Lidl-Trek (no longer Radioshack-Leopard Trek)

[Fetisoff]

It depends on Andy. Arriving in the shape he had 2010, they'll only see his backwheel. Help from Sanchez??? No way, Samu will hold onto Andys wheel in the mountains.

Menchov wasn't with the best neither in the Giro, nor the Vuelta. Top 10 is possible, but the podium is out of reach imo. Wiggins might look the favourite at the moment, but there is still something, he has to prove. Something Evans already did, as Andy too.

I'm fairly certain that Andy has just as much, if not more, to prove than Wiggo does

 

[Marco Pantani]

I'm fairly certain that Andy has just as much, if not more, to prove than Wiggo does

No prob, your free to think so.

 

[Fetisoff]

No prob, your free to think so.

It doesn't matter if I (or most other forum members) think so. Andy needs to think so, if he wants any chance of winning the tour

 

[Marco Pantani]

It doesn't matter if I (or most other forum members) think so. Andy needs to think so, if he wants any chance of winning the tour

Sorry, my mistake taking you serious.

I was thinking more of the ability to go with the very best in the high mountains.

 

[thehog]

Jens Voigt ‏ @thejensie Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
And now its all up to ourselfs to kick back and turn things around. And we will!! So lets talk again in a month time, ok?!

Yes lets talk after the training camp when Duffy gets back from is holiday in China and Eastern Europe. He has some presents for us! Can't wait!

 

[movingtarget]

There is no chance Schleck will get enough time in unless Sanchez decides to help him and be the super domestique he was for AC last year. There is 0 chance the peloton will let both the Schlecks attack, and Evans can cover attacks, and Menchov & Wiggins are both good at riding back to attacks.

Based on last year's race I would agree. But it was an unusual race. Many GC riders fell or lost team mates. Contador was not at his best nor was Basso. Evans was possibly in the best form of his career and the Schlecks were not up for the fight apart from Galibier. As much as I admire Evans, Menchov and Wiggins they can all have a bad day in the mountains but only if Schleck is at his peak and puts them in that position.

 

[Bavarianrider]

is there a chance Gerdemann will be at the Giro?
He did pretty well at Castlia leon.

 

[Christian]

is there a chance Gerdemann will be at the Giro?
He did pretty well at Castlia leon.

Good question ... I didn't consider it so far but why not actually. As far as I know the following riders are certain:

Bennati
Fuglsang
Rohregger
Zaugg

I know that Wagner was supposed to be there but he is recovering from injury. I assume he will be replaced by Nizzolo, who is doing Romandie as preparation. Other than that I have no idea ... Machado, Gerdemann, Posthuma maybe?

 

[minessa]

Gerdemann had surgery on knee.
http://www.wn.de/Lokalsport/Sonstiges/Kniefalte-legt-Gerdemann-lahm-Operativer-Eingriff-in-Basel-gut-verlaufen-Zehn-Tage-Pause

 

[greenedge]

Could he ever consider moving to another team ( Netapp???, Sky, BMC or another team )???

 

[Parrulo]

Good question ... I didn't consider it so far but why not actually. As far as I know the following riders are certain:

Bennati
Fuglsang
Rohregger
Zaugg

I know that Wagner was supposed to be there but he is recovering from injury. I assume he will be replaced by Nizzolo, who is doing Romandie as preparation. Other than that I have no idea ... Machado, Gerdemann, Posthuma maybe?

oliveira is confirmed for the giro, machado will ride the ToC

 

[BillytheKid]

Cancellara's crash at Flanders (which is off camera, but judging by the way bottles rocketing away and carrying the speed of the field you know a few are going to strike someone and bounce back out and and I surmise that was just bad luck) was really the end of the Classics for RSNT.

We wouldn't be talking about the bad early season for RSNT as much if Cancellara had not smashed his collarbone to pieces. They were first in WT points following TA and I think also San Remo The knee problems, Gerdemann and Horner that we know about.

Jens has more on that:

http://bicycling.com/blogs/hardlyserious/2012/04/24/goodbye-classics-hello-california/

I think Andy Schleck will most likely podium come the TDF if Cancellara is back.

As in TA, he and his San Remo squad showed the importance of having a strong team for the GC, something RSNT did not have in the Ardennes in final miles and they show great weakness in the wet and cold while others flourished there.

Horner's already back in California. This year's parcours offer more climbing, but typical of this race, all to far from the finish. With no Sierra Road and the longer far less steep climb to Big Bear instead, Horner might do better contest the KOM jersey this year. Stage 1 offers some steep stuff right from the gun.

Cancellara's big chances have past, but he's is important to this team come the Suisse and the TDF.

Well it might not be, but I keep reminding myself of this team at the start of the season in Italy.

 

[Caruut]

I hope that Fabian gets to skip the Tour. He deserves better than having to ferry the Chuckle Brothers around France for 3 weeks, especially in an Olympic year.

 

[BillytheKid]

I hope that Fabian gets to skip the Tour. He deserves better than having to ferry the Chuckle Brothers around France for 3 weeks, especially in an Olympic year.

