is Radio Shack disbanding next year?

[kurtinsc]

Looking that their roster for next season, can they even cobbled together a cobbles team?
They look bereft of classics men. Lucky they have a guaranteed invite to all these races, as I wouldn't have thought the race organisers would want these Shack leftovers.

Pretty similar situation to Euskaltel-Euskadi.

There are other teams that have squads a bit stronger but still don't really factor into the main cobbled races. Lampre and Caisse last year were pretty non-impressive for the cobbled races.

Rosseler was 11th at Paris-Roubaix last year. That put RS's best rider ahead of the best rider from Caisse, BMC, Skil, FDJ, Bbox, Garmin, Liquigas, Acqua & Sapone, Rabobank, Milram, Lampre, Cofidis, Saur - Sojasun, and Euskaltel-Euskadi.

Not saying they have a better classics team then those teams... but it does show they weren't totally useless in those races last year.

 

[ingsve]

Pretty similar situation to Euskaltel-Euskadi.

There are other teams that have squads a bit stronger but still don't really factor into the main cobbled races. Lampre and Caisse last year were pretty non-impressive for the cobbled races.

Rosseler was 11th at Paris-Roubaix last year. That put RS's best rider ahead of the best rider from Caisse, BMC, Skil, FDJ, Bbox, Garmin, Liquigas, Acqua & Sapone, Rabobank, Milram, Lampre, Cofidis, Saur - Sojasun, and Euskaltel-Euskadi.

Not saying they have a better classics team then those teams... but it does show they weren't totally useless in those races last year.

Ya, they have a few guys that could potentially get some high placings in Rosseler and Rast for example but you get the feeling that while other teams have riders with at least an outside chance of winning or podiuming, the RS guys seem to be the type of rider who can perhaps come top 15 on their absolute best day.

 

[kurtinsc]

Ya, they have a few guys that could potentially get some high placings in Rosseler and Rast for example but you get the feeling that while other teams have riders with at least an outside chance of winning or podiuming, the RS guys seem to be the type of rider who can perhaps come top 15 on their absolute best day.

Who do Caisse, Liquigas, Lampre and Euskaltel-Euskadi have that are much ahead of someone like Rosseler?

I'm not arguing, I'm just wondering who fits in that category. Coyot for Caisse maybe? Quinziato for Liquigas? Are they much better?

Obviously RS isn't a contender in the northern classics. But there seem to be a few teams that are just as weak that will be getting automatic invites as well.

 

[ingsve]

Who do Caisse, Liquigas, Lampre and Euskaltel-Euskadi have that are much ahead of someone like Rosseler?

I'm not arguing, I'm just wondering who fits in that category. Coyot for Caisse maybe? Quinziato for Liquigas? Are they much better?

Obviously RS isn't a contender in the northern classics. But there seem to be a few teams that are just as weak that will be getting automatic invites as well.

Well, I'm not one who says that RS is complete crap in the cobbles and I don't claim that any of those teams have better cobbled teams. In dact I ranked all of them lower in my "Best of 2011" ranking from a thread some time ago: Best of 2011

I was merely making an observation about the team they do have.Though without Steegmans I would probably drop them down half a point in that ranking.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Caisse had nobody for the cobbles, but they did stick Txente Garcia in the break in the Ronde. Liqui can probably put together a half-decent team for it, but not with a better lineup than Shack. Euskaltel = not suited for them at all.

 

[El Pistolero]

Ya, they have a few guys that could potentially get some high placings in Rosseler and Rast for example but you get the feeling that while other teams have riders with at least an outside chance of winning or podiuming, the RS guys seem to be the type of rider who can perhaps come top 15 on their absolute best day.

Realistically speaking only 2 teams have a shot of winning one of the cobbled monuments.

Well, with Devolder at Vacansolei I guess that's 3 teams now.

edit: make that 4, I forgot about Hushovd.

 

[ingsve]

Realistically speaking only 2 teams have a shot of winning one of the cobbled monuments.

Well, with Devolder at Vacansolei I guess that's 3 teams now.

edit: make that 4, I forgot about Hushovd.

That's a very pessimistic and narrow view I think.

Here's the ones I think have a shot:

Quick Step (Boonen)
Luxembourg (Cancellara)
Omega Pharma (Gilbert RVV)
Garmin (Hushovd, Haussler)
Katusha (Pozzatto and possibly Hoste)
Sky (Flecha)
Vacansoleil (Devolder)
BMC (Ballan)
and depending on Breschels recovery I wouldn't rule out Rabobank either.

Some of course have a bigger shot than others but no one should be surprised if either of these teams wins a cobbled monument. Any other team however should be considered a major upset.

 

[El Pistolero]

That's a very pessimistic and narrow view I think.

Here's the ones I think have a shot:

Quick Step (Boonen)
Luxembourg (Cancellara)
Omega Pharma (Gilbert RVV)
Garmin (Hushovd, Haussler)
Katusha (Pozzatto and possibly Hoste)
Sky (Flecha)
Vacansoleil (Devolder)
BMC (Ballan)
and depending on Breschels recovery I wouldn't rule out Rabobank either.

