Rider schedules for 2016.

[Valv.Piti]

Demare will ride the Giro d'Italia instead of the Tour de France. Doing so he will have the complete support of his team.

Oh, that was unexpected. On the other hand, chances of winning a sprint in the Giro compared to the Tour is drastically higher for a guy like Demare who doesnt seem to have top speed or for whatever reason doesnt perform in the Tour, so far at least. Cobbles - GIro - Vuelta - WC probably is the best schedule if you wanna maximize your chances of winning.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Demare will ride the Giro d'Italia instead of the Tour de France. Doing so he will have the complete support of his team.

Poor Geniez.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

It makes sense. FDJ have bigger goals in the Tour than trying to get top 5s in sprint stages. While Demare needs to shake things up after a year when he fell down the sprinter rankings.

How many races did he win last year? Two? Not the kind of return the team will have expected from a young star they chose to keep ahead of Bouhanni (who did win races last year, albeit almost entirely ones with no other fast sprinters in them). That kind of schedule gives him the best chance to win some decent races.

 

[rick james]

Re:

Sky have already 5 riders named for their Tour de France team. (Froome, Thomas, Poles, Kwait & Nieve) Throw Stannard & Rowe into themix then that is 7

Looks like places will be hard to come by this year

Maybe SKY were on this forum and thought they'd stop the speculation and get in early with the list

Shocked Landa isn't going to be there, i really thought he would do what Porte done at last years Le tour, hide until we get to the mountains, then come alive when the roads go up.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Sky have already 5 riders named for their Tour de France team. (Froome, Thomas, Poles, Kwait & Nieve) Throw Stannard & Rowe into themix then that is 7

Looks like places will be hard to come by this year

Maybe SKY were on this forum and thought they'd stop the speculation and get in early with the list

Shocked Landa isn't going to be there, i really thought he would do what Porte done at last years Le tour, hide until we get to the mountains, then come alive when the roads go up.

Giro-Tour is a very tough schedule if the rider is expected to actually perform at both, as Landa would be. And competition for places as climbing domestique for the Tour is very deep on Sky. They don't need to take the risk that he'll show up tired, basically, so they aren't.

It's good news for him, really. He can peak again later in the season and race for himself.

 

[yaco]

Demare will ride the Giro d'Italia instead of the Tour de France. Doing so he wil

l have the complete support of his team.

Oh, that was unexpected. On the other hand, chances of winning a sprint in the Giro compared to the Tour is drastically higher for a guy like Demare who doesnt seem to have top speed or for whatever reason doesnt perform in the Tour, so far at least. Cobbles - GIro - Vuelta - WC probably is the best schedule if you wanna maximize your chances of winning.

Actually I support more French riders going to the Giro. Though reckon the sprint field at Giro will be just as strong as the TDF.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Demare will ride the Giro d'Italia instead of the Tour de France. Doing so he wil

l have the complete support of his team.

Oh, that was unexpected. On the other hand, chances of winning a sprint in the Giro compared to the Tour is drastically higher for a guy like Demare who doesnt seem to have top speed or for whatever reason doesnt perform in the Tour, so far at least. Cobbles - GIro - Vuelta - WC probably is the best schedule if you wanna maximize your chances of winning.

Actually I support more French riders going to the Giro. Though reckon the sprint field at Giro will be just as strong as the TDF.

It will be as good or nearly as good in terms of names, but there will probably be a gap in form levels, even taking into account that sprinters tend to have a more even form profile over a season.

 

[Escarabajo]

Does somebody know the racing schedule for "Superman" Lopez?

 

[Jakob747]

Re:

Does somebody know the racing schedule for "Superman" Lopez?

http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/Miguel_Angel_Lopez

 

[Escarabajo]

Ok. Thanks.

 

[42x16ss]

Demare will ride the Giro d'Italia instead of the Tour de France. Doing so he wil

l have the complete support of his team.

