# Riis calls Ullrich's form "catastrophic"



## harlond (May 30, 2005)

But then he also said it was probably not that far off the form of other TdF contenders, though well below Basso's. With Armstrong gone, is Riis assuming the job of psyching Ullrich out? A different approach from LA, who constantly talked up Ullrich's talent and his fear of it. Or maybe Riis is trying to spur Ullrich into pushing himself too hard at the Giro. Anyway, views on what Riis is trying to accomplish here?

http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=2057


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

I've been picking up whiffs of more of the same... but I've been accused of being a hater. Maybe Riis is a hater also. 

Still no Jan: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=56580&highlight=Ullrich


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## The The (Sep 9, 2002)

It's all propaganda. Riis would be crazy to say Ullrich stands any chance at competing with Basso, CSC's top rider.


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## nwilkes (Jun 21, 2004)

Out of curiousity when has anyone ever said that Ullrich's spring form was any good? JU seems to able to whip himself into shape in less than a month anyway.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

"“It’s clear that he doesn’t like riding his bike, and for that reason I don’t understand why he wants to be a cyclist, it’s a waste of his talent,"

Definitely mind games. Riis is a smart man. It is unfortunate though he has to resort to this bullcrap. 

I believe he is afraid of Ullrich. Jan is going to crush his Ivan, I have no doubt.

francois


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## svend (Jul 18, 2003)

francois said:


> "“It’s clear that he doesn’t like riding his bike, and for that reason I don’t understand why he wants to be a cyclist, it’s a waste of his talent,"
> 
> Definitely mind games. Riis is a smart man. It is unfortunate though he has to resort to this bullcrap.
> 
> ...


Ivan will be the newest spawn of Zeus to climb Mt Olympus.........Jan will come in 2nd......again


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## dawgcatching (Apr 26, 2004)

Why would Riis say anything about Ullrich either way? It seems very unprofessional to be talking smack about an ex-teammate and also someone who seems to be a pretty well-liked guy. If he thought Ullrich's condition was crap, why say so publicly? Just let his lack of legs in the Tour do the talking.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

svend said:


> Ivan will be the newest spawn of Zeus to climb Mt Olympus.........Jan will come in 2nd......again


spawn of Zeus . I like that.

This is what Riis is worried about....

2005 TDF St. Etienne ITT
1 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel 1.11.46 (46.4 km/h)
2 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 0.23
3 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team 1.16
4 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 1.33
5 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC 1.54 

Basso is 1' 30 seconds down on Jan. There are two of these ITTs in 2006. Ivan is instantly down 3 minutes. And he is tired from the Giro. It is over before it even starts.

francois


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## svend (Jul 18, 2003)

francois said:


> spawn of Zeus . I like that.
> 
> This is what Riis is worried about....
> 
> ...


without looking it up I believe if you look at Basso's TT's he has gotten significantly better each year, I suspect the gaps will be narrower this year, Jan up by <2min......Basso will get that and more in the mountains tho you're right in that this years route favores the diesel....

Will be interesting, that's for sure......especially how the Giro plays out, that will be the wild card, how it affects Basso in the TdF........I wouldn't bet against him


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

francois said:


> spawn of Zeus . I like that.
> 
> This is what Riis is worried about....
> 
> ...



Basso's TT abilities are still improving and the bottom line anyway is that Ullrich has finished behind Basso on the GC for the last two years.


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## Jesse D Smith (Jun 11, 2005)

*Jan's "Bang on Schedule" for Le Tour*



nwilkes said:


> Out of curiousity when has anyone ever said that Ullrich's spring form was any good? JU seems to able to whip himself into shape in less than a month anyway.


from cyclingnews.com exactly one year ago today.
Ullrich "bang on schedule" for Le Tour

"T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich has finished his training sessions in Tuscany, Italy, and is back to racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Northern France as of today. The Tour de France winner of 1997 told German Radsportnews.com on the day before his season start, "My training has been very good, the weather in Tuscany being fine during the last few weeks. I'm feeling impatient now, and I look forward to racing again at the Circuit de la Sarthe just like in 2003. I trained four to six hours a day, sometimes climbing, sometimes pacing behind a motorcycle to get used to racing speeds of 50 km/h again," he said. "I took the right decisions, I think. The Vuelta a Murcia was too hard for me at the time, I was still sick. It was better to wait and start here. There were other possibilities, but I prefer to start slowly. Paris-Nice or Tirreno Adriatico didn't seem right to me," he continued.

