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Lidl-Trek (no longer Radioshack-Leopard Trek)

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Christian

Christian

Mar 13, 2009
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Two years ago when this whole disaster started, the team touted itself as being a force to be reckoned with in GT's, with the Schlecks, Klöden, Fuglsang... and Horner. Well just about everything went wrong but two years later RSLT has just about won a GT, with the unlikeliest of all of the above I would say. Irony of ironies.

But despite all that is f'd up with this team, I think in the end the riders really came together as a unit. Mostly they didn't race that way but it is my impression that they felt like a real unit despite everything. And to some extend you could see it in the Vuelta. I wasn't able to watch many stages but from what I saw especially Kiserlovski and Cancellara did great work for Horner, Zubeldia too while he was there, I think Matty Bouché struggled to keep up with the pace, and the others I didn't see much but they are the type of riders that carry out the "unsung" jobs in cycling (Irizar, Popovych, Rast).

It is ironic that a team where the management has given up and is effectively preventing the riders from doing their job (cf. Becca), a group like this can get together and bring the most unlikely guy to (just about) GT victory. It's a great story, afterwards everyone has to decide for themself whether they believe it's true :)

Big respect to the whole team, (all but) winning this despite all odds (I'm talking screwed up management, not Horner)
 
Afrank

Afrank

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Good post Christian! I agree, they really do seem to finally have come together as a team this year. And with that the results have finally come through; with Cancellara in the classics, Horner at the Vuelta, etc. I'm very glad that Trek took over sponsorship so they could continue and am looking forward to seeing what they can do next year with their current guys and new signings.
 
Christian

Christian

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ciranda said:
Yeah. There was a nice moment after the race when two soigneurs from the team dragged Horner away from the finish, and he kissed them on the cheek, first the one on the right and then the one on the left.
Click to expand...

topelement.jpg
 
Christian

Christian

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Billie said:
If they finally bonded to a real 'team', why did Cancellara just leave the Vuelta to prepare the WC while his team leader had a very good chance to win the Vuelta and could definatly have used some help...
Click to expand...

I think Trek went all out to keep him, so they must have given him free reign. If it weren't for him, there wouldn't be a team next year I think. So he calls the shots
 
Angliru

Angliru

Mar 10, 2009
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Billie said:
If they finally bonded to a real 'team', why did Cancellara just leave the Vuelta to prepare the WC while his team leader had a very good chance to win the Vuelta and could definatly have used some help...
Click to expand...

Horner is confident enough in his abilities to have gone into the Vuelta with belief that he could contend for a podium spot and likely expressed that belief to the team. Cancellar pulling out early should come as no surprise since his desire to win the wcrr has been well known and thus understood within the team. While his presence would of course be a plus, it was understood before hand that he would leave early.
 
W

webbie146

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Billie said:
If they finally bonded to a real 'team', why did Cancellara just leave the Vuelta to prepare the WC while his team leader had a very good chance to win the Vuelta and could definatly have used some help...
Click to expand...

Canc actually told Horner 4 months before the Vuelta started he would help Him get the red jersey. Cancellara did a awesome job helping him, during the TTT but also in the mountains. Kept his word.
 
O

Oldman

Jun 19, 2009
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Christian said:
Two years ago when this whole disaster started, the team touted itself as being a force to be reckoned with in GT's, with the Schlecks, Klöden, Fuglsang... and Horner. Well just about everything went wrong but two years later RSLT has just about won a GT, with the unlikeliest of all of the above I would say. Irony of ironies.

But despite all that is f'd up with this team, I think in the end the riders really came together as a unit. Mostly they didn't race that way but it is my impression that they felt like a real unit despite everything. And to some extend you could see it in the Vuelta. I wasn't able to watch many stages but from what I saw especially Kiserlovski and Cancellara did great work for Horner, Zubeldia too while he was there, I think Matty Bouché struggled to keep up with the pace, and the others I didn't see much but they are the type of riders that carry out the "unsung" jobs in cycling (Irizar, Popovych, Rast).

