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

[BillytheKid]

Kloden has an awfull year, but yeah you can all put it on ' preparation' . Honestly, I have not seen him this poor in recent years...

Klöden had a good showing early last year in the Basque and Catalunya, but has had a knee problem this year. I only saw the first and second day of the Suisse this year. On stage 2, he took what looked a like a easy pull on the Verbier but split the field up with it. Then just sat up looking no less for the effort. He was Mr. Invisible in the Suisse last year, but look really good in the Tour until the crash at the front that took out a lot of other team leaders.

I would not wirte him off.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Based on what? Good feeling? Last years and this year.... it's all been poor. And he does have quite some racing days under his belt.

The good feeling that when ever he withdrew from the Tour the next year he completed it he did good.

 

[SiAp1984]

He really did not strong at Suisse, not even in the ITT (7th?). But I'm glad he made the Tour team. That has to mean something ;-)

 

[gregrowlerson]

Agreed, think he and Monfort will be the two best Radioshack riders at the tour.

I think Kloden is good enough TT for a top 5 in top shape. Not sure he still has it in the mountains to podium.

Yep, Monfort is greatly underated and good get a top 5 finish. More reliable than Klodi who has to be a question mark in the mountains, but I'm excited that he has been selected

 

[BillytheKid]

Yep, Monfort is greatly underated and good get a top 5 finish. More reliable than Klodi who has to be a question mark in the mountains, but I'm excited that he has been selected

Klöden, on paper, is much better that Monfort in the ITT, but age factor begins to appear. The multi leader approach is a failure though. Riders need to know their roles.

I would put Klöden as the GC man and protect him with the likes of Cancellera, Jens, etc and ride as a squad.

Horner, Monfort and Schleck in any order on the climbs.

Singular focus is better.

 

[ElChingon]

Hopefully this new found team unity mantra he's spewing on Twitter is the mark of the Kloden set on winning, even if its at the cost of a teammate (I know ironic).

 

[*Falze*]

Yep, Monfort is greatly underated and good get a top 5 finish. More reliable than Klodi who has to be a question mark in the mountains, but I'm excited that he has been selected

I've always thought Monfort had great potential, just never seems to have the consistancy.

I can not see Kloden challanging for anything at the TDF apart from a stage win.

 

[BillytheKid]

He really did not strong at Suisse, not even in the ITT (7th?). But I'm glad he made the Tour team. That has to mean something ;-)

It still amazes me that building form to a peak is not a valid concept any more. Becasue of clinic theology, all training techniques are now invalid?

The Suisse is just training and not all-out straining (silly rhyme I know). A grand tour is not something you want be over-cooked going into, particularly if you an older rider. I guess that's another precept of a GC rider that's also null and void now days.

A healthy Klöden is RSNT's only real hope. I think they've know for a long time he's the man.

 

[BillytheKid]

I've always thought Monfort had great potential, just never seems to have the consistancy.

I can not see Kloden challanging for anything at the TDF apart from a stage win.

He won the Basque County hands down last year (the Crit Int. is joke compared to the Basque) then went quiet. Then was at the front in every uphill finish looking easy until the DZ crash-out in the Tour last year.

If he can still put up a result like the Basque last, year and has been on the TdF podium before, I would not discount him at all.

Plus he know has a super-domestique in Cancellara.

He has to be motivated by the ITT miles this year. He can climb and ITT and that's going to be even more important this year than ever becasue of their length.

 

[phanatic]

Singular focus is better.

This only goes for a singular rider, whether by overwhelming talent like Andy and Bertie, or consistent results like Wiggins, Valverde and Nibali. For teams like Rabo and Radio, it's best just to storm the mountains and hope to crack some of the other favorites, or at least their domestiques.

 

[BillytheKid]

This only goes for a singular rider, whether by overwhelming talent like Andy and Bertie, or consistent results like Wiggins, Valverde and Nibali. For teams like Rabo and Radio, it's best just to storm the mountains and hope to crack some of the other favorites, or at least their domestiques.

