2015 Grand Tour Podium Sleeper Contenders

[SlimChance]

Outside of the big 4 of Contador, Froome, Quintana and Nibali who do you like to finish in the podium in the Giro, Le Tour and Vuelta? Also can the big four fill the podium on any of the Grand Tours this year?

 

[Netserk]

Aru and Uran in the Giro. Three of the big four fill the podium in the Tour. Don't know about the Vuelta, but I guess Valverde will get third. Maybe Majka.

 

[Jspear]

Aru and Uran in the Giro. Three of the big four fill the podium in the Tour. Don't know about the Vuelta, but I guess Valverde will get third. Maybe Majka.

Basically this.
Giro will undoubtedly be AC, Aru, and Uran. Personally don't see how anyone could pick anyone else.
Tour will be covered by the big four.
In the Vuelta; Valverde, maybe even Quintana - he is suppose to ride so if he preps right I think he could podium, and I think Majka could do well.

 

[markene2]

I would like:

Giro: Aru
Tour: Bardet
Vuelta: Sammy Sanchez.

 

[SafeBet]

Porte has a shot in the Giro. Maybe Pozzovivo also. But yeah I concur on Aru and Uran being the most probable.
I say Kelderman has a chance in the Tour if anything goes wrong with the big 4.
Vuelta is unpredictable.

 

[Jspear]

Porte has a shot in the Giro. Maybe Pozzovivo also. But yeah I concur on Aru and Uran being the most probable.
I say Kelderman has a chance in the Tour if anything goes wrong with the big 4.
Vuelta is unpredictable.

Ya if we start talking about "if things go wrong" then things definitely become harder to predict. In the the Tour Kelderman, Pinot, Bardet could all end up doing very well.

 

[greenedge]

Talansky if he rode the Giro could podium. As it is he could top 5 in the TDF.

A french rider also to podium at the Vuelta.

 

[May0maniac]

Pozzovivo could also get a podium at the Vuelta.
Carlos Betancur in decent shape could also be a contender in the Giro and the Vuelta.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

K?nig for me - if at least one of Contador, Uran, Aru DNS or DNF

I doubt that Porte can reach the top-5 in a Giro, or top 10 in a Tour de France.

 

[SlimChance]

How different is this years Tour going to be without an emphasis on time trailing. Will riders outside the big four go stage hunting or will any of them think they have a genuine shot at GC? Someone like Dan Martin or Pierre Rolland come to mind as there are obvious stages for them to target but the overall route sets up well for them.

 

[Netserk]

Depends on the first week (primary the cobbles). Those who are up there at that point will target GC. Some of those who are behind will target stages, others will try to climb up to a 10th place in GC.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

How different is this years Tour going to be without an emphasis on time trailing. Will riders outside the big four go stage hunting or will any of them think they have a genuine shot at GC? Someone like Dan Martin or Pierre Rolland come to mind as there are obvious stages for them to target but the overall route sets up well for them.

Any of the Tour de France routes I know (of the past 20+ years) would be bad for the wannabe GT specialist Martin.

He's simply too fragile for a serious Grand Tour. If he wants to go for a meaningless top-10 there's always the Vuelta.

 

[Arredondo]

In the Giro, Aru and Uran will podium in the Giro, because i can't see anyone else who's on the same level.

In the Tour we will get one 'surprise' in 3rd, and this year i will go with Pinot again (in 3rd)

In the Vuelta, Purito will finally reach his true level and get his last podium in a GT

 

[SlimChance]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Porte can definitely podium the Giro this year if he can avoid his usual bad day as the field is incredibly weak. Pozzovivo is in with a shot as well.

In the Tour, noone is capable of beating the big four if they avoid accidents.

In the Vuelta, I guess everything is up for grabs and the spoils will probably be divided between the dissapointed Tour contenders, Rodriguez and Majka.

 

[Angliru]

How different is this years Tour going to be without an emphasis on time trailing. Will riders outside the big four go stage hunting or will any of them think they have a genuine shot at GC? Someone like Dan Martin or Pierre Rolland come to mind as there are obvious stages for them to target but the overall route sets up well for them.

I haven't seen Martin show that he can consistently climb on the level of the big 4 over the course of a grand tour. I question if he can even keep up with the 2nd tier climbers for the entire 3 weeks. Maybe he's on that slow progression of reaching their level (or close to it) as his grand tour performances have improved yearly where last year he hinted (if my memory serves me) that he would like to explore what he could do in chasing the gc in the grand tours. We'll have to wait and see. Martin excells in the one day races (Ardennes Classics) and its on terrain/stages similar to this that he would likely gain his advantage at the Tour. I just don't think that it will be enough to make up for his losses in the mountains.

 

[SlimChance]

I think Martin will target stage 3 which if he could win it would leave him with a freeroll on the GC given the Tour would already be a success. We might see how far away he is then.

 

[Akuryo]

Porte can definitely podium the Giro this year if he can avoid his usual bad day as the field is incredibly weak. Pozzovivo is in with a shot as well.

In the Tour, noone is capable of beating the big four if they avoid accidents.

In the Vuelta, I guess everything is up for grabs and the spoils will probably be divided between the dissapointed Tour contenders, Rodriguez and Majka.

Very big if. Aru and Uran are far more consistent during GTs than Porte. Usually he is a good enough rider to achieve a podium with the 2015 competition. But he almost always had his one or two bad days where he lost too much time.

 

[ray j willings]

Apart from wanting King Bertie to win all 3

Valverde . Ryder. Rolland. Talansky and any rider with flair and the guts to attack and blow a rice wide open. It would be great to see Vockler up there as well.

Martin doesn't seem able to last a 3 week tour

Just somehow I would love to see an in shape Horner get a GT shot.

I hope Sky come last in all races.

 

[Bushman]

TJVG will be deadly this year.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Konig, Uran or Aru behind Contador in the Giro.

Tour will have the big 4.

Vuelta will be a Henao comeback masterpiece ahead of the Spanish Armada.