Best team with leadout sprint train?

[Jancouver]

What team has the best sprint leadout train?

 

[SHAD0W93]

Sky definitely has the better train while OPL and GreenEdge can have just as good trains.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

GE have 20+ riders for lead out. I doubt anyone can match that.

For the TDU I might say Uni-SA as they have Bernie Sultz.

 

[Jancouver]

GE have 20+ riders for lead out. I doubt anyone can match that.

For the TDU I might say Uni-SA as they have Bernie Sultz.

They may have 20+ riders for leadout train but I personally think Quickstep will over time become the next HTC ... mark my words. They will be good this year and they will bring another top sprinter on board next year once they realize Boonen is done and Ciolek and Chicchi are not able to beat any of the top sprinters. My guess is Kittel, Gorilla or even Sagan

 

[blaxland]

I voted Greenedge due to sheer numbers,but only time will tell....In the past it was Team Highroad(HTC)

 

[AntonioRossi]

i am gonna say team 1t4i. Kinda serious about that. They dont have the strongest sprinter, but their train is very good. We'll see how sky or greenedge do

 

[The Hitch]

If there was some one off leadout train competition, Sky would win easy with Porte Rogers and Wiggins sufficient to bring back half the peloton if perchance it escapes.

Bernie Eissel is enough on his own to keep the pace high so that no one even thinks of escaping.

G just about the best rider (other than T mart and Canc) in the world to have for the 1500m- 500m region, and Cav can already start celebrating immediately after EBH finishes his epic leadout with 200 to go.

But in reality these guys will all have different rolls. EBH is too good to be a leadoutman. G is doing the Giro for himself and Olympics. Wiggins is going for a MJ. Porte will work for Wiggins and Rogers presumably will have some stage races.

So cav will be left with Eissel and 1 or 2 others. But greenedge will have the best leadout. Or maybe Garmin with Millar, and then Haussler if he does leadout.

 

[Afrank]

Greenedge, just take one look at the roster its full of sprinters, leadout guys, time trialists, and even a few guy that can put themselves at the front of the peleton and stay there all day. Sky beats them in quality of riders, but Greenedge wins in number of people that can successfully form a leadout train.

 

[just some guy]

Maybe we should wait a few sprints first

at the moment the sprint trains will be a mess

only Tyler has got a train he knows and he is now questioning if he is a sprinter again.

 

[gustienordic]

Greenedge, just take one look at the roster its full of sprinters, leadout guys, time trialists, and even a few guy that can put themselves at the front of the peleton and stay there all day. Sky beats them in quality of riders, but Greenedge wins in number of people that can successfully form a leadout train.

And there sole focus. In plenty of races Wiggs will be there or Froome, and there is no way they are going to be doing much work in the leadout. Pretty sure Gerrans or Clark will still be helping leadout Gossy or Krupois, or whoever needs a leadout.

 

[nobilis]

I think it's between Sky and OPQS. I also beleive that OPQS will be the next HTC-Highroad. Maybe Greenedge in 3rd.

Maybe we should wait a few sprints first

at the moment the sprint trains will be a mess

only Tyler has got a train he knows and he is now questioning if he is a sprinter again.

I don't think Tyler sill has a train he knows. His main leadout man is not with him anymore. I don't know if he'll be replaced by Koldo or Haussler, although the latter isn't exactly the perfect guy to be a leadout man.

 

[nobilis]

Lotto-Belisol should have a decent train too. Greipel will have Hendo and Roelandts i suppose.

 

[Mambo95]

Sky. A train is only as good as the person on the end of it.

 

[catmiles]

Definately Sky with Greenedge not far behind

 

[robertocarlos]

Definately Sky with Greenedge not far behind

I think in a good day Greipel is a better sprinter than anybody in green edge.

 

[search]

I don't think Tyler sill has a train he knows. His main leadout man is not with him anymore. I don't know if he'll be replaced by Koldo or Haussler, although the latter isn't exactly the perfect guy to be a leadout man.

don't you think Hunter or Rasmussen is the better choice? I think Haussler may mainly focus on his own goals and I'm not sure about Koldo Fernandez capability of doing a leadout, I must say...

 

[Hugo Koblet]

don't you think Hunter or Rasmussen is the better choice? I think Haussler may mainly focus on his own goals and I'm not sure about Koldo Fernandez capability of doing a leadout, I must say...

Garmin has a potential good train but probably lacks a good leadout man, I agree. I think Rasmussen could become very good at it though.

 

[dlwssonic]

BMC last year with kristoff for sure. HTC was not even close.

 

[luckyboy]

Made a list of guys who can sprint and who theoretically would be capable of leading out for each team (left some out probably)

Sky have it in theory, but as others have said Wiggins and others will have other goals and won't be in the leadout. QuickStep wins for me, but they need to bring in someone at the top level of sprinting (Cav, Farrar, Greipel) to finish it off.