Ullrich is not thinking about his season's goal, the Tour de France yet. "The only reason why I think of it now is because we're in the region of France now where the Tour starts. My preparation schedule is as follows: Vuelta a Aragon, Vuelta a Cataluña, Tour de Suisse. I will also reconnoitre the stages in the Alps and Pyrenees and stick a training week in Italy in there. The rest (of the training) I'll do at home." 

here's some stories from earlier in the '05 spring

"Despite yesterday's atypical double-stage at the Circuit de la Sarthe, T-Mobile captain Jan Ullrich finished safely in the bunch in the morning's road stage, later finishing 13th in the afternoon time trial, the same position he now holds on the overall classification.

"It was fast out there again this morning, but I had no problem matching the pace," said Ullrich. "I knew before [the time trial result] there is still a little bit missing in the corners and at the end, but I am not dissatisfied."

Interestingly, Ullrich was using a new time trial bike with a special wheel that he has tested several times in past weeks, and although more aerodynamic, he was quoted by German publication Der Spiegel as saying: "It's fun to sit on this machine; the drop is bigger to be more aerodynamic, but it is become more stable."

Today's penultimate stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe is a 195.4 kilometre journey from Angers to Sablé-sur-Sarthe, before the race concludes tomorrow in Le Mans with another road stage. Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel from Cofidis is the current race leader."


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

rocco said:


> Basso's TT abilities are still improving and the bottom line anyway is that Ullrich has finished behind Basso on the GC for the last two years.


Maybe. Maybe not. If you look at it objectively though:

- there is no Team time trial this year. Basso got 30 seconds on Jan last year
- there are two looong ITTs. One or both will probably be flat. Basso will lose time on both.
- Basso doesn't have Lance to pull him up the hills and make time on Jan
- there are only three uphill finishes this year
- the Giro this year is very, very hard. Harder than the TDF!
- Jan is in form early and training with his team 100%
- gone is the idiot manager of T-mobile... Godefroot.

So there. My money's on Jan. Valverde will kick Basso's tail too.

francois


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## bjarne (Aug 28, 2002)

*Just stating the obvious*



dawgcatching said:


> Why would Riis say anything about Ullrich either way? It seems very unprofessional to be talking smack about an ex-teammate and also someone who seems to be a pretty well-liked guy. If he thought Ullrich's condition was crap, why say so publicly? Just let his lack of legs in the Tour do the talking.


Riis isn't the only one who has said that Ullrich's form is very poor.
Danish ex-pro Rolf Sorensen has also seen Ullrich during training in Tuscany, and claimed that he had never seen him more overweight than this year, and that he was riding poorly.

Furthermore has the German tabloids published pictures of "Der Jan" where he is extremely fat, so I think that Riis was just stating the obvious.

Riis is very fond of Ullrich and I think he is sad that a very talented guy throws his career away.

Cheers

Bjarne (Not that one)


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## R.Rice (Aug 23, 2004)

bjarne said:


> Riis isn't the only one who has said that Ullrich's form is very poor.
> Danish ex-pro Rolf Sorensen has also seen Ullrich during training in Tuscany, and claimed that he had never seen him more overweight than this year, and that he was riding poorly.
> 
> Furthermore has the German tabloids published pictures of "Der Jan" where he is extremely fat, so I think that Riis was just stating the obvious.
> ...


Before buying into any of that I would need to see pics.All the pics I have seen of Jan this year he has been abnormally thin for this time of year and looked ripped.

Either way,I hope he destroys Basso in the TDF this year.


