New Jerseys - 2015 Season - TeamKits-Maillots-Tricots-Tenues-and-Exotics

[classicomano]

That what we've seen of the jersey (which appears to be plain black with two white stripes down the middle) appears to be as bland, dull and soulless as the racing that I associate with the team. Mainly because unless Barguil's got the bit between his teeth, they're usually relatively anonymous or in sprint mode.

That racing of the sort produced by the Kittel train is being positively encouraged by race organizers is one of the biggest problems with the sport. "If we get a close finish, people will be happy cos they see the best", but I'd rather watch an interesting race between a dozen non-entities than a stage that can, as burning points out, be summarized with a screenshot and an audiobook of Carlton Kirby reading out Tripadvisor's notes on the region, occasionally punctuated with an incorrect pronunciation of a cyclist's name (probaby Samuel Dumoulin).

The guy didn't even have any intention of TRYING to defend his yellow jersey. Why should races be designed so that people like that have a chance of wearing it?

Your irrational hatred for this team is really disgusting and especially for Kittel who is a great posterboy for the cycling sport in his personality and his accompilshments.

But just to be clear, any race that goes to a sprint with Kittel, wouldve gone to a sprint if Kittel or Giant wasnt there.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

That what we've seen of the jersey (which appears to be plain black with two white stripes down the middle) appears to be as bland, dull and soulless as the racing that I associate with the team. Mainly because unless Barguil's got the bit between his teeth, they're usually relatively anonymous or in sprint mode.

That racing of the sort produced by the Kittel train is being positively encouraged by race organizers is one of the biggest problems with the sport. "If we get a close finish, people will be happy cos they see the best", but I'd rather watch an interesting race between a dozen non-entities than a stage that can, as burning points out, be summarized with a screenshot and an audiobook of Carlton Kirby reading out Tripadvisor's notes on the region, occasionally punctuated with an incorrect pronunciation of a cyclist's name (probaby Samuel Dumoulin).

The guy didn't even have any intention of TRYING to defend his yellow jersey. Why should races be designed so that people like that have a chance of wearing it?

The organisers would reply with a whole load of rubbish, saying that kittel and Co (Co being Cav, Greipel and Bouhanni) having a chance of wearing the leaders jersey.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Your irrational hatred for this team is really disgusting and especially for Kittel who is a great posterboy for the cycling sport in his personality and his accompilshments.

But just to be clear, any race that goes to a sprint with Kittel, wouldve gone to a sprint if Kittel or Giant wasnt there.

Just to be clear: I don't hold their racing to win against them. However, their way of racing to win does not entertain me, and as I watch the sport to be entertained, I dislike them.

Kittel is maybe a marginally better poster boy for the sport than Cavendish was, thanks to no middle finger salutes or mocking his teammates just yet, but just because somebody is marketable or a nice guy doesn't mean you have to root for them.

And while the race is still likely to go to a sprint without Kittel, there might be some intrigue in the sprint without him there. That was the worst thing with HTC during Cav's reign of terror: the only saving grace a featureless sprint stage had was the sprint itself, so even the speculation was taken away because the question wasn't "who will win?" it was "how much will Cavendish win by?". That isn't my idea of a good day's cycling viewing, but Kittel is rather marketable with his rugged good looks and his saying the right things, so like the less positive role model but equally marketable Cavendish before him, it seems that organizers have decided it's a good idea to neuter some race routes to make sure he's at the forefront.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The organisers would reply with a whole load of rubbish, saying that kittel and Co (Co being Cav, Greipel and Bouhanni) having a chance of wearing the leaders jersey.

Bouhanni's no mug, he top 5ed Parque Cabarceno. He's an arrogant little so-and-so but at least he'd have tried.

 

[Christian]

Libertine, how do you feel about riders like Greipel, Degenkolb or Kristoff? They are among the world's top sprinters yet have also shown that they are capable of a very different style of riding.

