Grand Tour Dream Team

[ericthesportsman6]

If you could pick any nine current riders to make up your team at a Grand Tour who would they be? No restrictions (things such as rider A would never ride with Rider B don't apply) except the riders must not be retired. Your team can be built to win stages, dominate the mountains, protect a GC contender, or go for all classifications at once. Here's my team, one that could hopefully win the yellow, green, and numerous stages. This is all theoretical, just for fun.

Alberto Contador
Sylvester Szymd
Daniel Navarro
Jose Serpa
Mark Cavendish
Mark Renshaw
Julian Dean
Jens Voigt
Fabian Cancellara/Phillipe Gilbert

 

[Mambo95]

Alberto Contador - GC leader
Cadel Evans - Back-up leader
CA Sorensen - Mountain helper
Fabian Cancellara - TTer/bunch puller
Sylvain Chavanel - Breakaway expert, general helper
Mark Cavendish - Sprinter
Mark Renshaw - Lead-out
Geraint Thomas - Multi-purpose engine
George Hincapie - Road captain/bunch puller

 

[The Hitch]

Sylwester Szmyd - GC leader
Przemyslaw Niemiec - Super domestique.
Marek Rutkiewicz- Superdomestique 2
Marcin Sapa - Hilly specialist.
Michal Kwiatkowski - tter, sprinter
Maciej Bodnar- tter, leadout man.
Michal Golas - KOM
Bartosz Huzarski - mountain domestique
Lukasz Bodnar - flat domestique.

Czeslaw Lang - General Manager.
Mariusz Pudzianowski - Behind the scenes muscle.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

I'd try to sweep the jerseys and podium.

Andy Schleck-GC
Frank Schleck-GC
Jelle Vanendert-Mountain domestique, potential KOM
Tejay van Garderen-Engine, Mountain domestique, potential KOM/BYR
Fabian Cancellara-The Engine, TT stage winner
Robert Gesink-GC, Super Domestique, potential BYR
Mark Renshaw-lead out
Mark Cavendish-Sprinter, Green Jersey
Dave Zabriskie-Engine, Comic relief, entertainment

EDIT: Now that Vino is pursuing a management position, I would lure him away from Astana to become DS for ImmaculateKadence Pro Cycling

 

[Swede1]

Alberto Contador-GC
Mikel Nieve-Mountain Domestique/Stage Wins
Sylvester Szmyd-Mountain Domestique
Fabian Cancellara-TT/Lead Out/Super Domestique
Danilo Hondo-Lead Out/Domestique
Andre Greipel-Sprints/ Points Jersey
Peter Sagan-Hill/Medium Mountain Stages
Lars Bak-Domestique
George Hincapie- Lead Out/Domestique

 

[b.broadhurst]

Yellow Jersey Team:

Alberto Contador
Samuel Sanchez
Jesus Hernandez
Daniel Navarro
Sylvester Szmyd
Paolo Tiralongo
Tony Martin
Fabian Cancellara
Philippe Gilbert

Green Jersey Team:

Mark Cavendish
Mark Renshaw
Bernard Eisel
Tony Martin
Fabian Cancellara
Bradley Wiggins
Luis Leon Sanchez / Dave Zabriskie
Philippe Gilbert
Thor Hushovd

 

[luckyboy]

Every rider has free reign to breakaway and attack as they please.

David Moncoutié
Thomas Voeckler
Sylvain Chavanel
Samuel Dumoulin
Mickaël Delage
Mikel Nieve
Beñat Intxausti
Amets Txurruka
Egoi Martinez


Backup riders:
Gorka Izagirre
Pierre Rolland
Anthony Roux

 

[ericthesportsman6]

Every rider has free reign to breakaway and attack as they please.

David Moncoutié
Thomas Voeckler
Sylvain Chavanel
Samuel Dumoulin
Mickaël Delage
Mikel Nieve
Beñat Intxausti
Amets Txurruka
Egoi Martinez


Backup riders:
Gorka Izagirre
Pierre Rolland
Anthony Roux

haha, that would be such an awesome team

 

[sadfitty]

All for yellow:

Contador-GC

Climbers
VdV (Climbs/TTT)
CAS
Szmyd
Navarro

Strong guys for the flats/TTT
Millar
Eisel
Alex Rasmussen
And one more guy

It's kind of an affordable dream team. Nothing ridiculous like AS as domestique, but a very solid team.

 

[taiwan]

Balanced team.

