Great 2017 coming?

[yaco]

Maybe as well give the TDF to Froome now if this is the parcours.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Maybe as well give the TDF to Froome now if this is the parcours.

Nah. He will max get 4 minutes (on Quintana), thats not unreasonable to get on Froome if he fades a bit towards the end or is slightly declining in 2017. Doable, but only Quintana can pull it of.

 

[MatParker117]

Re: Re:

Maybe as well give the TDF to Froome now if this is the parcours.

Nah. He will max get 4 minutes (on Quintana), thats not unreasonable to get on Froome if he fades a bit towards the end or is slightly declining in 2017. Doable, but only Quintana can pull it of.

The problem ain't Froome it's Geraint Thomas, Mikel Landa, Sergio Henao, Wout Poels, Mikel Nieve and maybe Kenny Ellisonde. It's very hard to isolate Froome.

 

[hrotha]

Especially by waiting for his teammates to drop dead on their own.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

We need to wait and see what the GT routes reveal in the next couple of months. It there are not at least 80 kms of relatively flat ITT at the TDF then it's a disgrace, and Dimoulin won't have much chance of making the podium anyway. How about a Tour with 2 x 50 km ITT's and just the five high mountain stages (still difficult though and with one true Queen stage)? Give Tom a 2 minute lead going into 2 Alpine stages, and maybe he limits his losses and we see what happens in the Pyrenees....

So it will be Froome versus Dimoulin!. I can picture Froome going around in circles with Dimoulin on the mountains

 

[SafeBet]

The best thing for GTs would be having Quintana and Froome both ride the Giro and trying the double.
Giro would still be entertaining thanks to its route, even in case Skyborgs come in full strength. And Tour/Vuelta would be wide open.

I truly believe Froome can do the dobuble btw.

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

Contador should do the Ardennes. He could perform well there and entertainment levels would at least spike. We can't rely on Tim Wellens alone.

I can't realistically look forward to the Tour because I have no reason to think it is not already won before the race even starts, from recent experience, that is. Giro might be good.

We can rely on him being caught 5km before the finish line.
Would be nice if Fuglsang decided to focus his energy on the classics (including the cobbled ones). Like Wellens, he's one of the few who attacks from further out.

I disagree with you about the Tour. Depending on the route, Quintana could have the upper hand on Froome. Certainly, his latest win must have been a great boost of confidence.

Yeah, Fuglsang actually has the potential to be a good classics rider, he'd have to focus a bit more on his raw power (a bit like back in 2011 when he was a great TT rider) and less on his weight and climbing skills, but he could at least be a strong superdom for the cobbled classic and animate those races.
There aren't many things that could actually save the Ardennes classics, their fall from the grace is just sad.

 

[SKSemtex]

One thing is sure. One day racing will be super. With new kids in the blocks, Sagan not in the Etixx, and matured GVA we will have some show in spring.

When did they turn the Ardennes into stage races?

I do not know what are you talking about.

My post is about "great 2017 is comming"

 

[PremierAndrew]

Would love to see ~90km of TTing in the Tour. Would probably be enough to tempt Froome to go for Giro-Tour, and maybe even go full Valverde and go for the Vuelta too. Throw in a Giro with very few TT kms and I think we'd have an interesting season in stage racing

 

[doperhopper]

One thing is sure. One day racing will be super. With new kids in the blocks, Sagan not in the Etixx, and matured GVA we will have some show in spring.

When did they turn the Ardennes into stage races?

I do not know what are you talking about.

My post is about "great 2017 is comming"

Mea culpa, gentlemen - I started too GC-centric... motivated by Vuelta and especially the race control disruption by long range attacks... and here I should have added something along the line "the disruption we (fortunatelyl!) regularly see in the classics where controlling the race is often impossible even with big teams and race radios"

So, please, discuss freely, especially about how good can 2017 be.

 

[Tonton]

Please God, not this route. I like the nickname Dumoulain btw. BigTom is getting slimer though. Seriously, if that link is true, and between hotel guys and such you can connect the dots, so it could be true, wtf. Froome ftw.

Total lack of creativity, meh...

Put two ITT, one being 50+ flat with 2-3 days remaining, some short nasty mountain stages, a long 6 climb mtf, crosswinds opportunities, Ardennes (or PR) like stages...please...