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## Tomwd3 (Apr 29, 2005)

*Jan's form*

I'd be more than a bit surprised if it's just a case of Bjarne playing mind games in a public/print forum. That doesn't seem his style. I've always thought he carried himself with 
a good deal of class and led his team the same way.
I'd find it less surprising if indeed Jan were out of shape (although I hope not).
Catastrophic doen't sound like a word you would casually toss out there.


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

A few factors to remember:

1. Basso is Italian and cares about winning the Giro more than the Tour, at least this year where ASO has nerfed all the climbs to keep the French riders closer in GC (which won't work anyways).

2. The Giro is super, super hard this year and Basso will be riding full gas the whole time fighting off itty bitty climbers.

3. Basso is better at TT's but not at Ullrich quality in long flat TT's.

4. Playing mind games on Ullrich is almost a sport now.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

francois said:


> Maybe. Maybe not. If you look at it objectively though:
> 
> - there is no Team time trial this year. Basso got 30 seconds on Jan last year
> - there are two looong ITTs. One or both will probably be flat. Basso will lose time on both.
> ...



We'll see.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

Tomwd3 said:


> I'd be more than a bit surprised if it's just a case of Bjarne playing mind games in a public/print forum. That doesn't seem his style. I've always thought he carried himself with
> a good deal of class and led his team the same way.
> I'd find it less surprising if indeed Jan were out of shape (although I hope not).
> Catastrophic doen't sound like a word you would casually toss out there.



I agree, I wouldn't hope to find Ullrich out of shape either but Riis is a fairly understated and unassuming character from what I've seen.


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## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

Lance's comments about Ullrich every year were mind games, but they were with himself rather than with Ullrich. He needed to create dangerous opponents in his mind to replace the lack of them in reality (like Michael Jordon did).

Riis may be playing mind games with Jan but it's still true. Ullrich rides his bike because it's his job and he shows all the passion for his job (and sub optimal results) that most people do in their jobs. That's both the attraction and the frustration for fans.


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## Tomwd3 (Apr 29, 2005)

*Lance mind games*

I agree with Terzo that it seemed like Lance used to invent snubs/rivalries to use as motivation. However, I doubt he's go so far as to publicly announce Jan's form as catastrophic. Too extreme, now you've given Jan the motivation that some say (not me) he lacked.
I'm really hoping it's not true because I do think that Jan is a classy rider of incredible talent whose primary misfortune has been to be pigeonholed as a failure based on wether or not he can defeat one guy in one race. Not fair in my opinion. 
I'm just having a hard time believing Bjarne would say CATASTROPHIC if it wasn't true.
Bummer...


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## Cruzer2424 (Feb 8, 2005)

harlond said:


> But then he also said it was probably not that far off the form of other TdF contenders, though well below Basso's. With Armstrong gone, is Riis assuming the job of psyching Ullrich out? A different approach from LA, who constantly talked up Ullrich's talent and his fear of it. Or maybe Riis is trying to spur Ullrich into pushing himself too hard at the Giro. Anyway, views on what Riis is trying to accomplish here?
> 
> http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=2057



are there any interviews with Ullrich anywhere?

I feel like there aren't any because he's knows he's being a slouch and doesn't want to say it.

Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

Riis is fed up with Ulrich and his inability to be #1 again. Its make or break this year for Ulrich. I wouldn't be suprised if T-Mobile canned him this year.



harlond said:


> But then he also said it was probably not that far off the form of other TdF contenders, though well below Basso's. With Armstrong gone, is Riis assuming the job of psyching Ullrich out? A different approach from LA, who constantly talked up Ullrich's talent and his fear of it. Or maybe Riis is trying to spur Ullrich into pushing himself too hard at the Giro. Anyway, views on what Riis is trying to accomplish here?
> 
> http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=2057


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

bas said:


> Riis is fed up with Ulrich and his inability to be #1 again. Its make or break this year for Ulrich. I wouldn't be suprised if T-Mobile canned him this year.


So Riis can sign him up for CSC?


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

rogger said:


> So Riis can sign him up for CSC?



My bad.. I was just babbling to chime in and screwed up my directors and I am  .

Is it time to go home yet?!


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

bas said:


> My bad.. I was just babbling to chime in and screwed up my directors and I am  .
> 
> Is it time to go home yet?!


