Future stars

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

My bet is on Pinot too.

yea.

From not yet named names:

Bataglin
Ulissi
Ratto
Viviani
Felline
Landa
Jungles

fabio aru seems pretty good too. There are heaps of young talent coming from Italy tho. Cattaneo is another.

 

[El Pistolero]

You never hear a lot about the Spanish in the U23 ranks, but there's always huge talent there.

 

[Ruudz0r]

You never hear a lot about the Spanish in the U23 ranks, but there's always huge talent there.

I think Mario Gonzalez Salas or Carlos Verona Quintinella are both or at least 1 fo them is a pretty big talent, but I also dont have a lot of info on Spanish youth racing. I also expect quite something of Jordi Simon.

 

[Luke Schmid]

You never hear a lot about the Spanish in the U23 ranks, but there's always huge talent there.

Obvious is Landa, also Jesus Herrada.
Pello Bilbao, 2nd Tour of Vendee
Ricardo Garcia
Jordi Simon
Haritz Orbe
Carlos Verona, 19 years old, looks like a big talent.

 

[Luke Schmid]

I think Mario Gonzalez Salas or Carlos Verona Quintinella are both or at least 1 fo them is a pretty big talent, but I also dont have a lot of info on Spanish youth racing. I also expect quite something of Jordi Simon.

Beat me to it while I was looking of CQ ranking but Verona does look a real talent.

 

[Kazistuta]

Almost sad to see others beat me to the obivous "Battaglin future star" prediction

Until now unmentioned:

Ramon Sinkeldam **
Antoine Lavieu *
Lawson Craddock *
Alexei Tsatevich *
Nicola Boem **
Dylan Van Baarle ***
Sebastian Lander *
Moreno Moser **
Marko Kump (though very invisible this year) **
Sonny Colbrelli **
Moreno Hofland **
Jetse Bol ***
Warren Barguil *
Leopold König **
Romain Bardet ***

*/**/***= Likelihood to succeed IMO

 

[c&cfan]

Almost sad to see others beat me to the obivous "Battaglin future star" prediction

Until now unmentioned:

Ramon Sinkeldam **
Antoine Lavieu *
Lawson Craddock *
Alexei Tsatevich *
Nicola Boem **
Dylan Van Baarle ***
Sebastian Lander *
Moreno Moser **
Marko Kump (though very invisible this year) **
Sonny Colbrelli **
Moreno Hofland **
Jetse Bol ***
Warren Barguil *
Leopold König **
Romain Bardet ***

*/**/***= Likelihood to succeed IMO

u guyz r frgttng tha prtuguezzzze youthzzz... we hav atleastzzz 5 futurssss tour winnerzze.

 

[sublimit]

Moreno Moser.

I chanced on his cq results and he looks to be able to ITT but no surprise on that I suppose. Interesting rider for the future.

 

[Kazistuta]

u guyz r frgttng tha prtuguezzzze youthzzz... we hav atleastzzz 5 futurssss tour winnerzze.

Okayzzzz thenzzz:

Rafael Reis & Daniel Freitas

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I know a guy who dropped almost everyone bar Evans on the Mont Ventoux... at age 21. He happens to be one of your favourite riders

gesink is too limited in everything else, especially staying on his bike upright. I'm not denieing his climbing talent and strenght

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

You never hear a lot about the Spanish in the U23 ranks, but there's always huge talent there.

no there's not. spanish cycling is in very bad shaqpe in u23. of course there will always be big riders from there but not like it is now or how it was. the problem is how protected their elite cycling scene is and the level is too low compared ot other countrys now. it says enough guys from panama, argentina and costa rica are dominating there now

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Obvious is Landa, also Jesus Herrada.
Pello Bilbao, 2nd Tour of Vendee
Ricardo Garcia
Jordi Simon
Haritz Orbe
Carlos Verona, 19 years old, looks like a big talent.

none of them are really big talents other than perhaps mikel landa. he is only guy that can make it from that list. maybe simon... but I have doubts. others shouldn't even be mentioned. I remenber some years ago the huge intxausti hype and he had big talent. more than any other spanish rider but he so far has been very disapointing and name me a big young spanish talent that broke through in recent years? I can't remember one

 

[Lupetto]

no there's not. spanish cycling is in very bad shaqpe in u23. of course there will always be big riders from there but not like it is now or how it was. the problem is how protected their elite cycling scene is and the level is too low compared ot other countrys now. it says enough guys from panama, argentina and costa rica are dominating there now

And from Russia. Lokomotiv won quite a few races in Spain this year. Shalunov alone got eight victories.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

the russians they are simpley early matured. they basically won all races with itt or that were flat but because of low level of competition in spain especially in flat and itt and their early maturity they are never much of a factor in european pro racing.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

none of them are really big talents other than perhaps mikel landa. he is only guy that can make it from that list. maybe simon... but I have doubts. others shouldn't even be mentioned. I remenber some years ago the huge intxausti hype and he had big talent. more than any other spanish rider but he so far has been very disapointing and name me a big young spanish talent that broke through in recent years? I can't remember one

Maybe Intxausti could have done if he wasn't so unmotivated after his mid-season break in 2010 and if his head had been in the right place in 2011. After all, he had a decent season up until May, and I think it's only fair to give him a mulligan on the rest of the season because he was emotionally in pieces.

Herrada has been promising in his first pro season, good showings often on the move in the Spanish one-day races like Ordizia, La Rioja and Amorebieta, 5th overall in Madrid using the short TT and a top 10 finish on the mountain finish, to place higher than the likes of Rebellin, Zaballa and Báez, 5th in the national TT, less than a minute behind Contador over 45km, and 4th in the national RR. Not exactly setting the world alight, but a more than reasonable first year as a pro.

