Riders to watch in 2012

[Vino attacks everyone]

True, I can understand how a performance 5 years ago would make 2012 the big year for him.


Might actually be, but well, can't see it./

ever heard about Rujano?

 

[The Hitch]

Easy.

Emannuele Sella.
Alejandro Valverde.
Delfino.





On a young note. Yonnathan Monsalve.




The rest is for my cq team

 

[sublimit]

Oh for God's sake, what a waste of talent. He's a professional cyclist. The cobbled classics are vastly more important than any number of track medals. I understand that it makes some sense, given that Olympic success will mean more to the British general public, but it still irritates me.

Yes, kind of shocked considering he's already achieved everything on the track, and giving up the cobbles only to inevitably get beaten by the fast improving Australians in Olympic 4K pursuit.

Doesn't make sense.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I disagree. The Olympic Games are a big deal for a trackie. He's young, there'll be another cobbled season in 2013.

Anyone with a legitimate chance of winning a monument pretty much by definition shouldn't be considered a trackie. Giving up a year on the road at that level to try to win track events is like a Champions League footballer deciding to take a year out of his career to help his Sunday League team out.

 

[The Hitch]

Anyone with a legitimate chance of winning a monument pretty much by definition shouldn't be considered a trackie. Giving up a year on the road at that level to try to win track events is like a Champions League footballer deciding to take a year out of his career to help his Sunday League team out.

Hes trying to win an olympic gold medal.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Doesn't make sense.

I suspect that it makes sense to British Cycling because another a haul of gold medals will do more for the profile of cycling in Britain than a win in a cobbled classic. Sky probably also figure that Thomas Olympic Hero is worth more to them in their home market than Thomas Monument Contender.

From Thomas' point of view it's more of a mystery why he'd make such a decision. Presumably there's either patriotism involved or a calculation of the potential value of endorsements etc.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Hes trying to win an olympic gold medal.

In one of those sports where the Olympics rank a long way down the list of prestigious things to win. He's not a runner or a shot putter.

Maybe Cancellara should concentrate on cyclocross next year and put his road career on the backburner for a while too. I reckon he'd be good at it.

 

[hrotha]

Anyone with a legitimate chance of winning a monument pretty much by definition shouldn't be considered a trackie. Giving up a year on the road at that level to try to win track events is like a Champions League footballer deciding to take a year out of his career to help his Sunday League team out.

You seem to think 'trackie' is a derogatory term or something. Thomas is a trackie because that's what he did in his formative years, so he's going to have a different point of view regarding track cycling than someone who's only ever done road cycling. For him, a gold medal is a big deal and the Olympic Games are a huge thing. There's no need to read cynical (monetary or nationalist) motives into it.

 

[The Hitch]

In one of those sports where the Olympics rank a long way down the list of prestigious things to win. He's not a runner or a shot putter.

Where Thomas comes from Chris Hoy is a more famous cyclist than Wiggins Froome and Cav put together. Why? Olympic gold medals.

Actually going to your football example I remember Ronaldinho had it in his contract that he could do the olympics and miss the start of the season.

That little circle of gold is something anyone passionate about sport wants.

And if you think its not big in cycling, then I will repost some of my pics from a previous thread on the subject.

The point being that even in our sport, MSR, RVV, PR, LBL winners, World Champions, hell even Giro and Vuelta winners, can not expect this kind of reception flying back into their home country.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

You seem to think 'trackie' is a derogatory term or something.

Not at all. I like track cycling. But within cycling as a whole it's a backwater, ranking somewhere after cross and mountain biking in terms of importance.

Speaking of which, perhaps it's time for Cadel Evans to finally finish his previously unfinished business on the mountain bike! He's already won the Tour de France after all, what he really needs to complete his career is an Olympic Gold in mountain biking. Evans is a mountain biker because that's what he did in his formative years, so he's going to have a different point of view regarding mountain biking than someone who's only ever done road cycling. For him, a gold medal is a big deal and the Olympic Games are a huge thing.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Where Thomas comes from Chris Hoy is a more famous cyclist than Wiggins Froome and Cav put together.

