What We Learned: Jan 31- Feb 6
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 8:01 AM EST
in Housekeeping
Email
PrintLast week was very educational. Maybe even too educational:
We learned that Floyd Landis had a lot to say to Paul Kimmage about his and cycling's dark secrets. Lance was again a primary villain, but so too was the UCI in Landis' seven-hour long chat. Pat McQuaid's reaction was no less alarming.
On to happier subjects, we kicked off not one but two of the world's greatest competitions... the Fourth Annual Podium Cafe Virtual Directeur Sportif and the First-Ever Women's Virtual Directeur Sportif! Both of them are guaranteed to make your cycling fanhood 127% better this season, or your money back.
We learned quite a bit about BMC's top riders, straight from the source, DS John Lelangue. We also checked in on Katusha, in our latest Team Capsule. Plus some other minor matters, like, oh, the 2011 TOUR OF FLANDERS ROUTE!! And some other Classics courses.
Then we found out how much it costs for the privilege of putting on a major American stage race for a day. We also heard about Mile-a-Minute Murphy, the world's fastest man back in the day.
And then there were the results:
- Cyclocross? Pauwels in a dash. And the Hulk in a, um, Hulk.
- Ellen van Dijk in the Women's Tour of Qatar.
- Lars Boom in the Men's Qatar prologue.
- Tyler Farrar won the Trofeo Majorca. Or did he?
86 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
umm, chris, farrar won/didn't win the Trofeo Palma Mallorca, not the whole thing (yet).
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
What we learned
Apparently not the names of the races… :(
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:26 AM EST up reply actions
Pat McQuaid has invited investigation.
UCI management committee member Sylvia Schenk would welcome one.
The skills really do go away if not practiced, and I don't mean to brag but I was getting very mediocre. - Tejay Van Garderen
I don't think she is a member of the commitee anymore.
Current members here.
Also I think there is a bit of history between her and the Pound-McQuaid battle. Nevertheless we need an independent investigation.
I'm becoming rather adept at botching things up.
She is a lawyer and chairwoman of an international organisation fighting corruption, Transparency International. Along with being a former UCI management committee member and former German federation president. She has credibility.
The skills really do go away if not practiced, and I don't mean to brag but I was getting very mediocre. - Tejay Van Garderen
Schenk
is a long-time critic of the UCI and has over the year had some pointed things to say about its handling of doping cases, especially.
I should add
I don’t think live chats would really work for anything that complicated. It’s more a fun, meet-and-greet kind of format.
Must say, I would have been more impressed if it was a current
Committee member other than Phat Pat asking for an investigation.
coughDEGENKOLB!!!!cough
just behind in 2nd
by Vlaanderen90 on Feb 7, 2011 10:23 AM EST up reply actions
HTC has a few youngsters at 2 points to choose from.
Then there’s Matthews…
"...and that's my two cents"
Rasmussen
Should really blossom at HTC
"It was getting colder and colder as we went up. About halfway up, I started to go a little backwards and as I passed Thor he looked at me and said, "If you lose my wheel I will smash you." I took his wheel and found an extra gear." João Correia
He looked fit in Copenhagen
I think very much depends on how they use him and if they can get him more focused. He’s had some odd performances, hopefully it was a result of weak guidance from his team and that can change under Holm & Co.
The guy was on my team last year and in 2011….?
My bags are guaranteed sand-free.
Oooh, I get it. So we should take him?
It definitely got played into the ground. Even I was flinching after a while--Tyler Farrar, on that Transitions ad.
Degenkolb ist ein Wunderkind
I hope he isn’t scheduled with Cav much
by Vlaanderen90 on Feb 7, 2011 11:15 AM EST up reply actions
I reckon they'll mix it up this year
and split the non-Cav races between a few talents, as opposed to assigning one big hitter to them all. Or they should.
hmmm, is htc going to turkey this year?
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Did PTOT
get a change in status? Seems like a must-ride nowadays. Eight days of nasty cobbles. Yay!
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:39 AM EST up reply actions
yes it did. it's now part of vds. (about time... live viddy ya know).
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Degenkolb
looks like he’s riding a clown bike.
