2013 Tour de France: Best passenger

[murali]

So many riders have failed to do anything in this tour. So here is my question:

Who should get the best passenger award?

Constraints:
Must not have attacked.
Must not have a tactical attack (sending a teammate up with the hope that they can reach to him)
Within 30 min of GC or team leader

 

[SafeBet]

Any Radioshack rider within 30 minutes is always a safe option for this kind of polls. Yesterday during the TT I saw Monfort starting and I was like: **** is he really in the race??? Probably in the top20 by now (haven't checked).

 

[murali]

within 30 min so far



3 MOLLEMA Bauke + 03' 37''
4 CONTADOR Alberto + 03' 54''
5 KREUZIGER Roman + 03' 57''
6 TEN DAM Laurens + 04' 10''
11 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin + 05' 48''
14 EVANS Cadel + 06' 54''
15 NIEVE ITURRALDE Mikel + 08' 04''
16 ROGERS Michael + 08' 28''
17 SCHLECK Andy + 08' 32''
18 MORENO FERNANDEZ Daniel + 09' 34''
19 MONFORT Maxime + 10' 16''
21 BARDET Romain + 11' 37''
22 SERPA José + 12' 16''
23 POELS Wouter + 13' 09''
24 TALANSKY Andrew + 13' 11''
25 NAVARRO Daniel + 14' 50''
26 CHAVANEL Sylvain + 16' 00''
28 MALACARNE Davide + 17' 57''
29 BAKELANTS Jan + 19' 02''
30 MORABITO Steve + 19' 59''
32 GESINK Robert + 21' 32''
33 GADRET John + 23' 12''
34 VORGANOV Eduard + 23' 46''
35 MEDEREL Maxime + 24' 55''
36 NIEMIEC Przemyslaw + 24' 58''
37 ASTARLOZA Mikel + 25' 21''
38 CUNEGO Damiano + 26' 09''
39 PLAZA MOLINA Ruben + 28' 22''
40 ZUBELDIA Haimar + 29' 57''

Omitting the likes of cannondale, confidis and sojasun. They are not interested in GC race anyways,

 

[murali]

Any Radioshack rider within 30 minutes is always a safe option for this kind of polls. Yesterday during the TT I saw Monfort starting and I was like: **** is he really in the race??? Probably in the top20 by now (haven't checked).

monfort is 19th.

I was thinking that he might win. but as for now its AC.

 

[SafeBet]

Bakelants a notable exception to my previous post. Excellent and aggressive riding so far.

Little Prince another rider who's been totally invisible in this first part of the race, although I think this could change as soon as Saturday.

 

[Hautacam2000]

of course Contador,but Purito is not far at all.Radioshacks were invisible too,I expect a shining Andy in the Alpes though

 

[murali]

andy looked very good in stage 9.

I was hoping tht he would also attack after fugslang.

Somehow the RST team have lost their touch.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Euskatel: Nothing
Saxo: Nothing
Movistar: Needs to do more
Belkin: Nothing
Radioshack: Needs to do something GC related
Lampre: Nothing
Ag2R: Partly pass, needs to do more
BMC: Nothing
Katusha: Nothing GC related
Garmin: Please animate race again. It paid off last time.
Cofidis: Where are Navarro, Taaramae and Coppel, i.e. nothing
Argos: pass
Orica: pass
OPQS: pass
Lotto: pass
Europcar: partly pass, more is needed
Cannondale: pass
FDJ: Nothing
Vancan: partly pass
Sojasun: well...
Astana: partly pass

So without further action we will have a huge pile of failures and passengers.

 

[murali]

ten more stages left.

i just hope those "Nothing" teams will show some real intent.

 

[el chava]

Excluding Bakelants, and perhaps Voigt, Radioshack is the epitome of passenger riding. They should all take up marathon running or triathlon instead.

Has Andreas Klöden ever made an attack in his 15 year long career ?!

 

[Hautacam2000]

Excluding Bakelants, and perhaps Voigt, Radioshack is the epitome of passenger riding. They should all take up marathon running or triathlon instead.