 

[Bogotano]

Re:

Would love to see ~90km of TTing in the Tour. Would probably be enough to tempt Froome to go for Giro-Tour, and maybe even go full Valverde and go for the Vuelta too. Throw in a Giro with very few TT kms and I think we'd have an interesting season in stage racing

yeah this would make for a great tour, would give a bunch of other riders besides Quintana a good shot to win if Froome is tired from the giro

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Would love to see ~90km of TTing in the Tour. Would probably be enough to tempt Froome to go for Giro-Tour, and maybe even go full Valverde and go for the Vuelta too. Throw in a Giro with very few TT kms and I think we'd have an interesting season in stage racing

yeah this would make for a great tour, would give a bunch of other riders besides Quintana a good shot to win if Froome is tired from the giro

Yep, and a TT-light Giro would mean that he'd be handicapped there too if he tries to focus too much on the TTs with a view to the Tour

 

[IndianCyclist]

2016 reduced the big 4 to big 2 and unfortunately Quintana is a pure climber. Make the route interesting with a little bit of variety and Quintana will never win against Froome and Froome will hold the jersey from almost the start to the finish. Fromigal was an aberration for Quintana and i doubt he will make or succeed in further such long range efforts for GC. Only a Froome crash will prevent a Froome win in the TDF with interesting parcours.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Do you guys seriously think Froome will do the Giro? It would hamper his chances pretty drastically going into TdF and we have seen it not working out well in the past, the best example being Velasco in 2011.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

Do you guys seriously think Froome will do the Giro? It would hamper his chances pretty drastically going into TdF and we have seen it not working out well in the past, the best example being Velasco in 2011.

We'll definitely see Froome at the Giro once he's bagged the Vuelta. Maybe in 2018

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Do you guys seriously think Froome will do the Giro? It would hamper his chances pretty drastically going into TdF and we have seen it not working out well in the past, the best example being Velasco in 2011.

We'll definitely see Froome at the Giro once he's bagged the Vuelta. Maybe in 2018

Most likely, but I am talking about this upcoming year.

 

[jhamlin38]

Re: Re:

Do you guys seriously think Froome will do the Giro? It would hamper his chances pretty drastically going into TdF and we have seen it not working out well in the past, the best example being Velasco in 2011.

We'll definitely see Froome at the Giro once he's bagged the Vuelta. Maybe in 2018

Most likely, but I am talking about this upcoming year.

I don't see Froome in the Giro until he has 5 Yellow Jerseys.

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

Cobbled classics will be great again, but can they top this year's?

The cobbles have been hijacked by farewells these last few seasons. Wiggins last year, Cancellara this year, Boonen next year. Time for a first time monument winner. Come on Sep!

Huh? Demare, Sagan, Hayman, Poels - All four monuments so far this year have been won by first time winners

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

Do you guys seriously think Froome will do the Giro? It would hamper his chances pretty drastically going into TdF and we have seen it not working out well in the past, the best example being Velasco in 2011.

We'll definitely see Froome at the Giro once he's bagged the Vuelta. Maybe in 2018

Most likely, but I am talking about this upcoming year.

I don't see Froome in the Giro until he has 5 Yellow Jerseys.

Froome has already said he wants the Giro-Tour double next year hasn't he?

 

[greenedge]

Just some predictions:
Matthews to win MSR
GVA to win RVV
Degenkolb PR
Alaphillippe or Adam Yates to win LBL.
Kristoff WC RR

Things i most look forward to:
Gaviria vs Ewan.
Giro.
Etixx at the Ardennes.
Kittel vs Cavendish at GT's.
Dumoulin at GT's.

Random predictions:
Valverde to win the Vuelta.
Damien Howson to podium at a high level stage race.
Porte to not win on Wilunga.
Zakarin to podium a GT.

 

[dacooley]

Re: Re:

Maybe as well give the TDF to Froome now if this is the parcours.

Nah. He will max get 4 minutes (on Quintana), thats not unreasonable to get on Froome if he fades a bit towards the end or is slightly declining in 2017. Doable, but only Quintana can pull it of.

The problem ain't Froome it's Geraint Thomas, Mikel Landa, Sergio Henao, Wout Poels, Mikel Nieve and maybe Kenny Ellisonde. It's very hard to isolate Froome.

you are suggesting it as though as soon as froome gets isolated, he'll be instantly destroyed by a few strong climbers...