Race for the White Jersey

[hrotha]

I don't think Taaramäe and Rui Costa are consistent enough in the high mountains. Coppel and Urán are good bets, but I don't think they're stronger than Mollema.

 

[Anonymous]

Could EBH + Thomas be dark horses? Or will they sink in the mountains?

no, and yes

 

[just some guy]

Was pretty stupid of Rabo to build their whole team around Gesink.

hindsight is a beautiful thing Top 3 and it was all good

 

[Spine Concept]

hindsight is a beautiful thing Top 3 and it was all good

Exactly my point a couple of posts ago.

 

[just some guy]

Exactly my point a couple of posts ago.

Sometimes El Pistolero needs telling more than once - I didn´t see your post to be honest

 

[El Pistolero]

No, it was pretty stupid. Crashes happen all the time, they should have had a plan B. They gambled at the Tour. Who the hell gambles at the Tour? If JVDB crashed Lotto would still have Greipel and Gilbert. Not all teams can afford multiple leaders(BMC, Euskaltel,etc) but Rabo could.

Although Freire was out no matter what happened right? Polyps or something?

 

[hrotha]

No, it was pretty stupid. Crashes happen all the time, they should have had a plan B. They gambled at the Tour. Who the hell gambles at the Tour? If JVDB crashed Lotto would still have Greipel and Gilbert. Not all teams can afford multiple leaders(BMC, Euskaltel,etc) but Rabo could.

Although Freire was out no matter what happened right? Polyps or something?

So what do you reckon should have been their plan B? Mollema is already there for the secondary GC card. Freire? Reasonable, given the parcours, but then that's only one rider. Their plan B is obvious: see how far Mollema can get (top 15 and a white jersey is reasonable), try to win stages with the rest of the team (they're more than capable of doing so).

 

[Anonymous]

So do we now need a

Rabobank showing what an epic truckload of failure they are

thread?

 

[Parrulo]

I don't think Taaramäe and Rui Costa are consistent enough in the high mountains. Coppel and Urán are good bets, but I don't think they're stronger than Mollema.

thats not true at all. rui costa is consistently bad in the high mountains

 

[zyxwvu]

If JVDB crashed Lotto would still have Greipel and Gilbert.

And what was their team like last year? That's right, all for Van Den Broeck.

 

[luckyboy]

Didn't realise Rui Costa was that bad at climbing.

Taaramae vs Coppel vs Mollema vs Uran it is then.

 

[El Pistolero]

And what was their team like last year? That's right, all for Van Den Broeck.

And was that smart? Not really.

 

[Ramira]

No, it was pretty stupid. Crashes happen all the time, they should have had a plan B. They gambled at the Tour. Who the hell gambles at the Tour? If JVDB crashed Lotto would still have Greipel and Gilbert. Not all teams can afford multiple leaders(BMC, Euskaltel,etc) but Rabo could.

Although Freire was out no matter what happened right? Polyps or something?

Freire was out because of jaw surgery and they didn't exactly have another option. Lotto has 3 leaders yes, but please give me a name of a Rabo rider in the tour that would be a second leader in the tour, cause they don't have one.

Are you also going to tell us Saxo is taking a stupid risk for not having a plan B in case of Contador crashing? Because the team Rabo has left is massively superior to what Saxo would have without Contador.

 

[Parrulo]

Didn't realise Rui Costa was that bad at climbing.

Taaramae vs Coppel vs Mollema vs Uran it is then.

well he isn't bad at climbing in general. just on the high mountains, on the medium mountains like today and on the hills he is great. his future tho is in classics and maybe 1 week races like paris nice (he is also a very good itt rider, top 10'd this years dauphine itt). on the classics the guy has good tactical sense (played this stage to perfecting unlike TJVG) has a very good endurance( rode all 5 monuments as a neo pro) and in L-B-L at 22 in his first pro season was pushing the peloton on la redoutte.

so he has a nice future ahead just not as a GT rider and not as white jersey winner. i think

 

[LaFleur]

Taaramäe likes the HC and 1st class mountains better, but he said in the blog that his feeling is pretty okay, so I have my hopes up

 

[jens_attacks]

uran it is.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Mollema if Rabobank gives him a free role starting tomorrow still has a shot.

Uran would be first choice now. Coppel doesn't look good so far. Taaramae, I'm sorry but i don't believe in him at all

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

No, it was pretty stupid. Crashes happen all the time, they should have had a plan B. They gambled at the Tour. Who the hell gambles at the Tour? If JVDB crashed Lotto would still have Greipel and Gilbert. Not all teams can afford multiple leaders(BMC, Euskaltel,etc) but Rabo could.

Although Freire was out no matter what happened right? Polyps or something?

what do quickstep have ?

it was a risk, it didn't work out, it happens I guess.

 

[hrotha]

I just noticed this:

68 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:02:36

I imagine he had to work for Gesink but still, this doesn't look good.

 

[El Pistolero]

what do quickstep have ?

it was a risk, it didn't work out, it happens I guess.

Boonen, Chavanel, Kevin de Weert and Dries Devenys(came sixth today). Yes, they had massive amount of bad luck, but they still had more than one dude. Although only Boonen and Chavanel would be able to do something this Tour. Chavanel still can despite Boonen's forfait.

But Rabo have way better cyclists than Quickstep, so that comparison is hardly fair.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Boonen, Chavanel, Kevin de Weert and Dries Devenys. Yes, they had massive amount of bad luck, but they still had more than one dude.

rabo had more then gesink also.
only they have had massive bad luck also.

sure gesink was the main priority but after him there was mollema and LLS.
Only the team had been also hit with lots of badluck aka 6 riders got injuries from stage 5.

please be consistent in your lame arguments.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

No, it was pretty stupid. Crashes happen all the time, they should have had a plan B.

Their plan B is the same as the plan A of teams without a leader. With Gesink out, they just switch to stage hunting and they sure have the riders for that. So basically like the French teams, Vacansoleil, Quickstep, etc, but then with better riders.


For the white jersey, I'm still hoping Gesink somehow recovers before Thursday. If that doesn't happen, whoever wins it probably won't not even be top 20. Mollema if he gets the leadership is the most likely subject then. The others don't really impress me to be honest.

 

[El Pistolero]

rabo had more then gesink also.
only they have had massive bad luck also.

sure gesink was the main priority but after him there was mollema and LLS.
Only the team had been also hit with lots of badluck aka 6 riders got injuries from stage 5.

please be consistent in your lame arguments.

QS doesn't have guys like Freire or Matti Breschel. I know Freire is injured, but even without the injury they wouldn't have taken him. Matti Breschel seemed ok in Suisse.

Especially considering the course of this Tour those names would have been a good choice for Rabo. I'm still wondering what the f*ck Lulu did to earn his selection in Tour squad. Or Garate who has done little of note this season.

QS is a crappy team, they put together the best team they could.

If Mollema is going for GC then why on earth did he attack on a flat stage right before a mass sprint.

 

[Finn84]

Depends a lot how much the teams really want it. If Taaramäe goes in the break will the teams of other candidates try to catch them back and so on.

 

[Praetor]

Their plan B is the same as the plan A of teams without a leader. With Gesink out, they just switch to stage hunting and they sure have the riders for that. So basically like the French teams, Vacansoleil, Quickstep, etc, but then with better riders.

No, they don't.

Martens, Breschel and Freire, those guys can actually win a sprint. Kruijswijk, he can finish it uphill.

The ones they have here are almost exclusively "close but no cigar" riders who need a lot of luck to win a stage.

Vacansoleil and some of the French teams are far, far, far, far, far more likely to win a stage.