SB Nation User Blog: John..

Roubaix Velodrome double booked!?

John.. — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:59:12 -0000

I love this time of year in cycling - it is taken so seriously. Does any other sport have this kind of yearly devotion?

Cyclingnews is reporting that the velodrome for Paris-Roubaix is double booked!? Oh my!

My favorite from the past was the article about the HED Stalingrad wheels although the double booking of the Roubaix velodrome is clever as well.

I don't think Velonews is out yet, but if someone wants to add their linkds, that would be nice.

Basso Question

John.. — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:08:13 -0000

Can someone explain how Basso is getting around the 4 year Pro-tour team ban. Is Liquigas planning to drop from the Pro-tour or did the ban not apply since he was not proven to have taken drugs just to have planned to take drugs?

I would think that the four your pro-tour team ban would also prevent Vinokourov from joining Astana. Isn't the ban from riding for a Pro-tour team different from the ban applied by the cycling federation of the rider's country?

Who is Going to Win this thing?

John.. — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:18:11 -0000

Who is Going to Win?

So who will win this thing? There are six riders within a minute of the lead. There are three big stages left: a mountain stage with two HC climbs and a down hill finish, a stage with three HC climbs and an up hill finish, and a 53 km time trial. It is possible that time could be gained on Thursday with category 2 and 4 climbs right before the finish, but I think its unlikely.

So that's what we have: three stages and six contenders. Here's my take of the favorites:

1. Cadel Evans: I still consider him the favorite, but it was close between Evans and Menchov. Menchov climbed better today, but I think Evans will make up for any lost time in the last time trial. Evans has 30 seconds on Menchov. If he climbs poorly like today, he might lose that time and more, but I don't think he will lose more time than he can make up in the final TT.

2. Denis Menchov: He climbed very well today and he can time trial. He only lost 7 seconds to Evans in the 30 km time trial on stage 4. He has won the Tour of Spain and should have the endurance to last to the end. My gut feeling is that Cadel is more consistent than Menchov and that will pay off. Other than that, I think the Tour is between these two.

3. Christian Vande Velde: Its hard to believe I have him listed as the third favorite. He is the only other rider left who can time trial and climb. The others listed below him don't have CVV's time trial ability. He has shown an ability to climb with the best. Unless he loses large amounts of time to the climbers below he should be on the podium.

4. Carlos Sastre: He has to make up a great deal of time to overcome the final 53 km TT. Sastre lost 1:16 to Evans in the first time trial. I think he needs at least 2 minutes and probably more on the time trialers above to win the tour. My guess is that won't happen. On stage 4, he had a better TT than both F. Schleck and Bernhard Kohl so he gets ranked above them.

5. Bernhard Kohl: He is climbing great, but like Sastre his TT skills leave something to be desired. He lost a 1:27 to Evans in the 30 km TT on stage four. Like Sastre, I think he needs more than 2 minutes and Evans and Menchov before the final TT. He might be able to count on the others ignoring him, but his ride today solidifies him as a rider to watch.

6. Frank Schleck: He is a very talented climber, but he doesn't time trial. He lost 1:47 to Evans in the first time trial. He will need more time than the other climbers if that is a real indication of his TT skills right now. He could gain huge time in the next two days and he has the benefit of having a teammate high in the GC as well.

Any of the six riders could win, in my opinion. The climbers (Sastre, Kohl, Schleck) could gain huge time during the next two stages and put the Tour out of reach. To do this, they will need to drop Evans, Menchov, and to a lesser extent CVV. I don't think they will be able to do this, but it should make for some good viewing.

As far as CSC having the number, I think they would be better off having the Schlecks ride for Sastre like Postal/Disco. They could set a tremendous pace that Evans, Menchov, and CVV could not follow. Sastre should be able to time trial better than Kohl.

The only time trial I looked at was stage 4, so if someone else has some other TT comparisons to add, that may be interesting. Your comments are encouraged.

Horner Gives new meaning to pulling

John.. — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:15:08 -0000

This is a short article with some great photos. With this kind of help, maybe I could be a pro cyclists.

I need several more words to finish this post, so here is a link to some cool wheels I bought about a week ago. I've only ridden them 3 times so far, but they are an improvement over the stock shimano wheels that came with my bike. At 1370 grams, they are lights for the money and the hubs seems to spin well.

Maybe I'm not a true cycling fan

John.. — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:50:20 -0000

Normally this time of year, I can't wait for the tour to start. This year, I'm much less interested.

