Bob Roll is a Doofus
Bob Roll is one of the commentators for the OLN Network who is covering the Tour de France. In general, the coverage has been spectacular. They have cameramen on motorbikes and in helicopters that never seem to miss an important moment.
However, their commentary has been surprisingly goofy. Never more so than the hysterical reaction Bob Roll had to Floyd Landis' tactics in stage number 13. Landis started the stage in the yellow jersey but his team, Phonak, decided that it would ride at a predetermined pace and only chase down breakaways if they included riders who were real threats to Landis.
The Phonak team wanted to preserve its energy for the Alps which were scheduled to start today. They didn't care about retaining the yellow jersey and, in fact, had much to gain by giving it up to someone who would not be able to challenge Landis in the Alps. This is a strategy that Lance Armstrong had used many times in his seven Tour wins. There is nothing radical or strange about it.
The only reason for raised eyebrows is that the breakaway was able to gain an incredible 29.5 minutes on Landis and one of the riders was actually able to take over the yellow jersey for a couple of days.
Roll and his fellow commentators went apoplectic. (Landis and his Phonak team could have easily narrowed the gap at any time had they chosen to do so, thereby retaining the yellow jersey. They couldn't understand why Phonak wouldn't pick up the pace for the last 10K). Roll called it a sign of weakness and said it sent a bad signal to Landis' closest competitors.
I thought Roll was nuts. I thought Phonak's strategy was brilliant and, indeed, a sign of strength.
Today, in the Alps, Landis showed how silly Roll et al were. Landis was fourth to finish today's brutal stage up the Alp du Huez (a 9 mile climb to end a gruelling day), first among the real challengers, took back the yellow jersey by more than a minute, and put a little bit of time between him and all other challengers but one, Andreas Kloden (over whom he has a 2.5 minute lead).
If Landis can hold off Kloden and a couple of other riders for two more hard stages, he should be standing on the podium next Sunday wearing yellow and Phonak's strategy will have been vindicated.
Bob Roll is one of the commentators for the OLN Network who is covering the Tour de France. In general, the coverage has been spectacular. They have cameramen on motorbikes and in helicopters that never seem to miss an important moment.
However, their commentary has been surprisingly goofy. Never more so than the hysterical reaction Bob Roll had to Floyd Landis' tactics in stage number 13. Landis started the stage in the yellow jersey but his team, Phonak, decided that it would ride at a predetermined pace and only chase down breakaways if they included riders who were real threats to Landis.
The Phonak team wanted to preserve its energy for the Alps which were scheduled to start today. They didn't care about retaining the yellow jersey and, in fact, had much to gain by giving it up to someone who would not be able to challenge Landis in the Alps. This is a strategy that Lance Armstrong had used many times in his seven Tour wins. There is nothing radical or strange about it.
The only reason for raised eyebrows is that the breakaway was able to gain an incredible 29.5 minutes on Landis and one of the riders was actually able to take over the yellow jersey for a couple of days.
Roll and his fellow commentators went apoplectic. (Landis and his Phonak team could have easily narrowed the gap at any time had they chosen to do so, thereby retaining the yellow jersey. They couldn't understand why Phonak wouldn't pick up the pace for the last 10K). Roll called it a sign of weakness and said it sent a bad signal to Landis' closest competitors.
I thought Roll was nuts. I thought Phonak's strategy was brilliant and, indeed, a sign of strength.
Today, in the Alps, Landis showed how silly Roll et al were. Landis was fourth to finish today's brutal stage up the Alp du Huez (a 9 mile climb to end a gruelling day), first among the real challengers, took back the yellow jersey by more than a minute, and put a little bit of time between him and all other challengers but one, Andreas Kloden (over whom he has a 2.5 minute lead).
If Landis can hold off Kloden and a couple of other riders for two more hard stages, he should be standing on the podium next Sunday wearing yellow and Phonak's strategy will have been vindicated.
posted by MoChassid @ 11:41 AM
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