We could talk about Cancellara all day long.
by flying dog on Mar 13, 2010 12:22 PM EST
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PrintIn CyclingNews (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-aiming-for-ronde-van-vlaanderen) today there is an article about Cancellara aiming for the Ronde. This may be old news to some but still interesting as he has stated that he would like to win all 5 Monuments, would you bet against him winning? But of all the riders out there how many could win, now who would you bet on.
The article continues with his comments about not really targeting the worlds time trial championships, boring.
As we know Saxo Band will not be sponsoring the team nest year, speculation this time of year may or may not have much basis but how does a team owned by the Schlecks sound? What will happen to Spartacus if this happens?
Seemed like this article packed a lot of material ripe for speculation, Fabian or Edvald? I think Tony would be naked without the world champs kit, and it sounded like a course he could win both jerseys at, that would be a feat. Andy and Frank as your boss, does Jens! listen?
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I would be happy with him winning the Ronde......next year
I want Boonen to win it this year.
As for Monuments he can’t win, I wouldn’t put anything out of his reach but I would say Leige is unlikely unless he got in the right break away that stuck. I do admire his challenging himself year after year.
"Woof, woof, woof! That's my other dog imitation."
If he were to win a third Monument this year you would think that he would be obsessed with all five.
Given his ability to time trial right on the red line you’d have to believe he will make a very convincing effort to climb with speed.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
That'd be interesting.
Who would actually work with Cance in Monument breakaway?
"Italians often mock me for not enjoying tighter clothing" - willj
If your option is to slow down
to let Boonen into your group you’d better be really fast to not help Tony.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
Liège and Lombardia
are both a stretch for Cancellara. It’s difficult to imagine him climbing well enough to make it over that second-to-last climb – not the Côte-de-Saint-Nicholas, but the one before it – with guys like Andy Schleck. The light kids will kill him there, and even if he gets back on there’s still two solid climbs to go. I suppose he could go from a long way out à la Vinokourov and Voigt, but the other teams would really have to lie down to let that happen. I suppose it’s possible, but a bit of a reach, in my view.
Lombardia, the Ghisallo and the Civiglio are difficult, and usually a small climby dude wins that race.
I have discovered a chink in Gav's mental armor
she has an inability to remember “Roche aux faucons”
I can *never* freakin' remember that one
I remember the Côte and the Roche parts, then it’s all over for me.
Conventional wisdom doesn't apply to Tony
Who else could a post of this nature be about? Merckx? Hinault? Briek Schotte?
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
The man for all five...Peter Sagan
Pretty impressive that he came back from a flat tire on a Cat 1 today. Then there’s the U23 Roubaix win…
As for Spartacus, love the guy but, great as he is, he’s not super explosive on short climbs. If you watch the Ronde, he’s never one of the first few guys at the top of the Kapelmuur, Kwaremont, Koppenberg, etc. I can’t remember him being competitive in LBL or even Amstel…
Closest I can find is 2nd in the Juniors version in 2008.
It's fun to beat Cancellara--Edvald Boasson Hagen
Meant juniors....
And I thought he had won juniors for some reason…thanks for the correction.
Looking at his frame, I bet Sagan’s going to be a contender on the cobbles.
by Mr 60 Percent on Mar 13, 2010 4:20 PM EST up reply actions
U23 P-R results are not necessarily indicators
YaroPop won it (and everything else) but I’ve never seen him being anywhere near the type of rider who would be expected to win it as a pro.
The lad is chock a block full of power...
I easily envisage a P-R. or Flanders in is future, plus the old guard is going to be slowin down in the coming years..
BAH!!!!....Cavendish?! Double BAH!!! Sky!!
TLP 7.0 Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent
by bradBordeaux on Mar 14, 2010 6:44 AM EST up reply actions
He had a fairly slow start last year
planned I assume training-wise
I would love to see him take a shot
Moo
didn't he injure himself early last spring?
Or was it just the broken chains and bikes that I’m remembering?
Sick at ToC
After winning prologue. Broke his chain during Ronde last year.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
He was sick and had an injury in the pre-season/early season yes
his stated ambitions were the same as this year but bad luck altered his season.
Fabian Cancellara will so thoroughly decimate and dominate
de Ronde, the poor souls behind him will weep and tremble with relief and exhaustion when they finally reach the finish line. I am certain of this.
Looking at his palmares, can any mortal doubt that he is not capable of doing this?
I cannot wait.
Has some Jens! rubbed off on Spartacus or what?
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
I so love this pre race analysis and prediction.
Ruthann is the new leader of the soul/booty train.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
"would you bet against him winning?"
Haaaahahaha! You kill me! (That was a joke, right? You weren’t seriously suggesting that he could not win something that he has set his sights on?).