Has Andreas Klöden ever made an attack in his 15 year long career ?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP-cE0QZAsk maybe Tour de France 2005,Sclucht

 

[Pulpstar]

Chris Froome, passenger of Movistar

 

[Hautacam2000]

15.NIEVE ITURRALDE Mikel 116 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 42h 37' 28'' + 08' 04''
20.ANTON Igor 111 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 42h 40' 12'' + 10' 48''
These guys really have to do something in the Alpes,especially Nieve who seems to be in great form.I hope we'll see the revenge of carrots

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Excluding Bakelants, and perhaps Voigt, Radioshack is the epitome of passenger riding. They should all take up marathon running or triathlon instead.

Has Andreas Klöden ever made an attack in his 15 year long career ?!

Zubledia managed to finish 6th overall last year, as far as I am aware nobody actually noticed him at any stage of the entire race. It's unlikely anyone will be able to match that this year.

 

[hoerpi]

Euskatel: Nothing
Saxo: Nothing
Movistar: Needs to do more
Belkin: Nothing
Radioshack: Needs to do something GC related
Lampre: Nothing
Ag2R: Partly pass, needs to do more
BMC: Nothing
Katusha: Nothing GC related
Garmin: Please animate race again. It paid off last time.
Cofidis: Where are Navarro, Taaramae and Coppel, i.e. nothing
Argos: pass
Orica: pass
OPQS: pass
Lotto: pass
Europcar: partly pass, more is needed
Cannondale: pass
FDJ: Nothing
Vancan: partly pass
Sojasun: well...
Astana: partly pass

So without further action we will have a huge pile of failures and passengers.

Both Nieve and Anton has tried to attack several times. And Astana should get more than partly pass, Fuglsang has done more then anyone thought he would do. Not a passenger. Movistar is nowhere near being passengers I've seen several attacks from Quintana.

Belkin boys are the real passengers, two riders top 10 and not a single attack.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Both Nieve and Anton has tried to attack several times. And Astana should get more than partly pass, Fuglsang has done more then anyone thought he would do. Not a passenger. Movistar is nowhere near being passengers I've seen several attacks from Quintana.

Belkin boys are the real passengers, two riders top 10 and not a single attack.

"Needs to do more" is not the same as "Nothing". Movistar has a very strong team, more is needed from them.

If this is all Euskatel can do as a climber team, well then expectations must be very low.

Partly pass simply means there are no reasons not to do more moving forward, but they may end up with a pass anyway since half the team are already at home.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

"Needs to do more" is not the same as "Nothing". Movistar has a very strong team, more is needed from them.

If this is all Euskatel can do as a climber team, well then expectations must be very low.

Partly pass simply means there are no reasons not to do more moving forward, but they may end up with a pass anyway since half the team are already at home.

+ Lutsenko has been awesome so far

 

[DenisMenchov]

MEDEREL Maxim, never heard of him.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

+ Lutsenko has been awesome so far

yea, looks very much like a keeper.

 

[wwabbit]

Navarro.



Oh wait, wrong race

 

[Christian]

This year there has not been much to be done yet for anyone who is not a top climber or a top sprinter. Bakelants has been the only one to succeed.

Other than that the breakaways are nice of course but doomed to fail from the start. Always the same 4 or 5 teams in them. Juan Antonio Flecha, Cyril Lemoine, Jérôme Cousin... it's all nice fun but that's all it is.

Hopefully now in the mountain stages we will see a wider variety of riders attacking, but so far the route just has not favoured them

 

[Afrank]

Both Nieve and Anton has tried to attack several times. And Astana should get more than partly pass, Fuglsang has done more then anyone thought he would do. Not a passenger. Movistar is nowhere near being passengers I've seen several attacks from Quintana.

Belkin boys are the real passengers, two riders top 10 and not a single attack.

Well, Gesink did attack on ax3. But he's not a GC contender. Not sure we will see the Belkin boys due too much of anything but try to hang on and race conservatively. Not many even expected them to be in this good a position in GC.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Contador hasn't attacked either.

 

[SafeBet]

I give the Belkin guys a free pass. Never been in such a position before in the Tour. Even a top5 would be an excellent achievement for both.

 

[murali]

Well, Gesink did attack on ax3. But he's not a GC contender. Not sure we will see the Belkin boys due too much of anything but try to hang on and race conservatively. Not many even expected them to be in this good a position in GC.

Gesink's attack in stage 8 was not having any purpose. only 8 km in front and falls back once quintana overtakes him.

Belkins could have done something in stage 9, which they didn't do. I think the low rating for belkins is because of tht. they haven't shown initiative.

Of course, their performance so far exceeds their expectations.