Why can't Ramussen get any respect?

cmonie

He is only 38 secs back and can stay with Lance on the big climbs as he did Stage 10. If he can put together a strong ride on Stage 15 and 16, LA may have to come from behind in the TT, where Ramussen is weak.

thebluetrain

Rasmussen has plenty of respect.

Crankster

He gets plenty of respect. But let's not forget that he was 6 minutes down and was essentially "let go" by the peloton and Disco because he was considered not a threat to GC, and primarily going for KOM points. While he certainly is a climber, his high position on GC is reminiscent of that of F. Simon or T. Voeckler when they were considered "nobodies" and were allowed to build a huge lead. We'll see if Rasmussen has enough energy left to climb with the best over the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if he cracked - he exerted a lot of energy already.

Capt.Injury

It be interesting to see how Rabobank's team philosphy will change, trying to help Rasmussen stay in contention for the Yellow. His Mountain Bike past certainly lends to his pedigree, but I guarantee you you ask DSC now what they think, they really wish they didn't let him get away with such a huge breakaway the other day

renoster

Anybody able to access Rasmussen's Time Trial results over the past 2 seasons?

JensCph

They wont tell you anything usefull. He has never ridden a TT for the GC. It makes a world of difference in the effort you put into it. He will still loose quite a bit though. His body is too light-weight.

rejobako

I agree. The man deserves loads of respect for what he's accomplished already. Let's start by spelling his name right.

(Just yanking your chain. Rasmussen has had a fantastic Tour up to now, and I was shocked that he refused to be dropped on the long climb on Tuesday after going on a 150K breakaway just two days before. That being said, he now has the attention of all the other contenders, and I'm interested to see how he responds as a semi-marked man in the Pyrenees.)

rule62

I think that he gets plenty of respect. Just watch what happens if he tries to go off on another break from here on out.

meehs

I've been very impressed with Rasmussen's performance so far! I think the peloton is giving him some respect but he's a bit of an unproven commodity in the Grand Tours. It seems like no one really knows what to make of him.

It would be cool to see him make things difficult for Armstrong by really challanging him but I don't know if it'll happen. Obviously he's within striking distance and and this point it seems as though Discovery isn't taking him all that seriously. I'm just not sure he'll be able to gain enough time on LA in the mountians to surpass him and give himself a cushion for the ITT, in which I think LA will put significant time on him. I'm also thinking that LA and Discovery won't let him get away in the Pyrenees.

It'll be interesting to see how he does for the remainder of the TdF, that's for sure!

Le_cannibale

Rasmussen has been one of the big surprises in the Tour this year, along with Valverde. Everyone knew that these two could ride, but nobody expected them to be able to stay with Lance on the big mountains. It was great to see Rasmussen be able to recover so well before the stage to Courchevel. He will be a man to watch. I think he will finish second mainly because of the TT. I've never seen him ride a time trial, but his physique isn't that of a powerful time trialist. He's a little too tall and skinny to have the same power as the men like Lance and Jan. He could pull out an upset and make the race much closer since it's such a hilly Tour.

gntlmn

I get the feeling the title of this thread is a ruse to get us to post and refute it. Ok, you win. Rasmussen does indeed get my respect. Apparently, being a world class mountain biker can indeed lead to being a world class road bike climber. The guy's doing a great job.

SteveR2

I can still hear Phil saying "the Danish commentators must be going ballistic over Rasmussen". I bet Rabobank is going to triple his salary next year.

limerickman

Rasmussen is having a very good TDF.
(I selected him as part of team - in a fantasy 10 man team at Cobblestone.com).

Rasmussen is a real battler and a classy rider.
His career in mountain biking is well known.

I have to say I never expected him to be a KOM man : I factored him in for GC for sure but not KOM.