I don't dislike sprinters per se, but the ones I like best are those who sometimes show that they can do more than "just" sprint. Greipel won me over when he went on a breakaway in the last stage of this year's Tour of Luxembourg, a little sh*t race that no one cares about and where no one at the end of the season is gonna remember if he even took part. The last stage has laps at the end with an uphill finish, so it really wasn't made for Greipel. But he went in a long breakaway, dropped his companions and finished solo, 14 seconds ahead of the bunch.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Libertine, how do you feel about riders like Greipel, Degenkolb or Kristoff? They are among the world's top sprinters yet have also shown that they are capable of a very different style of riding.

I don't dislike sprinters per se, but the ones I like best are those who sometimes show that they can do more than "just" sprint. Greipel won me over when he went on a breakaway in the last stage of this year's Tour of Luxembourg, a little sh*t race that no one cares about and where no one at the end of the season is gonna remember if he even took part. The last stage has laps at the end with an uphill finish, so it really wasn't made for Greipel. But he went in a long breakaway, dropped his companions and finished solo, 14 seconds ahead of the bunch.

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Greipel, although I hated him being sent to all those races like Turkey, Austria etc. with HTC. This is mainly because he has shown himself repeatedly to be a willing worker for others (working on the front for Gilbert in Sanremo being particularly notable) and got an undue amount of mockery and denigration thanks to the Cavendish rivalry.

Degenkolb I like in the Classics, I don't like in stage racing sprint mode.

Kristoff I see as a sprinter more in the vein of somebody like Freire; he doesn't need or ask for any help, and is prepared to risk losing in order to win. In a pure bunch sprint against the best he will usually come up short, except in a tougher race where his resilience means he has the most left in the tank.

Put it this way: in a race where a sprinter has been forced to work for the opportunity to sprint for the win, I have no problem with a bunch sprint occurring. And the more work a sprinter has had to do to deserve the chance to fight for the win, the more people like Kristoff come to the fore, and the less we see of pure powerhouse guys like Kittel. Which is kind of weird when you think he was an ITT specialist as a junior.

 

[Netserk]

I don't mind Kittel (racing wise, off the bike I do however). What I do mind is poor stage design and poor tactics from other teams. In the Tour this year Giant didn't even have the responsibility to chase down the break as Lotto often was willing to do all the work, only for Giant to take over in the final 5km and deliver Kittel perfectly. Why, oh why couldn't they send Hansen or Bak in the botd and resting the rest of the team for the final sprint? Worst case scenario: the break isn't caught and they have a strong rider in it... Perhaps if Giant was forced to work hard, they wouldn't be able to deliver Kittel as well, and other teams would have more options tactically in the sprint. I also don't get why only 3 or 4 riders ride away in the beginning of the stage without any fight in the peloton. Why not try to get away with a 10 man group? Maybe the break would have a chance if everybody weren't so convinced that they don't. Ugh!

Let's hope more sprints in the upcoming Tour will be more like the one Greipel won in '11.

 

[Christian]

I also don't get why only 3 or 4 riders ride away in the beginning of the stage without any fight in the peloton. Why not try to get away with a 10 man group? Maybe the break would have a chance if everybody weren't so convinced that they don't. Ugh!

Not sure what you mean but I think you may be mistaken here. In the GT's it can take quite a long time until a break is let go by the bunch. The bunch has to "approve" of the break - the larger the break, the smaller the chance that the bunch will let it go. The first hour of racing is often insanely fast, but you don't see it on TV because most TV coverage only picks up with 100km to go. This is also why a big part of the domestiques' work goes unnoticed by the general public.

Also, the larger the break, the more likely the bunch is to chase them down early rather than wait for the final 5k. This is why you often see breakaways trying to get rid of riders or keeping them from catching on. "The break was too large, it was doomed to fail" is a sentiment you will often hear at the finish line.

Getting into a break is not a question of motivation, luck plays a huge part in it, all the stars need to be aligned... and it can't be too big, 4-5 riders is ideal.

 

[hrotha]

No, Christian, you're describing what it *used* to be like, up to ~5 years ago or so.

 

[Netserk]

Not sure what you mean but I think you may be mistaken here. In the GT's it can take quite a long time until a break is let go by the bunch. The bunch has to "approve" of the break - the larger the break, the smaller the chance that the bunch will let it go. The first hour of racing is often insanely fast, but you don't see it on TV because most TV coverage only picks up with 100km to go. This is also why a big part of the domestiques' work goes unnoticed by the general public.