It is ironic that a team where the management has given up and is effectively preventing the riders from doing their job (cf. Becca), a group like this can get together and bring the most unlikely guy to (just about) GT victory. It's a great story, afterwards everyone has to decide for themself whether they believe it's true :)

Big respect to the whole team, (all but) winning this despite all odds (I'm talking screwed up management, not Horner)
Click to expand...

It's remarkable what athletes can do when it might be their last shot.
 
S

stabbin31

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Is Trek more or less done signing for 2014, minus Horner's negotiation? I am a little ****ed, seems they let a lot of young talent just walk away. Am I wrong?
 
Christian

Christian

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stabbin31 said:
Is Trek more or less done signing for 2014, minus Horner's negotiation? I am a little ****ed, seems they let a lot of young talent just walk away. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

Well the Van Poppels have been rumoured for a long time to sign with Trek but no confirmation has been made. Which makes me wonder if it's not happening at all?

Other riders that have been associated with Trek are Kristof Vandewalle and Kristian Haugaard (Leopard-Trek CT).

Overall I don't think that they let a lot of young talent slip away, as you say. The biggest loss is certainly Tony Gallopin, then George Bennett and Nelson Oliveira are talented but don't seem like huge losses to me. Bakelants is not exactly young talent anymore, but a pity nonetheless.

They have kept their two most promising youngsters with Jungels and Nizzolo. And they have signed almost exclusively young riders, some of them very promising like Arredondo, Zoidl, Felline, Silvestre and possibly the Van Poppels.

So overall I think the team will be much younger next year
 
S

stabbin31

Sep 13, 2013
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Christian said:
Well the Van Poppels have been rumoured for a long time to sign with Trek but no confirmation has been made. Which makes me wonder if it's not happening at all?

Other riders that have been associated with Trek are Kristof Vandewalle and Kristian Haugaard (Leopard-Trek CT).

Overall I don't think that they let a lot of young talent slip away, as you say. The biggest loss is certainly Tony Gallopin, then George Bennett and Nelson Oliveira are talented but don't seem like huge losses to me. Bakelants is not exactly young talent anymore, but a pity nonetheless.

They have kept their two most promising youngsters with Jungels and Nizzolo. And they have signed almost exclusively young riders, some of them very promising like Arredondo, Zoidl, Felline, Silvestre and possibly the Van Poppels.

So overall I think the team will be much younger next year
Click to expand...

Makes sense, however from IMO losing Bakelants hurts the most, followed by Bennett and Gallopin. I liked what I saw from Monfort at the Tour as well.

I don't know a lot about the young riders that Trek signed so it is skewing my opinion.

I thought that the Van Poppels and Nizzolo were confirmed?
 
P

pastronef

Aug 19, 2011
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as we saw Popovich, Cancellara, Schleck (and Ryder) careers ending this year, I wanted to bump this fantastic thread.
it was back in 2011 when the Sky madness still hadnt begun on these pages, and for a while Leopard-Radioshack became a target to throws arrows to.
the merger news was like a bomb!
I enjoyed this thread very much, vitriol here and there, laughs, jokes, accusations, some hate, some love.
 
V

Vesica

May 12, 2014
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Now this thread is bumped, I can use this one for the leadership question of Trek for the next years GT's. Contador and Mollema. Both are willing to do the Tour, but the DS stated that they now have a chance at all three GT's. So Mollema for the Giro, Contador for the Tour with Mollema as superdom (they want the strongest team at the Tour they said), Contador Vuelta? Or Contador for the 100th Giro, Mollema Tour and both Vuelta?
 
gregrowlerson

gregrowlerson

Aug 6, 2010
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Yes, this team just became my favourite again with the signing of Alberto!

I can see this thread becoming the second most popular on here (behind the actual Alberto thread of course).

As far as leadership goes, I would have thought that Mollema and Contador both want to target the Tour, so I don't see the team having a strong GC man in Italy. If they both want to focus on France then just let them do so as co-leaders, and the Vuelta will sort itself out depending on how fresh either rider is by that point in the season.
 
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