picking riders for Silence

[luckyboy]

new names for Silence Lotto?

i would say:

Kreuziger...

or

Gerdemann...

If they were to have both of them, that I think would be an interesting team for a GT along with VDB, Lloyd etc. Obviously Kreuziger as leader..

 

[Bala Verde]

Sergeant says that they are not going to spend the money they have saved (Evans, Kohl, Dekker), just to get any replacement for Evans.
If they are going to attract someone, he wants to make sure it is a good one.

'The problem is that there aren't many riders available that meet the criteria. Contador, yes, but it is difficult to get a foot in the door at this point in time.'

He also doesn't want to buy a rider who is still under contract. 'It's not my [Sergeant's] way of doing business. Unless the rider and the team are really unable or unwilling to continue together. If we can't catch a big one this year, I'd rather save the money for next year'

‘Maar het slechtste wat we nu kunnen doen, is paniekvoetbal spelen', zegt Sergeant. ‘Ik wil niet zomaar iemand aankopen omdat we nu ineens veel geld over hebben. Als we nog een transfer doen, wil ik er zeker van zijn dat het een goede is. Maar dat wordt niet gemakkelijk. Deze tijd van het jaar zijn er niet veel grote vissen meer. (zucht) Contador, ja. Maar ons daar nu nog in mengen, is heel erg moeilijk.'

Een renner afkopen van een andere ploeg, ziet Sergeant ook niet echt zitten. ‘Dat is niet echt mijn stijl. Tenzij de renner en het team echt niet meer met elkaar verder willen. Als we geen grote vis meer kunnen vangen, hou ik het resterende budget dan ook liever tot volgend jaar.'

Source Het Nieuwsblad

 

[Angliru]

You're missing the problem. There's no one of above average quality available at this point.


How many of us knew that Evans had this mutual-agreement clause in his contract (if that is in fact what it was) and would be going to BMC? Obviously there are no tampering rules/laws that are being enforced so if the situation is right it seems almost any rider can be bought. Availability may not be an issue.

Edit: Bala Verde's post pretty much cancels mine out. Thanks for the quotes BV.

I'd agree that Krueziger would be a wise option. While he didn't finish as high in the gc as his teammate Nibali and wasn't as visible as Pellizotti, he did have his best day on Ventoux which bodes well for his future as this showed that he still had enough left to compete with the elite climbers near the end of the Tour. Plus he improved on his 2008 Tour finish. Adding Kreuziger would lessen the pressure on him and VDB giving them a two-pronged attack for the Tour which is definitely what any team with gc ambition needs to compete with Shack, Astana and Liquigas.

 

[Galic Ho]

Come again??

Wrong name dude, sorry. Greg is staying putt at the moment. Meant Johan Van Summeran and Garmin. Thought he'd been stolen by Quickstep some months back and then it came out he was going to Garmin. Had the rider in my mind but attached the wrong name.

I really don't understand the Jurgen VDB bashing. Now he's being crucified because a doped Astarloza was lucky to win the tactical game?

Dzjeezes.

Jurgen confirmed that his 6th spot at the 2008 Giro wasn't a fluke, so why won't he be able to better than 15th in next year's tour?

Tone, dude, tone. I defended him in another post in the thread titled Cadel's destination. Technically Astarloza only doped before the Tour. But I won't hold Jurgen not winning against him. He did his best. I thought he came 7th at the Giro. However I thought he would win that stage. Astarloza went and he just gave in totally in the final km's. Reminded me of Popo the year before. I don't ask that he win, just that he doesn't role over and capitulate in the face of defeat. Fighting when you're done is brave and admirable. It increases fandom.

About improving over 15th. Admittedly it was a secondary team goal, instigated after Cadel had difficulties. Most of his time was gained in breakaways. That will go out the window next year. He will be marked and Gilbert sounds like he won't race in France as it wastes his time. Gilbert is desperately needed by whomever is OPL's GC guy in France. I think he will be best to approach the race like Valjavec, Casar and Efimkin do at FDJ and AG2R. Pick the right day for a breakaway success, get 5 minutes and then hold on for dear life. It will be good to see OPL go for stage wins, a habit and success that died in recent years for no apparent reason. Again, another indicator Evans has been supported.

I apologise if you thought I was bagging OPL riders. I'm not. They did their best with the preparation they had. Management and the team captain owed them far better than they gave. Most aussies will freely take aim (ardent Cadel Evans fans) but forget another aussie rides for the team and busted himself supporting Evans.

 

[il_fiammingo]

About improving over 15th. Admittedly it was a secondary team goal, instigated after Cadel had difficulties. Most of his time was gained in breakaways. That will go out the window next year. He will be marked and Gilbert sounds like he won't race in France as it wastes his time. Gilbert is desperately needed by whomever is OPL's GC guy in France. I think he will be best to approach the race like Valjavec, Casar and Efimkin do at FDJ and AG2R. Pick the right day for a breakaway success, get 5 minutes and then hold on for dear life. It will be good to see OPL go for stage wins, a habit and success that died in recent years for no apparent reason. Again, another indicator Evans has been supported.

Most of the people seem to believe VDB got 15th because he took time back in breakaways. In fact he only gained 50" back; he was never in breakaway that took minutes at the finish. He even managed to sort of hold on to group of the main favourites after he got caught. (only in stage 17 he did loose some extra time which is quite normal after escaping 2 days in a row)

If you're able of doing that, you're also able of going a long way together with the favourites. I think the Ventoux stage showed he really doesn't need breakaways to anticipate.

stage 7 (Arcalis): lost +- 30"
stage 15 (Verbier): lost 1' - 1'30" after being in breakaway
stage 16 (Bourg St-Maurice): gained 50" back being in breakaway
stage 17 (Le grand Bornand): lost 3'-4' after being in breakaway
stage 20 (Mt Ventoux): lost 1'

 

[Galic Ho]

Times are right except for Verbier. Lance came in behind Kloden and Evans at 1'36 off Contador. Jurgen and some others came in around 2'20" down on GC from memory. Wigellius was close to him on that stage, within 10 seconds.

Given how he lost two additional minutes on the team during the TTT, he did well. Checking my HDD/DVD recorder for specifics about Mt. Ventoux, Jurgen was in the breakaway group of 19 that had 4'30" at the start of the climb 20 km's out. Tony Martin and Garate were the only ones who made it to the line. Jurgen benefitted massively on that stage as well as stage 17 on the Roseland when the leaders caught up. He stayed with them for a considerable distance and was only dropped near the end. Politics on the road aided him on Ventoux, the Saxo/Astana bickering over 3rd place. I'm still not convinced about his ability to match the top 5 or 6 riders, but he will survive and do well next year.

Time gained is subjective in a grand tour. Everyone bleeds somewhere to someone. Jurgen didn't loose too much after that TTT. If he can be in soo many breakaways for consecutive days, he'll be fine for 2010.