I read this site, cyclingnews, velownews and other regularly. I watch all the races I can and ride regularly. It might sound like I'm a fan of cycling, but I don't have much interest in the upcoming Tour. I'm sure at least some of my lack of interest is because there are only four US riders in the race. No Levi and no Horner.

I should explain that I did follow the Giro this year even though no US riders were likely to win. To me the Giro is more interesting because they have a wider variety of stages. In addition to mountain top finishes and sprint finishes, they also have small hills near the finish so classic riders like Bettini can contest the stage.

At the Tour this year, there will be a small number of riders who can win. Evans, the consensus favorite and second place rider from last year, is not an attacking rider. He'll ride tempo or follow wheels to the end. There is no team time trial. There's no US rider that will challenge either in the sprints nor in the mountain stages. After all this, the best stage rider in the world right now, Contador, won't be at the Tour.

I might watch the Tour to see how much Valverde has improved as a grand tour rider, see how well the Schlecks do, or to watch the Rico show. While these might seem like good reasons, they are not overly compelling.

As a fan, I'd rather have another Giro and skip the tour this year or maybe cycling.tv will broadcast the Cascade Classic.

Bike Questions

John.. — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:59:07 -0000

Felt has a new AR bike that incorporates some of the aero traits of time trial and track bikes for a road bike. I think Cervelo has used some aero designs in ttheir bikes as well.

I'm curious as to why this hasn't been done before. Aero wheels can be heavier, but faster - why not the bike?

Velonews has a picture of the new Felt AR here. It appears to me that the bike is pictured with Mavic wheels even though Slipstream/Garmin is sponsored by Zipp.

VDS Etiquette

John.. — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:04:58 -0000

How much sympathy must I show for a rider's illness or injury before I complain about the effect it will have on my VDS team?

It looks like Michael Rogers has the Epstein Barr virus and will be out for 8 weeks (four weeks of no training). I'm sure it is rather frustrating to be constantly tired and unable to train, but at least he now knows the problem. Hang in there Mick!

On the VDS note, I thought Rogers was going to do really well this season. Last year he was looking on really good form until his crash at the Tour. I had some hopes pinned on him for the grand tours.

Sloping Top Tube?

John.. — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:43:21 -0000

Due to various influences (including reading this site) I have begun commuting to work on my bike several times a week. I am commuting on my only bike which is a 2007 Lemond Versailles bought to keep up with my cycling friends on group rides.

I am considering buying a less expensive bike to avoid punishing my Lemond too much and as a general excuse to get another bike. Some people on this site seem to like the aluminum Cannondale bikes and I wouldn't mind getting an aluminum bike.

In looking at the bikes, I noticed that Cannondale still has a level top tube while most of the other bikes now have a sloping top tube. Can someone explain the difference? Also, I saw a specialized Allez at the bike shop that looked extremely intriguing.

Why Join the Pro Tour

John.. — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:37:23 -0000

Slipstream's schedule is posted. If this is an accurate schedule (which I assume they have invites to most of these races), why would a team pay the money to join the Pro Tour?

It looks like they are going to miss Amstel Gold, Romandie, and Tour of Switzerland, but that is about it. They will be in all the other big races the first half of the season including the Giro (and maybe the Tour). The will be in Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, LBL, Paris-Nice, etc.

If I were running a team, I would consider saving my Pro Tour dues and the other obligations that go with it and staying as a pro continental team.

If Slipstream is able to race almost all of the high profile races without joining the Pro Tour, I wonder if others will follow the same format.

Rock Racing Interview

John.. — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 03:27:18 -0000

I read this interview yesterday and I keep thinking about it.

Michael Ball is the owner of Rock & Republic clothing. In Chris Horner's interview on Pez he says that he nearly signed with Rock and liked what Michael Ball was doing. They have some big names coming next year such as Victor Hugo Pena, Freddy Rodrigues, and Santiago Botero. He has Frankie Andreu as a director.

I have a few questions? Is it me, or does he sound like a jerk in the interview to others as well?

Is this an accurate portrayal of Ball? Maybe it was a bad day for him?

How did he get such good riders to sign? Why would riders like Horner considering riding for him? What is he doing that is innovative? Throwing money at a team is not innovative?

I'd really like to know what others think. I want to cheer for upcoming teams that are building the sport of cycling, but I'm finding it hard to wish this team success.