Andy Schleck: is he bluffing or not?

Good evening, dear readers! For your joy, miss Fede has decided to allow herself an evening of blogging, so tonight she's going to delight you with some random thoughts of hers. 

First of all, an update on my exam preparations. I've studied the whole Italian programme, I'm halfway through the Latin programme and, most important, in the last two days I haven't studied anything because I didn't feel fine. However, not feeling fine didn't prevent me from finishing my 'tesina' ('little thesis'), which I had to give to my teacher this morning, after facing a lot of incredible adventures starring me, a printer and my computer.

Everything began exactly one week ago, when I sent an e-mail containing my 'tesina' ('little thesis') to my teacher. Two days ago he told me he would have taken a look at it in the afternoon, but in the evening I hadn't received the corrected copy yet. Yesterday morning therefore I was very nervous, both because I didn't feel fine and because I was worried by my teacher's delay. In fact I would have had to bring 3 copies of my tesina to school on the following morning (aka this morning) and I was worried by the fact that I had less than 24 hours of time to correct the eventual mistakes in it. My preoccupation became even stronger when, after talking to a friend of mine, she told me that that teacher had been terrible with her, since he corrected everything she had written.

As a consequence, yesterday I spent the whole day between the couch and the computer, with my eyes sore for watching the screen and a splitting headache tormenting me. Eventually, I received the long awaited e-mail at 8.30 pm.

After receiving the copy of my tesina and sending another urgent e-mail to my teacher in order to sort out the last details, I spent a hour (a hour!!) inserting the numbers at the end of each page of my research. It's sad to think that I threw away 60 minutes of my existence in that way, isn't it?

At about 10 o'clock, however, my tesina was ready to be printed. And, as predictable, that's where the drama began.

My work is 27 pages long and, after just 14 pages, my printer finished the ink. I immediately panicked, especially because I had to print 3 (3!) copies of my research and it was too late to find an open place where I could buy a new toner.

This morning therefore I woke up at 7.30, saved my tesina on a computer key and brought it to a place where they usually print documents and things like that. The owner was very kind, but he couldn't manage to print the damned thing. 'Problems with the format', he told me. Therefore I came back home and tried to write my tesina with a different format. Too bad that, after 30 minutes, I had managed to write in a decent way just 6 pages of it. I was a woman on the verge on a nervous breakdown when I eventually remembered that a shop in my town sells printer toners.

After other adventures and many nervous moments, at 10 o'clock I finally had three copies of my tesina in my hands. It was hard, but in the end I made it.

Anyway. Enough 'exam talks' for today, right? So, let's now talk serious things. Serious things like, for example, Tour de Suisse.

Sagan is incredible, isn't he? He won even today! And Kruijswijk got his first pro victory, isn't that sweet? What? Sorry, I didn't understand what you said. Could you repeat? Oh! You don't want to talk about Peter and Steven? Why? Oh, I see! Ok, then let's follow your advice and let's talk about the mistery of the month: Andy Schleck's behaviour in Tour de Suisse.

As you probably already know, OGL has been in the center of harsh critics in the last days, because many people rate his performances in the Swiss race as 'disappointing'. In fact our boy lost a lot of time already in the prologue (but on that occasion it wasn't entirely his fault), failed in his attempt to win yesterday's stage (he was second after an amazing De Gendt) and, most worrying, the other day he arrived 15 minutes after the stage winner, Kruijswijk. I know that he might have got dropped intentionally on that occasion, but this thing worries me a bit anyway. In fact, why should a rider like Andy decide to lose so much time in a race that, on paper, should suit him?

The lively debate that is going around the Luxembourger in these days has seen people adopting two main different attitudes. Here they are:

Attitude 1 (typical of the faithful, entusiasthic supporters of OGL): 'There's nothing to worry about, men! Andy didn't do that well in last year's TdS either, but in the end he was second in the Tour anyway, wasn't he? And yesterday he almost won a stage, didn't you see it on tv? He's still training, that's why he doesn't look very brilliant on the climbs. Moreover, he doesn't want to show his true shape to the adversaries, so he's bluffing in order to confuse them! That's why he got dropped the other day! And then, our boy needs the Tour de France pressure to give his best, so I bet that at the end of July he'll be on the first spot of that famous podium in Paris!'

