Confirmed Vuelta Teams/Pre-Selections

[JRanton]

So no Sagan, Cavendish, Kittel, Greipel, Degenkolb.

I wonder are FDJ or AG2R sending Demare, Bouhanni, Dumoulin and Hutarovich. I cannot believe I am thinking of the latter two in terms of bunch sprints in a GT.

FDJ will surely send Demare. I still find it bizarre that he didn't ride the Tour this year.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Dan Martin will be Garmin's GC leader, but makes it amusingly clear that he has no intention of riding conservatively to preserve a GC placing:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dan-martin-heads-to-vuelta-to-lead-garmins-challenge

If only every fringe GC man took the "21 one day races" attitude and nobody rode to preserve their 8th spot, the sport would be a hell of a lot more entertaining.

 

[JRanton]

Just added Movistar's pre-selection (11 riders):

Valverde, Capecchi, Erviti, Gutierrez, Jesus Herrada, Jose Herrada, Intxausti, Lastras, Moreno, Szmyd, Teruel.

 

[BigMac]

Valverde and Benat are pretty much confirmed. Also both Herrada's

 

[roundabout]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/poland-proves-to-be-a-breakthrough-for-von-hoff

Von Hoff, Farrar and Hunter are on the long list for Garmin Sharp

 

[goose30]

What would be the argos sprinter that list?

 

[search]

Nikias Arndt I think, after his victory in Norway a couple of days ago he said he also hopes to win a stage in the Vuelta

 

[roundabout]

FDJ

https://twitter.com/EquipeFDJ/status/367338025132367872

 

[JRanton]

FDJ

https://twitter.com/EquipeFDJ/status/367338025132367872

Thanks. AG2R have confirmed their selection:

Carlos Betancur, Domenico Pozzovivo, Rinaldo Nocentini, Julien Bérard, Steve Chainel, Mikael Cherel, Ben Gastauer, Lloyd Mondory and Matteo Montaguti.

Nice team.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Thanks. AG2R have confirmed their selection:

Carlos Betancur, Domenico Pozzovivo, Rinaldo Nocentini, Julien Bérard, Steve Chainel, Mikael Cherel, Ben Gastauer, Lloyd Mondory and Matteo Montaguti.

Nice team.

Better than nice. I hope that Betancur or Pozzovivo have the form to put in a real GC challenge.

 

[pastronef]

vetooo @ammattipyoraily

Astana for #LaVuelta: Brajkovic, Fuglsang, Grivko, Kangert, Nibali, Tiralongo, Zeits | uncertain: Agnoli,Vanotti, reserve: Gruzdev,Iglinskiy

 

[all_in]

vetooo @ammattipyoraily

Astana for #LaVuelta: Brajkovic, Fuglsang, Grivko, Kangert, Nibali, Tiralongo, Zeits | uncertain: Agnoli,Vanotti, reserve: Gruzdev,Iglinskiy

This is really a very good strong team.Probably the strongest team on paper in this race.

 

[Hysminai]

http://teamsaxotinkoff.com/races.asp?r_id=3022#nu

Saxo team:
Roman Kreuziger, Rafal Majka, Michael Mørkøv, Evgeny Petrov, Nicolas Roche, Chris Anker Sørensen, Nicki Sørensen, Matteo Tosatto, Oliver Zaugg

 

[Afrank]

Pretty strong team, their GC leader going to be Kreuziger or Majka?

 

[Hysminai]

Majka. Kreuziger said a while ago that he'll help out and go for a stage.

 

[HCl+HN03]

I`ve heard that Roche will be the leader, but thats maybe wrong.

 

[The Prince]

Orica-GreenEDGE squad: Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke, Michael Matthews, Leigh Howard, Mitch Docker, Baden Cooke, Christian Meier, Wesley Sulzberger
and Sam Bewley

http://www.greenedgecycling.com/news/a-squad-capable-of-stage-wins-for-the-vuelta-a-espana

 

[karlboss]

Orica-GreenEDGE squad: Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke, Michael Matthews, Leigh Howard, Mitch Docker, Baden Cooke, Christian Meier, Wesley Sulzberger
and Sam Bewley

http://www.greenedgecycling.com/news/a-squad-capable-of-stage-wins-for-the-vuelta-a-espana

Looking forward to how Matthews and Howard divide things up and if Wes is strong enough to earn a worlds spot.

 

[Beech Mtn]

I`ve heard that Roche will be the leader, but thats maybe wrong.

I read the same thing. Majka had the Giro, and Roche gets the Vuelta, with Kreuz going for a stage, being a super dom, and prepping for Worlds. Unless something has changed?

 

[roundabout]

Orica-GreenEDGE squad: Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke, Michael Matthews, Leigh Howard, Mitch Docker, Baden Cooke, Christian Meier, Wesley Sulzberger
and Sam Bewley

http://www.greenedgecycling.com/news/a-squad-capable-of-stage-wins-for-the-vuelta-a-espana

Bewley?

A bit weird to see Gerrans in the Vuelta with the races in Canada suiting him so well. Guess he has on eye on a good result in the Worlds.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I read the same thing. Majka had the Giro, and Roche gets the Vuelta, with Kreuz going for a stage, being a super dom, and prepping for Worlds. Unless something has changed?

There are conflicting reports about who will be the leader, all of them seemingly coming from Saxo management, so it seems that they have been doing a bit of thinking.

Last thing I saw was an interview with Tristan Hoffman, a Saxo DS, where he said that all of Majka, Roche and Kreuziger would be "supported", and even CAS too. But he thought that Kreuziger would most likely end up being the leader.

It sounded like a Garmin-style approach of going with a bunch of potential GC men and then seeing who does or doesn't have it. Which is most un-Saxo like, but makes a certain amount of sense when they are going with a bunch of guys who might get a result but no obvious real favourite. It's hard to know which of Roche, Kreuziger and Majka will have the form over three weeks given that they all have a GT in their legs already. I like CAS, but realistically, if he ends up as their GC man it means they are probably having a bad race.

 

[akrogirl]

Argos Shimano: Nikias Arndt, Warren Barguil, Johannes Frohlinger, Thierry Hupond, Reinardt Janse van Rensberg, Tom Peterson, Georg Preidler, Ramon Sinkeldam, Tom Stamsnijder.

 

[greenedge]

Bewley?

A bit weird to see Gerrans in the Vuelta with the races in Canada suiting him so well. Guess he has on eye on a good result in the Worlds.

He did last year too. I'm sure he could nab a stage/ help Clarke otherwise.

Matthews i hope will be really strong, but it will be his 1st GT.

Surprised that most people are not considering Mollema here. He can sprint (hill finishes) and has proven in 2011 he can ride a decent GC here.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Surprised that most people are not considering Mollema here. He can sprint (hill finishes) and has proven in 2011 he can ride a decent GC here.

I think he's being overlooked a bit because he looked tired in the last week of the Tour. If he somehow manages to ride out the Vuelta in good form, he's amongst the favourites, but that doesn't seem too likely.

 

[Grupetto1]

Lotto- De Clercq, De Greef, Hansen, Henderson, Reynes, Van de Walle, Van der Sande, Vanendert & Vanendert.

What a huge shock that Hansen's in...