So neither of the two teams expected to provide the main challenge for Sky have taken a climbing-focused squad. Sky on the other hand have gone for the full mountain train of boredom.
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Looking at the route, I think its a decent thought process.. It obviously also depends on what riders you have at your disposal and it just so happens BMC and Movistar have a lot of good rouleurs/allrounders and not necessarily very good climbing domestiques (both team also focused quite a lot on the Giro).Zinoviev Letter said:
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Sky have taken an everything-focused squad because they can.
For the flat lands maybe only Quickstep will bring a stronger team than: Thomas, Rowe, Knees, Kwiatkowski, Kiryenka + Froome so I don't think you can call it climbing-focused. They just do everything, like always.
Zinoviev Letter said:
Sky have taken an everything-focused squad because they can.
For the flat lands maybe only Quickstep will bring a stronger team than: Thomas, Rowe, Knees, Kwiatkowski, Kiryenka + Froome so I don't think you can call it climbing-focused. They just do everything, like always.
Yeah, I think Sky only looks that strong in mountains because they have some of the best all-rounders in the peloton, not because they've chosed a climbing-oriented roster. Guys like Kwiatkowski and Thomas can be counted on both mountains and flat terrain. If Sky didn't have the luxury of having guys like these, who knows how many rouleurs they would've decided to bring instead.
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Surpricing they cut Daniel Moreno who apeared to have okay form and would have been the best mountainhelper on paper. I would think Amadors form is more doubtful after the Giro where he looked very tired in the end, but he could be good of course. Valverde will have a strong team in the Vuelta now also with Moreno, Soler and Fernandez all fresh. I am not that overwhelmed by their team for the Tour now though.
Escarabajo said:
Surpricing they cut Daniel Moreno who apeared to have okay form and would have been the best mountainhelper on paper. I would think Amadors form is more doubtful after the Giro where he looked very tired in the end, but he could be good of course. Valverde will have a strong team in the Vuelta now also with Moreno, Soler and Fernandez all fresh. I am not that overwhelmed by their team for the Tour now though.
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Recent monument winner Valverde is also, apparently, going as a pure domestique for Quintana, but I'd say it's more than likely he'll end up high on the GC anyway, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wins a stage.
I think the difference with Sky is that we know that recent monument winner Kwiat is going there purely as Froome's domestique. Whereas with Trek and BMC, we know recent monument winners Degenkolb and VanAvermaet are free to chase stages.deValtos said:
Recent monument winner Valverde is also, apparently, going as a pure domestique for Quintana, but I'd say it's more than likely he'll end up high on the GC anyway, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wins a stage.
There's been a lot of bike racing since the 2015 Roubaix yes, but a) he did win 2 of them in one season, so that has to count for something and b) it's 2 seasons ago, not 10. Most of the guys he beat are still racing.
None of which makes much difference to the central point of what I was saying, which was that most of the genuine Yellow Jersey contenders have a classics rider in their squad, but only Froome and Quintana have that classics rider locked down as 100% working for the team, not for themselves.
I Gilbert riding the Tour? I very much doubt he's doing it purely as Dan Martin's gofer.
None of which makes much difference to the central point of what I was saying, which was that most of the genuine Yellow Jersey contenders have a classics rider in their squad, but only Froome and Quintana have that classics rider locked down as 100% working for the team, not for themselves.
I Gilbert riding the Tour? I very much doubt he's doing it purely as Dan Martin's gofer.
Gilbert should definitely be riding the Tour, yeah. Correct me if Im wrong, but I think thats the last team make it official, but he should be a certainty.
I guess Quick Steps instant plan was to put Alafpolak into yellow after the PDBF stage. Now it's either Martin or Gilbert. With Martin being much more likely!
I think I can be quite confident in saying it's QS's plan to have Martin as high on the GC as possible, but not anybody else. If Gilbert or someone else can slip into yellow during the first week, well and good, but PhilGil's job is to hunt stages.
I can see the team setting up a bit of an uphill sprint train on PDBF alright. If Valverde is really only working for Quintana, then Martin's usual summit finish bete noir mightn't be still in contention at the end...
I can see the team setting up a bit of an uphill sprint train on PDBF alright. If Valverde is really only working for Quintana, then Martin's usual summit finish bete noir mightn't be still in contention at the end...
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I thought Ruben Fernandez is the one to miss out. Not followed his progress this year but last year he was quite good. Dont know whats the thinking there.
deValtos said:
I thought Ruben Fernandez is the one to miss out. Not followed his progress this year but last year he was quite good. Dont know whats the thinking there.
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In return, he'll be Quintana's super dom here. At least, that's the plan.
Valverde apparently wants a fresh Fernandez, Dani Moreno and Soler for his Vuelta assault. He was promised a good team for the Vuelta, anyway.saneguy said:
In return, he'll be Quintana's super dom here. At least, that's the plan.
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Just thought it was kinda funny that the other three examples were guys who'd won a Monument this year, and then Degenkolb.
Leinster said:
Just thought it was kinda funny that the other three examples were guys who'd won a Monument this year, and then Degenkolb.
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Completely agree. It's a disgraceful decision. If DE don't want to be used as a stepping stone by their most talented young riders, then they should go for WT status. But it's ridiculous to leave out your best rider because he has ambitions above pro-conti level. I imagine the sponsors won't be too happy with this either.jaylew said:
If GC is Martin's target he will have to do it on his own on that team. It won't be the first time.
Besides his target is top 10. I don't think you need too much help for that. If his target is podium then he needs to switch teams IMHO.
Besides his target is top 10. I don't think you need too much help for that. If his target is podium then he needs to switch teams IMHO.
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Martin's ticket to winning is to pull a rabbit out of the hat by getting lucky in a break. Brambilla is the perfect help for that.
Besides that he just needs to stick with the Sky train (or Movistar or BMC, depending on the day).
Anderis said:
Martin's ticket to winning is to pull a rabbit out of the hat by getting lucky in a break. Brambilla is the perfect help for that.
Besides that he just needs to stick with the Sky train (or Movistar or BMC, depending on the day).
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Not allowed to say what happened in this part of the forum, but Andre Cardoso won't start.
deValtos said:
Not allowed to say what happened in this part of the forum, but Andre Cardoso won't start.
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Cardoso tested positive for a banned substance. Any further discussion on the rider is obviously best kept to the clinic.
deValtos said:
Cardoso tested positive for a banned substance. Any further discussion on the rider is obviously best kept to the clinic.
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Oh ***, for reals?
Well I believe they should since its a few days before the team presentation. Yea 99.9% sure they can.
HAIMAR LADS! :lol:
I knew he was going to top20 this TDF despite not being in the startlist.
janraaskalt said:
Oh ***, for reals?
Well I believe they should since its a few days before the team presentation. Yea 99.9% sure they can.
HAIMAR LADS! :lol:
I knew he was going to top20 this TDF despite not being in the startlist.
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