Blanco-Belkin

[pastronef]

here their twitter

https://www.twitter.com/TeamBelkin

 

[Bala Verde]

Concerning the trainer...I have to say, I'm very confused as to what exactly Mollema/Nordhaug are doing at their altitude camp at the moment. Pretty much all their efforts look like this: http://app.strava.com/activities/56942768#1047993443 (click on "performance" to get the watts). Seems like their way of training for TDF is sprint training up mountains, up a 30 min climb Nordhaug has no less than 8 efforts above 1000 watts, peaking at 1227 watts, which for his weight is pretty insane really. All the other climbs they've done look like this as well. Are they trying to become mountain-sprinters or what?

Looks like it paid off today...

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Looks like it paid off today...

for uphill sprints yes..... let's see how they perform on a long climb with a high pace.

 

[janraaskalt]

here their twitter

https://www.twitter.com/TeamBelkin

Not followed by any Blanco rider or staff. I'll wait for the confirmation.

 

[Kwibus]

Not followed by any Blanco rider or staff. I'll wait for the confirmation.

It looks legit.

Keldermans father is a follower, or atleast someone with the surname Kelderman

 

[pastronef]

It looks legit.

Keldermans father is a follower, or atleast someone with the surname Kelderman

and @richardplugge is listed as manager

 

[theyoungest]

It looks legit.

Keldermans father is a follower, or atleast someone with the surname Kelderman

Yeah. And of course Kelderman's father is the first one to get informed if the deal goes through

The account was opened on the day the Telegraaf said Belkin had signed. Why open this account if you haven't even confirmed you're doing it?

 

[janraaskalt]

and @richardplugge is listed as manager

Anyone can put that in his twitter bio.

 

[pastronef]

GC wins in

SterZlmToer for BOOM
and Luxemburg for MARTENS

stage wins for Wagner, Bos, Boom, Mollema this week

ans Mollema second in Suisse after a very nice MTT

GO BLANCO!

 

[roundabout]

Martens didn't win a stage.

 

[Parrulo]

Blanco picking up their game on the way to the Tour.

 

[Magnus]

I wonder if they'll give Graeme Brown a new contract.

Reminds me of the rider who tested positive for pregnancy

 

[pastronef]

Martens didn't win a stage.

sorry, it was Wagner

by the way, i don't care if it's picking up the game for the Tour or not.

Mollema is in good shape
wins are good moral for the team
a new sponsor is arriving

when you see a team getting so much shyt on this forum, it's always nice to see them getting nice results

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Blanco picking up their game on the way to the Tour.

meh, it's just like the beginning of the season. Win some small ****ty prep races and be nowhere when it really happens

 

[pastronef]

meh, it's just like the beginning of the season. Win some small ****ty prep races and be nowhere when it really happens

that's exactly what I was saying when I talked about the shyt they always get.
blah blah blah
second in TdSuisse with a uphill finish stage win is not good?
look at their riders twitters, they don't phucking care what race it is, it's a win, it's team work, it's racing.
....sorry, I understand you consider useless anything they do, so there's no point in discussing.
bye

 

[Netserk]

2011. Awesome Suisse. Crap Tour.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

second in TdSuisse with a uphill finish stage win is not good?

It is good, but not great. Any win is good, but it is the wins in the really big races that count. TdS is a great race, but it is wins in the GTs and classics that actually count.

 

[pastronef]

Green-themed invitation to Blanco TDF-presentation, and presentation of the future of the team

http://twitpic.com/cy2q7x

from Tourdejose twitter

they'll be busy painting the bikes and the bus green

 

[theyoungest]

That's all very well, but it's the riders who make the team. I don't understand why they're letting Slagter go. That team has a history in the last few years of letting their biggest talents (Van Garderen, Rohan Dennis, Van Baarle, Daan Olivier) slip away.

 

[hidache]

That's all very well, but it's the riders who make the team. I don't understand why they're letting Slagter go. That team has a history in the last few years of letting their biggest talents (Van Garderen, Rohan Dennis, Van Baarle, Daan Olivier) slip away.

Dennis wanted to go back to an australian team because he was targeting the team pursuit during the 2012 olympics. After that he got offers from lot's of teams including rabo but he chose garmin. Van baarle had signed a pre-contract for next year but that was invalidated when rabo stopped sponsoring. Because blanco had no guaranteed future they couldn't sign him so he chose another team. Same goes for olivier. He didn't get an offer from blanco because they dind't have a sponsor for next year.

About TJVG I don't know.

 

[Der Effe]

They didn't sign Van Garderen because they thought they had enough similar riders like him already. Stupid.

Van Baarle really looks the real thing, but then again he'll probably fade away like any young Dutchie...

 

[Taxus4a]

I think is time Mollema shows the powerfull rider he is for three weeks. He have had bad luck with the Tour de France.

Last year he suffered a crash, he was very strong in the first days of the TDF before the crash, and the year before all the team failed in the first mountain stage. Why? I dont know, but it was all the team.

Later Mollema was quite active and close to win a stage . I thing was EBH who take it in the descent.

It is a pity Gesink is not the rider was expected to be, maybe his injury, maybe he is very pressioned and overtrained. But anyway if he is ok he could do a nice Tour, as in the Giro, but maybe no more...

When Mollema has been right, without bad luck, he has been very close to Froome, at the same level than Wiggo in the mountains, as in the Vuelta, 4th in GC... he need as well more self-confidence.

He could be better now than in that Vuelta

 

[theyoungest]

Dennis wanted to go back to an australian team because he was targeting the team pursuit during the 2012 olympics. After that he got offers from lot's of teams including rabo but he chose garmin. Van baarle had signed a pre-contract for next year but that was invalidated when rabo stopped sponsoring. Because blanco had no guaranteed future they couldn't sign him so he chose another team. Same goes for olivier. He didn't get an offer from blanco because they dind't have a sponsor for next year.

About TJVG I don't know.

Yes, there's a reason for all of them. Tejay left because he could make more money at HTC. But all of them combined don't paint a great picture of Rabo/Blanco's talent spotting qualities. If Slagter leaves their only talented youngster is Kelderman.

They didn't sign Van Garderen because they thought they had enough similar riders like him already. Stupid.

Van Baarle really looks the real thing, but then again he'll probably fade away like any young Dutchie...

Well, Van Baarle already looks like he's 30 year old, TBH. So the progression margin remains to be seen. But he's already better than the Jetse Bols and Moreno Hoflands and what have you.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

they'll probably try and go for american talents next year anyway

 

[hidache]

Yes, there's a reason for all of them. Tejay left because he could make more money at HTC. But all of them combined don't paint a great picture of Rabo/Blanco's talent spotting qualities. If Slagter leaves their only talented youngster is Kelderman.

Well, they gave them a spot on their U23 team and were keen to bring them over to their WT team (esp. Dennis and Van Baarle), but the riders chose to sign with another team. That has nothing to do with not recognizing their talent but more with nog being able to convince them to stay at their team.