Was I hallucinating??? did George actually finish in the front group today, after 2 major Alp passes, and then led out Lance at the line??? Since when did Hincapie start hauling his huge carcass up the Alps with the CLIMBERS??? That was amazing!
Crap he put 6 minutes on Horner! And last time I looked, Horner could climb! Good to see him hanging tough in his first TDF.
George has been climbing pretty well for the last few years. Usually he is an earlier tempo guy, but he always could climb. I don’t think he is all that heavy either.
He also has been TT ing much better as of late. I sort of feel bad for his career as Lances sidekick. I really think his palmars would have been much better if he were allowed to race more on his own schedule.
I agree. However, George doesn’t have that killer instinct. He’s a fantastic rider, just seems to be more of a follower than a leader…but that’s just my opinion.
Yeah, George has changed his body to support LA. Remember, he was a sprinter as a younger guy. He even has a number of junior national champion jereseys from his days as a teen.
That weight he has lost has not helped him in the classics. But he is still damn good. The other classics contenders hang in the autobus over the hills while he is taking pulls.
Horner is another matter. He is a great climber, I think better than George by most accounts. But it is his first tour and it takes getting used to.
I also wonder if he peaked too soon. That comment at the end of the tour de suisse (form coming out of his ears) may imply that he is past the peak. If that is true, it will be a hard go the rest of the way.
But my guess is that he will get in a few breaks and maybe even get a stage.
George is great. I kinda of think of him as a ‘tweener’ though when it comes to winning. Its like, he’s really not -that- great of a sprinter, in that he’s never (or rarely) been able to match/beat the big boys like Boonen, McEwen, Petachi, Mario, etc. And he’s now a very good climber, but not enough to drop all the best guys.
As for being Lance’s sidekick, I’m -guessing- that Lance has treated him very well ($$$) for his services.