Le Tour de France 2011 - the big one is coming

[Tuarts]

Link of Stage 1 finish - Google Maps


Doesn't look overly hard. My tip is Goss.

Pettachi/ Hushovd

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Can someon explain to me how Martin(has proven absolutely nothing in a GT) gets to go for top 10 and not Velits(3rd in the Vuelta)?

 

[Parrulo]

Can someon explain to me how Martin(has proven absolutely nothing in a GT) gets to go for top 10 and not Velits(3rd in the Vuelta)?

iirc bavarianrider said something among the lines of "no1 cares about the vuelta, the field was weak, his podium was a fluke" plus other crap

 

[roundabout]

Can someon explain to me how Martin(has proven absolutely nothing in a GT) gets to go for top 10 and not Velits(3rd in the Vuelta)?

To be fair, apart from that one Vuelta Velits doesn't have a lot to show himself and he hasn't been great this year (even if very few would have predicted that he got 3rd in the Vuelta before it started).

They should both have the same role in the team.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Velits hasn't shown anything this year. Nobody will deny that Tony is the man with the bigger potential.
Plus, Tony is German. Even if cycling is down in Germany, from a marketing perspective, Tony is far more interesting for the team/sponsor then Velits. Germany is a far bigger market then Slovenia. Tony has a lot more glamour factor potential for the international market then dull Velits too

 

[Parrulo]

Velits hasn't shown anything this year. Nobody will deny that Tony is the man with the bigger potential.
Plus, Tony is German. Even if cycling is down in Germany, from a marketing perspective, Tony is far more interesting for the team/sponsor then Velits. Germany is a far bigger market then Slovenia. Tony has a lot more glamour factor potential for the international market then dull Velits too

say what? tony martin has more potential? rly? they are the same age. velits has a GT podium. martin doesn't even has a top 10, not even close to a top 10. how does martin has more potential?

also the rest you said its all BS. for the international market people don't care if some1 is german or slovenian. all that matters is who does better and martin won't do better then velits

 

[Bavarianrider]

say what? tony martin has more potential? rly? they are the same age. velits has a GT podium. martin doesn't even has a top 10, not even close to a top 10. how does martin has more potential?

also the rest you said its all BS. for the international market people don't care if some1 is german or slovenian. all that matters is who does better and martin won't do better then velits

Velits has the charisma of an old piece of bread. Tony is much more appealing.
Tony never went for the classement in the Vuelta. So we don't know if he might have even done better then Velits

 

[Liquigas]

say what? tony martin has more potential? rly? they are the same age. velits has a GT podium. martin doesn't even has a top 10, not even close to a top 10. how does martin has more potential?

also the rest you said its all BS. for the international market people don't care if some1 is german or slovenian. all that matters is who does better and martin won't do better then velits

Velits is slovakian, but yes, I agree with you, Velits has more potential and has showed way more as a GC rider than Tony Martin. I hope both are given freedom.

 

[Parrulo]

Velits has the charisma of an old piece of bread. Tony is much more appealing.
Tony never went for the classement in the Vuelta. So we don't know if he might have even done better then Velits

sorry tony martin has charisma? what does charisma has to do with being a team leader? if we were going to look at that jens voight would be the leader of leopard. have you looked at the vuelta top 10? can you show me a rider there that martin has beaten on a real climb? please cut the crap

Velits is slovakian, but yes, I agree with you, Velits has more potential and has showed way more as a GC rider than Tony Martin. I hope both are given freedom.

sorry i just said the nation bavarian rider said and didn't bother to check

 

[Sophistic]

The guys at htc were simply looking at all the perf data and found nothing that indicates that Velits 3rd place was not a "miracle".

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Velits has the charisma of an old piece of bread. Tony is much more appealing.
Tony never went for the classement in the Vuelta. So we don't know if he might have even done better then Velits

Tony? Charisma? When, Where ?

3rd in Vuelta >>>>>>>>> winning PN in terms of GT potential

I don't get Martin, how can he think he's good enough a climber to do something in Le Tour....

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Pettachi/ Hushovd

I'm not so sure.

