Andreas Kloden's Final Bid For Another Coveted Top 10 Tour Finish, 'Official' Thread

[Parrulo]

i don't think kloden would get GT leadership anymore at the shack

bryunnel seems to have a lot of faith in brajkovic and machado as their future GT guys.

so i think it will be good for him to change teams. also quick step needs some1 to get them some points at 1 week races and kloden can do that during the first half of the season

 

[gregrowlerson]

So is it certain that Klodi is going to Quick Step?

It seems like a strange move to me. For the years when he should have led teams he chose to ride for ones where he would be a super domestique - now, at 36, he decides that he wants to lead one???

But good luck to him next year, and also at this years Vuelta if he still rides it.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Kloden would cost a lot of money to sign, correct?

So why wouldn't a now (assuming) cashed up BMC have signed him as a solid support for Evans next year?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

i don't think kloden would get GT leadership anymore at the shack

bryunnel seems to have a lot of faith in brajkovic and machado as their future GT guys.

so i think it will be good for him to change teams. also quick step needs some1 to get them some points at 1 week races and kloden can do that during the first half of the season

In 2-3 years Michał Kwiatkowski will crush them both for Shack leadership, unless Unzué's nabbed him back by then.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

In 2-3 years Michał Kwiatkowski will crush them both for Shack leadership, unless Unzué's nabbed him back by then.

kwiatkowski is a typical polish supertalent. already at physical peak age 15. lukasz bodnar, janiaczyk, he's next in line and you can already see it

 

[Nikoloz]

Klöden and Brajkovic to lead RadioShack in Vuelta a España


good... very good...!!!

 

[gregrowlerson]

Klöden and Brajkovic to lead RadioShack in Vuelta a España


good... very good...!!!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kloden-and-brajkovic-to-lead-radioshack-in-vuelta-a-espana

Yes, great news

Hoping for a podium and/or a victory in the ITT.

 

[jens_attacks]

i hope they will have the form.it will be hard with fresh and unhurt maniacs like anton,purito,scarponi and nibali...very hard.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Klöden and Brajkovic to lead RadioShack in Vuelta a España


good... very good...!!!

Stands to reason. Very good. A possible consolation for their Tour woes.
I was concerned Yohan might have packed him off to Utah and Colorado, along with the bald boys.
Good helpers, too.

 

[Nikoloz]

which colour is Vuelta a Espania's leaders jersey this year...???)))

I want to see it on Klodens shoulders after 1st stage...!!!

 

[Parrulo]

which colour is Vuelta a Espania's leaders jersey this year...???)))

I want to see it on Klodens shoulders after 1st stage...!!!

red again. and its a very good looking jersey this year

RS is prolly the major favourite for the TTT. kloden, brajkovic, machado, oliveira, irazar and zubeldia is an amazing team for the TTT. mostly the first 4 guys.

a shame kloden and brajkovic may ruin machado's GC aspirations but tbh i don't think brajkovic will be in good shape by stage 4 so he will lose a lot of time there

 

[Nikoloz]

a shame kloden and brajkovic may ruin machado's GC aspirations

machado should be happy if he reaches top 20...)))

he's not contender for podium this time...

 

[Parrulo]

machado should be happy if he reaches top 20...)))

he's not contender for podium this time...

and kloden is?

when was his last GT podium? 2006? and he hasn't gotten any younger. . . .

from where i stand both machado's and kloden's podium chances are the same. none. btw machado was sick for most of the giro and still made it to the top 20 making top 10 in the final ITT. so he could be fighting for an higher end position of the top 10 at this years vuelta.

then again i am not really bothered with this at all. riding along side kloden will be good for machado because kloden is a very experience rider and could be a good mentor for machado.

 

[roundabout]

If Hog said that Klöden could have made the podium this year then Klöden could have made the podium.

If Klöden has recovered he deserves full support of the team. Machado OTOH still has a lot to learn and someone as experienced as Klöden is ideal for that.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Anybody who's ever experienced back pain feels for Kloedi. I winced while watching him struggling to get out of his jersey and into the car. Pretty courageous to carry on as long as he did.

Gesink even finished the Tour with similar back problems.
They couldn't even touch his back until the friday before Paris. It was too sensitive.

And then still people laying the smack on him for his non-performance

 

[El Pistolero]

Gesink even finished the Tour with similar back problems.
They couldn't even touch his back until the friday before Paris. It was too sensitive.

And then still people laying the smack on him for his non-performance

I was laying the smack on him for not leaving though

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I blame the team.

At first he wanted to pull out but then they convinced him to stay and try in the Alps. And when Gesink believed that he made the mental switch to stay in and do exactly that (and ofcourse failing in the end).

 

[Nikoloz]

and kloden is?

yes... he is...!!!

/-:

 

[El Pistolero]

red again. and its a very good looking jersey this year

RS is prolly the major favourite for the TTT. kloden, brajkovic, machado, oliveira, irazar and zubeldia is an amazing team for the TTT. mostly the first 4 guys.

a shame kloden and brajkovic may ruin machado's GC aspirations but tbh i don't think brajkovic will be in good shape by stage 4 so he will lose a lot of time there

vuelta jersey all of a sudden became my favorite one. The Maglia Rosa looked better in 2008 than it does now anyway.

 

[Goldberger]

I blame the team.

At first he wanted to pull out but then they convinced him to stay and try in the Alps. And when Gesink believed that he made the mental switch to stay in and do exactly that (and ofcourse failing in the end).

So painfully stupid by rabobank, Gesink would have rocked the vuelta.


As for Klöden, lets hope hes fully recovered from his back problems, if he cannot complain about that he could do a decent GC.

 

[cineteq]

So painfully stupid by rabobank, Gesink would have rocked the vuelta.

Totally! Rabo cut your losses
Hope to seeing him in Montreal later this year....

PS: Sorry to interrupt, Kloedi, you rock too!

 

[hfer07]

I hope Kloden gets ready to perform well in the Vuelta-very classy guy (pity that he's Riding for the Shack)

 

[gregrowlerson]

If Hog said that Klöden could have made the podium this year then Klöden could have made the podium.

If Klöden has recovered he deserves full support of the team. Machado OTOH still has a lot to learn and someone as experienced as Klöden is ideal for that.

In hindsight perhaps it was a possibility for Klodi to have made the TDF podium - the times on the climbs were the slowest in decades, and an inform Kloden could have gone close to Cadel's time in the ITT...

I would suspect that at best he would have had at least one poorish day in the mountains, which would have left with a 'potential' 2nd-5th overall. Impossible to tell, though he was well placed before that horrible stage 9...

All his fans ask for now is some better luck at the Vuelta. Even if he can't climb well enough to podium, Andreas may be able to snatch the leaders jersey after the 1st or 10th stage.

 

[SiAp1984]

Even if he can't climb well enough to podium, Andreas may be able to snatch the leaders jersey after the 1st or 10th stage.

He still CAN climb with the best GT-guys on good days, so let's hope he will have many of them. Unfortunately, I always had the impression that he lacks motivation when doing the Vuelta. We will see how his form will be after that horrible crash in France. He looked very, very strong up to this day. For the least, I hope he finally will get his stage win in a GT. The ITT would be a nice stage to take for him...

 

[gregrowlerson]

I suppose that Kloden will be riding in support of Jurgen Vandenbrook next season...