You not looking at the ITT miles. The parcours favor a guy like Klöden. Frank Schleck would be the only one I would let loose in the mountains, yes, that make a lot of sense because he's a GC threat if given too much time.

 

[Kokoso]

He won the Basque County hands down last year (the Crit Int. is joke compared to the Basque) then went quiet. Then was at the front in every uphill finish looking easy until the DZ crash-out in the Tour last year.

If he can still put up a result like the Basque last, year and has been on the TdF podium before, I would not discount him at all.

Plus he know has a super-domestique in Cancellara.

He has to be motivated by the ITT miles this year. He can climb and ITT and that's going to be even more important this year than ever becasue of their length.

I think Haimar Zubeldia "The congenial" (if he hasn't got a nickname) has better shot for GC than anyone in RSNT this year. Superior time trialist, good in mountains, experienced. He knows hot to do a good TdF. Last year he wasn't designated leader and still managed to finish 16th, which is not so bad, given the circumstances. This year he seems to be preparing specifically for TdF. A RSNT's secret weapon, nobody is counting on him or even mentioning him. I'll root for him, definitely.

 

[Goldberger]

I think Haimar Zubeldia "The congenial" (if he hasn't got a nickname) has better shot for GC than anyone in RSNT this year. Superior time trialist, good in mountains, experienced. He knows hot to do a good TdF. Last year he wasn't designated leader and still managed to finish 16th, which is not so bad, given the circumstances. This year he seems to be preparing specifically for TdF. A RSNT's secret weapon, nobody is counting on him or even mentioning him. I'll root for him, definitely.

?

That's a shocking statement, but the questionmark is really for the whole post.

Zubeldia is nowhere near good enough to be a leader for Radioshack, and not Monfort either. Klöden is the undisputed leader for the team in tour, in my opinion.

 

[cineteq]

?

That's a shocking statement, but the questionmark is really for the whole post.

Zubeldia is nowhere near good enough to be a leader for Radioshack, and not Monfort either. Klöden is the undisputed leader for the team in tour, in my opinion.

Klöden is one of the leaders, in theory. Horner is perhaps the real leader since Schleck doesn't want to be.

 

[phanatic]

You not looking at the ITT miles. The parcours favor a guy like Klöden. Frank Schleck would be the only one I would let loose in the mountains, yes, that make a lot of sense because he's a GC threat if given too much time.

I discount Kloden as a TT threat to Evans or Wiggins, so they still have to be broken. But I also think Horner must have been posting incredible numbers for JB to put him on the Tour team. I may be underestimating Kloden, but I don't see him riding like a strong Menchov.

 

[roundabout]

For various reasons Klöden has not been particularly convincing in the high mountains since 2009. He is also 37 now.

Enough reasons to feel uncertain how he will do.

 

[Angliru]

I discount Kloden as a TT threat to Evans or Wiggins, so they still have to be broken. But I also think Horner must have been posting incredible numbers for JB to put him on the Tour team. I may be underestimating Kloden, but I don't see him riding like a strong Menchov.

Not that it was necessarily Horner or Fuglsang but in choosing between the two it seems that Fuglsang talked his way out of a Tour ride with his public statements about the less than ideal environment that existed within the team along with his looking to be elsewhere next season. Maybe Bruyneel didn't want the negativity that Fuglsang was bringing to the table. Horner was more about simply being deserving of being selected and if selected doing his best to support the team's ride leader. Fuglsang seemed more about me, me, me and not really about the team.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Klöden is one of the leaders, in theory. Horner is perhaps the real leader since Schleck doesn't want to be.

Horner a leader.
He has as much of a chance as being leader as Karpets does.

