Lövkvist in line for captain role for Team Sky in TdF.

[ingsve]

Lövkvist in line for captain role for Team Sky in TdF.

Lövkvist recently talked to swedsih Eurosport about next years Tour de France.

http://translate.google.se/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurosport.se%2Fcykel%2Ftuff-tour-for-lovkvist_sto2092010%2Fstory.shtml&sl=sv&tl=en&history_state0=

He mentions that the team views him as a captain but also that the route for next years Tour is not optimal for him. He mentions needing to improve his climbing skills and also the need to last all three weeks of a GT.

So it seems from this that unless something happens with a Wiggins transfer it will probably Lövkvist that rides as a captain for Team Sky next year if he's in good shape for the Tour.

 

[pmcg76]

Nothing personal against Lokvist but if he is to be their leader for the Tour, there cannot be many other big name riders on the way, all which means that Sky may not be that great of a team next year. Looking forward to finding out who else they signed.

 

[Moondance]

Nothing personal against Lokvist but if he is to be their leader for the Tour, there cannot be many other big name riders on the way, all which means that Sky may not be that great of a team next year. Looking forward to finding out who else they signed.

They have an excellent team for classics already, and they have Edvald Boasson Hagen, a guy who with the proper support and race selection could get 15-20 victories, and thereby probably get more victories by himself than a large number of teams get in an entire year.

 

[stefrees]

I actually think sky have an excellent classics team, and if loqkvist does a wiggo, loses weight and have a team round him, he could aim for a top 5 spot, a bit like nibali this year. its a big task, but they have the makings of a better team than all the french teams, milram, lampre, quickstep, caisse d'epargne (assuming valverde is banned) euskatel and in my opinion radioshack, it could be quite exciting.

 

[ingsve]

I actually think sky have an excellent classics team, and if loqkvist does a wiggo, loses weight and have a team round him, he could aim for a top 5 spot, a bit like nibali this year. its a big task, but they have the makings of a better team than all the french teams, milram, lampre, quickstep, caisse d'epargne (assuming valverde is banned) euskatel and in my opinion radioshack, it could be quite exciting.

Well, it isn't really a weight issue. He only weighs 70 kg which is already less than Wiggins even after Wiggins lost the weight. Perhaps he might benefit from getting down into the high 60s but there are other things for him to work on other than weight.

 

[stefrees]

Well, it isn't really a weight issue. He only weighs 70 kg which is already less than Wiggins even after Wiggins lost the weight. Perhaps he might benefit from getting down into the high 60s but there are other things for him to work on other than weight.

Fair enough, but if the optimail gains are looked at (which british cycling are very very good at it, results shown already on the track) then they can get the best out of him. i really like tommy as a rider, and hope he can make the next step

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Lovkist is a top 10 tour rider at best, and he will struglle for that...
In terms for other GTs well I can see Moreno crakingh the top ten at the vuelta.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Lovkist is a top 10 tour rider at best, and he will struglle for that...
In terms for other GTs well I can see Moreno crakingh the top ten at the vuelta.

+1
Can anyone tell me out of these riders that he will beat for top 10 placings:
Contador, Schleck, Armstrong, evans, sastre, menchov, wiggins, nibali, kreuziger or vandevelde.

A few years ago i would have said yes as people were looking at him as a future star but hasn't lived up to those expectations.

 

[stefrees]

+1
Can anyone tell me out of these riders that he will beat for top 10 placings:
Contador, Schleck, Armstrong, evans, sastre, menchov, wiggins, nibali, kreuziger or vandevelde.

A few years ago i would have said yes as people were looking at him as a future star but hasn't lived up to those expectations.

He's still only 25, wont have to work for cav. We'll see. I'll be happy to be proved wrong.

 

[Cerberus]

+1
Can anyone tell me out of these riders that he will beat for top 10 placings:
Contador, Schleck, Armstrong, evans, sastre, menchov, wiggins, nibali, kreuziger or vandevelde.

A few years ago i would have said yes as people were looking at him as a future star but hasn't lived up to those expectations.

Whichever one of Sastre, Menchov or Evans decided that this years Tour was so much fun they want to repeat their performance.

 

[Anonymous]

+1
Can anyone tell me out of these riders that he will beat for top 10 placings:
Contador, Schleck, Armstrong, evans, sastre, menchov, wiggins, nibali, kreuziger or vandevelde.

A few years ago i would have said yes as people were looking at him as a future star but hasn't lived up to those expectations.

I'd include Gesink, Basso, Valverde, Sanchez as guys that will likely be at the Tour next year to knock him off the top 10 (assuming Valv races, I predict he will)

I think Lovkist will struggle when they forget to include TTs in the TDF. That said, he's young, I like his diesel style and I think he's still got 5 years until he is prime age (30)

The problem is, that he's finally on a team that want him as a GC leader when there are so many other up and coming talents like him. I think the top 10 of the tour will be as hotly contested as ever in the next 2-3 years with all these young superstars

 

[Angliru]

I'd include Gesink, Basso, Valverde, Sanchez as guys that will likely be at the Tour next year to knock him off the top 10 (assuming Valv races, I predict he will)

I think Lovkist will struggle when they forget to include TTs in the TDF. That said, he's young, I like his diesel style and I think he's still got 5 years until he is prime age (30)

The problem is, that he's finally on a team that want him as a GC leader when there are so many other up and coming talents like him. I think the top 10 of the tour will be as hotly contested as ever in the next 2-3 years with all these young superstars

I'm inclined to agree with you about the competition for the top 10 placings in the Tour gc.

Now about your prediction that Valverde will race the Tour. Please elaborate on this. What makes you think this is at all possible? I was getting the impression that his 2 year suspension was pretty much a done deal with just the arbitration procedures to offically be carried out. There was even talk of his having his Vuelta win snatched although I can't see how that is at all possible for an infraction that took place back in 2006.