Evans leaves Omega Pharma - Lotto

[benpounder]

All decent riders but who is going to be his support rider on the final climb of a big mountain stage. I am not so sure any of these guys will be there.

Lovdvist rode fairly impressively this year as I recall.

 

[afpm90]

All decent riders but who is going to be his support rider on the final climb of a big mountain stage. I am not so sure any of these guys will be there.

Morris Possoni, Serge Pauwels, Thomas Lovkvist and John Lee-Augustyn are good climbers.

 

[pmcg76]

Lovdvist rode fairly impressively this year as I recall.

Very aware of Lokvist and his talents, just not sure if he will be up there in the mountains during the third week of a GT. Huge potential but still somewhat unproven in the GTs, I just feel Sky need a few more top climbing domestiques to support a GT contender. Maybe Wegelius and Lloyd will go with him.

 

[benpounder]

I will be surprised if Garmin tries to pluck Evans - thou less so given Contador's decision to stay with Astana. I dont think it is a good fit, and I think it would seriously hurt Farrar's oportunities for marquee stage wins. Hopefully Vaughters hasn't adopted Bruyneel's strategy for GT competition (You have to have a guy that can win the race a la Armstrong and Contador, otherwise you're committing the same mistakes that Lotto has made these last five years.)

 

[Publicus]

I say he should push for Astana. AC has at most a year there. Astana releases AC and signs Cadel. Everyone is happy.

 

[titan_90]

Finally, he got the balls to leave Lotto. This will be interesting to see where he goes and if he will have some support riders.

 

[Moondance]

Hmmm.... Just heard an audio fragment on the sporza.be website from Marc Sergeant saying: "Why can't we be part of the Contador sweepstakes"

Dream on buster, not even Alberto Contador is that desperate.

 

[Sprocket01]

I'm delighted for Evans. I'm surprised he didn't do this years ago. He would have won the tour for sure in 2008 with a better team.

 

[Moondance]

I'm delighted for Evans. I'm surprised he didn't do this years ago. He would have won the tour for sure in 2008 with a better team.

Maybe a little more respect is in order. Cadel Evans was a nobody when Lotto picked him up, now he is a star and a world champion and is in line for a big contract.

 

[afpm90]

I will be surprised if Garmin tries to pluck Evans - thou less so given Contador's decision to stay with Astana. I dont think it is a good fit, and I think it would seriously hurt Farrar's oportunities for marquee stage wins. Hopefully Vaughters hasn't adopted Bruyneel's strategy for GT competition (You have to have a guy that can win the race a la Armstrong and Contador, otherwise you're committing the same mistakes that Lotto has made these last five years.)

How would it hurt? This year Vandevelde and Wiggins were fighting for the GC, and Farrar still had some good sprints.

 

[Sprocket01]

Maybe a little more respect is in order. Cadel Evans was a nobody when Lotto picked him up, now he is a star and a world champion and is in line for a big contract.

But what has that got to do with Lotto? When did the team help him do a single thing?

 

[Publicus]

Maybe a little more respect is in order. Cadel Evans was a nobody when Lotto picked him up, now he is a star and a world champion and is in line for a big contract.

Is he really in line for a big contract? I personally don't see it with the new generation starting to come together. Better to invest in one of those guys than Evans--who isn't going to win a GT that fields the top riders. He's good, I just don't see him besting AC or AS in next year's TdF (or any other GT those two enter). Same goes for Gesink and Niballi.

 

[issoisso]

But what has that got to do with Lotto? When did the team help him do a single thing?

They picked up a guy with a history of not getting along with anyone and with a history of failing to deliver, gave him a shot and put all their eggs in his basket.

They gave him everything he could possibly ask for. The question is when did the team not help him? The only way they could possibly have done more is if they had the budget to sign better climbers to assist him....which they didn't.

They did everything in their reach.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Hah! so many rumours surrounding Contador's possible transfer.
Meanwhile, Evans has already made his move and none of us had a clue where he's off.....and still don't!
Maybe he's swapped his rainbow jersey for a cloak of invisibilty?


Has to be a team with loadsa money, so I look to the sky.......

 

[Sprocket01]

Better to invest in one of those guys than Evans--who isn't going to win a GT that fields the top riders.