 

[SHAD0W93]

I think Haimar Zubeldia "The congenial" (if he hasn't got a nickname) has better shot for GC than anyone in RSNT this year. Superior time trialist, good in mountains, experienced. He knows hot to do a good TdF. Last year he wasn't designated leader and still managed to finish 16th, which is not so bad, given the circumstances. This year he seems to be preparing specifically for TdF. A RSNT's secret weapon, nobody is counting on him or even mentioning him. I'll root for him, definitely.

If Zubeldia finishes in the top 20 I will eat all of my clothing. He should only lead at the Vuelta. Even though I do like the guy.

 

[BillytheKid]

I think Haimar Zubeldia "The congenial" (if he hasn't got a nickname) has better shot for GC than anyone in RSNT this year. Superior time trialist, good in mountains, experienced. He knows hot to do a good TdF. Last year he wasn't designated leader and still managed to finish 16th, which is not so bad, given the circumstances. This year he seems to be preparing specifically for TdF. A RSNT's secret weapon, nobody is counting on him or even mentioning him. I'll root for him, definitely.

That's like saying Horner could be a GC man in this TDF with his 10th (now 9th) in 2010. 10th or 16th it does not matter. That's done on time in the mountains, but you have two long ITT's and you have to look at those who can both climb and ITT. I voted for Cadel on the other thread. Wiggins might, but I think he's been going too hard all year and will fade. Froome may be the Sky man in that case. Klöden and Frank have actually finished on the podium. Frank just does not have ITT skills to finish on the podium this year.

Klöden would be the best bet for RSNT, based on the ITTs this year.

 

[cineteq]

Klöden would be the best bet for RSNT, based on the ITTs this year.

That's what I thought last year after RSNT formed, but now I doubt it. His form has been terrible this year. Btw, I thought last year he had a good chance for podium until he crashed.

 

[jgotti]

Interesting comment by Tony Martin, who is not a "team-mate" just being friendly ;-)

The German is not looking to the overall ranking, and sees Bradley Wiggins and Cadel Evans as top favourites. He doesn't count out one of his countrymen, though. Andreas Klöden of RadioShack-Nissan “is one of the dark horses for me. Andreas is also a very strong time triallist. And he always manages to come out of nowhere and do well in the highlights.”

 

[BillytheKid]

That's what I thought last year after RSNT formed, but now I doubt it. His form has been terrible this year. Btw, I thought last year he had a good chance for podium until he crashed.

Yes, a knee problem, so the question is that now behind him? On paper, he makes more sense for this Tour. His 31-seconds-down, 7th in the ITT in the Suisse proves he is going better than people are saying.

 

[Froome19]

Yes, a knee problem, so the question is that now behind him? On paper, he makes more sense for this Tour. His 31-seconds-down, 7th in the ITT in the Suisse proves he is going better than people are saying.

Indeed, but he still has a long way to improve.
For example he was behind Gesink, I dont know how the Tour is going to pan out but I find it highly unlikely that Kloden will take time out of Gesink in the mountains and highly likely Gesink will take time out of Kloden in the mountains. So that deficit of however many seconds will have to be reversed considerably if Kloden wants to have any hope of getting near the podium.

That is just to demonstrate how much he still has to do if he wants to put in a good placing.

 

[BillytheKid]

Indeed, but he still has a long way to improve.
For example he was behind Gesink, I dont know how the Tour is going to pan out but I find it highly unlikely that Kloden will take time out of Gesink in the mountains and highly likely Gesink will take time out of Kloden in the mountains. So that deficit of however many seconds will have to be reversed considerably if Kloden wants to have any hope of getting near the podium.

That is just to demonstrate how much he still has to do if he wants to put in a good placing.

All true, but he's been on the podium before, and I don't rank performance in terms of results within the season as the only factor. The return of two long ITTs are big plus. and very often, a great result in the Suisse or the Dauphine means little for the Tour.

Still if he were listed in the poll. I would have to place him about 5th, in part, becasue of what you point out. I think he can do better then Frank Schleck this year.