Some of course have a bigger shot than others but no one should be surprised if either of these teams wins a cobbled monument. Any other team however should be considered a major upset.

I'll give you those. I just don't see Flecha, Hoste and Pozatto as winners and Ballan hasn't performed well since 2008, so I don't include him as well.

I'm talking about winning by the way, not about performing well Obviously a second place in a monument is good for a team as well.

 

[ingsve]

I'll give you those. I just don't see Flecha, Hoste and Pozatto as winners and Ballan hasn't performed well since 2008, so I don't include him as well.

I'm talking about winning by the way, not about performing well Obviously a second place in a monument is good for a team as well.

Well, I do think that Pozzatto, Flecha and Ballan can win either of those races. They won't be as big favourites as some of the other but to me the races are still random enough for anyone who is up there fighting to have a shot at winning if the cards fall the right way for them. For example I still want to see Ballan fail to perform without having some injury or temporary suspension stopping him, before I rule him out.

 

[El Pistolero]

Well, I do think that Pozzatto, Flecha and Ballan can win either of those races. They won't be as big favourites as some of the other but to me the races are still random enough for anyone who is up there fighting to have a shot at winning if the cards fall the right way for them. For example I still want to see Ballan fail to perform without having some injury or temporary suspension stopping him, before I rule him out.

What was holding him back this season? Haven't been following him anymore lately.

 

[profff]

quinziato is not anymore racing for liquigas, he is with bmc ( i am astonished that ACF did not say anything about him being part of the strongest cobble team ever...). he has a 9th place in roubaix and some good escapee at RVV.

best hope for liquigas in cobbles race will be daniel oss, 1987, very strong and growing fast...you'll see.

pozzato was second in roubaix 2009, already won at harelbeke , was in the top ten different times at rvv, so i am astonished you even do not consider him a strong outsider. if he comes back in 2009 form , you will see. last year he had a flu and fever just before the classic...

ballan already won RVV and was twice on the podium in roubaix. he won harelbeke , too. he had two bad season , 2009 for injury, last year ill and problems with the new team....

speaking of ballan and pozzato, your memory is very short. cobble classic story did not start and finish with spartacus cancellara, the express from basel...

 

[El Pistolero]

quinziato is not anymore racing for liquigas, he is with bmc ( i am astonished that ACF did not say anything about him being part of the strongest cobble team ever...). he has a 9th place in roubaix and some good escapee at RVV.

best hope for liquigas in cobbles race will be daniel oss, 1987, very strong and growing fast...you'll see.

pozzato was second in roubaix 2009, already won at harelbeke , was in the top ten different times at rvv, so i am astonished you even do not consider him a strong outsider. if he comes back in 2009 form , you will see. last year he had a flu and fever just before the classic...

ballan already won RVV and was twice on the podium in roubaix. he won harelbeke , too. he had two bad season , 2009 for injury, last year ill and problems with the new team....

speaking of ballan and pozzato, your memory is very short. cobble classic story did not start and finish with spartacus cancellara, the express from basel...

Only thing Pozatto can do is wheelsuck and he won't outsprint Boonen or Hushovd.

Ballan hasn't performed at the level of 2008. 1 bad season ok, 2? No.

I saw Ballan at the Tour and had to laugh at how bad he was.

 

[profff]

Only thing Pozatto can do is wheelsuck and he won't outsprint Boonen or Hushovd.

Ballan hasn't performed at the level of 2008. 1 bad season ok, 2? No.

I saw Ballan at the Tour and had to laugh at how bad he was.

ballan was second in bagneres de luchon stage and probably would have won in revel without a prodigy from vino.

i saw many belgian riders more ridicolous than ballan at the tour.

and i know i do not write good english, but if you read again my post , you'll realize i wrote two bad seasons.

 

[El Pistolero]

ballan was second in bagneres de luchon stage and probably would have won in revel without a prodigy from vino.

i saw many belgian riders more ridicolous than ballan at the tour.

and i know i do not write good english, but if you read again my post , you'll realize i wrote two bad seasons.

Belgian riders have nothing to do with this I'm afraid. As far as I know not a single super star from Belgium entered the Tour this year.

 

[Matthijs]

Only thing Pozatto can do is wheelsuck and he won't outsprint Boonen or Hushovd.

Ballan hasn't performed at the level of 2008. 1 bad season ok, 2? No.

I saw Ballan at the Tour and had to laugh at how bad he was.

E3-prijs Harelbeke 2009...

 

[LeakyLens]

As far as I know not a single super star from Belgium entered the Tour this year.

Simply because Philippe Gilbert didn't enter.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Below is a good recent article on Kloden.

Sounds like he is super keen to at least return to the top 10 in the TDF next year. I hope that he can, but I suspect that his days as a podium contender are past him.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/kloden-on-ullrich-the-german-media-and-staying-motivated