simoni said:I'm no particular fan of the Schlecks but that statement is rubbish.
Between them they're about as close a gurantee of a " strong performance" as you can get.
In the last 4 tours:
AS - three consecutive podiums.
FS - two top sizes and podium.
And prestigious stage wins for them both.
After a while, strong performaces resulting in second place became another loss. And another. And another. This year it will most likely happen again.
And nobody will remember those as great achievements, only as loses.