Lidl-Trek (no longer Radioshack-Leopard Trek)

[patrick767]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kloden-on-the-defensive-with-radioshack-twitter-offensive

Well once again it gets ugly and Kloden who has not really been involved in bashing RANT up till now, joins the party.

Their Tour is now up in the air with Schleck and Kloden and Horner to a degree all flopping and Canc losing his jersey but at the same time Monfort and Zubeldia looking good and in top 10 positions, especially if Monfort can reproduce some of his TTs from last year and Canc of course can still win a couple of stages due to his TT and Schleck may infiltrate some breaks later on in the Tour.

WTF... this "team" is such a pathetic soap opera. They have so much talent as evidenced by all those guys in the top 20, but they're determined to squander it with this stupidity. Plus the ones who were expected to be the strongest, Schleck and Kloden, have been a disappointment.

 

[BillytheKid]

A great bounce back from yesterday. Jens for openers did alot to make it a tough day form the gun, but in the end they can only take team if they can ride the mountains the way they did today. Also a stage in mountains is very possible if Cadel remains isolated.

Zubeldia can only hope for tomorrow to avoid time loss. Not a kind route for this RSNT makeup.

 

[Poursuivant]

So after Frank loses minutes tomorrow, what stage does he target for personal glory??

 

[Armanius]

Looks like Klodie got a "block" again today losing 2:20 ...

 

[BillytheKid]

Looks like Klodie got a "block" again today losing 2:20 ...

For once I going to agree with Bob Roll (said that to sound like Paul, of Phil and Paul Inc...also to poke him a little, not that they read this stuff)

But seriously Roll has a point. Six riders, count them six Radio Shack Nissan Trek riders (now onto Roll) are in the top twenty. So is Klöden bad on the steep stuff or is he just holding back to knock down a great ITT and put him back on the board? RSNT has massed a number of riders that can launch assault after assault in the mountains that can't be let go. Wiggins has taken the jersey early. On Stage 7 Sky, looked unbeatable.

But does Horner have a point that it was not really a mountain stage in the sense of mountian pass after pass, but one effected the speed going in? (remember the field split on the run up) The climbing stages to come will offer more of what we saw today.

Nibali will get his boys in the act, VdB (too bad Sammu crashed out). Cadel looks isolated on the climbs. Tejay is a clinger not an assault trooper. FDJ won today with Pinot and Roy.

RSNT has a plan. It may fail, but I don't think they're done at all.

Of course if Klöden blows in the ITT, this will be less effective, but still entertaining.

 

[Armanius]

I don't see any RSNT rider doing well enough during the ITT tomorrow to still be in contention after tomorrow. Hope I'm wrong though.

 

[burning]

I don't see any RSNT rider doing well enough during the ITT tomorrow to still be in contention after tomorrow. Hope I'm wrong though.

Monfort is a decent time trialist, even he lost around 1 minute yesterday, he will be the best man for gc in RSNT imo

 

[Angliru]

Indeed the Frenchman has effectively shown everything this season.

He demonstrated he is a good classics rider particularly on the cobbles, in the spring classics
He demonstrated he can sprint in the Dauphine.
He demonstrated he can climb well in the Tour

Agreed. I'm quite impressed by him. I wasn't at all familiar with him before this year's Tour and thought that he was more of a sprinter than the all-around talent that he's displayed. His stock is blowing up.

 

[HL2037]

So two days ago team RSNT was riding for Klöden - today they can't even spare a car to follow him in the TT, so he has a neutral service car behind him?

 

[Parrot23]

Wondering about that too.

 

[BillytheKid]

RSNT ran out of team cars I think. I wonder if he was allowed a spare bike on the neutral?

I think he's still a player at the table. As posted last night here RSNT can put up a good effort in the mountains. Klöden seemed a little better on Stage 8, but will have to improve in the mountain stages to come with the idea of performing well in the last week and last ITT.

We will only know after the rest day and the Alps.

 

[BillytheKid]

RSNT ran out of team cars I think. I wonder if he was allowed a spare bike on the neutral?

