Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Signs of Life?
Not from me so much. I guess I’m still on hiatus – just taking a break from studying for tomorrow morning’s penultimate final exam. Ok, so truth be told, taking a break from procrastinating about studying for the exam.
Rather the post is about Jan Ullrich. His ride in the Giro is inexplicably being celebrated in the German press as the return of the Prodigal Son. Ullrich’s daily progress is being hailed as the latest miracle worked by the new German-born Pope, to the extent that his Giro – which he truthfully did “enter without ambition regarding the overall classification” – is being considered “fully successful.” After all, he is regarded as a favorite for tomorrow’s only long-distance time trial.
With the exception of teammate Michael Rogers, though, where is his competition? Ivan Basso is widely expected to pad his lead as well because most of the participants in the year’s Giro ride about as well against the clock as I do. Fortunately for them, this year’s race will be won and lost in the mountains of the final week, not in the contre le montre mañana. More significantly for Ullrich as well, if he is to win Le Tour he will have to take the fight to Basso, Alejandro Valverde, and Damiano Cunego in the mountains – if not to take time away from them, then at least to manage his losses.
In that regard, from the pre-season Ullrich’s ride in the Giro seemed to make since. Although pros supposedly don’t follow the dictum of race your strengths, train your weaknesses, Ullrich certainly needs to find his form in the mountains if he wants to duplicate his last Tour victory of nearly a decade past.
Granted, this is only the second week of racing that Ullrich has in his legs this season, but time is not on his side. His own goals, those of his team, and largely those of his country, are focused solely on those three weeks in France. Bearing this in mind, much like the real Giro – the one for the maglia rosa – Ullrich’s Giro won’t really begin until the final week. If Ullrich somehow manages to haul his hump over the summits of the Dolomites, he emerges from the Giro, he emerges from Italy as something of a legitimate contender at Le Tour. But if he continues to stuggle mightly every time the asphalt inches oh so slightly upward, than it will take a comeback unlike any seen since the time of Lazarus to put Ullrich back on top of the heap.
(And since I’ve apparently become an evangelical, I suppose in the finance exam tomorrow, I should just copy out the tale of the money changers in the Temple…)
Rather the post is about Jan Ullrich. His ride in the Giro is inexplicably being celebrated in the German press as the return of the Prodigal Son. Ullrich’s daily progress is being hailed as the latest miracle worked by the new German-born Pope, to the extent that his Giro – which he truthfully did “enter without ambition regarding the overall classification” – is being considered “fully successful.” After all, he is regarded as a favorite for tomorrow’s only long-distance time trial.
With the exception of teammate Michael Rogers, though, where is his competition? Ivan Basso is widely expected to pad his lead as well because most of the participants in the year’s Giro ride about as well against the clock as I do. Fortunately for them, this year’s race will be won and lost in the mountains of the final week, not in the contre le montre mañana. More significantly for Ullrich as well, if he is to win Le Tour he will have to take the fight to Basso, Alejandro Valverde, and Damiano Cunego in the mountains – if not to take time away from them, then at least to manage his losses.
In that regard, from the pre-season Ullrich’s ride in the Giro seemed to make since. Although pros supposedly don’t follow the dictum of race your strengths, train your weaknesses, Ullrich certainly needs to find his form in the mountains if he wants to duplicate his last Tour victory of nearly a decade past.
Granted, this is only the second week of racing that Ullrich has in his legs this season, but time is not on his side. His own goals, those of his team, and largely those of his country, are focused solely on those three weeks in France. Bearing this in mind, much like the real Giro – the one for the maglia rosa – Ullrich’s Giro won’t really begin until the final week. If Ullrich somehow manages to haul his hump over the summits of the Dolomites, he emerges from the Giro, he emerges from Italy as something of a legitimate contender at Le Tour. But if he continues to stuggle mightly every time the asphalt inches oh so slightly upward, than it will take a comeback unlike any seen since the time of Lazarus to put Ullrich back on top of the heap.
