Phinney to ride the tour?

[auscyclefan94]

In a recent interview with Cadel Evans, he said that team BMC had been thinking of sending Taylor Phinney to the tour de france for next year (2011). Is this a good idea in the grand scheme of things for team bmc, cadel's gc hopes & taylor's career?

Cadel Evans Interview PT 2 (Phinney part is around 3:25-3:35)

 

[adamski101]

Personally don't think it would be a good move.

The best thing for Phinney is to spend a year, maybe two, learning, developing and improving and building up experience in shorter stage races. A Grand Tou in first year as a pro is a lot to ask. As tempting as it must be for BMC to throw him in at the deep end, it could have an adverse affect on him.

I don't see how he will be of any great assistance to the Evans in terms of the GC, with the obvious exception of the team time trial, but even then it is not a long TTT and BMC have more than enough riders capable of producing a good performance on that stage.

There isn't even a prolouge that they can target this year. It would be a bad move, it would be very doubtful that he would last the distance and like I said would provide Evans with minimal help for GC.

 

[Jan the Man]

No.

I don't think Cadel can win the tour but if he is serious and wants the best team, I cannot see a neo-pro especially as young as Phinney lasting the thrid week.

It might also do too much damage for Phinney in the future to dig too deep now.

If i was BMC i would have Phinney ride the cobbled classics specifically- Omloop, E3, Gehnt-Welengem and Paris Roubaix- perhaps excluding the Ronde Van Vlaanderen.

I would then have him ride California in May have a break in June, ride the Italian Brixia Tour and the Triticco Lombardo in July/Aug and the Vuelta in September.

I think that will develop him in the long run without burning him out.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I don't think BMC would expect him to last for 3 weeks. For the ttt, I think it would be an excellent move to have him riding.

though BMC have evans, hincapie, bookwalter, quinziato, ballan, murphy & van avermaet who are all guys who are at least decent in short tt's which is what you need in a 23km flat ttt course.

Evans
Morabito
Hincapie
Moinard
Quinziato
Ballan
Santambrogio
Van Avermaet
???????????

This would be my team.

 

[The Hitch]

Phinneys roll would clearly be to get Cuddles a few seconds in the ttt and to drive hard on the front when Cuddles needs it in the first 2 weeks.

For Phinney riding the Tour isnt that good and could hurt him but it might be worth it for Cadel. Even if he drops out week 3 its a risk worth taking for Cadel.

 

[Roland Rat]

It would depend upon what he was asked to do. There's no problem with sending a kid to the Tour for experience if nothing was expected of him and he quit after a week. However, with Phinney I can't see the point. You'd usually only do that with someone you thought could become a GC contender in the future, and I sincerely hope that's not the plan. Phinney could become a Cancellara/Boonen hybrid (Canc with a sprint), but I can't ever seeing him become a GC contender.

 

[Mellow Velo]

No. He's nowhere near ready, despite all the never ending hype.
Look to L'Avenir to see how far down the line he's at.
Don't rush the kid.

Besides, I thought BMC has a much strengthened line up for next season.

 

[roundabout]

Wasn't he supposed to win a stage to Orvieto in the Giro first?

 

[craig1985]

In terms of PR, having Phinney ride would be a big boost for the team. But no, he shouldn't do a GT yet. Look at how well Euskaltel are keeping Roman Sicard under wraps, in 2011 he will ride the Vuelta, when it would be very tempting to throw him in at the deep end.

 

[Moondance]

I think its not a bad idea with the TTT on stage 2 to bring someone like Phinney... Cadel is going to lose time on the highest peaks to Schleck (and perhaps Contador if he rides) at least. He'll need to gain time anywhere he can, and the TTT seems like a proper place to at least try. BMC didn't exactly set the Giro on fire in the TTT this year, even though they had most of their big guns there, so BMC needs to try to improve in some way, and Phinney should help with that.

And as far as the "it'll hurt him" argument... Well, I've never been a big believer in that. I mean, if he's really suffering you can pull him out, but it's not as if the Tour is ever that brutal. I mean, about half the stages are essentially flat. Plus he should also be a boon in the first weeks for ACF's secondary man-crush, Alexander Kristoff, who will valiantly lose to Cav every stage.

 

[hrotha]

Bad idea.

Someone should prosecute Footon for what they did with their kiddos last year.

 

[Ferminal]

I would 100% have him there.

Ideal support for the TTT and flat stages and then he can just pull out sometime before Luz Ardiden.

 

[theyoungest]

Well, he is the current US time trial champion... but I don't think his climbing skills are quite what's needed in a team of a potential Tour podium finisher. And I think Phinney's TT skills will suffer a bit next year, when he has to focus on his climbing to even make it to the end of a Protour race.