Attitude 2 (typical of the skeptical supporters who don't like Andy): 'Schleck the Younger has made a big mistake with his Tour preparation this year, even a guy like De Gendt could drop him! Contador will ride much faster than him in July. I mean, Schleck lost 15 minutes from Kruijswijk the other day, if he goes on this way, he won't even be able to end up on the Tour podium in Paris! However, I must admit I'm glad to see that things are going this way. In fact, if he really fails to get on the Tour podium, next year Andy Schleck may decide to focus on more than just one race pro year and that would be great because, right now, he can't be considered a real champion. In fact, real champions are those who always race for winning, not those who bluff in races or race just to train'. 

 

As everyone can see, both the attitudes mentioned above have some weak points. For example, saying that a rider needs 'the Tour pressure' to do well, imo, is non-sense. Especially because, if you're talking about Andy, you must remember that he won Liége in 2009 - and in Liége there isn't the same pressure as in the Tour...

On the other hand, I think it's wrong to say that OGL focuses just on one race pro year. In fact, this year he tried his luck also in Liége and Amstel. Moreover, De Gendt is very talented and not being able to annihilate the gap from him on a climb it's not something to be ashamed of.

In spite of this, however, the thing that annoys me the most is that I think that both these attitudes could be correct. 'Is Andy Schleck bluffing / still training or not?' :That is the question that rings in the mind of every single cycling supporter of the world in these days. And, probably, the only one who owns the answer to this question is Andy Schleck himself.

Personally, I think OGL will be in a perfect shape in the Tour. Anyway, this doesn't prevent me from feeling confused when I look at his TdS's performances. 

The other day on Grosse Scheidegge, for example, Andy showed a really good form and it looked as if he was almost training. But then, as soon as the race for the stage victory began, he decided to disappear. Intentional decision ('I'm bluffing/ I don't want to lose too much energy/ I don't want to feel too strong already in this part of the year') or not? That is the question.

As far as yesterday is concerned, then, OGL entered a breakway, but failed to get the stage victory. 'Things that happen', you may think. Too bad that, imo, if someone wants to bluff, he doesn't enter a breakaway in order to win a stage...

Actually, I must admit that imo the whole 'Andy is bluffing/is just training' theory (which I support) has a worrying side and also a weak point.

First of all: we all know that Andy's been often criticised because he doesn't always race at a very high level during the year. In the past I've often defended this attitude of his ('He can't be in a super shape 12 months of the year! And then, in the last 3 seasons he always had problems that prevented him from keeping regular performances throughout the year') but, if he's really taking part in TdS just in order to bluff / train, well, that would be very disappointing for me. In fact TdS is the most important race in stages after the 3 GTs and, imo, it should be respected. In fact, Andy is just 26 and I don't want him to focus just on the Tour already at this age. Also because, if he starts using races in order to bluff / train at this age, I think many supporters could turn their backs at him very soon.

Back to the 'bluff' theory, then, there's a little doubt that is worrying me in these days. Here it is: if Andy's already in a good shape, why hiding it? I mean: if Andy is in a good condition, wouldn't it be better if he showed it? In that way he'd silence all the critics, he'd respect a race like TdS (making all the supporters happier) and, by getting a good placement in the final GC, he'd probably make his adversaries feel less confident at the start of the Tour. That's the weak point of the 'bluff / training theory' and that is a thing that worries me a lot.

As you can see, the debate around Andy's behaviour in the Swiss race is not just lively - it is also very complex. I think Andy's bluffing / still training, but I don't like this fact. And, at the same time, I have some doubts about why Andy should bluff in such an important race, with 2 weeks to the start of the Tour.

So, here you could read my random, chaotic, confused ideas. And you, what do you think of Andy's behaviour? Is he bluffing / training or is he really having preparation problems?

While waiting to know the answer to all our doubts, I wish you once again a good night.