Confirmed Tour Teams/Pre-Selections

[roundabout]

We can expand the sprinter list to 4 tiers now.

 

[tweak37]

Kittel is not first tier. Doesn't deserve a place next to Cav and Greipel yet.

Why not? He is probably the most consistent sprinter of this season, as he won 10 of the 13 sprints (for first place) he contested, with Greipel (11/20) and or Cavendish (11/19) present on numerous occasions. If he is there to sprint, he can most certainly measure himself with both of them.

 

[Steady]

Euskaltel sprinter

Is Juan Jose Lobato Euskaltel-Euskadi's sprinter?
If so what can we expect from him, a regular in top 10?

 

[Ferminal]

@Andrey_Amador, @jcastroviejo, @RuiCostaCyclist, @ImanolErviti, @Ivangutipal, Plaza, Quintana, @jjrojillas, @alejanvalverde.

I guess Rojas losing the bunch sprint to LLS yesterday was enough to earn selection.

 

[Liquigas]

No Szmyd... He's been crap for the last 2 years or so, so that's no surprise. What I don't understand is why they signed him in the first place.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Why not? He is probably the most consistent sprinter of this season, as he won 10 of the 13 sprints (for first place) he contested, with Greipel (11/20) and or Cavendish (11/19) present on numerous occasions. If he is there to sprint, he can most certainly measure himself with both of them.

He has proven nothing in GTs, and he was only able to beat Cav because of bad leadouts, which I trust will be good in the tour.

I will be very surprised if Kittel can beat both Cav and Greipel in an 'honest' sprint this TdF.

 

[pastronef]

Tourdejose says no Farrar in the Tour for Garmin

https://mobile.twitter.com/TourDeJose/status/349112091942195200?p=v

 

[Dazed and Confused]

No Szmyd... He's been crap for the last 2 years or so, so that's no surprise. What I don't understand is why they signed him in the first place.

Probably as a replacement for Vasil, but the numbers aren't there.

 

[RHRH19861986]

Probably as a replacement for Vasil, but the numbers aren't there.

More important, Capecchi still hasn´t made the next career step at Movistar yet - I expected him to do better, actually, but OK, he has still time.

 

[BigMac]

About Movistar team selection, a quick photo of the 9:

 

[LaFlorecita]

@Andrey_Amador, @jcastroviejo, @RuiCostaCyclist, @ImanolErviti, @Ivangutipal, Plaza, Quintana, @jjrojillas, @alejanvalverde.

I guess Rojas losing the bunch sprint to LLS yesterday was enough to earn selection.

etc etc

 

[taiwan]

1st Tier - Cav, Greipel, Sagan

2nd Tier - Goss, Bouhanni, Kittel, EBH

3rd - Coquard, Farrar, Kristoff

 

[Dazed and Confused]

More important, Capecchi still hasn´t made the next career step at Movistar yet - I expected him to do better, actually, but OK, he has still time.

yea, still time. He did seems to get better at the tail end of the Giro or perhaps its just my imagination.

 

[roundabout]

1st Tier - Cav, Greipel, Sagan

2nd Tier - Goss, Bouhanni, Kittel, EBH

3rd - Coquard, Farrar, Kristoff

Don't think Coquard is going

 

[kottila]

1st Tier - Cav, Greipel, Sagan

2nd Tier - Goss, Bouhanni, Kittel, EBH

3rd - Coquard, Farrar, Kristoff

Kristoff is one tier above EBH this year

 

[taiwan]

Kristoff is one tier above EBH this year

EBH is usually good at the Tour, but yes I suppose Kristoff is likely to be better this year.

 

[Ferminal]

What is the word on EBH anyway? He could feasibly take Yellow on Day 2 or 3, but to do so he needs to be off the leash on Stage 1 to get a high placing.

Or is he going to race the entire Tour without sprinting for anything?

 

[afpm90]

yea, still time. He did seems to get better at the tail end of the Giro or perhaps its just my imagination.

Also, Capecchi was sick at the beginning of the Giro.

 

[ciranda]

Brajkovic already did that. And won the Dauphinee.

Fuglsang is like Nicolas Roche.

Yeah, acutally no. Very much different cyclists.

Roche: leader of a team for like six years, has never won anything, never gets really good placings in races anyway, never takes chances. He even chased his own GC in the Tour de Suisse when he was supposed to help Kreuziger.

Fuglsang: always a support rider in GT's and in general, has won a solid number of good races anyway, and has very good placings in races like Giro di Lombardia, Giro dell'Emilia, Tour de Suisse and Dauphine. Always aggressive and is in races to race.

Obviously lots of things can go wrong, same as for every contender, but it's not outrageous for Astana to believe he can do well.

 

[spalco]

What about Kessiakoff - does he just not have the stamina for 3 weeks?

 

[ciranda]

Kessiakoff's allergies caused problems for him in Giro d'Italia, should be fine with regards to that now. He's not at the Tour for the overall but can hopefully do well on some stages, like in the second time trial.

 

[del1962]

What is the word on EBH anyway? He could feasibly take Yellow on Day 2 or 3, but to do so he needs to be off the leash on Stage 1 to get a high placing.

Or is he going to race the entire Tour without sprinting for anything?

Last year he was in one sprint, even with Cav there.

 

[search]

Yeah, acutally no. Very much different cyclists.

Roche: [...] never takes chances.

that's propably the last thing you can say about Roche. He very often tries to win a couple of seconds by "unusual" attacks

 

[Cimber]

Lol Seeldraeyers really fuming about non-selection:

-"Kazakh clowns"
-"bunch of gangsters" (if I understand it correctly)
-"looks like Fuglsang will be on his own in the mountains"
-"today I will have a lot of french fries"

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/cnt/DMF20130623_00633518

 

[Ferminal]

Last year he was in one sprint, even with Cav there.

Yeh I actually forgot he was active in the first week uphill finishes.