Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Only the Latest Setback
In addition to Jan Ullrich’s perennial problems with mental preparation for the Tour, he now has a knee inflammation pushing back his already tardy entry into the racing scene.
Ok, so perhaps this is merely Jan’s style. Basso’s early season form could very well come to naught – in fact it would be easy to see this as a case for peaking too early – especially when he has ambitions to ride for victory in both the French and the Italian national tours.
From a physiological point of view, Ullrich’s condition probably isn’t a cause for concern. But then again, his physical form has generally not been an issue. Even when he looked like Proky Pig peddling around in his magenta garb after adding on a few layers of blubber to ward of the cold of a Central European winter, it was really much more of a manifestation of Jan’s commitment to his Tour preparations we were concerned with, rather than the extra weight he would carry through the low-caliber races he attempted to keep pace with in the early season.
This year the difficulties are all that much greater: following Lance’s retirement, Ullrich has become the heir apparent. The title is earned as much by default as by distinction – he is, after all, the only active rider with a Tour victory in his palmares. Plus his five second place finishes and last year’s third place behind Basso clearly confirm his talents.
But the kink in Ullrich’s armor has always been in psyche. When he lacks confidence, he squeezes too hard, often with disastrous results. There was the extremely sketchy mountain descent in 1997, when Riis had to calm the young rider and guide him back to the attacking Virenque and Co. In 2000, he had Armstrong on the ropes and isolated in the mountain, where he again descended with disastrous results. And in 1999 when he was barred from racing, he managed to crash his Porsche into a row of parked bikes on his way home from the local rave.
The pressure is even greater this year: he is the odds-on favorite to win the Tour now that the insurmountable obstacle we call Lance has been removed. And unlike Basso (who could justifiably be the odds-on favorite), Ullrich has no “out.” Winning the Giro is not a viable means of salvaging the season for Ullrich. Success or failure for Jan will be measured exclusively by whether or not he finishes in Paris atop the podium (small wonder, then, that Basso insists that Jan remains the overwhelming favorite). Success in one-day events, smaller stage races, even a repeat of his 1999 success in Spain will not serve as redemption, but rather as a stark reminder of what he failed to do: live up to his potential to win the Tour. Repeatedly.
Because of this pressure, Jan’s Tour preparations more than other riders needs constant confirmation that he is on the correct trajectory. Recent history has offered too many examples of the best laid plans going just awry, and the last thing T-Mobile needs, is an Ullrich in the mountains, squeezing those handlebars just that much more tightly.
Ok, so perhaps this is merely Jan’s style. Basso’s early season form could very well come to naught – in fact it would be easy to see this as a case for peaking too early – especially when he has ambitions to ride for victory in both the French and the Italian national tours.
From a physiological point of view, Ullrich’s condition probably isn’t a cause for concern. But then again, his physical form has generally not been an issue. Even when he looked like Proky Pig peddling around in his magenta garb after adding on a few layers of blubber to ward of the cold of a Central European winter, it was really much more of a manifestation of Jan’s commitment to his Tour preparations we were concerned with, rather than the extra weight he would carry through the low-caliber races he attempted to keep pace with in the early season.
This year the difficulties are all that much greater: following Lance’s retirement, Ullrich has become the heir apparent. The title is earned as much by default as by distinction – he is, after all, the only active rider with a Tour victory in his palmares. Plus his five second place finishes and last year’s third place behind Basso clearly confirm his talents.
But the kink in Ullrich’s armor has always been in psyche. When he lacks confidence, he squeezes too hard, often with disastrous results. There was the extremely sketchy mountain descent in 1997, when Riis had to calm the young rider and guide him back to the attacking Virenque and Co. In 2000, he had Armstrong on the ropes and isolated in the mountain, where he again descended with disastrous results. And in 1999 when he was barred from racing, he managed to crash his Porsche into a row of parked bikes on his way home from the local rave.
The pressure is even greater this year: he is the odds-on favorite to win the Tour now that the insurmountable obstacle we call Lance has been removed. And unlike Basso (who could justifiably be the odds-on favorite), Ullrich has no “out.” Winning the Giro is not a viable means of salvaging the season for Ullrich. Success or failure for Jan will be measured exclusively by whether or not he finishes in Paris atop the podium (small wonder, then, that Basso insists that Jan remains the overwhelming favorite). Success in one-day events, smaller stage races, even a repeat of his 1999 success in Spain will not serve as redemption, but rather as a stark reminder of what he failed to do: live up to his potential to win the Tour. Repeatedly.
Because of this pressure, Jan’s Tour preparations more than other riders needs constant confirmation that he is on the correct trajectory. Recent history has offered too many examples of the best laid plans going just awry, and the last thing T-Mobile needs, is an Ullrich in the mountains, squeezing those handlebars just that much more tightly.
