitamon 8 Stuart O'grady (Aus)
Credit Agricole 9 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Vini Caldirola-So.Di

Come up with some comparable results for Hincapie.

"Dan Connelly" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Come up with some comparable results for Hincapie.

Start win a race where both had the same objective.

pista-1 said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough gas
in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful" is
probably thinking the same thing.

How does George usually do on courses with 400 meters (2X200m) of climbing, and no measureable flats
for 21 laps? Here's the route profile, cyclingnews.comworlds03Open ↗ This
doesn't look like a very forgiving course.

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

Quoted message said:

"pista-1" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough
gas in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful"
is probably thinking the same thing.

Hincapie has a better sprint, but Bettini has great results because he

knows

Quoted message said:

how to drive a break and he is a great sprinter from those small groups

that

Quoted message said:

tend to make the final break. Only if the course is not too selective

would

Quoted message said:

George have a chance of Bettini.

I can't help but wonder if George is not trained to win. Tyler Hamilton said in an interview
that when he was with Postal, he was trained for setting a long, hard, steady pace in the
mountains. George seems to be getting better and better at that same skill each year. Riis
change Hamilton's training to give him more of the ability to attack. It certainly paid off this
year. Hapless Hincapie needs a new team and a fresh start.

Fred Marx said:

courses with 400 meters (2X200m) of climbing cyclingnews.comworlds03Open ↗

That's 2x 100 m.

Quoted message said:

Start with a race where both had the same objective.

good point. George is certainly not looking for stage wins at Le Tour. It's all about LANCE.

"B. Lafferty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I can't help but wonder if George is not trained to win. Tyler

Hamilton

Quoted message said:

said in an interview that when he was with Postal, he was trained for setting a long, hard, steady
pace in the mountains. George seems to be getting better and better at that same skill each year.
Riis change Hamilton's training to give him more of the ability to attack. It

certainly

Quoted message said:

paid off this year. Hapless Hincapie needs a new team and a fresh start.

Excellent point. I never gave that too much thought, but you have to wonder. George is too loyal to
Lance. I hope George read what Tyler had to say.

Ewoud Dronkert said:

Fred Marx said:

courses with 400 meters (2X200m) of climbing cyclingnews.comworlds03Open ↗

That's 2x 100 m.

oops yeps my bad can't read a map silly me.

pista-1 said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough gas
in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful" is
probably thinking the same thing.

Sure seem willing to write off some of the local US talent. After Horner's great race in San Fran,
he might surprise.

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

Quoted message said:

pista-1 said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough
gas in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful"
is probably thinking the same thing.

Sure seem willing to write off some of the local US talent. After Horner's great race in San Fran,
he might surprise.

How is Chris' sprint? If he was with Bettini is a small break, would Horner have a chance? I kind of
doubt it but I have not followed him very closely. On the other hand, he does seem to excel in
circuit races and that is what the World's RR is, the most important annual circuit race.

This actually looks like it will be a great race this year. I hope it ends up being covered in full
or at least for an hour on OLN.

Actually it sounds dumb. Bettini and Hincapie are two different riders. In a flat sprint, I'd
probably bet on George (that little Bettini is very quick, though). However, Bettini is a more
complete one day rider, far more Savvy, not too mention confident. While he's not as strong (I say
this from a "power standpoint; I think he's much faster in a sprint) as Bartoli at his best, right
now he's damn good and a much better climber.

Sounds like he's got it won...The worlds are no longer a sure thing for anyone. But if Ballerini
holds the team in check, Bettini could well do it.

George? Not this time, I'll bet on that for sure!

CH

pista-1 <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough gas
in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful" is
probably thinking the same thing.

Nick Burns said:

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

Quoted message said:

pista-1 said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough gas
in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful" is
probably thinking the same thing.

Sure seem willing to write off some of the local US talent. After Horner's great race in San Fran,
he might surprise.

How is Chris' sprint? If he was with Bettini is a small break, would Horner have a chance? I kind
of doubt it but I have not followed him very closely. On the other hand, he does seem to excel in
circuit races and that is what the World's RR is, the most important annual circuit race.

This actually looks like it will be a great race this year. I hope it ends up being covered in
full or at least for an hour on OLN.

I finally got a chance to watch the video of the SF t-M, a few weeks after it happened, since a
friend had it in between the last two stages of the Vuelta. To see Chris lose some time to change a
flat (fast change by those Mavic guys, where were they when I flatted twice on my Saturday morning
60+ mile ride?) and then charge up to the peleton and then attack and ride away with it. Pretty
strong finisher and definitely in great form during that race. If he's still got it he could be a
tough customer.

In response to the subject line: No.

Message continues below even though there is no need to expand on that response...

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

Quoted message said:

"pista-1" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If Bettini is such a "sure win", then Georgie should be able to mark him the whole race, follow
him when Bettini hits the nitrous button, on a climb, near the end, and hopefully have enough
gas in the tank to come around him at the line. Sounds easy, huh? Too bad every other "hopeful"
is probably thinking the same thing.

Hincapie has a better sprint,

DEAD wrong.

I challenge you to find *one* result where they contested the same sprint and George came in ahead
of Bettini. You won't be able to. Bettini has even beaten Cipollini in bunch sprints. GH has never
come close to that. Bettini is a great sprinter, while GH isn't *even* a sprinter.

but Bettini has great results because he knows

Quoted message said:

how to drive a break and he is a great sprinter from those small groups that tend to make the
final break. Only if the course is not too selective would George have a chance of Bettini.

Bettini is a breakaway master in addition to being an excellent sprinter. You are right about that.

Here is how it will go down: Whatever break GH is in will be the one that gets caught just before
Bettini launches the winning breakaway.

-RJ