Bert
Piti
Szmyd
Jens
Cente
Canc
Thor
Renshaw
Cav

 

[DenisMenchov]

Menchov - GC
VDB - GC
Gesink - polka dots
Vanendert - superd
Tommy V - attack
Velits - TT/pull
Gilbert - attack
Freire - sprint/green
Canc - TT/pull

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Contador
Cadel
Sammy
Voeckler
Cavendish
Thor
Renshaw
Cancellara
Gilbert

 

[the asian]

Contador- leader
Smyzd- Super domestique
Navarro- Moutain Domestique
Porte- Mountain Domestique/ TT
Cancellara- TT/Bunch puller
Hincapie- Road Captain/Bunch puller
Cavendish-Sprinter
Goss- Lead out man/Sprinter on stages with hills where Cav cannot get over
Renshaw-Lead out

 

[greenedge]

Every rider has free reign to breakaway and attack as they please.

David Moncoutié
Thomas Voeckler
Sylvain Chavanel
Samuel Dumoulin
Mickaël Delage
Mikel Nieve
Beñat Intxausti
Amets Txurruka
Egoi Martinez


Backup riders:
Gorka Izagirre
Pierre Rolland
Anthony Roux

No Roy or Offredo???

Cadel
Syzmd
Vandevert
Porte
Hincapie/ O' Grady
Sagan
Cancellara
Goss
Lancaster

This team as it would be affordable and Cav/ Renshaw might be together but i had to include a GC like team and i needed Goss. I would also probably get Geraint in for someone when he starts showing MORE stuff in the mountains. Too many Aussies.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Contador
Samuel Sanchez
Szmyd
Voigt
Cancellara
EBH
Thor
Renshaw
Cavendish

 

[sublimit]

Contador - GC
Evans - back up leader/stage wins
Sanchez - super mountain domestique/back up leader
Nieve - mountain domestique
Lars Bak - rouleur, bunch puller
Thomas - bunch puller, lead outs,sprints, anything!
Cavendish - sprinter/mountain goat
Gilbert - anything he puts his mind to
Hoogerland! - breakaways, general heroics

Vino in charge.

 

[auscyclefan94]

My GT team!

Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans

 

[Spaniard]

Yellow / Mountain stages / Uphill stages

Contador - GC Leader
Samuel Sánchez - Co leader /Ultra Mountain domestique
Igor Antón - Super Mountain Domestique
Daniel Navarro - Mountain Domestique
Mikel Nieve - Breakaways / Domestique
Cancellara - TTer / Domestique
Voigt - Domestique
Hincapie - Domestique
Gilbert - Whatever he wants to do

 

[El Pistolero]

Alberto Contador: GC leader
Alejandro Valverde: water boy, mountain domestique
Samuel Sanchez: mountain domestique
Igor Anton: mountain domestique
Szmyd: mountain domestique
Vanendert(this is how you really spell his name guys): mountain domestique
Carlos Barredo: breakaway specialist
Fabian Cancellara: TT, TTT, safekeeper of Contador on the flats
Philippe Gilbert: puncheur, safekeeper of Contador in the flats and hilly stages

 

[42x16ss]

GC - AC

KOM/Backup GC - S Sanchez
Mountain Dom/Backup KOM - Navarro

Stagehunter 1 - LL Sanchez
Stagehunter 2 - Hushovd

Dom 1 - Bert Grabsch
Dom 2 - Bernard Eisel

Leadout - Danilo Hondo
Sprinter - Mark Cavendish

 

[ingsve]

This team would probably not win yellow or green or anything like that but they would be the life of the Tour.

Thomas Voekler
Philippe Gilbert
Fabian Cancellara
Thomas De Gendt
Peter Sagan
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Jose Rujano
Sylvain Chavanel
Johnny Hoogerland

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Contador
Szmyd
Cancellara
Martin
Zabriskie
Eisel
Goss
Renshaw
Cavendish

On form, that lot would win yellow, green, ITT, TTT, another 5 or so flat stages and a couple of mountain stages.

 

[SarahDane]

Contador
Samuel Sanchez
LL. Sanchez
Cancellara
Voigt
Hushovd
Zabriskie
A. Rasmussen/Lars Bak
Jakob Fuglsang (if in shape)/CA Sørensen

6 different nationalities, GC and stagewins, maybe KOM.

 

[greenedge]

Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans
Evans

Testa would love a team like that. Surprised to see no Uran/ Mollema.

 

[Jan the Man]

Depends what sort of a team you're after-

A. Contador
A. Klöden
S. Szmyd
M. Monfort
D. Navarro
T. Martin
G. Thomas
F. Cancellara
L. Bak