GARMIN
Farrar, Fernandez, Haussler, Fischer, Hunter, Rasmussen, Millar, Zabriskie

GREENEDGE
Goss, Davis, McEwen, Dean, Howard, Tuft, Meyer x2

KATUSHA
Galimzyanov, Freire, Kristoff, Smukulis

LAMPRE
Petacchi, Hondo, Malori

LOTTO
Greipel, Henderson, Roedlandts, Hansen, Sieberg, Bak

QUICKSTEP
Boonen, Ciolek, Chicchi, Steegmans, Rabon, Grabsch, Martin, Velits x2

RABOBANK
Renshaw, Bos, Matthews, Brown, Clement, Van Emden

RADIOSHACK
Bennati, Roulston, Voigt, Posthuma, Sergent, Cancellara

SAXO BANK
J.Haedo, L.Haedo, Miyazawa

SKY
Cavendish, Boasson Hagen, Swift, Appollonio, Eisel, Pate, Thomas, Rogers, Sivtsov, Wiggins

VACANSOLEIL
Feillu, Van Hummel, Larsson

I think in a good day Greipel is a better sprinter than anybody in green edge.

He's better than anyone in GreenEdge on a normal day too.

 

[theyoungest]

RABOBANK
Renshaw, Bos, Matthews, Brown, Clement, Van Emden

Leezer is their main leadout man. Clement is a time trialist, but not really someone for a sprint train. Van Winden is more useful, and maybe Bol or Vermeltfoort in the future.

Of course the best leadout man on the team is Renshaw, but alas, he wants to be the one finishing it off

BTW How many people voted Lotto before yesterday?

 

[abbaskip]

GREENEDGE
Goss, Davis, McEwen, Dean, Howard, Tuft, Meyer x2

You include Wiggins and Rogers, but not Bobridge, O'Grady (Green Jersey contender for years??), Cooke (previous winner of the Green jersey), Hepbern, Lancaster (leadout man for basically every other team he has raced for, and ridden in the Grand Tours doing it) etc. Those guys are fast, have track pedigree, and would be awesome at the Eisel/Hincapie 1km to go Highroad role. In fact even Durbridge is comparable to Rogers for a 'leadout' role.

Seems you basically chose sprinters in the GreenEdge team (except the Meyer's) and all parts of a Leadout train for Sky.

If we're talking pure leadouts, and not the guy on the end of it, I think GreenEdge has it.

Imagine Durbridge doing a big turn coming under 10km, Bobridge, Meyer, Cooke and O'Grady chopping it off from 5km to go, handing over to Lancaster/Dean 1km out who could start winding up for Davis to unleash at 500m, and Goss to finish if off. I didn't put McEwen in there, because I'm not sure he is the style of sprinter that suits doing a lead out. Relies too much on his kick.

Wiggins is great, but I'm not sure he is as fast as Bobridge/Meyer anymore (since he hasn't really been worrying about track, and has lost the kgs - he might out TT them, but not over a short distance), Thomas and EBH would be better than Lancaster/Dean/Davis though.

 

[issoisso]

Garmin has a potential good train but probably lacks a good leadout man, I agree. I think Rasmussen could become very good at it though.

It's interesting that Rasmussen was improving steadily and seemed on his way to becoming a top sprinter in his own right.....and then went to HTC and stopped doing sprints.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

It's interesting that Rasmussen was improving steadily and seemed on his way to becoming a top sprinter in his own right.....and then went to HTC and stopped doing sprints.

I don't know if he was on his way to becoming a top sprinter, but he is pretty fast. He probably lacks quite a bit in top speed though but he can keep his speed for quite a while. He's more of a power rider I think.
Last year he wanted to focus more on the (semi)classics but didn't really do that many (PR and Scheldeprijs) which was quite weird.

 

[El Pistolero]

Leezer is their main leadout man. Clement is a time trialist, but not really someone for a sprint train. Van Winden is more useful, and maybe Bol or Vermeltfoort in the future.

Of course the best leadout man on the team is Renshaw, but alas, he wants to be the one finishing it off

BTW How many people voted Lotto before yesterday?

Yeah how evil of those people! Voting for a team who proved they have a great train instead of just going off by names.

And no, I didn't vote yet. I'll only vote when we've seen all the trains in action against each other.

 

[theyoungest]

It's interesting that Rasmussen was improving steadily and seemed on his way to becoming a top sprinter in his own right.....and then went to HTC and stopped doing sprints.

Makes sense though, at Saxo he probably was one of the fastest guys whereas at HTC maybe he was a little lower down the list. Garmin might once again try to use his sprinting potential.