Ulle is 41 seconds behind Fabian Jeker before the last stage in the TDS. Tomorrow there is that 26km flat TT where the decision will be made.
Who thinks he can make up that kind of time in such a short TT, against a clear non-specialist but with the fighting spirit of the leader?
Sure, he CAN do it…the question is will he? That’s one reason why they actually do the race! It will be fun to find out.
No, the question is; CAN he?
Why is that so obvious to you? Close to a minute faster over a 30min TT, seems everything else than a trivial question to me.
Well, I’m quite certain that if he is determined to have this win, that Ullrich will crush the field. Only a Millar, Armstrong, Botero (in shape), or someone of that level could prevent it. Jeker is on the next tier down in a TT. Ullrich could blow him away tomorrow by more than 1:00. . .
Indeed, the question REALLY IS. . .WILL HE? Will he burn a match three weeks out from TdF for what is a tune-up race to him?
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to trivialize the question! I was just trying to move the thread along, it looked lonely…I guess I shouldn’t have commented if I had nothing truly insiteful to add.
Indeed, the question REALLY IS. . .WILL HE? Will he burn a match three weeks out from TdF for what is a tune-up race to him?
Heared an interview today where he said he would really like to win and thinks he can put 2 seconds per kilometer on Jeker…
Axel
No problem, dude.I didn’t ask the question properly either, it’s a internet forum not a scientific discussion after all…
2 seconds per kilometer, sounds like a lot to me but I don’t have a good feel of what the difference between a world class TT specialist and a professional cyclist in great form is.
I guess that was my real question, how much can a Ullrich, Armstrong put on a Jeker, Mayo etc assuming they are all in peak form and WANT to do as good as it gets.
Ullrich will do it if he goes all out. Don’t forget that Tyler Hamilton can also TimeTrial with Ulrich, Millar, Armstrong, etc.
Hmm that’s a whole new bag of potatoes…
Hamilton is an awesome TT rider but I wouldn’t exactly put him in the same league as Armstron, Ullrich and Millar.
For a flat TT, that is.
Ullrich made up 42 seconds and wins the tour de suisse by 1 second.
Guess, my question hit the spot;-)
and he was using rotor cranks!!!
Did you find pictures?
and he was using rotor cranks!!!
no he wasn’t !!!
But it seems he did use his Walser, unless somebody else made a good copy of it.
He wasn’t using Rotors, and it wasn’t a Walser - not even close, doesn’t look a bit like one. It was a Giant composite TT bike, same rig Once was on last TDF.
my poor attempt of humor… gotcha!
you did.
fredly,
the bike once used last year had a sloping top tube and the one ulle used today didn’t but other than that they do seem similar. Not a walser you’re right.
Maybe a carbon copy of a P3;-)
This one is sloping too, it’s just less evident/dramatic in the larger size that Ullrich rides.
The sloping TT is pretty much a Giant trademark at this point, and they are applying the design concept as such, even where it makes little sense, such as on a TT bike, where the downslope of the TT is aerodynamically counterproductive. 
You guys have Walser on the brain. I can’t believe its still dominating your eyesight 1 year out from last year’s TDF.
Ullrich is on a Giant TT bike. Its a large size and therefore the slope isn’t as radical, but its still there. The main differences between his bike and last year’s Once bikes is the Shimano (vs Once’s Campy), and different bars. . .very similar to the Walsers, and may be a Walser concoction, but these don’t have the integrated brake levers. Other minor differences include standard silver Nokon cabling vs the gold-plated Nokon that Once used, and choice of wheels. Those are the new Stella Azzurra (or Xentis? These appear to be the same wheel) aero wheels, though they’ve removed all graphics since the Prologue. Interesting that he used a spoked rather than disc rear.
Interesting that someone else went with the four spoke design, there are plenty of you on this forum who warned me about Rev-x failure.
I’m sure it’s been discussed before, but what’s with the straight aero bars? That hand position does look at all comfortable.
This four-spoke design is completely different from the Spinergy design. The Spinergy was actually an eight blade design with four pairs of very thin, paired spokes. These wheels have more in common with our beloved H3s, Corima 4 spokes, or Mavic I/O 5 spoke wheels than they do with the Spinergys.
The straight aerobar design appears to be all about power and leverage. The hand position is not uncomfortable, if your body works that way. I find that a slight choke up position that is close to this on my Hed aerobars is my preferred position. The S-bend is a variation on this theme that relieves a bit of the extreme hand angle, but still creates a straight elbow-wrist-hand.