(And since I’ve apparently become an evangelical, I suppose in the finance exam tomorrow, I should just copy out the tale of the money changers in the Temple…)
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Hiatus
The crunch of finishing up my program here, getting ready to move and starting a new job isn't leaving a lot of time to blog these days. Or more accurately, is leaving no time to blog (and damn littel time to watch teh Giro at that). I'll be back for Le Tour.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Savoldelli's Strong Start
Defending champ Paolo Savoldelli won the short Giro prologue in Belgium in commanding fashion. Il Falco needed only 6.2 kms to take more than 20 seconds out of his main rivals for the maglia rosa. The second prologue won in impressive fashion within a week, perhaps the more impressive this time out as it follows quickly on the heels of the virus infection that prompted his withdrawal from the Tour de Romandie.
Still, Savoldelli would seem to have his work cut out for him in this year’s Giro, and likely still figures as a second-best favorite. The realm of the five-star protagonists is more the realm of the pure climbers such as Gilberto Simoni, Damiano Cunego, and last year’s surprise discovery, Jose Rujano. The cream of the crop is still likely Ivan Basso, who combines climbing finesse with a decent race against the clock.
Danilo DiLuca is also aiming for the final podium, and his approach to this race should see an appreciable increase in his chances of success. Unlike last year where the realization that riding through to the end would cement his overall ProTour win, DiLuca will not be going for stage wins in the first half of the race. Rather he’ll conserve his energy for mountains, and should make him into a credible overall threat.
But the mountains will likely hold the less-than-pur climbers a step behind. The profile of the race will likely do them in – not because of any objective increase in the difficulty of the race (where the overall climbing is roughly the same as last year). Instead it will be the timing that is the critical factor. The four most critical stages follow one after the other in the final week, unlike last year where there was an opportunity to recover between the mammoth stages.
And in keeping with tradition, the organizer’s have unveiled another of the sick climbs that have become the hallmark of the Tour of Italy. “Right here,” Damiano Cunego indicated when checking out the latest unpaved monstrosity of the Plan de Corones, “is where the Giro will be lost.” With a grade reaching 24%, the 17 km long climb on the road to Kronplatz will be the main battle ground for the maglia rosa. It is difficult to predict exactly who will emerge from the trenches unscathed, but one thing seems certain – again this year the Giro will be serving up the most dramatic of the battles among the three grand tours.
Still, Savoldelli would seem to have his work cut out for him in this year’s Giro, and likely still figures as a second-best favorite. The realm of the five-star protagonists is more the realm of the pure climbers such as Gilberto Simoni, Damiano Cunego, and last year’s surprise discovery, Jose Rujano. The cream of the crop is still likely Ivan Basso, who combines climbing finesse with a decent race against the clock.
Danilo DiLuca is also aiming for the final podium, and his approach to this race should see an appreciable increase in his chances of success. Unlike last year where the realization that riding through to the end would cement his overall ProTour win, DiLuca will not be going for stage wins in the first half of the race. Rather he’ll conserve his energy for mountains, and should make him into a credible overall threat.
But the mountains will likely hold the less-than-pur climbers a step behind. The profile of the race will likely do them in – not because of any objective increase in the difficulty of the race (where the overall climbing is roughly the same as last year). Instead it will be the timing that is the critical factor. The four most critical stages follow one after the other in the final week, unlike last year where there was an opportunity to recover between the mammoth stages.
And in keeping with tradition, the organizer’s have unveiled another of the sick climbs that have become the hallmark of the Tour of Italy. “Right here,” Damiano Cunego indicated when checking out the latest unpaved monstrosity of the Plan de Corones, “is where the Giro will be lost.” With a grade reaching 24%, the 17 km long climb on the road to Kronplatz will be the main battle ground for the maglia rosa. It is difficult to predict exactly who will emerge from the trenches unscathed, but one thing seems certain – again this year the Giro will be serving up the most dramatic of the battles among the three grand tours.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Forget Lance -- Introducing the New Lemond
“Before his second Tour triumph, the American Greg Lemond showed up overweight at the Giro and abandoned.” Thus German cycling federation president – and Ullrich’s number one fan – Rudolf Scharping, attempted to restore credibility to Jan’s seemingly deflated ambitions to stand anew atop the winner’s podium in Paris.
