Omega Pharma Lotto Leader

[taiwan]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/van-den-broeck-ready-to-fill-evans-shoes

Van Den Broeck getting leadership at the tour, have they not been a bit quick in making him team leader? To be offering joint leadership with Evans was a bit rich, with Evans' palmares, and even now that Evans has left, could Daniel Moreno have the better claim? Is the Tour GC just a secondary concern for this team?

 

[auscyclefan94]

jurgen was 8th in giro
moreno was 11th in vuelta. Jurgen has a stronger itt. jurgen will get it being belgian. especially with mark coucke in the charge

 

[taiwan]

jurgen was 8th in giro
moreno was 11th in vuelta. Jurgen has a stronger itt. jurgen will get it being belgian. especially with mark coucke in the charge

Moreno did place about there at the Vuelta 3 times, but 8th at the Giro/15th at the Tour Is superior. I just didn't think Van Den Broeck was that visible at the Tour, but that doesn't mean anything.

 

[hfer07]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/van-den-broeck-ready-to-fill-evans-shoes

Van Den Broeck getting leadership at the tour, have they not been a bit quick in making him team leader? To be offering joint leadership with Evans was a bit rich, with Evans' palmares, and even now that Evans has left, could Daniel Moreno have the better claim? Is the Tour GC just a secondary concern for this team?

Lotto is deeply interested in the classics-cycling wise as business/advertising wise, since the company customers are located mainly where those races take place. France, Italy & Spain don't get the lotto products good sells at all.

 

[Bike Boy]

Daniel Moreno is 28 years old
J VDB is 26 years old = more room for improvement

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Is the Tour GC just a secondary concern for this team?

yes it is.

 

[theyoungest]

Lotto is deeply interested in the classics-cycling wise as business/advertising wise, since the company customers are located mainly where those races take place. France, Italy & Spain don't get the lotto products good sells at all.

You forget the people watching at home. The Giro and the Vuelta not so much, but the Tour generates a huge amount of publicity for the brand (if the team does well, and even if they don't). It doesn't matter that the actual race takes place in France
The Tour GC is a secondary concern, but you bet your bottom dollar they'd like to win a stage or two.

 

[sTTevie]

To be offering joint leadership with Evans was a bit rich, with Evans' palmares

VdB 15th in Paris ... Evans 30th ... I think the results speak for themselves ...
& remember they only did that during the Tour (before Evans was outspoken n°1 in the team) because Evans wasn't performing

I just didn't think Van Den Broeck was that visible at the Tour, but that doesn't mean anything.

indeed it doesn't , because he had a really bad TTT remember & had to fight back to the front of the GC during the reminder of the Tour ...

 

[Anonymous]

VdB 15th in Paris ... Evans 30th ... I think the results speak for themselves ...
& remember they only did that during the Tour (before Evans was outspoken n°1 in the team) because Evans wasn't performing

There are a few more results that speak for themselves a la Cadel's whole career - one bad tour doesn't prove sh!te and certainly doesn't 'speak' anything

indeed it doesn't , because he had a really bad TTT remember & had to fight back to the front of the GC during the reminder of the Tour ...

hardly a fight back, more of a "i can get in any breakaway I want because i'm so far down on GC and screw the plans to support Cadel in the mountains"

just wanted to make a point

----

Good luck to VDB in 2010. I wasn't happy with his 'help' to Cadel in 2009 but i'm over it. Would be good to see a genuine GC contender come out of belgium (has there ever been a belgium tour winner ? ), but he has got a long way to go to even replicate that 15th, IMO.

If I were Lotto management in 2010, I would have VDB for the Tour and just see how they go with Moreno offering support in the mountains, but primary goal is stage wins with some of those belgium half-sprinter/classics oriented guys, and then Moreno for the Vuelta as sole-leader if he can handle two GTs back-to-back.

 

[sTTevie]

I wasn't happy with his 'help' to Cadel in 2009 but i'm over it.

pushing Cadel uphill would've been a bit over the top, don't you think


on-topic: Jurgen said he wanted a top 10 & a shot at the KOM ... he's having a better pre-season than other years, so we'll see ... I believe in 'm anyway

 

[il_fiammingo]

Lotto is deeply interested in the classics-cycling wise as business/advertising wise, since the company customers are located mainly where those races take place. France, Italy & Spain don't get the lotto products good sells at all.

The main sponsor is Omega Pharma, and they surely are interested in the european market.
Without Omega Pharma, Lotto would have never had the intention to win the Tour and aim for brand exposure in europe. Thanks to M. Coucke, who is quite un-belgian in his communication, vision and dreams, and his €'s, they changed course over the lasts few years.
For 2010 they tried to sign Kreuziger but apparently they coulnd't find an agreement.

 

[theyoungest]

Jurgen said he wanted a top 10 & a shot at the KOM

He'll have to choose I think. Either he'll be the breakaway artist he was last year with a shot at the KOM, or he'll try and stay with the strong men up the climbs. I'd go for option 1, if I were him, because there are at least 10 stronger GC riders.

 

[il_fiammingo]

He'll have to choose I think. Either he'll be the breakaway artist he was last year with a shot at the KOM, or he'll try and stay with the strong men up the climbs. I'd go for option 1, if I were him, because there are at least 10 stronger GC riders.

name those 10 stronger GC riders...

 

[sTTevie]

he also said in the interview he doesn't believe he'll be let go in a breakaway in '10 ... so he'll has to stick with the top riders in the mountains & rely on his improved TT skills

 

[theyoungest]

name those 10 stronger GC riders...

Contador, A Schleck, F Schleck, Armstrong, Leipheimer, Klöden, Wiggins, Menchov, Gesink, Basso, Nibali, Kreuziger, Evans, Sastre, Vande Velde... even if some of them won't compete, there will be 10 stronger riders.

 

[il_fiammingo]

Contador, A Schleck, F Schleck, Armstrong, Leipheimer, Klöden, Wiggins, Menchov, Gesink, Basso, Nibali, Kreuziger, Evans, Sastre, Vande Velde... even if some of them won't compete, there will be 10 stronger riders.

indeed they were stronger in the past.

 

[theyoungest]

indeed they were stronger in the past.

To be quite honest, I don't see Van den Broeck surpassing any of them. But he's working hard, I'm sure.

 

[taiwan]

For 2010 they tried to sign Kreuziger but apparently they coulnd't find an agreement.

Yeah, Liquigas has GC riders pretty thick on the ground, but I haven't noticed them using them tactically, having different riders attack. I suppose they have to be feeling good enough at the time to do that, though.

 

[taiwan]

VdB 15th in Paris ... Evans 30th ... I think the results speak for themselves ...
& remember they only did that during the Tour (before Evans was outspoken n°1 in the team) because Evans wasn't performing.

Evans still one of the few people that can make the podium, the most they could've expected VdB to do was top ten. If Evans wanted leadership, I think he was fair enough.