EF Education-EasyPost : Chirps, Opinions, Updates

['Dale]

Intriguing point of view from velonews:

 

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Watch out for Basso; saving Sagan

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) survived the mayhem Saturday to finish with the favorites at six seconds back. A two-time Tour podium finisher, Basso rolls into this year’s Tour as one of the outsiders for victory. Team officials say Basso is in even better shape than when he won last year’s Giro d’Italia.

 

“Ivan is feeling no pressure. The media is not paying attention to him, which is also fine with him,” said Liquigas team spokesman Paolo Barbieri. “He is very strong and very motivated. Everyone is talking about (Alberto) Contador and (Andy) Schleck, but Ivan will be ready for the final week. We believe a podium is possible.”

 

Liquigas-Cannondale brought a team stacked with riders dedicated to helping Basso. The squad will likely produce a solid TTT on Tuesday and then have riders who can help him survive the first half of the Tour. With the likes of Sylvester Szymd to help him in the mountains, Basso is hoping to be guns a-blazing in time for the Galibier and Alpe d’Huez in the final week.

 

The team left behind some other riders, including Ted King and Timmy Duggan. Both are expected to race the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado in August or perhaps the Vuelta a Espana. Management also believed it was too early to bring budding superstar Peter Sagan to the Tour.

 

“We know that he is a phenomenon, but we want to protect him,” Barbieri said. “The first week of the Tour would have been for good for him, but we like to have our riders to start with the idea of finishing a grand tour.

 

“And you never know how young riders react to the pressure of being thrown into the Tour. Maybe it’s too much for their head, especially if he cannot manage to win a stage and everyone starts asking questions. We know he is a big talent. We did the same thing with Kreuziger and Nibali, to give them space to grow. He’s only 21. He will go to the Vuelta and then race the worlds.”

['Dale]

Cool:

 

Not content with conquering the twittersphere with tales of his sleeping and breakfasting habits, Ivan Basso continued his push for social media dominance on the eve of the Tour by launching the "Ride with Ivan Basso" smart phone app, available at

http://www.mapeisport.it/ivanbasso/mobile/.

 

The app will allow users to pore over Basso's blood values and training tables from the Mapei Centre, as well as view his pictures and even sample some of his ipod playlist. Very helpfully, there's also a link to purchase his newly published autobiography, Climbing Against the Wind.

 

"I wanted something innovative that could offer my fans a simple and fast way to follow me," Basso said, who admitted that the app forms part of his attempts to prove his transparency, which began in 2008 following his return from suspension for his links to Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes.

 

"As well giving useful advice, it offers an additional guarantee as to my standing as an athlete," he said. "The first test will be nothing less than the Tour itself: follow me and you'll be able to understand our daily hardships."

['Dale]

Well, ma man Basso is still in contention after a hectic 1st week:

:clap:

 

Basso managed to stay with Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) and Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) on the final climb to Super-Besse, but although pleased with his performance, the Italian acknowledged that such a short ascent was not a true indication of how the Tour will pan out over the course of three weeks.

 

“It was another good day for me,” Basso said. “But it was only 800 metres of climbing, so it doesn’t mean an awful lot. We haven’t seen anything yet, save that all of the overall contenders are close to one another.”

 

Unsurprisingly, Basso picked out Cadel Evans as the most impressive of his rivals on the climb and said that BMC’s efforts on the front of the race were a sign of their confidence in their leader. “Cadel Evans has shown himself to be the one who is most in form and he had his team working all day,” Basso said.

 

[gummibear]

Your man Basso better get his ass into gear....i need points on Hub competition

['Dale]

Your man Basso better get his ass into gear....i need points on Hub competition

Guess what, gummibear, I didn't choose him as my fave 9!

:lol:

[gummibear]

Guess what, gummibear, I didn't choose him as my fave 9!

:lol:

 

I have lost 3 of my riders so my team is pretty small now.I hope he will shine in the next 2 weeks.

['Dale]

I have lost 3 of my riders so my team is pretty small now.I hope he will shine in the next 2 weeks.

I see...

Damn - that's tough.

 

GO, BASSO!!!!

[Eldron]

Are LeakyGas even in the Tour? Haven't see head nor tail of them yet?

 

Personally I think Basso is sitting on some good form - Liquigas have put all their eggs in one basket so far - no sprinting - no breakaways - they're either sure of Basso's ability or thinner than a bad coat of varnish.

 

Between his crash in May and his poor form at Dauphine we can't make a decent guess at his form but I'd like to see him fighting for the win.

 

Kloden too. Always been a favourite of mine.

 

Maybe the old boys will have some fun this year...

[gummibear]

Kloden too. Always been a favourite of mine.

 

He just needs to stay on his bike for the next 2 weeks.

['Dale]

Tweetie:

 

 

Ivan Basso, @ivanbasso - "Rest day ... useful to catch my breath after nine stages.. preparing for an intense battle in the mountains!"

[American Flyers]

Go Basso! You have been so quiet for the first week... We want your actions!!

['Dale]

Go Basso! You have been so quiet for the first week... We want your actions!!

How are these actions for your, American Flyers?

 

BASSO LEADING OUT SCHLECK AND EVANS AFTER DROPPING CONTADOR AND THE YELLOW JERSEY - STAGE 12, YESTERDAY!! :clap:

 

http://cdn0.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net/2011/07/14/2/pic210836988_600.jpg

['Dale]

Of course, credit to super domestique, Szmyd, who is Basso's sole support when the road becomes steep.

 

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The lime green colours of Sylvester Szmyd, in particular, shone through the gloom of the cavernous final climb, as the Pole thinned out the lead group with a relentless stint of pace-setting in the finale. Basso was fulsome in his praise of the harmony of his team.

 

"I'm really very happy with the work of my teammates, they were very strong in the flat, and then you saw what Szmyd did on the climbs, it was the Szmyd that you all know," Basso said. "The only off-key note of this Tour for me so far was the team time trial, but my teammates have shown in the stages since how strong they are."

 

When Szmyd swung over, it was Basso himself who did the most to lead the overall contenders in their attempts to close down Fränk Schleck's attacks in the finale, and the Italian came home just ahead of Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck and Damiano Cunego.

 

"Today it was important to see how the legs responded," Basso said. "That was the objective for all the favourites, and I think they all confirmed themselves. Rather than watching the others, I think about myself, and knowing that you're going well is an important injection of confidence."

['Dale]

Ma man faded some what today... after a sweet performance over the weekend.

Tch!

 

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"I know what to expect - and I know it’s going to hurt. The mental side can make a difference, but at the end of the day you need to have the legs. It’s been a really hard Tour; the course, the weather, the crashes.

 

"Personally, after Plateau de Beille I think I’m getting better, but we’ll just have to see what happens in the Alps."

[Big JD]

Airbender... I was wondering. If Basso is your man and you have a thread dedicated to him, why did you not select him in your team for the TDF competition?

['Dale]

Airbender... I was wondering. If Basso is your man and you have a thread dedicated to him, why did you not select him in your team for the TDF competition?

His injury setback threw him out of my top 9, Big JD.

 

 

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http://cdn2.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net/2011/07/21/2/bettiniphoto_0086538_1_full_600.jpg

 

Very impressed with ma man Basso despite many setbacks.

 

He now admits that yellow is out of reach.

 

GO FOR PODIUM, Ma Man!