No worries, happens to all of us.


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## Under ACrookedSky (Nov 8, 2005)

Riis' comments are contradictory. On one hand Ullrich's form is catastrophic, but on the other hand it's just a little behind that of his Tour rivals. So which is it? To me being in catastrophic condition would mean ten kilos overweight. With Basso gunning for the Giro, he should be ahead of Ullrich.


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## 24Hours (Apr 26, 2005)

*Yo, dawg, you got that right!*



dawgcatching said:


> Why would Riis say anything about Ullrich either way? It seems very unprofessional to be talking smack about an ex-teammate and also someone who seems to be a pretty well-liked guy. If he thought Ullrich's condition was crap, why say so publicly? Just let his lack of legs in the Tour do the talking.


And how cool would it be if Jan could book-end his career with a win. Well, then in true book-end fasion, take second on his way out... perhaps to a young new talent, like Valverde!

Aside from a taste for Porsches and extasy, nobody would ever say anything bad about Jan. He seems like a cordial pro (all things considered).

I'm looking forward to this year's TdF. It'll be a real treat.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Under ACrookedSky said:


> Riis' comments are contradictory. On one hand Ullrich's form is catastrophic, but on the other hand it's just a little behind that of his Tour rivals. So which is it? To me being in catastrophic condition would mean ten kilos overweight. With Basso gunning for the Giro, he should be ahead of Ullrich.



Riis comments are inane. It is clear he is looking for a reaction from Jan. He is probably frustrated that he can't get a good read on his #1 concern.

Either that or there was a lot of heavy drinking that night.

francois


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## Angelracer (Dec 12, 2004)

Maybe Riis should get back into cycling and win the TDF after retiring for 10 years. Now that would be sweet. After thinking of this, its been almost 9 years since Ullrich won his 87; TDF. I think he can do it. Hes material for it, how old is he now, I forget.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

francois said:


> Riis comments are inane. It is clear he is looking for a reaction from Jan. He is probably frustrated that he can't get a good read on his #1 concern.
> 
> Either that or there was a lot of heavy drinking that night.
> 
> francois



Maybe you're right... I guess we'll see who's comments were truely inane in July.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

rocco said:


> Maybe you're right... I guess we'll see who's comments were truely inane in July.


Whether Basso wins in July or not, these words cannot be redeemed:
“It’s clear that he doesn’t like riding his bike, and for that reason I don’t understand why he wants to be a cyclist..."

Riis described Ullrich’s state of form as “absolutely catastrophic”

How can he talk in absolutes when he doesn't have an ounce of data? How can he say Ullrich doesn't like to ride a bike??

I think Riis is the best DS in the business. It is just unfortunate he's resorting to these BS press games.

Oh btw, Ullrich, Valverde and Landis are going to trounce Basso. Even Zabriskie will beat all three of Basso's time trials

francois


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## divve (May 3, 2002)

Valverde - too early, maybe in a few years
Landis - doesn't have it
Basso - girlieman, not tough enough for the TdF


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

francois said:


> Whether Basso wins in July or not, these words cannot be redeemed:
> “It’s clear that he doesn’t like riding his bike, and for that reason I don’t understand why he wants to be a cyclist..."
> 
> Riis described Ullrich’s state of form as “absolutely catastrophic”
> ...



Landis looks hopefull. I think Valverde needs to actually finish a TDF before we start announcing that he's going to trounce any proven TDF contender. Zabriskie could beat all three of Basso's time trials but my gut tells me to doubt that he will. Ullrich vs. himself and the rest of the contenders... we'll see. I think the himself part is a bigger challenge for Ullrich than the other guys. Basso might be fried by July but we'll see. We're mostly likely due to at least see one major surprise on the podium in Paris.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

divve said:


> Valverde - too early, maybe in a few years
> Landis - doesn't have it
> Basso - girlieman, not tough enough for the TdF


Ha! I like your style.

