Le Tour de France 2011 - the big one is coming

[Walkman]

The BMC team for the tour are in Zolder doing TTT practise and also asjusting equipment on their time trial bikes. BMC have made a new tt bike which is suppose to be really good. I guess that is an upside to having a bike manafacturer as your sponsor.

Quinziato refers to it in a tweet.


It should be interesting to see how the gc teams go in the ttt.

Any predictions on that?

Has BMC already presented their Tour squad?

Anyway, I really hope that the new bikes are fast as hell and that the team can get some nice TTT going at le Tour. I think they will be top-5.

 

[just some guy]

Has BMC already presented their Tour squad?

Anyway, I really hope that the new bikes are fast as hell and that the team can get some nice TTT going at le Tour. I think they will be top-5.

No but they have an internal short list of 11.

I think there is 4 into 2 last spots

 

[auscyclefan94]

Has BMC already presented their Tour squad?

Anyway, I really hope that the new bikes are fast as hell and that the team can get some nice TTT going at le Tour. I think they will be top-5.

Nope, I think they will announce a short list which will be decided at the tour de suisse. I think Schar, Kroon and Burghardt are all fighting for spots and possibly van avermaet.

 

[craig1985]

I was just having a look at the list of Australian riders who will make teams for the tdf.

Definetly
Evans
Goss
O'Grady
Renshaw
Hayman

Maybe
Wurf
S. Clarke
Davis
hansen
Haussler
McEwen
Roberts
Rogers
Gerrans


Any changes to that list? Who will and won't to those lists will ride le tour?

I personally think we might have a few less than past years.

Haussler said he's not doing the Tour.

Meanwhile for Vacansoleil, their shortlist is:

Wout Poels, Rob Ruijgh, Lieuwe Westra, Johnny Hoogerland, Stijn Devolder, Björn Leukemans, Frederik Veuchelen, Thomas De Gendt, Borut Bozic, Matteo Carrara, Marco Marcato, Sergey Lagutin, and Romain Feillu.

So I assume it would be:

Feillu
Hoogerland
Poels
Westra
Devolder
Leukemans
Carrara
Marcato
Bozic

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Haussler said he's not doing the Tour.

Meanwhile for Vacansoleil, their shortlist is:

Wout Poels, Rob Ruijgh, Lieuwe Westra, Johnny Hoogerland, Stijn Devolder, Björn Leukemans, Frederik Veuchelen, Thomas De Gendt, Borut Bozic, Matteo Carrara, Marco Marcato, Sergey Lagutin, and Romain Feillu.

So I assume it would be:

Feillu
Hoogerland
Poels
Westra
Devolder
Leukemans
Carrara
Marcato
Bozic

I have a feeling we wont see bozic or hoogerland at the tour.
Rob Ruijgh is doing himself no harm with his dauphine ride so far.

 

[craig1985]

I want Hoogerland to ride so he can go on his 'WTF' attacks.

 

[Flamin]

OPL tour squad:

VDB2
Gilbert
Greipel
Lang
Sieberg
Vanendert
Roelandts
Van de Walle

9th guy: Willems, Pujol, De Greef, Reynes or Hansen


I would pick another climber in support of VDB2, but De Greef already did the Giro and Pujol's season has been an utter joke

 

[just some guy]

OPL tour squad:

VDB2
Gilbert
Greipel
Lang
Sieberg
Vanendert
Roelandts
Van de Walle

9th guy: Willems, Pujol, De Greef, Reynes or Hansen


I would pick another climber in support of VDB2, but De Greef already did the Giro and Pujol's season has been an utter joke

poor old VDB not much help there.

 

[Flamin]

poor old VDB not much help there.

He doesn't really need it, but only Vanendert is a bit tricky yes.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Do you expect something from sprintern Jonathan Hivert?

I'm not so sure we can call Hivert a sprinter. He's good in a sprint from a smaller selection but he's not going to do much in a bunch kick. He's more a guy for a sprint in a hillier race or from getting into a break in an intermediate stage that goes the distance.

Let's not forget, in Paris-Nice 2009 he was 8th overall, 8th to the Montagne de la Lure and 4th on the final stage, and he was 5th to Mont Faron in the Tour Med!

