I guess I just don’t get it…The rabobank team did their job and pulled rasmussen(and everyone else) through the first couple of climbs. After they dropped out rasmussen was all alone and there were at least 3 disco riders left up front, popovych, leipheimer, and contador. They have each proven throughout the race that they have the power to attack and get a small lead and rasmussen has shown that he can’t accelerate. The disco riders have also shown that they can’t sustain that lead and Rasmussen has shown that he doesn’t even need to worry about it and if he holds his pace will catch up shortly. Why do the discovery riders keep doing their individual attacks, just to tire themselves out? It was/is obviously not working and yet they kept doing it. With their team still intact at the front, why didn’t all three of them attack at the same time and then work together to sustain that attack instead of going off individually? To me that would have been far more effective and then rasmussen might have had to work to TRY to catch up. They kept saying team discovery had such a great plan, but to me they just did more of the same that has proven not to work.
The point was to yo-yo the pace in order to break Rasmussen. If they went on a 3 man attack it would have been easy for him to just hold onto the Disco boy’s wheels. At least that’s the way I see it.
WHen one guy is clearly stronger than the others, you cannot all attack. All you are going to do is unhitch your weaker riders. The correct stragedy is to counter attack, just as they did, but if you do not have the legs, there is NOTHING you can do…Stragedys are just that, but in the end you have to play the cards the day gives you. Once again, there is very little adbvantage on a 10% climb in the draft, it is nothing like the flats or downhill. After watching todays finish, how do you propose that DIsco changes it’s tatics to get a different outcome. They played it perfectly, and it was a good thing that Ras didn’t attack them with 3k to go. They lost 30+ seconds in less than a k, that should tell you right there that nothing could have been done different for a better outcome. Brunyel did his Job great…
Thats the point, rasmussen has shown he couldn’t keep up with their acceleration…either that or he knew they would drop back and he didn’t have to worry about it. If all three of them took off and worked together we would have finally seen it rasmussen could accelerate with them…
At the end of the day, the Chicken was just stronger. The disco boys just didn’t have the legs. Plain and simple.
Engine room, we need more power!
I agree, Rasmussen was just better today…but if you have done something 20 times and it has failed, do you keep doing that, or do you come up with something different?
monty,
do you think that levi was maybe trying to attack cadel and not rass? he maybe felt cadel was on the verge of breaking so he went not thinking rass would counter and bring everyone with him. afterall levi is +5 mins back.
i sure like the way rass is riding with the yellow jersey on. it makes for exciting tv.
I give the Chicken credit. Discovery hit him with everything they had and he answered. Levi attacked & Contador held up his promise of ‘attack til I die’ and he popped.
Provided he doesn’t have a repeat of his 2005 final TT, the chicken wears yellow in Paris… 'nuff said.
i would agree. in the post race interview, levi was giving rass his props. he is the strongest rider out there and i am enjoying this race.
i want to go on record as saying that if i weighed in at 130 freaking pounds i would be able to climb live the chicken. i would like him to come up to my 175 and then we can go mano y mano!!!
monty,
do you think that levi was maybe trying to attack cadel and not rass? he maybe felt cadel was on the verge of breaking so he went not thinking rass would counter and bring everyone with him. afterall levi is +5 mins back.
i sure like the way rass is riding with the yellow jersey on. it makes for exciting tv.\
If you listened to his interview, he said as much. The riders have a sense out there when someone is strong. When Ras gave Levi a push up the hill, when he wanted ot fall off the pace, it was evident that it was a race against Cadel. The attacks were very weak today, and easily motored up by the chicken…I watched it again, and he never got out of the saddle, unless he was attacking… Levi had guts today, and you do what you can, and hope for the best. As he said, first goal was to get Contador a gap, 2nd goal was to get his team two possible podium spots, they were working on the 2nd goal halfway up the last climb…
What the hell do you want them to do? Kick Rasmussen in the face? Magically increase their power to weight ratios?
To answer your question, if indeed were looking for an answer, and not just wasting time typing out an ignorant response, I believe I stated an alternate strategy in my post. Whether it would have worked or not who knows, but what they were doing/what they did obviously wasn’t working. What it comes down to is Rasmussen had another great day in the mountains and barring a meltdown on the time trial, he has this race locked up.
They played it perfectly, and it was a good thing that Ras didn’t attack them with 3k to go.
I think Ras was not agressive enough and he is scared of Contador. Ras is actually better than he believes he is, but with Contador looming behind him he didn’t take any risks at all. Silly because if he had gone say 5K before the end he could have put another 90 seconds between him and Contador.
Thus for that reason, I think Discovery probably did about the best job they could. I was expecting Rasmussen to have anthing from 5-10 minutes on 2nd place after the end of the Pyrenees. A 55Km time trial and a 3 minute lead has by no means won it for Ras. I think he’s eliminated Evans and Leipheimer now, but I do believe that Contador has a shot on the TT and Rasmussen may well regret not being more agressive on today’s stage.
Rasmussen may well regret not being more agressive on today’s stage.
But I think he’ll have plenty of other things to regret before he gets round to that
Better yet, one of the Disco riders should have just tackled and held him like in roller derby.
Just to be nit-picky…
Stragedy = “S” + Tragedy. Probably a very apt description…
Strategy = tactical plan.
Okay, I’m done. :^)
Boy you guys are good, you catch everyone of my hidden meanings…And all this time you thought I was just a shitty speller…(-;
.
disco is doing things just great… they are in yellow right now and could have 2 guys on the podium in paris…
anymore complain on there strategy??? maybe 8 victories in the last 9 tour!!!
disco is doing things just great… they are in yellow right now and could have 2 guys on the podium in paris…
anymore complain on there strategy??? maybe 8 victories in the last 9 tour!!! \
It’s highly likely that Levi will win this race now. At least he has about a 50% chance I’d say…The French are going to jump off a bridge. I see it between Cadel and Levi now, Contador a longshot…
Evans is 1:53 back. He took 1:14 out of Contadar last TT.
It’s gona be a real corker…