[Francis Cebedo]

Prologue ITT first stage.

Valverde currently has the lead at 4:27. Jan Ullrich already rode with a miserable 4:50

Salvodelli just took off and looks great.

francois

cycling.tv rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Francis Cebedo]

Unofficial:
1. Salvodelli
Valverde
McGee
Pereiro
Bodrogi 9 seconds down
Vljavec
Zubelia
Levebre

Nice job. Lots of corners in the end and Salvodelli's handling got him the win I think.

 

[harlond]

I know it's a short course, but that's some nice time-trialing by Valverde. And TT'ing is his weakness! He's good.

 

[Einstruzende]

Surprises all around. Valverde and Savoldelli the top 2, while Ullrich got blown away? I know it's his first race this year, but damn...

I gotta think Valverde is going to pull an Iban Mayo at this years Tour. He surely can't keep the fire going that long...

 

[argylesocks]

check out that gut!!

 

[atpjunkie]

c'mon fellas

it's a prologue.It was twisty. Paolo and Valverde are good bike handlers Jan is not. It was 4 frickin minutes, that ain't a time trial. and that ain't a belly. That is belly breathing at it's extension, pix of LA have shown the same thing and folks have the same reaction (fat) when all it is is the diaphragm pushing the abdomen out to pull in the max amount of air.

 

[Einstruzende]

it's a prologue.It was twisty. Paolo and Valverde are good bike handlers Jan is not. It was 4 frickin minutes, that ain't a time trial. and that ain't a belly. That is belly breathing at it's extension, pix of LA have shown the same thing and folks have the same reaction (fat) when all it is is the diaphragm pushing the abdomen out to pull in the max amount of air.

I'd agree with you in that it isn't a TT proper, however losing 30 seconds in a 3.7km ride isn't exactly promising.

 

[awesometown]

it's a prologue.It was twisty. Paolo and Valverde are good bike handlers Jan is not. It was 4 frickin minutes, that ain't a time trial. and that ain't a belly. That is belly breathing at it's extension, pix of LA have shown the same thing and folks have the same reaction (fat) when all it is is the diaphragm pushing the abdomen out to pull in the max amount of air.

We go through the belly vs. breathing discussion everytime there is a GT on the horizon. And yes, we have all seen the photos of riders really breathing hard and it makes them look like they have been pounding the bud light in the off season.

BUT...

You have to admit that this may go a bit beyond that, his gut there is very suspect. Its not as if he looks like he is pushing out that six-pack to get some more air. He looks less like Der Jan, and more like some guy at the local club tt.

p.s.: I do hope I am very wrong, fyi.

 

[Asiago]

Prologues

I know it's a short course, but that's some nice time-trialing by Valverde. And TT'ing is his weakness! He's good.

I like short, brutal prologues as I often think of them as good indicators for a GC contender. They are not a true TT as a prologue requires more of an explosive effort vs. sustained effort. A prologue course often has lots of turns. You often see more of the climber types do well in a prologue as compared to a regular TT as the constant speed changes are more similar to race-type efforts in the mountains. Hence by general rule of thumb that a good ride in a prologue is indicative of who will be there at the end. (disclaimer, this general rule doesn't always pan out, but I've found only seldom does this rule fail)

Either way, I'd say in a race like TdR if you do well in the prologue your overall chances are also good. Great rides by both Savoldelli and Valverde.

 

[terzo rene]

it's a prologue.It was twisty. Paolo and Valverde are good bike handlers Jan is not. It was 4 frickin minutes, that ain't a time trial. and that ain't a belly. That is belly breathing at it's extension, pix of LA have shown the same thing and folks have the same reaction (fat) when all it is is the diaphragm pushing the abdomen out to pull in the max amount of air.

You are right. It's his arms and legs where you can really see the excess pudding in that picture.

 

[TitaniumFemur]

check out that gut!!

https://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs.nsf/photos/03tdfSt12-010000

a part of it is probably early season fat for him - but it is called abdominal breathing... Ullrich's tummy when he was putting a minute into Armstrong in 03

 

[JBergland]

Come guys… you can tell little to nothing about Jan’s ‘weight’ from ONE pic.!!!! I think Jan’s belly is somewhat genetic… he’s not as ‘cut’ in that area as some other rides… plus he’s belly breathing!! The main thing that stands out for me is him being close to 30 seconds down on a relatively short prologue. Was it the technicalness of the course that slowed Jan down??

JB

 

[Francis Cebedo]

Come guys… you can tell little to nothing about Jan’s ‘weight’ from ONE pic.!!!! I think Jan’s belly is somewhat genetic… he’s not as ‘cut’ in that area as some other rides… plus he’s belly breathing!! The main thing that stands out for me is him being close to 30 seconds down on a relatively short prologue. Was it the technicalness of the course that slowed Jan down??

JB

The course had a lot of 90 degree turns. I think the key here is Jan doesn't care about this prologue. He is not ready yet. He doesn't care about the Tour of Romandie. He just came back from 4 weeks where he could barely pedal without pain.

He is just happy to pedaling in a race again. I'm just happy the Jan watch season has started

francois

 

[ashpelham]

I'm happy to see a recent Tour De France winner racing again. LA won the last 7, and is retired. Pantani has passed on. This is all we got!!!!!

His form will come. The guy is always ready for Le Tour. I need to see him make some serious waves in the Giro.

 

[MaestroXC]

Ignoring his gut, his arms, face, and especially legs look a little fleshy, but I think it's nothing to be concerned with at this stage, especially since this single image is all we have.

In the 03 pic, note Ullrich's sweet Walser with the Lightweight wheel...yow!

 

[atpjunkie]

yeah

taking a bunch of risks on a tight and twisty course to save 30 seconds but possibly risking a crash that could kill his season in a stage in a race that really doesn't matter seems like a much better decision.

 

[Francis Cebedo]

Ignoring his gut, his arms, face, and especially legs look a little fleshy, but I think it's nothing to be concerned with at this stage, especially since this single image is all we have.

In the 03 pic, note Ullrich's sweet Walser with the Lightweight wheel...yow!

He looks great!!!

Tons of photos here:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/apr06/romandie06/index.php?id=romandie060/gallery-romandie060

Notice the disproportionate amount of Jan photos. No one really cared what he did in the ITT. Folks only cared how fat he looked!

francois

 

[fastfullback]

I notice in those pictures that Valverde appears to be outfitted as if it's a flat stage. Deep carbon rims, sure, but otherwise no tt bike, faired helmet, or even aerobars. And still the kid takes second.

 

[MaestroXC]

With such a short, twisty course where the aerodynamics of a true TT bike wouldn't grant as much benefit as a more nimble, lighter road bike, I think he made the right choice.

Edit: Just noticed in the Cyclingnews galleries a Phonak rider who is also using his normal road bike. I'd bet they aren't the only ones.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, he's not ripped yet, but the Giro ought to take care of that