His late season debut in the final Giro-tune up seemed at first glance to be a nearly complete disaster. Ending far closer to the laterne rouge than the maillot jaune, the Tour de Romandie in one major sense was still a successful test. Not of his form, but of his dodgy knee, which reportedly held up well and did not bother the German. The same cannot be said of the mountains or even the races against the clock, but at least with all his moving parts in working order. And judging from his reactions and his obvious relief in speaking with the German press following the race, a huge burden has been lifted mentally as well – and it is this latter aspect that has so often proven to be Jan’s downfall.
Looking, though, towards the business end of the final general classification, Cadel Evans stands as a dramatic contrast to Jan in many ways. Not only his he in shape, and also improving in disciplines that were previously his weaknesses – shaping himself into a legitimate contender along with his podium-mates Alejandro Valverde and Alberto Contador. But he also joins the legion of former T-Mobile riders who have gone on to greater success after adopting more masculine colors than the Bonn-based squads “magenta” (lest you thought it was pink).
Alexandre Vinokourov is perhaps the T-Exile garnering the greatest attention. But he is not the only cast-off now being cast as a possible favorite in the Tour. Joining Vino and Evans is Paolo Savoldelli, whose departure was particularly acrimonious. Never given a real role in the German squad, or given any real support, he was harshly criticized by the T-Mobile team management when he pulled off a remarkable ride at last year’s Giro. At this point, too, even Bobby Julich – who received his own share of criticism from the spurned Germans after winning Paris-Nice – is more likely to reprise his former Tour podium placing than is Ullrich.
Jan’s contract expires at the end of the season, ad there is heavy speculation this will be his last season as a professional. Although he is an undisputed natural talent, and solely responsible for the enormous interest in cycling in Germany now – including the cause for German sponsorship of two new ProTour teams in Gerolsteiner and Milram – his retirement will likely be a fillip to the sagging fortunes of the still (albeit barely) premier German squad. Ending their singular focus on Jan at all costs, the squad will be forced to recognize and cultivate the other talents they have brought into the fold – rather than casting them off as potential usurpers of Jan’s supposed title.
His late season debut in the final Giro-tune up seemed at first glance to be a nearly complete disaster. Ending far closer to the laterne rouge than the maillot jaune, the Tour de Romandie in one major sense was still a successful test. Not of his form, but of his dodgy knee, which reportedly held up well and did not bother the German. The same cannot be said of the mountains or even the races against the clock, but at least with all his moving parts in working order. And judging from his reactions and his obvious relief in speaking with the German press following the race, a huge burden has been lifted mentally as well – and it is this latter aspect that has so often proven to be Jan’s downfall.
Looking, though, towards the business end of the final general classification, Cadel Evans stands as a dramatic contrast to Jan in many ways. Not only his he in shape, and also improving in disciplines that were previously his weaknesses – shaping himself into a legitimate contender along with his podium-mates Alejandro Valverde and Alberto Contador. But he also joins the legion of former T-Mobile riders who have gone on to greater success after adopting more masculine colors than the Bonn-based squads “magenta” (lest you thought it was pink).
Alexandre Vinokourov is perhaps the T-Exile garnering the greatest attention. But he is not the only cast-off now being cast as a possible favorite in the Tour. Joining Vino and Evans is Paolo Savoldelli, whose departure was particularly acrimonious. Never given a real role in the German squad, or given any real support, he was harshly criticized by the T-Mobile team management when he pulled off a remarkable ride at last year’s Giro. At this point, too, even Bobby Julich – who received his own share of criticism from the spurned Germans after winning Paris-Nice – is more likely to reprise his former Tour podium placing than is Ullrich.
Jan’s contract expires at the end of the season, ad there is heavy speculation this will be his last season as a professional. Although he is an undisputed natural talent, and solely responsible for the enormous interest in cycling in Germany now – including the cause for German sponsorship of two new ProTour teams in Gerolsteiner and Milram – his retirement will likely be a fillip to the sagging fortunes of the still (albeit barely) premier German squad. Ending their singular focus on Jan at all costs, the squad will be forced to recognize and cultivate the other talents they have brought into the fold – rather than casting them off as potential usurpers of Jan’s supposed title.
