Anyone heard any info on how the man is coming along for the Tour?
neilchanter,
I don’t find it unusual at all that things are quiet on this front. LA has always been one of the best “poker players” in the pro peleton. I don’t think he wants anyone to really know. In fact, if anything, he wants everyone to think he is struggling to get into shape and having some trouble doing it. No one will go the extra mile in terms of getting ready with the exception of Lance. Then there will be another lesson in whoop ass.
The other issue that works in LA’s favor is that many riders can’t hold themselves back and peak too early or try to maintain a peak level for too long. This may also be complicated by team strategy and goals and team managers and not just the riders themselves. Then when the TDF rolls around, the riders are beginning to lose their performance edge or they have peaked and are falling off that peak.
A perfect example is how Lance got his butt served up on a platter by Basso at the Mount Ventoux time trial a month before the Tour. We will never know if Lance was holding back just a little or if it was a full out effort on his part and he just hadn’t peaked yet as far as his training was concerned. I’m convinced he wouldn’t have shown all his cards regardless.
The last thing is nobody is as focused or as dedicated to their goals as Lance is.
Physically, he may be beginning to slip a little. This may be the year that the team that supports him plays the biggest role ever. Losing Ekimov certainly is a disappointment as far as Lance is concerned. Eki is a team mate who has a wealth of experience besides a tenacious character very similar to Lance’s. Emotionally, I think, the loss of Ekimov is a bigger factor than Lance’s fitness.