Oh, that was unexpected. On the other hand, chances of winning a sprint in the Giro compared to the Tour is drastically higher for a guy like Demare who doesnt seem to have top speed or for whatever reason doesnt perform in the Tour, so far at least. Cobbles - GIro - Vuelta - WC probably is the best schedule if you wanna maximize your chances of winning.

Actually I support more French riders going to the Giro. Though reckon the sprint field at Giro will be just as strong as the TDF.

Caleb Ewan has been confirmed to start the Giro as well. Could make the first 7-10 stages very interesting.

 

[staubsauger]

Ain't no Valenciana for Landa anymore.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re:

Ain't no Valenciana for Landa anymore.

Why is that?

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

Ain't no Valenciana for Landa anymore.

Why is that?

I ain't got no clue. Be he ain't in their confirmed schedule for it. Only Nieve.

Maybe Sky changes their whole line-up for the upcoming stage races!?

 

[Velolover2]

Poels: Ruta, TA, Catalunya, Fleche Wallone (only FW?), Tour, Vuelta.

http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/poels_i_want_to_lead_a_grand_tour/?acceptCookie=1#Hj5tM26mZUdDdCXi.97

Along with potentially the Vuelta, Tirreno and Ruta del Sol, Poels and Sergio Henao are likely to co-lead at Fleche Wallonne, another race Poels wants to try and win.

"La Fleche Wallonne suits me really well with the Mur de Huy finish. I really like explosive climbs like Mur de Huy. Last year, my position in the peloton was a lot better. When I am in the front in the finals, I can do a good job, so this year I will really go full for it and see what happens."

Makes sense to me. I actually think he deserves to get a chance in a race like this. Remember Valdepeñas De Jaén? I think he is more of an explosive climber than he is a diesel.

 

[Velolover2]

Re: Re:

Ain't no Valenciana for Landa anymore.

Why is that?

I ain't got no clue. Be he ain't in their confirmed schedule for it. Only Nieve.

Maybe Sky changes their whole line-up for the upcoming stage races!?

Or maybe he is riding Ruta Del Sol instead if Froome isn't showing up.

 

[damian13ster]

Re:

Poels: Ruta, TA, Catalunya, Fleche Wallone (only FW?), Tour, Vuelta.

http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/poels_i_want_to_lead_a_grand_tour/?acceptCookie=1#Hj5tM26mZUdDdCXi.97

Along with potentially the Vuelta, Tirreno and Ruta del Sol, Poels and Sergio Henao are likely to co-lead at Fleche Wallonne, another race Poels wants to try and win.

"La Fleche Wallonne suits me really well with the Mur de Huy finish. I really like explosive climbs like Mur de Huy. Last year, my position in the peloton was a lot better. When I am in the front in the finals, I can do a good job, so this year I will really go full for it and see what happens."

Makes sense to me. I actually think he deserves to get a chance in a race like this. Remember Valdepeñas De Jaén? I think he is more of an explosive climber than he is a diesel.

FW is the only Ardennes classic that Kwiatkowski won't ride, that's why Poels can go for it.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Poels: Ruta, TA, Catalunya, Fleche Wallone (only FW?), Tour, Vuelta.

http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/poels_i_want_to_lead_a_grand_tour/?acceptCookie=1#Hj5tM26mZUdDdCXi.97

Along with potentially the Vuelta, Tirreno and Ruta del Sol, Poels and Sergio Henao are likely to co-lead at Fleche Wallonne, another race Poels wants to try and win.

"La Fleche Wallonne suits me really well with the Mur de Huy finish. I really like explosive climbs like Mur de Huy. Last year, my position in the peloton was a lot better. When I am in the front in the finals, I can do a good job, so this year I will really go full for it and see what happens."

Makes sense to me. I actually think he deserves to get a chance in a race like this. Remember Valdepeñas De Jaén? I think he is more of an explosive climber than he is a diesel.

FW is the only Ardennes classic that Kwiatkowski won't ride, that's why Poels can go for it.