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Mont-des-Alouettes_profile.jpg

looks a little too much. Gilbert looked very good at the nats.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Velits hasn't shown anything this year. Nobody will deny that Tony is the man with the bigger potential.
Plus, Tony is German. Even if cycling is down in Germany, from a marketing perspective, Tony is far more interesting for the team/sponsor then Velits. Germany is a far bigger market then Slovenia. Tony has a lot more glamour factor potential for the international market then dull Velits too

you are an ignorant joke.

'dull velits'....lol, what does that make martin?
PN was the worst edition for so many years.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

In which case, just use it as an MTF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhLZAuwEISI

Libertino, you saying I need more cOjones?
Wish I could climb like Abbott or Pooley... sorry for getting off track on the thread.

 

[Tuarts]

I'm not so sure.

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Mont-des-Alouettes_profile.jpg

looks a little too much. Gilbert looked very good at the nats.

Too much for Pettachi and Hushovd but Goss (which is what I was quoting from acf) is a more viable winner?

Looking at that profile, really its either Gilbert if he breaks or someone like Rojas in a sprint.

 

[auscyclefan94]

BavarianRider, there ain't no Charisma Classification at the TdF so I think your boy Tony will be in a bit of trouble and Velits will be fine. When is Tony going to prove himself on the climbs.

 

[theyoungest]

Tony has a lot more glamour factor potential for the international market then dull Velits too

I don't think "glamourous" is the word that springs to most people's minds when thinking of Tony Martin.

 

[Midnightfright]

BavarianRider, there ain't no Charisma Classification at the TdF so I think your boy Tony will be in a bit of trouble and Velits will be fine. When is Tony going to prove himself on the climbs.

Even if there is a charisma classification he would still fall miles behind Vino, Gilbert and a stationary bike.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Evans is confident ahead of TTT


''I am certainly hoping we will be making time on the contenders, that's the ultimate thing for me and that's what the other guys in the team think too,''

''In the past we have gone into the team time trial [of the Tour] and said, 'Hope we don't lose too much time …' When you are a GC [general classification] rider … for your motivation it is a real blow. The last time I was in a team time trial I lost two and a half minutes.''

''I certainly hope we make it into the top half [of the field]. That would be a pessimistic expectation but I have high hopes for the team,'' Evans said of Sunday's stage. ''We go into it pretty well prepared, but most of all the guys are really motivated, which is the most important thing.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling...not-lose-it-20110626-1gls2.html#ixzz1QTXT4Yp3

 

[Bavarianrider]

Not really a suprise, but this years is really the Tour with the lowest number of TTkm ever since it got introduced.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Evans is confident ahead of TTT


''I am certainly hoping we will be making time on the contenders, that's the ultimate thing for me and that's what the other guys in the team think too,''

''In the past we have gone into the team time trial [of the Tour] and said, 'Hope we don't lose too much time …' When you are a GC [general classification] rider … for your motivation it is a real blow. The last time I was in a team time trial I lost two and a half minutes.''

''I certainly hope we make it into the top half [of the field]. That would be a pessimistic expectation but I have high hopes for the team,'' Evans said of Sunday's stage. ''We go into it pretty well prepared, but most of all the guys are really motivated, which is the most important thing.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling...not-lose-it-20110626-1gls2.html#ixzz1QTXT4Yp3

BMC will find a way to loose more time then excpectzed. But 23km no reasons to worry for anyone. It's more of a show then a race that actual ads something to the GC

 

[dlwssonic]

Not really a suprise, but this years is really the Tour with the lowest number of TTkm ever since it got introduced.

They are trying to make it more for climbers and not for those time trialers.

 

[dlwssonic]

BMC will find a way to loose more time then excpectzed. But 23km no reasons to worry for anyone. It's more of a show then a race that actual ads something to the GC

nah BMC will gain more time than expected. dont underestimate that team.

 

[just some guy]

BMC will find a way to loose more time then excpectzed. But 23km no reasons to worry for anyone. It's more of a show then a race that actual ads something to the GC

How much is expected ?

On form from you usual opinions on what will happen If you expect BMC to lose a lot of time they probably will win.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

nah BMC will gain more time than expected. dont underestimate that team.

be realistic and just compare the names to other teams. BMC will not gain anything on anyone