2018 Paris-Nice, 4/3-11/3

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Quickstep is a classics team not a Grand Tour team. They'll be stage hunting with whomever they send to the Tour.

Movistar doesn't have a team for the cobbled classics let alone a cobbled stage in the Tour. They have a grand total of 3 riders who have had any success at all in cobbled races. Carlos Barbero (their sprinter) who is not going to any Grand Tour (mostly because he doesn't want to so they won't send him), Imanol Erviti, who has had their best results at both Flanders and Paris-Roubiax and is Valverde's long-time domestique and road captain, and will be going to the Tour to serve that role. And actually Valverde, who in the few cobbled races (a few semi classics, Tour stages, and Richmond World's) has proven he can handle himself on the cobbles. They don't exactly have anyone who can look after Landa and Quintana on that stage. Then we have the TTT, which well they will only be sending one of their two TT specialists (either Sutterlin or Oliveria). One of those two plus Valverde will be who they are relying on to keep the team from loosing more than a minute on that stage. They are sending 3 protected riders to the Tour, thus limited what they can send with the rest of the team. My guess one TT specialist along with Erviti for the flat stages and 3 climbers. This team has very much reverted back to being a team full of climbers.

Not sure about Sutterlin but Oliveira last year made a really interesting tour de flanders (18th place) . That could be a good sign for the cobbles and will deffinetly give him some nice points in the fight for the TT position, being a more versitile rider and also a decent climber may give him a shot on the super movistar tour team

That would make the difference in who goes between Sutterlin and Oliveira. They are both good TTers. My guess the other one will go to la Vuelta.

Search, Amador is good for a TTT, however, I'm not sure if he'll be going to the Tour or not. It's highly likely he's going to the Giro as race leader and may end up then going to the Vuelta. Truthfully not sure when the last time he raced on cobbles was (probably the 2015 Worlds).

 

[search]

yeah, that's right, he is probably more likely to do the Giro. And he hasn't done the classics for a while indeed, but I always was impressed by his performance on the cobbles. I mean, he almost won Gent Wevelgem

 

[Blanco]

Re:

Quickstep is a classics team not a Grand Tour team. They'll be stage hunting with whomever they send to the Tour.

Movistar doesn't have a team for the cobbled classics let alone a cobbled stage in the Tour. They have a grand total of 3 riders who have had any success at all in cobbled races. Carlos Barbero (their sprinter) who is not going to any Grand Tour (mostly because he doesn't want to so they won't send him), Imanol Erviti, who has had their best results at both Flanders and Paris-Roubiax and is Valverde's long-time domestique and road captain, and will be going to the Tour to serve that role. And actually Valverde, who in the few cobbled races (a few semi classics, Tour stages, and Richmond World's) has proven he can handle himself on the cobbles. They don't exactly have anyone who can look after Landa and Quintana on that stage. Then we have the TTT, which well they will only be sending one of their two TT specialists (either Sutterlin or Oliveria). One of those two plus Valverde will be who they are relying on to keep the team from loosing more than a minute on that stage. They are sending 3 protected riders to the Tour, thus limited what they can send with the rest of the team. My guess one TT specialist along with Erviti for the flat stages and 3 climbers. This team has very much reverted back to being a team full of climbers.

i don't think they need 3 climbers, maybe two at most. One of their leaders, or maybe even two, will eventually become a domestique, that's up to circuimstances. Anacona is certain I think, he trains with Quintana from the start and is his no.1 guy. Erviti is certain also. 2nd roleur will be Sutterlin or Bennati. So we have two more spots. I would bring two all-rounders, namely Oliveira and De La Parte. But if Unzue wants one more climber then Fernandez or Soler can be considered.

 

[Escarabajo]

I second what Blanco said. On the roleurs I think it will depend on the form they are during the spring campaign.

BTW, I thought I was on the Movistar thread. LOL.

 

[can3478]

Another victim from Paris-Nice,

Cofidis announced through twitter that "Insufficiently recovered from acute bronchitis contracted on the roads of Paris-Nice, @BouhanniNacer unfortunately declares package for Milan San Remo."

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Bouhanni denies he is sick.

Problems at cofidis camp. Seems Vasseur favours Laporte.
Bouhanni has been passed.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

Bouhanni denies he is sick.

Problems at cofidis camp. Seems Vasseur favours Laporte.
Bouhanni has been passed.

Vasseur said this week-end that a not-100% Bouhanni would’ve no chance to compete at MSR.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Quickstep is a classics team not a Grand Tour team. They'll be stage hunting with whomever they send to the Tour.

Movistar doesn't have a team for the cobbled classics let alone a cobbled stage in the Tour. They have a grand total of 3 riders who have had any success at all in cobbled races. Carlos Barbero (their sprinter) who is not going to any Grand Tour (mostly because he doesn't want to so they won't send him), Imanol Erviti, who has had their best results at both Flanders and Paris-Roubiax and is Valverde's long-time domestique and road captain, and will be going to the Tour to serve that role. And actually Valverde, who in the few cobbled races (a few semi classics, Tour stages, and Richmond World's) has proven he can handle himself on the cobbles. They don't exactly have anyone who can look after Landa and Quintana on that stage. Then we have the TTT, which well they will only be sending one of their two TT specialists (either Sutterlin or Oliveria). One of those two plus Valverde will be who they are relying on to keep the team from loosing more than a minute on that stage. They are sending 3 protected riders to the Tour, thus limited what they can send with the rest of the team. My guess one TT specialist along with Erviti for the flat stages and 3 climbers. This team has very much reverted back to being a team full of climbers.

i don't think they need 3 climbers, maybe two at most. One of their leaders, or maybe even two, will eventually become a domestique, that's up to circuimstances. Anacona is certain I think, he trains with Quintana from the start and is his no.1 guy. Erviti is certain also. 2nd roleur will be Sutterlin or Bennati. So we have two more spots. I would bring two all-rounders, namely Oliveira and De La Parte. But if Unzue wants one more climber then Fernandez or Soler can be considered.

They are NOT going to take Soler. He's only been to 1 Grand Tour which was la Vuelta last year. No way he's ready for the Tour. He's either going to do the Giro then maybe the Vuelta or just the Vuelta. He needs more experience in a GT first.
My picks for the 5 would be Oliveira, Erviti, Anacona, Fernandez, and Roson. Yes they will be taking 3 climbers. Bennati is headed to the Giro. They'll take the climbers. It's not like they haven't done stuff like this before. They're known for taking teams full of climbers to the Tour with almost no one for the flats and that's with 9 man teams. They'll need the climbers in the mountains. Even if one or two of the protected riders kinda becomes a domestique they still don't do the work on the front that a true domestique will do.