Lance picks Jan for 06 Tour

Well your first mistake was to read Bicycling, because they're always
about 6 months behind on everything. Lance picked Jan months ago and
it was likely to psyche him out. Jan won't win. My bet is Basso.

Quoted message said:

Well your first mistake was to read Bicycling, because they're always
about 6 months behind on everything. Lance picked Jan months ago and
it was likely to psyche him out. Jan won't win. My bet is Basso.

Well, I don't find it to be a mistake to read Bicycling.Then again,
could you please tell me your source for the Lance prediction? (FWIW)

Quoted message said:

Well your first mistake was to read Bicycling, because they're always
about 6 months behind on everything. Lance picked Jan months ago and
it was likely to psyche him out. Jan won't win. My bet is Basso.

Basso has finished on the podium twice because he's the only guy who's
shown the ability to follow Armstrong during his explosive
accelerations while climbing, then not lose too much time while time
trialing.

It's yet to be seen whether he can drop Ullrich himself without
Armstrong's wheel to follow. I'm also not convinced that CSC will be
able to control the peloton well enough to cope with Vinokourov. I
think we may well see Bass and CSC burn themselves out trying to
control his attacks. Frankly, I think Vino will prove troublesome for
Ullrich as well.

The race will be so wide open that we're just as likely to see Landis
or maybe even Leipheimer on the top step as we are to see Basso there.
Smart money's still on Ullrich.

Fred

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well your first mistake was to read Bicycling, because they're always
about 6 months behind on everything. Lance picked Jan months ago and
it was likely to psyche him out. Jan won't win. My bet is Basso.

Basso has finished on the podium twice because he's the only guy who's
shown the ability to follow Armstrong during his explosive
accelerations while climbing, then not lose too much time while time
trialing.

It's yet to be seen whether he can drop Ullrich himself without
Armstrong's wheel to follow. I'm also not convinced that CSC will be
able to control the peloton well enough to cope with Vinokourov.

I do not think Vinokourov needs to be coped with. He is a
master of the grand gesture but that does not win grand
tours. Headstrong. He will make trouble for teams who take
the bait. If _I_ were DS I would let other teams worry
about him.

Quoted message said:

I
think we may well see Bass and CSC burn themselves out trying to
control his attacks. Frankly, I think Vino will prove troublesome for
Ullrich as well.

The race will be so wide open that we're just as likely to see Landis
or maybe even Leipheimer on the top step as we are to see Basso there.
Smart money's still on Ullrich.

--
Michael Press

Michael Press said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Basso has finished on the podium twice because he's the only guy who's
shown the ability to follow Armstrong during his explosive
accelerations while climbing, then not lose too much time while time
trialing.

It's yet to be seen whether he can drop Ullrich himself without
Armstrong's wheel to follow. I'm also not convinced that CSC will be
able to control the peloton well enough to cope with Vinokourov.

I do not think Vinokourov needs to be coped with. He is a
master of the grand gesture but that does not win grand
tours. Headstrong. He will make trouble for teams who take
the bait. If _I_ were DS I would let other teams worry
about him.

--
Michael Press

Hey, it almost worked for Chiappucci. Vinokourov has FAR more
class/talent than 'Capuccino' ever did. If they give him even half the
10 minute lead that Chiappucci got in '90, it's all over but the crying.

Michael Press said:

I do not think Vinokourov needs to be coped with. He is a
master of the grand gesture but that does not win grand
tours. Headstrong. He will make trouble for teams who take
the bait. If _I_ were DS I would let other teams worry
about him.

Besides, Ullrich and Co are experienced in attacking and controlling
Vino, especially at the Tour.

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

Curtis L. Russell said:

Besides, Ullrich and Co are experienced in attacking and controlling
Vino, especially at the Tour.

Not to mention chasing him down.

I wouldn't discount Valverde.

"Michael Press" <[email hidden]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well your first mistake was to read Bicycling, because they're always
about 6 months behind on everything. Lance picked Jan months ago and
it was likely to psyche him out. Jan won't win. My bet is Basso.

Basso has finished on the podium twice because he's the only guy who's
shown the ability to follow Armstrong during his explosive
accelerations while climbing, then not lose too much time while time
trialing.

It's yet to be seen whether he can drop Ullrich himself without
Armstrong's wheel to follow. I'm also not convinced that CSC will be
able to control the peloton well enough to cope with Vinokourov.

I do not think Vinokourov needs to be coped with. He is a
master of the grand gesture but that does not win grand
tours. Headstrong. He will make trouble for teams who take
the bait. If _I_ were DS I would let other teams worry
about him.

I don't think we'll see the same Vino this year as we've seen in the past.
This is the first time he's targeting his season atound the Tour. It's also
the first season where he has a first rate team (perhaps even the strongest)
just riding for him. And Saiz is not one to let his number one rider waste
his energy in grand gestures. I think we'll see that Vino has ratcheted up
his climbing a notch. Barring bad luck or a "jour sans" by one of the
favorites, this Tour is likely to be decided in the CLM. If Vino and Basso
can continue to make progress in the CLM, then Ullrich will have a tough
time of it.

CSC doesn't have to control the peloton all by themselves. Basso is not the
patron (not yet anyway). If things hold true to form, it's T-Mobile that
will have to control Vino and the rest in the Pyranees after Ullrich takes
the jersey in Rennes. Assuming that Basso will be the strongest climber
amongst the favorites, then CSC will have to take/protect the lead in the
Alps (if they haven't yet by the end of the Pyranees), and try to increase
it in view of the second ITT, But by then, the number of serious contenders
should be reduced to a manageable size. They could have problems if Klodi is
on form, but given the dynamics on T-Mobil and the complete ineptness in the
area of tactics shown in the past, I don't think anyone other than Ullrich
on that team is a big cause for concern. Should Beloki somehow find the same
form he had before his crash, I think Saiz will blow things by splitting his
allegiance between Vino and Beloki like he did when Beloki and GdG were both
on form. And Botero will loose 20 minutes in the mountains one day, as
usual, to end his effectiveness as a threat alongside Landis.

I'm looking forward to seeing what tactics Discovery will be using. Bruyneel
has shown himself a master tactician in the past, but it's easy to look good
when you've got the best rider in the peloton on your roster. Is Bruyneel as
clever when he has less to work with? As Armstrong says, "Johan Bruyneel is
the first person who put Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France in the same
sentence". I wonder what sentences M Brunyeel has been saying lately?