Who are you rooting for?

francois


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## euro-trash (May 1, 2004)

We'll see if Jan's form is 'catastrophic' next week in Romandie. If he can finish in anything other than the laughing group then he'll be fine. July is still a long way off.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

divve said:


> Valverde - too early, maybe in a few years


I agree



divve said:


> Landis - doesn't have it


Probably doesn't



divve said:


> Basso - girlieman, not tough enough for the TdF


Sort of silly to say considering the guy has been on the podium for the last two years - a step higher each time.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

francois said:


> Ha! I like your style.
> 
> Who are you rooting for?
> 
> francois


Dario Pieri


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

euro-trash said:


> We'll see if Jan's form is 'catastrophic' next week in Romandie. If he can finish in anything other than the laughing group then he'll be fine. July is still a long way off.



I agree. We'll see if that motorpacing he's been doing in Tuscany is working out.


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## euro-trash (May 1, 2004)

Coolhand said:


> ASO has nerfed all the climbs to keep the French riders closer in GC


Where do you get this crap? Every other thing you write concerns a french conspiracy. They decided to lengthen the TTs and lighten the climbing a little this year. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT? I don't love the route, but the winner will certainly have to climb well. 

There are no good french TT riders, so I don't see how this route helps them.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

euro-trash said:


> Where do you get this crap? Every other thing you write concerns a french conspiracy. They decided to lengthen the TTs and lighten the climbing a little this year. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT? I don't love the route, but the winner will certainly have to climb well.
> 
> There are no good french TT riders, so I don't see how this route helps them.



Hey, didn't you hear that Hinault is making a comeback?


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Many, many Jan news articles are here:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=jan+ullrich&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&start=20

It looks like he had a knee problem. Kloden crashed in training and just had surgery.

Now this part really sucks. It's from Cyclingnews, April 3:
------------
Last week Ullrich announced that he would not be starting in the Circuit de la Sarthe, where he had expected to open his season. Now even his start in this year's Giro is in question. He plans to test his knee at the Tour de Romandie, he said. "If I can ride there without pain, then maybe I will start on May 6 as planned at the Giro d'Italia." 
Meanwhile, he is riding about four hours a day "just rolling, with a low wattage," followed by several hours of physical therapy. He is not concerned that he will lose his basic conditioning that he has been working on since November. "That doesn't go away, even if I couldn't train properly the last four weeks.
-------------


"couldn't train properly for four weeks"


Well I'll be a fig newton,

francois


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## Under ACrookedSky (Nov 8, 2005)

francois said:


> "couldn't train properly for four weeks"


So could Riis have seen Ullrich just rolling along at an easy pace and assumed that he must be in crap shape? Latest news is that Jan's knee has healed and he has been training up to six hours a day.

If Ullrich's knee holds up I think Basso will find out in July what a true monster Jan can be on a bike.


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## bjarne (Aug 28, 2002)

*Lets see*

It's hard to predict if Basso is biting of more than he can chew, by trying to win both the Giro and the Tour, but he is definitly a proven contender, and will be a favourite for both races.

On the questions on why Riis said what he did, I don't think for a minute that he is playing mind games. Ullrich and him are actually great friends and Riis has helped him several times, even after starting up CSC.
I think that Riis is just sad that his friend doesn't live up to his full potential.

Riis has seen Ullrich on a training ride, and properbly also listened to other riders training on the same roads as "Der Jan" and there is a general felling that Ullrich is too heavy and that his condition is more like a retired rider than a champion.

Riis has a very good eye to see whether a rider is strugling or in peak condition. Furthermore he actually trained Ullrich at the worst time in his career (1999) where he lived at Riis's house for several weaks, so I think Riis knows what to look for in Ullrich


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## divve (May 3, 2002)

rocco said:


> Dario Pieri


That guy was hilarious. I could have even beating his TT time in the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde.


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

divve said:


> That guy was hilarious. I could have even beating his TT time in the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde.


But could you have beaten his second place in Paris-Roubaix? I think it would be hilarious to see you try.


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## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

*Maybe*



Under ACrookedSky said:


> So could Riis have seen Ullrich just rolling along at an easy pace and assumed that he must be in crap shape? Latest news is that Jan's knee has healed and he has been training up to six hours a day.
> 
> If Ullrich's knee holds up I think Basso will find out in July what a true monster Jan can be on a bike.



