le Tour team thread

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Aug 18, 2010
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muscat said:
Any ideas why Garmin are leaving it so late to name their team?

It's a bit strange, particularly as what would seem to be the most difficult/controversial decisions have already been announced: ie Danielson is riding, Martin not.

Really there's only even slight doubt about one remaining place.
 
Feb 15, 2011
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Cofidis:

Mickaël Buffaz (Fra), Samuel Dumoulin (Fra), Leonardo Duque (Col), Julien El Fares (Fra), Tony Gallopin (Fra), David Moncoutié (Fra), Rein Taaramae (Est), Tristan Valentin (Fra), Romain Zingle (Bel)
 
May 19, 2011
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Should be a fun team. Hopefully Moncoutie and Duque will animate the race more than Cofidis did last year - it was about Stage 15 before I realised they were actually in the race.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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Ferminal said:
Seems to be underestimating Riis' abilities as a manager, when he is the last person who should be doubting them.

Abilities? LOL!

I thought schleck's comments were rather accurate, but lets wait and see how the rest of HIS team goes on the climbs. Obviously Frank will be there but what about Fuglsang or Monfort?
 
Mar 17, 2009
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auscyclefan94 said:
Abilities? LOL!

I thought schleck's comments were rather accurate, but lets wait and see how the rest of HIS team goes on the climbs. Obviously Frank will be there but what about Fuglsang or Monfort?

You're doubting Riis as a DS? As compared to Nygaard? And Andy's comments reveal what I think is the mindset of LT. Nygaard just made similar comments in a Velonews article. It's a dangerous way to approach the TdF in my opinion. Especially when your best rider tends to be some what mentally fragile.
 
Nov 14, 2009
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Ryder Hesjedal (Can), Thor Hushovd (Noo), David Millar (GBr), Thomas Danielson, David Zabriskie, Tyler Farrar, Christian Vande Velde (VSt), Julian Dean (NZe) en Ramunas Navardauskas (Lit)

from wielerflits
 
Jun 7, 2010
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search said:
with Soler in there for Movistar (and Kashechkin for Lampre) on that list I wouldn't take it for granted

I also read today that Navardauskas will start for Garmin and either van Summeren or Dean would be number 9 - according to that listing they both gonna start, so I think it's not official yet, just a prelisting or something.

Ah, to be honest I didn't notice that Soler was on the list. :eek:

Indeed, it's a preliminary list and it doesn't match up with Movistar's long list. Probably isn't worth paying a lot of attention to.

Then again it is correct as far as I can tell for the most recently announced teams.
 
Jan 18, 2010
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Andy's not very smart

Publicus said:
This is what bothers me about Andy:

“ I don’t think that all the riders on the team who were with him on the Giro have his motor. With us, nobody did the Giro. From a team point of view, I have an advantage on him. I don’t think it, I’m certain of it.”
+1
Plus only two of the nine guys on the TdF team (besides Contador) rode the Giro.
Granted they're both mtn. domestiques, but I wouldn't underestimate the Sorenson non-brothers and Noval is no slouch as a Mtn. domestique.
 
Mar 10, 2009
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biokemguy said:
+1
Plus only two of the nine guys on the TdF team (besides Contador) rode the Giro.
Granted they're both mtn. domestiques, but I wouldn't underestimate the Sorenson non-brothers and Noval is no slouch as a Mtn. domestique.

Neither Nikki Sorenson nor Noval can be considered mountain domestique by any stretch of the imagination. And Andy is actually right in that the guys from the Giro may be tired. That being said, it's not as if Navarro and company have logged that many more race days or kilometers compared to the Leopard Trek mountain domestiques. The road will give us the answer; no need to add an extra-motivation for the opposing team.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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Publicus said:
You're doubting Riis as a DS? As compared to Nygaard? And Andy's comments reveal what I think is the mindset of LT. Nygaard just made similar comments in a Velonews article. It's a dangerous way to approach the TdF in my opinion. Especially when your best rider tends to be some what mentally fragile.

No, never mind abilities (unless you are reffering to 'recovery) as Riis is fine DS but I was more reffering to recovery and getting read for the giro. Other than stuffing up the gear change I hardly see Andy as mentally fragile.

btw, Nygaard is the general manager and press officer at Leopard. ;)
 
Jan 3, 2011
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biokemguy said:
+1
Plus only two of the nine guys on the TdF team (besides Contador) rode the Giro.
Granted they're both mtn. domestiques, but I wouldn't underestimate the Sorenson non-brothers and Noval is no slouch as a Mtn. domestique.

