QOTD: What's Phil Drinking?

by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 22, 2009 2:22 PM EST in Cafe Happy Hour!

Slow news day news... Lord knows I have endless respect for Philippe Gilbert, at least when he's riding. But does he expect anyone to believe this?

At this stage, I noticed that our team is stronger than last year. I've seen some riders have put a step forward compared to 2009. Someone like Jurgen Roelandts is much better than the same period last year.

Um, OK, have fun with that. Jurgen Roelandts, all of 23 this past season, is one of the more promising Belgian kids around, with a pretty good string of non-victorious top ten results in a variety of sprints, including stages of the Vuelta. [And some truly awesome hair.] You never know when a sprinter is about to make the leap, and maybe in a few months we'll start running his numbers next to the Greipels and Farrars of the world. Unfortunately, he'll have to continue his development without Johan Van Summeren, one of the top five leadout train partners in the world. Also, there was some Australian dude with a funny colorful jersey who I think might have left too.

Still, I will give Phil a pass. There's much to be said for the power of positive thinking. It's gotta be at least as viable a team strategy as whatever else Omega Pharma have tried over the years.

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Oh God imagine my fear as I open up PdC for the first time today

only to believe I wrote some sort of stupid ass comment while sleep blogging last night or something…woof! Seems Gilbert is using solid Silence logic there.

Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy

by Phil H. on Dec 22, 2009 2:34 PM EST reply actions

that's exactly what I thought when I open twitter.....

by rbjhan on Dec 23, 2009 12:31 AM EST up reply actions

Your guess is as good as mine, so here goes...

Psychological propoganda or “in denial” as a result of the departure of Johan VS and Cadel?

"Shut your mouth or I'll fill it with my fist" -Robbie McEwan to Lance Armstrong

by Koppenberg34 on Dec 22, 2009 3:05 PM EST reply actions

I just do not know what to think of this...

It does sound a little crazy but even though they lost Van Summeren they still have Van Avermaet and De Haes so that will be some polemica to see who gets support in races. They added Gerben Lowik who is pretty quick and Adam Blythe, who is a A-Grade sprinter in the making.

As much as I want to say that Gilbert is crazy and Roelandts will never get higher than the Belgian Champs, I think that the team is still very solid on the sprint side of things even though they are losing Van Summeren.

by Vlaanderen90 on Dec 22, 2009 3:14 PM EST reply actions

Maybe

but they don’t look like a coherent unit to me. Bunch of sprinters fighting each other… and Gilbert?

"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen

by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 22, 2009 4:22 PM EST up reply actions

Well

You can’t make an entire team out of Phil Gil no matter how hard you try. I bet *lotto tried though

by Douglas Ansel on Dec 22, 2009 6:12 PM EST up reply actions

Is this why the EU is trying to ban human cloning?

by Ed K on Dec 22, 2009 6:52 PM EST up reply actions

Gilbert more important than all of them...but I guess they will have to have a sprint off at training camp

to see who gets to be leader.

by Vlaanderen90 on Dec 22, 2009 8:36 PM EST up reply actions

Don't forget that last year he was a new guy on the team.

He came from FDJ so his expectations won’t necessarily be awfully high as to peoples performance but their attitudes will be a different thing. I would guess he’s commenting on peoples attitudes when he says “I’ve seen some riders have put a step forward compared to 2009.”

"Drawing on my fine command of language I said nothing."- Groucho

by Mark Frank on Dec 22, 2009 7:15 PM EST reply actions

I saw an interview on Sporza where he said that up until his good placing at De Ronde, he was at his lowest point in his professional career

by Vlaanderen90 on Dec 22, 2009 8:35 PM EST up reply actions

Confidence

Funny how it’s an issue for even the most elite guys.

BTW, I will say right now that Gilbert will win Amstel Gold. Like, it’s over.

"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen

by Chris Fontecchio on Dec 22, 2009 9:38 PM EST up reply actions

Nobody Expects the Belgian Inquisition!

Gilbert will kick ass when nobody expects it; however, when the pressure/expectations are on, count on the mindless mid-race attack to completely take him out of contention.

by ManBicycleThing on Dec 22, 2009 9:57 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I'm tipping Phil for WC next year....... ohh and every other race as i did this year.. hehe

"the rest was over 30. And that doesn't mean old and useless, but experienced and with the stamina"

Jens! Voigt, Crit Intl Interview, 2009

by CycleGirl on Dec 23, 2009 12:51 AM EST up reply actions

Really?!

CG, you continue to surprise me ;-)

A part of me would like to see him win Worlds… simply because I’m sure that your reaction would be a lesson in joy – one that I would remember for a long time :-)

(I won’t be able to wave a Belgian flag though, sorry. No way that I could hold it along with the Swiss flag, the Kazakh flag, possibly the Norwegian flag…)

by Lou... on Dec 23, 2009 3:28 AM EST up reply actions

LoL... Ohh yes i'm certain you would remember it when Phil wins!! hehe

Thats ok i’ll hold the Belgian flag, but from my info, i’m also holding the Aussie flag for Heinrich Haussler (yep, he will be wearing aussie colours) wait & see…..

"the rest was over 30. And that doesn't mean old and useless, but experienced and with the stamina"

Jens! Voigt, Crit Intl Interview, 2009

by CycleGirl on Dec 23, 2009 4:19 AM EST up reply actions