 

[Sydney21]

I don't think BMC would expect him to last for 3 weeks. For the ttt, I think it would be an excellent move to have him riding.

though BMC have evans, hincapie, bookwalter, quinziato, ballan, murphy & van avermaet who are all guys who are at least decent in short tt's which is what you need in a 23km flat ttt course.

Evans
Morabito
Hincapie
Moinard
Quinziato
Ballan
Santambrogio
Van Avermaet
???????????

This would be my team.

At the tour you need to have 9 riders who you can expect to last 3 weeks. Perhaps he would be better to do 2 weeks at the Giro like cam meyer did last year and then let him ride a GT in 2012.

Largely I agree with you for the BMC team above. Burghardt, Santaromita or Tschopp would have to be the three you would place in the last spot available over Phinney.

the race won't be won in the TTT but it could be lost.

Phinneys roll would clearly be to get Cuddles a few seconds in the ttt and to drive hard on the front when Cuddles needs it in the first 2 weeks.

I think with the strength of Schluxemburg noone will need to pull on the front

 

[Dimtick]

there is no way that Phinney should ride TDF even if only for a couple weeks and TTT. he needs to develop his form as a domestique and tempo rider. his tt's are going to suffer as he develops his overall form.
he needs to start with shorter stage events like Tour De Suisse then build up to the bigger races like Tour of California. First gt race should be Giro or Vuelta. i compare Phinney with Brajkovic. Brajkovic was the world U23 TT champ in 2004, turned pro in 2005 but didn't ride his first TDF until 2010.

 

[roundabout]

Jeebus, TdS isn't what it used to be but still.

 

[profff]

tour de suisse is much more important than california
probably dimtick just inverted the order

it s true that since tour de suisse has modified his road, avoiding the big climbs in the alps, like it was done two years ago to help the enfant du pays fabian cancellara, the race has started to loose prestige.
anyway it is a race with an important history, probably the fourth gt of the season in order of importance.

 

[Mellow Velo]

tour de suisse is much more important than california
probably dimtick just inverted the order

You would think so, given that he uses the term "shorter" and the TdS, at 9 stages, is longer than Cali.

 

[hfer07]

too soon IMO-and the ideal of including him for the mere purpose of helping in the TTT is lame.

 

[Dimtick]

sorry, didn't mean any disrespect to Tour De Suisse.
I was just thinking of one of the shorter european stage races as a good race for Phinney to get his feet wet and get the feel of a grand tour. Don't see him being a overall contender but could potentially get a stage or 2.
I see Tour of California as a target for Phinney to be a GC contender....but not next year.

 

[profff]

sorry, didn't mean any disrespect to Tour De Suisse.
I was just thinking of one of the shorter european stage races as a good race for Phinney to get his feet wet and get the feel of a grand tour. Don't see him being a overall contender but could potentially get a stage or 2.
I see Tour of California as a target for Phinney to be a GC contender....but not next year.

+1

ToC is the right race for phinney
i hope bmc teams let go down the hype on him a bit and give him time to mature and adapt to pro peloton.
he is very talented, but too many expectations on his shoulder
it s difficult to cope with great white hope role

 

[CentralCaliBike]

BMC is a corporation and the team is a rolling advertisement. Phinney riding the TdF is great press in the US for BMC and so I would not be surprised if we see him there. As far as his progression as a rider, most here don't think he is ever going to compete for the GC, therefore the experience of riding and not being asked to perform at a high level after the TTT could be something that he will be able to use in future Tours.

 

[royalpig180]

BMC is a corporation and the team is a rolling advertisement. Phinney riding the TdF is great press in the US for BMC and so I would not be surprised if we see him there. As far as his progression as a rider, most here don't think he is ever going to compete for the GC, therefore the experience of riding and not being asked to perform at a high level after the TTT could be something that he will be able to use in future Tours.

Though what you say is true from a pure marketing standpoint, I think BMC has shown already that they have enough sporting sense to not burn out a young rider like sending Phinney to the TdF would do. It would accomplish nothing aside from PR as there is no prologue and BMC still ain't going to win the TTT even with him there. They have enough other decent engines they can bring along if they're really that concerned about the TTT.

Backing up a level, let's face it: Cuddles cannot realistically contend for the tour title, so why be worried about the TTT to begin with ?

 

[usedtobefast]

send him. he can hang. the only way you get experience like that is doing it.
if he only does 2 weeks, no worries. he has the genetics to do well enough.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Doing a GT at his age varies. For some it's to much and can do harm. For others, GT's really have a positive impact.
I'd send him, if it gets to much he can retire.