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Most Improved Team 2013

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Which is the most improved team for the 2014 season?

  • Trek

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
Mar 13, 2009
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coimbrawu said:
In the past seasons, they just go for Team classification in some stage races or GT, right now they can hunt for stages, go for GC or sprint. So the whole style of the team looks change too(from a conservative team to an excited team, at least looks from the roster):p

I completely agree. I think it will be a "whole new team" in that sense, and much more exciting to watch
 
BigMac said:
I think it is more about comparing Lampre results this year, to the ones they can achieve in 2014 with Costa in their Roaster. Afterall, its the ''Most Improved Team'' thread.

As for Costa, he can start early, achieving a good result in P-N, which he didn't last year because of a crash and abandon. He can also finish well the Ardennes and win TdS again, for the third time in a row. Definetly heading for a better GC spot in Le Tour, and who knows, a win in the WC.

Most of his wins are gotten without any sort of serious attacking, so the heavy marking the rainbow jersey gets should not be a problem.
Parulo's prediction hinged on the premise that Costa keep on growing, that's why I wondered how he could improve upon this season.

I think focusing on the Tour means that winning the TdS again is out of the question. Rabo/Belkin show year in, year out that being too good in the TdS means you can't keep that form all the way to Paris, Costa hopefully won't make the same mistake.

Costa is always a rider who can get away fairly unnoticed, having the rainbow jersey on his shoulders won't help in that regard.
 
Aug 16, 2011
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coimbrawu said:
IMO Trek improved so much. They have already build a good team around Cance for the classic races. They have Jungels for the future. Now they get Jasper Stuyven, Felline as other future invests, Kristof Vandewalle as the solid domestique. They have built a very good team to vs OPQS and Cance will have the strongest helpers/domestiques in the past few years in the classic races.

With Van Poppel brothers, Arredondo, Zoidl, Silvestre, Alafaci, their average age goes down so much too. In the past seasons, they just go for Team classification in some stage races or GT, right now they can hunt for stages, go for GC or sprint. So the whole style of the team looks change too(from a conservative team to an excited team, at least looks from the roster):p

This was a major problem with their team in the past. Cancellara was the saving grace of the team. And being the guy an entire team is based around and who everyone is going to be looking to to bring in the big results is a lot of pressure. It's a big risk too as we saw in 2012, one crash and your sunk for getting the results in the races you thought you would get them in.

Which is why I think Radioshack was pretty smart overall this transfer season. They kept their main guys like Cance and his key dom's, but also added to the team with a number of talented young guys and guys that can bring in some more results.
 
Aug 16, 2011
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argyllflyer said:
Interpreting the poll literally, I'd have to look at teams who had a definite weakness - those who excelled in some areas but fell down in others. GreenEDGE spring to mind as they lacked any threat in stage races and they seem to have addressed that.

I remember the big thing that Greenedge was criticized for when they first began was being another team based mostly around the sprints. They of course did show they had some guys that could get results in the mountains (Clarke at the Vuelta), but if memory serves most of their results were coming from sprints or TT's.

They showed more strength on the climbs this season, but they successfully managed to go out and sign some solid climbers and up-and-comers that could greatly improve the type of races they get results in. I'd probably place them 2nd (or maybe even tied with 1st) as most improved.
 
Mar 13, 2009
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Afrank said:
They kept their main guys like Cance and his key dom's, but also added to the team with a number of talented young guys and guys that can bring in some more results.

I have been sceptical about the sheer amount of young guns that they added this year, but I was just thinking that only one of them can really be called "neo pro" - Calvin Watson. All the others have raced at least two years on Continental level and/or are over 23.

So I think at least they shouldn't have too much trouble adapting to the speed of the Pro peloton.
 

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