[I know, just an illusion]
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:27 AM EST up reply actions
His bike looks shorter then Farrar's
which would mean he was going across the line faster, but both bike are actually 170 pixels long. Exactly the same speed.
Degenkolb definitely doesn't look the prettiest on a bike
Big tree-trunk legs that aren’t super long.
by Vlaanderen90 on Feb 7, 2011 11:44 AM EST up reply actions
Why would a bike going faster take up fewer pixels in a photograph?
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Because it's a "photo-finish photo"
It’s taken on the line through a narrow slit and lots of rapid consecutive shots are then pasted together. So the horizontal dimension of the photo is time not space.
by tedvdw on Feb 7, 2011 11:38 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm frightened and confused.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
Ok
that’s not as scary.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
I only just got my head round that.
Confusing because it looks so similar to a single phototgraph. But for Leigh Howard in third, that’s not what he looked like 5m before the line at all, it’s how he looked when he crossed it a split second later. Or how the different parts of him looked as they individually crossed the line.
by Triki on Feb 7, 2011 11:52 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Good observation, though
Another tell tale sign: distorted spokes.
by tedvdw on Feb 7, 2011 12:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
whoa
Cool. I have always wondered how that shit worked. Now I’m smarter.
Already, this is a good day.
That's why his prefix is "Super"
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
That is fucking cool...
…tyvm for that little jewel of information.
pretty awesome result right there
Looking forward to seeing what the kid can do this year. Talented dood.
8:23?
a.m.? Surf up? :)
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:29 AM EST up reply actions
Dead flat.
But you know, it’s Monday. And the people, they might get disappointed if something doesn’t happen later today, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.
Don't say it aloud
What’s the internet version of a stampede?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
Yay!
It definitely got played into the ground. Even I was flinching after a while--Tyler Farrar, on that Transitions ad.
I had a lot of good stuff to work with. :-D
It definitely got played into the ground. Even I was flinching after a while--Tyler Farrar, on that Transitions ad.
There will be strikes
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Feb 7, 2011 11:44 AM EST up reply actions
Strikes
not streaking.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Feb 7, 2011 11:46 AM EST up reply actions
[insert Michael Rasmussen pic here]
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Feb 7, 2011 11:58 AM EST up reply actions
I heard that.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
We also learned that lawyers can't count to 5
I have played the VDS 2007,2008,2009,2010, which would make 2011 the Fifth? annual VDS.
Ok so I can understand that Chris might have blocked at least one of those years from memory because his placing was too hard to bear mentally.
My bags are guaranteed sand-free.
I have someone
who does my counting for me.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:28 AM EST up reply actions
What I don't understand
Is why you’ve billed PdC for ten VDS competitions?
by EdredonBrowny on Feb 7, 2011 11:42 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs
I can delete comments
you know.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
What was the game called in 2006?
The skills really do go away if not practiced, and I don't mean to brag but I was getting very mediocre. - Tejay Van Garderen
Dilemma
do I get ready for work or check in on my 4 year old who obviously has got hold of a hammer?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 11:45 AM EST reply actions
Depends on where he is...
Garage? Go break it up.
Kitchen? Best just let him finish.
Cycling is the reason for my life - D. Bennati
VDS question
If something like yesterdays strike happens during a race that counts…where the UCI says no one won, but the rider obviously contested it…do points get awarded?
Would that endanger our chances of having a PdC exclusive invited investigation of the UCI?
This is so not the best part of having a fantasy game in cycling
Having to come up with policies for the weirdest possible scenarios in advance because you can bet your ass that shit is 99% sure to be needed.
My bags are guaranteed sand-free.
We have a rule
VDS Code, Section XVI, part 22.707, subparagraph (b):
“In the event that a race result is questioned in any way, the VDS Leadership Council shall, pursuant to the procedures established herein (Section V Part 13.5), rectify the situation by making shit up as it goes along.”
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Feb 7, 2011 1:36 PM EST up reply actions
Well someone can sure see Pat is on the way out and is positioning himself as the ideal successor.
My bags are guaranteed sand-free.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Celebrate the Giro d'Italia at Podium Cafe!
Check our Giro Section for race updates, on-the-scene reports, and other hijinx.
Featured Stories
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recent FanShots