That makes sense to the point that Poels only can go to the Ardennes if he is the captain, the question is, if he wants to target the FW and be in good shape at that point, wouldnt it be a total waste not to go to L-B-L and potentially give Kwiatkowski or whoever some really good support? He is able to do that.

 

[Velolover2]

As far as I know, he was supposed to be in the leader in the Giro until Landa arrived. But as a consolation, he gets to co-lead Flèche Wallone, Tirreno-Adriatico and maybe even the Vuelta.

If he peaks for FW, he can get a very good result. Even win it. Poels' explosiveness is underrated. Like Henao, he is more of a rider for short, steep climbs, not the longer ones.

 

[Oliver]

In a team such as Sky, Poels won't get any leadership in a grand tour. What is he thinking?? There are riders in the team that deserve it way more. I believe he don't get a top 10 place in the GC in a grand tour yet?

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

As far as I know, he was supposed to be in the leader in the Giro until Landa arrived. But as a consolation, he gets to co-lead Flèche Wallone, Tirreno-Adriatico and maybe even the Vuelta.

If he peaks for FW, he can get a very good result. Even win it. Poels' explosiveness is underrated. Like Henao, he is more of a rider for short, steep climbs, not the longer ones.

No, he's also pretty good on longer steep climbs (Angliru, Zoncolan).
Diego Rosa will be part of Aru's team, so he'll have almost the same schedule as Fabio.
source: http://www.tuttobiciweb.it/index.php?page=news&cod=86729&tp=n
Nibali won't have too many climbing domestiques at the Giro, it's a bit strange that they don't let Superman Lopez ride his first GT as a domestique for Nibali, it worked with Aru, even if he had some problems in the 2nd week of the 2013 Giro.

 

[Velolover2]

Yeah, as long as they are steep, he tend to be good. But I think he is less suited for the longer climbs at 6% or 7%. The high cadence mountains.

 

[HelloDolly]

I know people have their favourite riders but to say Wout Poels deserves leadership in a GT is a bit much ...He does not have the consistency for GTs (at least he has not shown it) though he is a good climber ..There are more deserving cases for leadership in GTs at SKY

As for La Fletche how can he be leader when Henao has a better record and is very good on the steep finish ? and Henao looks to be going very well

I think if Poels wants leadership he will have to look elsewhere, esp now Landa & Kwait has come into the team. Its the hard facts of riding for SKY

 

[Velolover2]

Re:

I know people have their favourite riders but to say Wout Poels deserves leadership in a GT is a bit much ...He does not have the consistency for GTs (at least he has not shown it) though he is a good climber ..There are more deserving cases for leadership in GTs at SKY

As for La Fletche how can he be leader when Henao has a better record and is very good on the steep finish ? and Henao looks to be going very well

I think if Poels wants leadership he will have to look elsewhere, esp now Landa & Kwait has come into the team. Its the hard facts of riding for SKY

Castelraimondo (only beaten by Gilbert), Valdepeñas De Jaén (only beaten by Purito), Terma Bukovina (only beaten by Martin)..

In 2011, Poels was a puncheur. Don't know if he still is. But it should suit him.

 

[JRanton]

Re:

I know people have their favourite riders but to say Wout Poels deserves leadership in a GT is a bit much ...He does not have the consistency for GTs (at least he has not shown it) though he is a good climber ..There are more deserving cases for leadership in GTs at SKY

As for La Fletche how can he be leader when Henao has a better record and is very good on the steep finish ? and Henao looks to be going very well

I think if Poels wants leadership he will have to look elsewhere, esp now Landa & Kwait has come into the team. Its the hard facts of riding for SKY

Normally it's sensible to have at least two options/leaders for classics, especially if you don't have one of the huge favourites for the win. Having said that I'm sure Henao will be Sky's most protected rider at Fleche.

Agree that Poels will have to go elsewhere for leadership. I suspect both him and Konig will move on at the end of this season. Plenty of other teams will be able to give them more opportunities.