He can still contest the ITT's and save face for the team. A stage win in a GT is always good. Again just bad luck at Flanders, but on the plus side, having not gone the distance in the Classics, he could be a terror some of the Suisse stages as well.

You just have to ingnore the those other guys.

 

[Caruut]

He can still contest the ITT's and save face for the team. A stage win in a GT is always good. Again just bad luck at Flanders, but on the plus side, having not gone the distance in the Classics, he could be a terror some of the Suisse stages as well.

You just have to ingnore the those other guys.

I just think that if Cancellara goes to the Tour, it should be to try for epic solo stage wins and the ITTs, not to fanny about pointlessly chasing down breaks for the Schlecks. As it is, he has to spend so much time in the wind for Frandy that he just isn't what he could be on the ITT.

 

[BillytheKid]

There might be a stage oportunity for him outside the ITTs, but they won't let him up the road so easy. Will see what the course offers.

 

[Machu Picchu]

Jakob Fuglsang out of the Giro,

“I am very disappointed, the Giro was my big objective for this year. Yesterday I had so much pain in the last 40K, I was just miserable. At that point I realized that it might be the end of my Giro dream. Moreover I was already running behind my schedule after the scaphoid bone fracture in the Tour of Catalunya.”

Jakob Fuglsang didn't take the start in the 3rd stage of the Tour de Romandie because of an inflammation of the articular capsule and ligament of the left knee. The team management and medical staff have decided to take the Danish rider off the team's roster for the Giro d'Italia.

RSNT

 

[LaFlorecita]

jakob fuglsang out of the giro,

“i am very disappointed, the giro was my big objective for this year. Yesterday i had so much pain in the last 40k, i was just miserable. At that point i realized that it might be the end of my giro dream. Moreover i was already running behind my schedule after the scaphoid bone fracture in the tour of catalunya.”

jakob fuglsang didn't take the start in the 3rd stage of the tour de romandie because of an inflammation of the articular capsule and ligament of the left knee. The team management and medical staff have decided to take the danish rider off the team's roster for the giro d'italia.

rsnt

 

[DominicDecoco]

Argh!!!

____

 

[Caruut]

There might be a stage oportunity for him outside the ITTs, but they won't let him up the road so easy. Will see what the course offers.

Let him? Fabian decides when he goes up the road.

If there is a slight ramp, crosswind or other obstacle in the last 10km, he'd have a decent shot at getting a solo win. If he's given licence to do so, which he won't be by this team.

 

[thehog]

Jakob Fuglsang out of the Giro,

“I am very disappointed, the Giro was my big objective for this year. Yesterday I had so much pain in the last 40K, I was just miserable. At that point I realized that it might be the end of my Giro dream. Moreover I was already running behind my schedule after the scaphoid bone fracture in the Tour of Catalunya.”

Jakob Fuglsang didn't take the start in the 3rd stage of the Tour de Romandie because of an inflammation of the articular capsule and ligament of the left knee. The team management and medical staff have decided to take the Danish rider off the team's roster for the Giro d'Italia.

RSNT

Only yesterday Bruyneel was touting him as top 5 now this???

Does he have any idea what's going on with his team?

 

[patrick767]

What now for this team? I already thought they should have been giving Frank Schleck a shot at the Giro. With Jakob Fuglsang out, how can they deny him that chance? Sure, it could potentially make him a little weaker at the TdF (see Contador last year), but the TdF goal should be to get Andy the yellow jersey, not to put Andy and Frank on the podium again.

If they don't switch to Frank for the Giro, what does the team hope to accomplish there?

 

[DominicDecoco]

What now for this team? I already thought they should have been giving Frank Schleck a shot at the Giro. With Jakob Fuglsang out, how can they deny him that chance? Sure, it could potentially make him a little weaker at the TdF (see Contador last year), but the TdF goal should be to get Andy the yellow jersey, not to put Andy and Frank on the podium again.

If they don't switch to Frank for the Giro, what does the team hope to accomplish there?

You can't really chance a riders form schedule a week before a race. Frank isn't in a significally good form at the moment - we saw that in the Ardennes.

 

[maltiv]

Only yesterday Bruyneel was touting him as top 5 now this???

Does he have any idea what's going on with his team?

Fuglsang said in an interview with Procycling that there was no follow-up by the team at all. Earlier he was used to the team training together and getting monitored closely, but at RSNT he's basically been left to do his own thing. He also adds that "but Bruyneel has so much success that I guess he most know what he's doing".

No wonder they don't get any results. We all know why Bruyneel has had much success and it has nothing to do with being a great DS...

 

[patrick767]

Jens Voigt ‏ @thejensie Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
And now its all up to ourselfs to kick back and turn things around. And we will!! So lets talk again in a month time, ok?!

To this one and the other tweets... that's just class. No excuses. Admit he and the team should have been better. That's despite the fact that they had some misfortunes. Jens won't lean on those problems.