Actually many stages are broadcasted from km 0 and most of the time it is the three riders leading the bunch when the flag drops that becomes the botd. Perhaps the saddest sight in cycling

 

[Christian]

Actually many stages are broadcasted from km 0 and most of the time it is the three riders leading the bunch when the flag drops that becomes the botd. Perhaps the saddest sight in cycling

What does botd mean? I see you used it twice now, I am not familiar with that abreviation. /edit: figured it out, "break of the day"!

I thought it was still like I described most of the time but I could well be wrong - I'll have to pay closer attention next season!

 

[Netserk]

It's only like that on stages where they feel confident that a break will take the stage win. (Some) Mountain and intermediate stages.

The only thing that disappointed me in the cobbles stage this year was the lack of fight to be in the break. I thought it was obvious to most that it's a big advantage to be/have a teammate in the break in such a stage.

 

[PeterB]

That racing of the sort produced by the Kittel train is being positively encouraged by race organizers is one of the biggest problems with the sport.

Frankly,what kind of racing and entertainment you would get if Giant or other sprint team did not pull back the escape group? It's not like they would be killing breaks of some GC heroes. You would see a few "no name" riders trying their non-existing sprint at the end of the stage. Overall,both outcomes of the stage seem to me as having similar entertainment value. Following your logic,you should hate also all other lame teams unable to send decent rider in the break,thus depriving you of your entertainment,no?

 

[burning]

Netserk is right, the fight for breakaway happens only when the break will take the stage, otherwise it just forms with a few proconti riders and occasionally a PT Rider with no contest.
@PeterB, I really enjoy breakaway sprints, it is definitely much more watchable than a 1 km drag race.

 

[PeterB]

@PeterB, I really enjoy breakaway sprints, it is definitely much more watchable than a 1 km drag race.

Yeah, I enjoy them too. They are unpredictable and much more diverse than repeating the same pattern of bunch sprint. But either way, it's 5 minutes of action. So in both cases you need to find somewhere some entertainment in watching 180 riders riding through countryside in colourful jerseys in order to be able to watch it on tv for longer than that. If you can't (not you personally but those complaining that watching cycling is boring due to sprinters' teams), it's not Giant's fault.

Their only fault really is if they do not contribute to the colourfulness of the bunch, with their black kit.

 

[RedheadDane]

Why are we talking sprinters and sprints in the jersey thread?
Anyway; I'm disappointed with Garmin's new kit - which I've seen somewhere else but am too lazy to go find. It's just black. I wanted argyle in the "Garmin blue" and the "Cannondale green"!
Guess they don't really care what some random fan in Denmark wants...

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Why are we talking sprinters and sprints in the jersey thread?
Anyway; I'm disappointed with Garmin's new kit - which I've seen somewhere else but am too lazy to go find. It's just black. I wanted argyle in the "Garmin blue" and the "Cannondale green"!
Guess they don't really care what some random fan in Denmark wants...

They havent released what it looks yet.

 

[RedheadDane]

Oh... I just saw the black "jersey" on the jerseys picture and since I am/was on rather back screen I couldn't see it wasn't an actual jersey...

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

FYI: This is a CX team, build around Kevin Pauwels and Klaas Vantornhout, which explains the abundance of small local sponsors.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

FYI: This is a CX team, build around Kevin Pauwels and Klaas Vantornhout, which explains the abundance of small local sponsors.

Well its nicer than the current one they wear:

 

[Kwibus]

FYI: This is a CX team, build around Kevin Pauwels and Klaas Vantornhout, which explains the abundance of small local sponsors.

I always love the abundance of sponsors on a kit. It's hideous, but somehow I love it.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

I always love the abundance of sponsors on a kit. It's hideous, but somehow I love it.

Then you will love this kit:

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Wallonie Bruxelles:

 

[Kwibus]

Then you will love this kit:

Indeed, nice kit

 

[Ricco']

Any way this is official?