He has a point, re the TT title… not that him winning it is ‘boring’, Lord no! – but that he has nothing to prove there. That said, if he does not target the title, it’s maybe a little unfair on whoever ends up winning the thing. Tony owns those stripes, no matter who actually wears ‘em. (But Tony? – the race is in my ’hood this year. So you’ll be bringning that big arse down here and kicking arse for my viewing pleasure, yes? I’m travelling 900km to see you do it…)
Uh oh, maybe I spoke too soon
There are two new leaders of the soul/bootyarse train.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Nonono, we can't do that
I mean, Ruthann and I would be bad enough… but I suspect that majope would be wanting to throw down a challenge, too… and then it would just get scary…
Scuse me... I'm not much of a fighter, but I'll hold your belongings...
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
BAH!!!!....Cavendish?! Double BAH!!! Sky!!
TLP 7.0 Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent
by bradBordeaux on Mar 14, 2010 6:47 AM EST up reply actions
Oh thanks
See, now I inexplicably have the Doobie Brothers stuck in my head. Down around the corner, half a mile from here, you can see them long trains run…
(No, Seahorse, I am not posting a link to share the joy. I was going to… but then I was overcome by the urge to actually post Sergio’s nipple celebration instead of the song… ROFLMAO)
Doobies are a step up from some of your stuff ;)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
... and watch (Cance) disappear.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
I've got to believe he'll go for the stripes.
You are right about the winner if Tony doesn’t race the time trial, Asterisk City. I would like to think he would look at the big picture. When he is eighty years old he should be able to say that he still owns the record for the most/most consecutive TT championships. Fifty years from now people should still be talking about him, total domination is how to do it.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
This has probably been talked about before, but I wonder if, in certain conditions, Rabon might challenge him a bit this year in TTs. Just a hunch…anyways it would be fun to get to a point where it isn’t just a race for 2nd when Cancellara’s there.
By the way I’d love to see Cancellara win the Ronde…or 2nd behind Gilbert ;)
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
by plinytheelder on Mar 14, 2010 1:36 AM EST up reply actions
What magic potions might one consider,
if one thought he could challenge a focused Cancellara?
I would love to get to the point in my lifetime where I could pull out the “old computer files” of Fabian dominating year after year and showing the young’uns what a real cyclist looked like. Fabian would be there to back me up all the way. That would be more fun than watching the legend fade too early for his time.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
I dunno
can’t see him getting to the line in de Ronde without Boonen. Those climbs are more Tommeke’s territory than Tony’s. And we all know what happens if they go to the line together.
Cancellara is the perfect machine for Paris-Roubaix, where the pace doesn’t go up and down so much.
"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 Mar 14, 2010 12:10 PM EDT reply actions
Devolder and Cancellara in a small group ahead of Boonen.
Does Boonen chase, he’ll bring some other teams with him. With Cancellara all things are possible, that’s why we watch.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
Oh, I think if he got to the line with anyone but Boonen or Pozzato
he could take them in a sprint. He’s deep enough to go from 400 meters as he’s shown before.
"Woof, woof, woof! That's my other dog imitation."
Tactically he just has to create a little gap somewhere along the way.
We know he can do that, then it’s game over.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
I'm with sminer
Look at how Tafi won the Ronde. That is how I could see Cance winning it too. With Pippo and Boonen playing the roles of van Petegem and Musseuw.
I'm with Chris here
Cancellara is never one of the top guys on the major climbs in the Ronde. Lesser guys like Flecha, Nuyens, and Rast always beat him on those ascents. If there’s a group of 2 or 3 together after the Kapelmuur, Tony won’t be in it.
I have hard time seeing him win unless he’s in a regrouping of 6-12 riders and he TTs away somewhere after the Kapelmuur and probably after Bosberg, but before the final km.
by Mr 60 Percent on Mar 14, 2010 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions
You guys are bringing up the past as if it matters ;)
We’re talking about a Cance going in with more of a winning mindset.
Seriously though, everyone is saying he can win, and of course it’s going to take just the right circumstances for it to happen. Some of us just believe the door of opportunity swings a little wider for Spartacus.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
isn't this devolder's and chavanel's role?
hasn’t devolder been playing that role for the past two years? cancellera has a chance at the Ronde but its not that great. for the past few years the Ronde has been a tactical race and in this scenario Quickstep has been trumps.
The Ronde is a crapshoot most of the time so if he can improve his explosiveness
he has a chance of making things happen. His climbing has improved over the years since he has cut a bit of weight but he still isn’t on top of his form yet so it has yet to be seen what he can do. He will just have to try to TT away ala Devolder or 2005 Boonen or come to the line with a bad sprinter but the latter’s probability is slim
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