 

[Cobblestoned]

Any signs of the great Peter Sagan riding le Tour this year ?
Hope so.

 

[boomcie]

I'm not so sure we can call Hivert a sprinter. He's good in a sprint from a smaller selection but he's not going to do much in a bunch kick. He's more a guy for a sprint in a hillier race or from getting into a break in an intermediate stage that goes the distance.

Let's not forget, in Paris-Nice 2009 he was 8th overall, 8th to the Montagne de la Lure and 4th on the final stage, and he was 5th to Mont Faron in the Tour Med!

I agree with all the above.

Hivert definitely isn't a sprinter. He won that strange stage in the Ruta Del Sol (where Devolder ended in top 5) and that was really pretty surprising. That one win doesn't make him into a sprinter. A fluke I dare say.

 

[greenedge]

Excuse me? What's with your sig? I'm not in any faction thank you. I support the riders I like but I'm degenerating into some feverish fanatical squabble over them. I have an Aussie focus because guess what, that's where I'm from but I watch cycling for the cycling not because of rider-x.

Sorry there i shall delete you from it then. Also i just quoted it from Hitch/ why underneath i have what i have about him being a good previewer because i would not just say that out of the blue.

 

[Frosty]

OPL tour squad:

VDB2
Gilbert
Greipel
Lang
Sieberg
Vanendert
Roelandts
Van de Walle

9th guy: Willems, Pujol, De Greef, Reynes or Hansen


I would pick another climber in support of VDB2, but De Greef already did the Giro and Pujol's season has been an utter joke

Not a bad team for the TTT if they are well drilled. Not going to beat the big teams but not lose that much time.

 

[Frosty]

Any news on Cofidis' team? I am guessing that their main aims are Taaramae for the overall (aiming at 10th?) with Moncoutie and Monier there to go for stage wins/KoM and help Taaramae. El Fares could be useful too, his 27th place last year was very boring (only once did he finish a stage above 27th and that was on the first stage). Dumoulin is best at uphill sprints being so light but i dont think the ones this year are quite right for him, probably being too hard. Otherwise i am guessing it is a case of trying to get a man in the break on as many days as possible.

 

[moi123]

So since Alberto Contador has confirmed he will ride the Tour I think we are in for a great spectacle.

 

[Publicus]

It's official. Le Grand Boucle is going to be Le Grand Spectacle with AC going for the Double and thumbing his nose at those who think he should sit this one out.

Personally I think he has a decent shot of pulling it off, especially given that the real mountains don't come until stage 12 and the Tour, unlike the Giro, doesn't have a multiple MTF in a row. Still, I have to favor Andy for this one: stronger team and fresher legs. Should make for some interesting racing.

 

[dlwssonic]

Go andy and evans time to away the tdf crown from alberto once and for all.

 

[Publicus]

Go andy and evans time to away the tdf crown from alberto once and for all.

Evans has no chance of beating AC. Ever. This is definitely Andy's TdF to lose at this point.

 

[dlwssonic]

Evans has no chance of beating AC. Ever. This is definitely Andy's TdF to lose at this point.

yeah i know im just supporting evans. But I know andy is the once who has the chance to win and im also supporting.

 

[Frosty]

French tour teams, or at least guesses, from L'equipe.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/french-teams-reveal-tour-de-france-squads

Team Gadret not sure if he is going to ride yet or not. Bit surprised there is no mention of Monier for Cofidis after his stage win in the Giro last year

 

[Tuarts]

Sorry there i shall delete you from it then. Also i just quoted it from Hitch/ why underneath i have what i have about him being a good previewer because i would not just say that out of the blue.

Thanks. Oh and the Hitch can't be that great a previewer then,

 

[Anonymous]

Who will be the GC hope for Garmin, Vande Velde or DzNuts?

 

[just some guy]

Who will be the GC hope for Garmin, Vande Velde or DzNuts?

CVV andor Ryder Hesjedal DZ and his Nuts will be helping out

 

[Anonymous]

CVV andor Ryder Hesjedal DZ and his Nuts will be helping out

okay... thanks, man. Hesjedel should be Plan B.