No actually four riders besides Contador rode the giro: Tosatto, Porte, Navarro and Jesus Hernandez.

So more than half of the team. Still I think they will be there. Some of them might be in subpar form to begin with but they will be there for mountains. Tosatto needs to be there from day 1 though, as Riis as assigned him to be Contador's personal "bodyguard" for the flat stages.

CAS has been looking strong btw. He will be ready.

EDIT: btw to Danish media Riis has said that he knows doing the Giro is a big risk, and that it might backfire, and he will take responsibility if it does. But that might just be the usual spin.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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Cimber said:
No actually four riders besides Contador rode the giro: Tosatto, Porte, Navarro and Jesus Hernandez.

So more than half of the team. Still I think they will be there. Some of them might be in subpar form to begin with but they will be there for mountains. Tosatto needs to be there from day 1 though, as Riis as assigned him to be Contador's personal "bodyguard" for the flat stages.

CAS has been looking strong btw. He will be ready.

EDIT: btw to Danish media Riis has said that he knows doing the Giro is a big risk, and that it might backfire, and he will take responsibility if it does. But that might just be the usual spin.

If anything, those Giro riders will be better at the start and worse as it progresses. Definetly won't be the other way round.
 
Apr 9, 2011
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auscyclefan94 said:
If anything, those Giro riders will be better at the start and worse as it progresses. Definetly won't be the other way round.

Unless as a domestique you rested after the Giro much longer than Contador and will until stage 12 to get your legs back.

it does not matter if Navarro and Jesus Hernandez finish 10 minutes behind in every stage up to stage 12 as long as they find their legs for stage 12.

Rest longer - recover more use the 1st week to get back into racing - work hard for 9 days not a big ask really. They will be fine.

Contador however has a much harder job - I think will be ok but not win bý more than 60 sec.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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just some guy said:
Unless as a domestique you rested after the Giro much longer than Contador and will until stage 12 to get your legs back.

it does not matter if Navarro and Jesus Hernandez finish 10 minutes behind in every stage up to stage 12 as long as they find their legs for stage 12.

Rest longer - recover more use the 1st week to get back into racing - work hard for 9 days not a big ask really. They will be fine.

Contador however has a much harder job - I think will be ok but not win bý more than 60 sec.
You can't 'rest' in the 1st week. It is not that easy. Riding the sprinters stages ain't a walk in the park like some people think they are.
 
Apr 9, 2011
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auscyclefan94 said:
You can't 'rest' in the 1st week. It is not that easy. Riding the sprinters stages ain't a walk in the park like some people think they are.

Where did I say rest in the 1st week - I said find their racing legs - but they don´t have to work to position Contador thats for other people - so they ride at a lower tempo.
 
Jan 3, 2011
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auscyclefan94 said:
If anything, those Giro riders will be better at the start and worse as it progresses. Definetly won't be the other way round.

No that depends on their preparation. If they have tried to maintain a good form your are absolutely correct. However, if they have done nothing but resting and only trained a little then it will be the other way around.

While Tosatto might have done the former (as he is needed especially till the mountains) the latter might very well be the case for Bertie, Danny and Jesus. As u can tell from all the Bertie interviews its all been about resting resting reseting, even this close to the Tour. Only the short training camp to preview the key stages and the Spanish championships seems to have interefered with the resting-mantra. Then ehsy can show up for the tour at 80-85% and build up the last bit and find their rythem before the mountains. That also playes very well with what Riis have indicated about maybe being a tad conservative in the Pyrenees and then more aggresive in the Alps. The danger is that the 1st week is quite dangerous and not as simple as one would expect. But for those stages it doesnt matter if Danny and Jesus lose alot of time.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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just some guy said:
Where did I say rest in the 1st week - I said find their racing legs - but they don´t have to work to position Contador thats for other people - so they ride at a lower tempo.

I don't think it is that simple especially after a giro.
 
Jul 5, 2010
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auscyclefan94 said:
You can't 'rest' in the 1st week. It is not that easy. Riding the sprinters stages ain't a walk in the park like some people think they are.

But if you can finish +10 minutes behind every day, it sure gets a lot easier. It is only hard if you have to stay focused and near the front all the time, like Contador will have to.
 
Jun 22, 2009
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auscyclefan94 said:
Abilities? LOL!

I thought schleck's comments were rather accurate, but lets wait and see how the rest of HIS team goes on the climbs. Obviously Frank will be there but what about Fuglsang or Monfort?

Both strong riders. Monfort was good at the dauphine. Good ttr. and fuglsang could lead a weaker team really.