Maybe Jan has someone close that is blabbing his mouth to outsiders about Jan's conditioning. And! maybe Jan's loose lipped insider double agent is dispensing bogus information to his competitors.


Just maybe.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

divve said:


> That guy was hilarious. I could have even beating his TT time in the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde.



I've read that he's quite talented on the bike (obvious considering 2nd in Paris-Roubaix) but the problem is that he's even more talented at the dinner table. It's been said that if Pieri had Zabel's brain he'd be like Eddy Merckx. Who really knows but I think it's sad.


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## Sintesi (Nov 13, 2001)

francois said:


> spawn of Zeus . I like that.
> 
> This is what Riis is worried about....
> 
> ...


Psst, Basso isn't riding to win the Tour. He's going for the Giro win and hope for a high Tour placing. Giro is number one. Once that's out of the way then he'll concentrate on the Tour.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

dagger said:


> Maybe Jan has someone close that is blabbing his mouth to outsiders about Jan's conditioning. And! maybe Jan's loose lipped insider double agent is dispensing bogus information to his competitors.
> 
> 
> Just maybe.



yeah...


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## svend (Jul 18, 2003)

Under ACrookedSky said:


> If Ullrich's knee holds up I think Basso will find out in July what a true monster Jan can be on a bike.


Just like Jan whooped Basso last year........if Basso stays healthy he beats Jan....again


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## bjarne (Aug 28, 2002)

dagger said:


> Maybe Jan has someone close that is blabbing his mouth to outsiders about Jan's conditioning. And! maybe Jan's loose lipped insider double agent is dispensing bogus information to his competitors.
> 
> 
> Just maybe.


Arhh a conspiracy, maybe Ullrich has Jimmy Hoffa hidden in his backyard????


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

svend said:


> Just like Jan whooped Basso last year........if Basso stays healthy he beats Jan....again



Just like the last two years to be exact...


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## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

*Lol*



bjarne said:


> Arhh a conspiracy, maybe Ullrich has Jimmy Hoffa hidden in his backyard????


Conspiracies are fun...But the cycling community is small and people talk and I am quite sure that Riis is trying to stay "in the know" about the competitors.


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## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

I agree that Basso's number one goal is the Giro. He promised his mother he would win it for her before she died so I am sure he wants to honor her memory above all else. 

Especially since the Tour route is designed to favor [that french guy] Ullrich this year. I don't think it's a coincidence that Riis caved in on Basso wanting to ride the Giro only after the Tour route came out. Better to win one than none. I think he has a decent shot at both because I have faith in Ullrich's ability to torpedo himself but le Tour is definitely not a favorable course for Basso.

Given Riis' perfectionist tendencies and his record of squeezing all the talent out of other team's castoffs it must be very frustrating for him to see Ullrich do the opposite with himself.

If you believe Ullrich isn't hurting his chances with the way he prepares or lives his life you are saying you don't think that his body's results would improve with LA's or Vino's brain in charge of it. I find it hard to believe anyone could truly find that assertion credible.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

francois said:


> Even Zabriskie will beat all three of Basso's time trials
> 
> francois



Note which riders beat Zabriskie in the TT at the TDG today. July is still a considerable amount of time away but just take note... ...and Popo - not so hot.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

terzo rene said:


> I agree that Basso's number one goal is the Giro. He promised his mother he would win it for her before she died so I am sure he wants to honor her memory above all else.
> 
> Especially since the Tour route is designed to favor [that french guy] Ullrich this year. I don't think it's a coincidence that Riis caved in on Basso wanting to ride the Giro only after the Tour route came out. Better to win one than none. I think he has a decent shot at both because I have faith in Ullrich's ability to torpedo himself but le Tour is definitely not a favorable course for Basso.
> 
> Given Riis' perfectionist tendencies and his record of squeezing all the talent out of other team's castoffs it must be very frustrating for him to see Ullrich do the opposite with himself.



Good analysis!!

francois


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