We know Unzué likes to bring young riders through very slowly, and the Fundación Euskadi is similarly cautious, so realistically we shouldn't be expecting the young talents to explode onto the scene like they're Peter Sagan or something.

 

[hrotha]

And from Russia. Lokomotiv won quite a few races in Spain this year. Shalunov alone got eight victories.

Yeah but them Russkies have always been strong in Spain, that's nothing new. The problem is there's fewer and fewer juniors making it to the u23 ranks, and once there there's too few purely u23 races, with most races being dominated by elite riders, many of them ex-pros or ridiculously old (the biggest dominator of 2011 was José Belda, a 36-year-old guy).

Basically, while the masters scene is thriving and more and more people ride their bikes regularly, there's fewer and fewer youngsters riding competitively.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Another part of the problem could well be the same problem as Portugal; the number of pro teams at any level (obviously in Portugal they're mostly Continental-level teams) is dwindling, so more and more of the national calendar becomes amateur to fill out the rosters of formerly pro races (the other problem being the dwindling number of Spanish Pro-Conti and Conti teams that used to attend) and many of them see the pros against the U23s and amateurs; but there are increasingly few chances for those U23 riders to make the step up, because there aren't so many spots on pro teams available, so U23 riders stay in U23 as long as they can and hog spots that Juniors would have jumped up into in the past, and you get talented young riders like Vitor Rodrigues retiring at a young age. There were guys who were being promoted from U23 to the new Liberty Seguros team at the end of last season, then when the US company got wind of it and pulled the plug, deciding they'd had enough bad press because of cycling, they were left without a team, no spaces left at pro teams, and too old for U23, so where do you go? Either an elite amateur team like Loulé Concelho (Supermercados Froïz and Construcciónes Paulino are a couple of Spanish ones I could name) or to riding Gran Fondos like Jamie Burrow or Roberto Heras.

 

[MADRAZO]

none of them are really big talents other than perhaps mikel landa. he is only guy that can make it from that list. maybe simon... but I have doubts. others shouldn't even be mentioned. I remenber some years ago the huge intxausti hype and he had big talent. more than any other spanish rider but he so far has been very disapointing and name me a big young spanish talent that broke through in recent years? I can't remember one

I am afraid your right that the level in spain is very low. I have liked following spanish talents for years and it clearly seems I the best talents from spain has failed missarably for several years. Arturo Mora that dominated spanish u23 for instance has turned out to be worth nothing, Victor Cabedo far from starquality too despite his Euskaltel contract, and Higinio Fernandez and Pablo Lechuga that were also huge prospects has been almost invisible as a pro and Fernandez will likely be without contract next season.

Besides Intxausti that is clearly a real top talent but sadly a bit unstable, I thought Valls looked to be able to make a big breakthrough last season but I dont know what has happened to him this year. Perhaps still some injury-troubles hindering him sadly? Hopefully he will get a contract and bounce back. Then Madrazo has done well and been exiting with his attacks, but still I had expected more results from him. But he will still be a good rider. A new Barredo or something like that I would think.

Landa looks like a real big talent for sure, and the younger Herrada will be a good rider too as well as Garcia Ambroa, but those two are propably not future big stars just pretty good riders.

Jordi Simon will do well, as will Orbe, Fraile, Ezquerra, Domene and a couple of others, but superstardom is doubtfull. Verona and Salas might also be very talented but too early to really tell. Just remember how a junior-dominator like Miguel Angel Lucena has totally dissapeared. Salas for instance might just be early developed.

Finally I think Juan Jose Lobato is one of spains absolut toptalents, and that he will do very well as a new Rojas-type rider.

 

[scullster46]

Most names have already been mentioned here, but Daniel Teklehaimanot is one I'm very interested in. He might not be as good of a prospect as some of the other guys, but hopefully he influences more east africans to start cycling, I'd love to see how good they can be with the amount of athletic talent that is there. Also, Haas is someone who has really interested me lately, excited to see what he can do with Garmin next season.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

natnael berhane has way more talent imo and is lot younger. eritrea will be a factor in future cycling in europe

 

[Aguirre]

Mikel Landa seems to be a huge talent, he doesn't have a climber body, and what he did in Burgos just impressed me.

It's not kind of fragile Anton kind of body. For me he is a rider to look closely, from next year.

Young Herrada is another... type Contador, he will be a figure

then don't forget Sicard if he recovers

 

[Kwibus]

natnael berhane has way more talent imo and is lot younger. eritrea will be a factor in future cycling in europe

If the region stays stable that is. The passion for cycling in Eritrea is huge so there will eventually be talents that will ride in Europe for years. It's starting now with Teklehaimanot and Berhane.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

young herrada is nothing like contador. he is actually quite heavy 183 and 72 kg. more of a pure power itt guy that can do ok in mountains.

and if landa doesn't have a climber body then I don't know who has. he is small and light.

 

[scullster46]

natnael berhane has way more talent imo and is lot younger. eritrea will be a factor in future cycling in europe

absolutely. East Africa could become the new Colombia

In all seriousness though, there is a large talent pool there, and as a competitive runner I'm very interested in seeing how much of their running talent transfers to cycling.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

If the region stays stable that is. The passion for cycling in Eritrea is huge so there will eventually be talents that will ride in Europe for years. It's starting now with Teklehaimanot and Berhane.

I doubt there will be a war soon. it's been 11 years now? used to be constant war almost