Moondance said:What's wrong with Rabobank Hitch? Lots of money, strong supporting cast, no clear hilly classics specialist to compete with.
I think it's a good move for him, barring staying with Caisse/Movistar, but staying probably would've meant taking less money than he could get elsewhere, and so made little sense.
The Hitch said:Im still not really used to non dutch riders at rabobank really. Its your national team. Menchov kind of began to fit in over time, as has Garate but it takes time.
Moondance said:Freire, Nuyens, Brown, Ardila, Martens, Flecha, Rasmussen, Leipheimer, McEwen, Wauters.... Could go further back if you wish.
I think it is a good move and it will fill a whole left by Menchov. LLS will get better, sole support in bigger races and be a good domestique to Gesink.Moondance said:What's wrong with Rabobank Hitch? Lots of money, strong supporting cast, no clear hilly classics specialist to compete with.
I think it's a good move for him, barring staying with Caisse/Movistar, but staying probably would've meant taking less money than he could get elsewhere, and so made little sense.
Timmy-loves-Rabo said:knowing rabobank i wouldn't be surprised if LLS doesn't get many wins in the next 2 seasons.![]()
Hopefully he can continue to dominate the short stage races, and be competitive in the classics.
Timmy-loves-Rabo said:knowing rabobank i wouldn't be surprised if LLS doesn't get many wins in the next 2 seasons.![]()
Hopefully he can continue to dominate the short stage races, and be competitive in the classics.
auscyclefan94 said:I think it is a good move and it will fill a whole left by Menchov. LLS will get better, sole support in bigger races and be a good domestique to Gesink.
You don't have much confidence in your fav team or dutch riders?![]()
I also think Rabo needs more topriders. I think their lineup is kinda small when you look at their performance in this years Vuelta for example... Big escape yesterday.. no Rabo rider. That happens so often..
Timmy-loves-Rabo said:It is a young team, and imo a GT is a big deal for these young guys. So for the moment they certainly struggle to fill all 3 GTs with a solid/strong squad.
More top riders? I think they're heading in the right direction. Gesink, Lulu Sanchez, Breschel, Boom, Freire, Mollema, Martens, Bos... that's a decent squad right there.Kwibus said:I also think Rabo needs more topriders. I think their lineup is kinda small when you look at their performance in this years Vuelta for example... Big escape yesterday.. no Rabo rider. That happens so often..
theyoungest said:More top riders? I think they're heading in the right direction. Gesink, Lulu Sanchez, Breschel, Boom, Freire, Mollema, Martens, Bos... that's a decent squad right there.
With Bos it's more a matter of the potential this guy has. Don't forget it's only his second year on the road.Praetor said:I don't really see how Bos fits into that. His level is considerably lower than the others you mention.
theyoungest said:More top riders? I think they're heading in the right direction. Gesink, Lulu Sanchez, Breschel, Boom, Freire, Mollema, Martens, Bos... that's a decent squad right there.
The Hitch said:Im still not really used to non dutch riders at rabobank really. Its your national team
Luttenberger, Rölf Sorensen, Bruyneel, etc etc, from the start Rabobank has always had a couple of foreign leaders or strong domestiquesThe Hitch said:Still wierd. Especially that someone who is already big, and at the peak of their career, joins Rabo from his own default national team.
Anyway, it probably is a good deal for both teams, going for classics, and Gesink will have a superdomestique for gts.
Dekker_Tifosi said:Luttenberger, Rölf Sorensen, Bruyneel, etc etc, from the start Rabobank has always had a couple of foreign leaders or strong domestiques
it's probably just in your head.![]()
Rabo has had a large Spanish contingent for quite some time now. Ardila, Garate, Freire, Menchov, Kozontchuk, Flecha, Horrillo... they're all either Spanish or live there and are so immersed in the country that you could call them such.The Hitch said:Probably. For some reason ive got used to Menchov, Freire and the like at Rabo, so i dont really realise it, and its not really wierd when outsiders - from US, Uk, Australia, Asia, go to north european teams, I just dont expect Italians or Spaniards to go to the Belgian or Dutch teams. Such different language, such different culture, it feels wierd.
issoisso said:Yes, Rabobank's had a lot of success over the years with their dutch youngsters Dennis van Mentsjov and Oskar van Freijre![]()
“I am happy to ride with Sanchez. He seems very tough, and he is a strong cyclist. He is one of the established riders now and will win some big races,”
Read more: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/5...-Sanchezs-Rabobank-signing.aspx#ixzz0ykzMEVXf
icefire said:Just went to cqranking to check that as of today, 4 out of the 5 highest ranked riders of the highest ranked country will ride next year in foreign teams. Just a thought.
Arnout said:Interesting. Although Anton may climb into the top 5 after the Vuelta. In fact Sammie Sanchez also rides for a foreign team of course.
Does show that Movistar doesn't have a big gun yet, seems they will have to wait for Valverdes comeback.