I think he's still a player at the table. As posted last night here RSNT can put up a good effort in the mountains. Klöden seemed a little better on Stage 8, but will have to improve in the mountain stages to come with the idea of performing well in the last week and last ITT.

We will only know after the rest day and the Alps.

I'll walk that back. He would have to have few minutes more of GC and ride big in the mountains to come. Not. Monfort could come good. Top ten. Team prize the goal.

 

[Armanius]

About as good of a day that RSNT could have had today. If Zubeldia and/or Montfort can sneak into top 5 after Paris, IMO, it'd have been a fairly successful TDF this year for RSNT. Kloden would have been in good shape after today, if he didn't have those "blocks" in stages 7 and 8.

I never thought that Wiggins would be nearly a minute faster than Cancellara. Impressive, most impressive.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Fabian has left the TDF http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1789843.ece

 

[Forunculo]

Fabian has left the TDF http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1789843.ece

He has no leader and must beat the Sky duo... expected. He did a good first week and is enough.

 

[BillytheKid]

He has no leader and must beat the Sky duo... expected. He did a good first week and is enough.

It's a Tony Martin without the injury. Oympics effect. I wonder who else will abandon? The mountain stages are lame.

 

[Armanius]

I think the article says that he will leave IF his wife gives birth while the TDF is still going. But he will stay until then.

 

[ElChingon]

Pretty bad to leave the Tour with no excuse (that prevents him from racing), at least Cippo in his day would fake a crash or something and leave mid stage. Its starting to look like la Vuelta where riders just leave when they want as if its a lame race. Weren't other riders on Shack fighting to get a ride at the Tour?

 

[Armanius]

I applaud Fabian for putting his wife/child over RSNT. On the other hand, he probably gets paid even if he quits the TDF. And it's doubtful that Fabian would ever go jobless simply because he left the TDF early.

 

[maxmartin]

Pretty bad to leave the Tour with no excuse (that prevents him from racing), at least Cippo in his day would fake a crash or something and leave mid stage. Its starting to look like la Vuelta where riders just leave when they want as if its a lame race. Weren't other riders on Shack fighting to get a ride at the Tour?

It is olympic year, and olympic race is becoming more and more important among pro riders, for people who have a shot at olympic gold medals, ToF stage win is less than olympic for sure. After all Olympic only happened every four years.

 

[Christian]

Pretty bad to leave the Tour with no excuse (that prevents him from racing), at least Cippo in his day would fake a crash or something and leave mid stage. Its starting to look like la Vuelta where riders just leave when they want as if its a lame race. Weren't other riders on Shack fighting to get a ride at the Tour?

Some things are more important than bike races ... surely when you will have a family of your own you will understand!

 

[ElChingon]

Some things are more important than bike races ... surely when you will have a family of your own you will understand!

Exactly, I would NOT of taken a coworkers ability to gain some financial rewards if I knew I could not complete the job. No wonder the team is falling apart, riders are kept out others quit quality races. If this was your job you'd of been fired or at least ostracized by your coworkers by now.

 

[roundabout]

He has finished 1, 2, 3 and 4 on the stages.

Who do you propose would have done better out of the people "unfairly" left out?

 

[airstream]

Don't know why but there's a feeling Haimar can fire in the mountains in spite of he didn't do that since 2003. Hopefully he'll be able to get 5th. It's almost unlikely to be up higher. Maxime should be in top 10 as well. Frankie would better drain water tomorrow and prepare for a solo raid on La Toussuire.

 

[Armanius]

Don't know why but there's a feeling Haimar can fire in the mountains in spite of he didn't do that since 2003. Hopefully he'll be able to get 5th. It's almost unlikely to be up higher. Maxime should be in top 10 as well. Frankie would better drain water tomorrow and prepare for a solo raid on La Toussuire.

I'll be impressed if Frank can pull an Andy, go solo, and significantly cut his 8 minutes deficit down. Sky would probably let him go on a breakaway initially. If I was Evans, I'd be begging RSNT to launch lots of attacks tomorrow.