If Cadel had a team that can actually HELP him in the mountains, and HELP him in a team time trial, he could very well win a GT. It's not certain but you'd have to say he is one of the few top riders that can do it. Remember if he hadn't gotten an ill timed puncture at the Velta this year then he would have been right beside Valverde. Who knows what would have happened in the final TT.

 

[skippy254]

I say good luck to him, I just hope he gets on a team with a little firepower to back him up. Then it will be time to put up or shut up.

 

[Moondance]

But what has that got to do with Lotto? When did the team help him do a single thing?

Well, ask yourself this: Who the f--- was Cadel Evans prior to 2005 (when he started at Lotto)? Who is he now? Maybe the team didn't have the best credentials to help him to a Tour victory, but Evans probably could've done more to help himself as well.

 

[delgado]

i have this hunch Evans is going to sign with Lampre. Cunego has waived GC ambitions publicly not too long ago, their support machinery is tried and tested on GTs (as opposed to that of other candidate teams named here), and surely time is slowly running out for Evans, so he'll like to avoid experiments along the lines of the famous Le Groupement fiasco back in the early 90ies.

 

[Sprocket01]

They picked up a guy with a history of not getting along with anyone and with a history of failing to deliver, gave him a shot and put all their eggs in his basket.

They gave him everything he could possibly ask for. The question is when did the team not help him? The only way they could possibly have done more is if they had the budget to sign better climbers to assist him....which they didn't.

They did everything in their reach.

Yeah but the team had nothing to do with his results. If he was signed by another team he would have done the same thing or better. It's got nothing to do with the team - as you point out, they didn't have the budget to sign better riders to help him, which refutes your own point.

What you mean is they TRIED to do their best. Well good for them, but that obviously isn't good enough. They're crap.

 

[Moondance]

Yeah but the team had nothing to do with his results. If he was signed by another team he would have done the same thing or better. It's got nothing to do with the team - as you point out, they didn't have the budget to sign better riders to help him, which refutes your own point.

What you mean is they TRIED to do their best. Well good for them, but that obviously isn't good enough. They're crap.

Then why wasn't he doing it at Telekom?

 

[Sprocket01]

Then why wasn't he doing it at Telekom?

He hadn't reached his peak yet.

 

[Moondance]

He hadn't reached his peak yet.

Hmmmm, he'd already finished 14th in the Giro, 3rd in Tour of Romandie and a few other pretty decent results way back in 2002 when he was at Mapei. Then two years of nothing at Telekom. Maybe Lotto decided to show some faith in the guy and look where it got him.

 

[powderpuff]

They picked up a guy with a history of not getting along with anyone and with a history of failing to deliver, gave him a shot and put all their eggs in his basket.

They gave him everything he could possibly ask for. The question is when did the team not help him? The only way they could possibly have done more is if they had the budget to sign better climbers to assist him....which they didn't.

They did everything in their reach.

Failing to deliver?? He had two very interrupted years at Telekom due to injuries; he was never given a chance in a GT with them other than Vuelta when he got sick. He came into a team of legends and was never really given the chance to succeed.

Lotto got a great GC rider and future GT prospect, who could ride with minimal support from the team; while Lotto went on their merry way chasing stage victories and trying to win the Belgian classics. His contract was performance based and he has performed pretty well over the past 5 years.

Climbers for support, gee that would be pretty important in anyone's attempt at winning a GT.

Cadel has changed the way Lotto thinks about training and their approach to racing not just for stages but overall victory as well. They have still got a long way to go.

He is not going to Garmin or Sky, Italy or Spain, or another belgian team. Does that help.

 

[msjett]

Yeah but the team had nothing to do with his results. If he was signed by another team he would have done the same thing or better. It's got nothing to do with the team - as you point out, they didn't have the budget to sign better riders to help him, which refutes your own point.

What you mean is they TRIED to do their best. Well good for them, but that obviously isn't good enough. They're crap.

Actually, no matter how crap we think lotto are, they have done their best with what they had and Cadel has done his best with what he has.

Whether going to another team will bring him the success he desires will remain to be seen.

Perhaps the WC was a turning point and some other teams have seen what he can do with a stronger team behind him (yes it was only a one day race).

Whatever happens I wish good luck to both Cadel and Lotto.

 

[sida-mot]

What about columbia?

Didn't Cav say they would be back in the GC for next years TdF?

I remember him saying something like that when the course was announced.