- Jun 30, 2014
- 7,060
- 2
- 0
- Jun 30, 2014
- 7,060
- 2
- 0
Ok, I didn't kno that. I still think that 18 WT teams are probably too many, a team like IAM just isn't able to send a good team to every single WT event.
Re:
Yeah and here is a probable DD giro team:
Kudus, Cummings, Berhane, Brammeier, Reguigui, Meyer, Suitsou, Bos, EBH
I guess someone has to make the breaks?
Mayomaniac said:
Yeah and here is a probable DD giro team:
Kudus, Cummings, Berhane, Brammeier, Reguigui, Meyer, Suitsou, Bos, EBH
I guess someone has to make the breaks?
- Jun 30, 2014
- 7,060
- 2
- 0
Re: Re:
I hope that FDJ uses all their climbing firepower to support Pinot at the Tour and gives Demare a bigger train (with Reza) for the Giro, if Pino has Morabito, a fresh Geniez and a fresh Elissonde as domestiques at the Tour he should be ok.
Maybe I'd also add Sbaragli. We've seen worse teams at recent GTs, at least they should have a sprinter and riders that go stagehunting/ride in the breakaway.MatParker1711 said:
I hope that FDJ uses all their climbing firepower to support Pinot at the Tour and gives Demare a bigger train (with Reza) for the Giro, if Pino has Morabito, a fresh Geniez and a fresh Elissonde as domestiques at the Tour he should be ok.
- Aug 16, 2013
- 7,620
- 2
- 0
Not the best preparation for Rio at all. And why the heck is he doing Flanders? What's the point of it if you're biggest goals are climbing races?
He will not finish in the top-10 of it, and the only thing you can get from it is a crash. Really don't get it.
The fact that he's riding the Giro is nice. Curious to see if he can handle Nibali + Landa in a race like the Giro.
He will not finish in the top-10 of it, and the only thing you can get from it is a crash. Really don't get it.
The fact that he's riding the Giro is nice. Curious to see if he can handle Nibali + Landa in a race like the Giro.
- Aug 3, 2015
- 22,743
- 10,688
- 28,180
Seems like Valverde i going yolo next year. Not riding T-A since 2002 and never ridden Flanders/Giro and doing all of it in a Olympic year! I somehow like it very much.. it will at least be interesting. It was also confirmed that his also stage race ahead of Il Giro will be T-A, so at least he wont overdue his schedule early on with races, at least not stage races.
Quintana confirmed for Catalunya + Basque, so a good showdown with Contador in those 2 races.
Quintana confirmed for Catalunya + Basque, so a good showdown with Contador in those 2 races.
TA, Flanders, Giro, Rio... Looks like Valverde has started legacy shopping! 
I'm guessing he's going to be taking it easy at the tour and preparing for Rio. Maybe go for a stage, help Quintana in a stage or two and spend the rest of the time cruising about in the Grupetto.
Should be an interesting season. I think he could be a protagonist at Flanders, he was decent in the cobbled races he rode in 2014...
I'm guessing he's going to be taking it easy at the tour and preparing for Rio. Maybe go for a stage, help Quintana in a stage or two and spend the rest of the time cruising about in the Grupetto.
Should be an interesting season. I think he could be a protagonist at Flanders, he was decent in the cobbled races he rode in 2014...
- Apr 12, 2015
- 7,060
- 1,204
- 20,680
If he can get 5th in a much flatter course such as Richmond, he should be able to do well in Tour of Flanders. Maybe even podium.
He's fast on the line so is always going to be dangerous if he can make the right groups and selections. On one hand with limited cobbled classics experience this might be difficult, on the other hand he is likely to be less heavily marked then in the ardennes/hilly one day races.
- Jun 27, 2013
- 5,217
- 9
- 17,495
I've been hoping for years he would do this, but I suspected he never would. It's great to see it happening
- Apr 12, 2015
- 7,060
- 1,204
- 20,680
It good to see that riders like Kwiatkowski and Valverde are showing up in races like Flanders. I hope Nibali is the next to announce his presence.
More on Giro wildcards:
Doesn't sound good for Italian teams my guess at the four wildcards would be:
Southeast, Bardiani, Caja, CCC
r
Doesn't sound good for Italian teams my guess at the four wildcards would be:
Southeast, Bardiani, Caja, CCC
- Mar 10, 2009
- 9,245
- 23
- 17,530
Re: Re:
He just had one of the best seasons of his career, Tour podium and Ardennes double among other results. You can't say that he's on the decline based on these results although his age would indicate he should be. He's signed through 2017 so maybe the last year of his contract is the year where he will treat the season as a ceremonial goodbye to the sport. He's still at the height of his powers IMO, the expected decline hasn't happened yet.
Edit: Sorry, I misread your post. He's just not the type of rider that just does a race for sake of saying he did it. He is still strongly competitive without any real signs of decline and maybe the fact that he tested the waters somewhat recently in the cobbled classics, he may feel that the time is now to really see what he can do in Tour of Flanders. He's shown that he can maintain his form pretty much for the entire season so one day in Belgium shouldn't complicate his efforts for later in the season.
Arredondo said:
He just had one of the best seasons of his career, Tour podium and Ardennes double among other results. You can't say that he's on the decline based on these results although his age would indicate he should be. He's signed through 2017 so maybe the last year of his contract is the year where he will treat the season as a ceremonial goodbye to the sport. He's still at the height of his powers IMO, the expected decline hasn't happened yet.
Edit: Sorry, I misread your post.
He's just not the type of rider that just does a race for sake of saying he did it. He is still strongly competitive without any real signs of decline and maybe the fact that he tested the waters somewhat recently in the cobbled classics, he may feel that the time is now to really see what he can do in Tour of Flanders. He's shown that he can maintain his form pretty much for the entire season so one day in Belgium shouldn't complicate his efforts for later in the season.From what I've heard, he wants to continue in 2018 as well. There is a nice Worlds route for him.
- Mar 10, 2009
- 9,245
- 23
- 17,530
Re:
I think he should race until he feels he's no longer competitive and/or is no longer motivated to maintain his form to remain so. He seems to love what he does so why stop if you're still getting major results. The way he won LBL was rather magnificent.
WheelofGear said:
I think he should race until he feels he's no longer competitive and/or is no longer motivated to maintain his form to remain so. He seems to love what he does so why stop if you're still getting major results. The way he won LBL was rather magnificent.
Re:
Other way around, Richmond was fairly easy with an uphill sprint at the end (Bala is good at these, we know) and Flanders is hard throughout with continuous anaerobic efforts, harder cobbles too. we don't know if Valverde is good at 400m at 10%, he wasn't able to follow Sagan on Libby Hill in Richmond, how will he be able to follow a 100% cancellara on the paterberg? I'm not saying he can't, but it is a hard task for him.
Glad to see he's testing the waters and trying it though, we will see what happens in April 2016
Velolover2 said:
Other way around, Richmond was fairly easy with an uphill sprint at the end (Bala is good at these, we know) and Flanders is hard throughout with continuous anaerobic efforts, harder cobbles too. we don't know if Valverde is good at 400m at 10%, he wasn't able to follow Sagan on Libby Hill in Richmond, how will he be able to follow a 100% cancellara on the paterberg? I'm not saying he can't, but it is a hard task for him.
Glad to see he's testing the waters and trying it though, we will see what happens in April 2016
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