That's not really true any more. It was true just after the last Olympics, but Hoy has done little of wider interest since, while Cavendish in particular is a sports section staple at this point.

But while disagreeing with you particular example, I do think that your wider point is correct. The general public love Olympic Gold medals. They don't care about track cycling any more than the British man on the street cares about rowing, mind you, but once every four years they love seeing people in their national colours win gold medals.

That doesn't make the Olympics and still less track events in the Olympics into something that a professional road cyclist should rank ahead of the Monuments. Any more than Nadal or Federer put Olympic golds ahead of Wimbledon or Tiger Woods puts one ahead of the US Masters. The Olympics is the main event in sports where there is nothing else of great significance to win. It is not the main event in cycling. The main events for a rider of Thomas' talents are the cobbled classics.

 

[hrotha]

Not at all. I like track cycling. But within cycling as a whole it's a backwater, ranking somewhere after cross and mountain biking in terms of importance.

Speaking of which, perhaps it's time for Cadel Evans to finally finish his previously unfinished business on the mountain bike! He's already won the Tour de France after all, what he really needs to complete his career is an Olympic Gold in mountain biking. Evans is a mountain biker because that's what he did in his formative years, so he's going to have a different point of view regarding mountain biking than someone who's only ever done road cycling. For him, a gold medal is a big deal and the Olympic Games are a huge thing.

You should be more careful with your sarcasm when you don't seem to understand what you're answering to.

But I'll bite. Yes, I'm sure Evans has a different view on MTB racing than someone who has never done it. There's a huge difference between him and Thomas, though, because Evans hasn't done MTB competitively in ages, and because his chances of getting a gold medal in MTB are not even greater than his chances of winning it on the road (not to speak about his chances of having a successful year on the road vs on an MTB). None of this applies to Thomas, who wouldn't be a favourite at the monuments yet.

 

[L'arriviste]

So I guess that's where most of Würth's Spanish sponsorship budget went after Puerto.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

You should be more careful with your sarcasm when you don't seem to understand what you're answering to

I understand your point, I just don't think that it matters.

Thomas is a top level professional cyclist, not some sports council funded semi-pro in a sport that not even the athlete's own mother's care about outside of Olympic year. He has bigger fish to fry in terms of sporting achievements.

Chris Hoy is Olympic famous, famous to people within his own country who no more care about his sport than they do about rowing or curling. Fair play to him for that, but ultimately, within cycling, his achievements were less important than Jan Bakelandts success at Avenir that year. And certainly, not worth a fraction as much as winning the Ronde.

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

Tom Boonen
Thibaut Pinot
Yohann Offredo
Peter Sagan
Tony Gallopin
Sylvain Chavanel (if he recovers in time from his operation)

 

[Moondance]

Riders who will impress:

-Wilco Kelderman will burst onto the scene and surprise both friend and foe with his skill.

-Sep Vanmarcke will step into a leadership role for Garmin in the classics and thrive.

-Egor Silin will shed his eternal talent stamp and actually start to ride some good results in big European races.

-Nibali to bounce back after a slightly disappointing year and win his 2nd GT.


Riders who will disappoint:

-In the twilight of his career Vino will make us all wish he'd stayed retired, while we savour those fantastic memories we have of him.

-Thor will struggle for attention in between Evans and Gilbert and fade into obscurity.

-Mark Cavendish, now stated with a mega-contract and the rainbow jersey on his shoulders will show little before the Olympics, win there triumphantly, and then fail to impress for the rest of the season.

-John Degenkolb will struggle for wins in his sophomore year, having to lead out his former lead out man in most big races Skil get into.

Random predictions:

-Philbert will not win the Worlds in Valkenburg.

-Absolutely noone will care about the Worlds Port Classic (even in that sleepiest of cycling months) come August

-Marcel Kittel will finish with the most victories at the end of the season.

-Skil will earn WorldTour status with some impressive results.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Ivan Basso

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Although I would much rather see Thomas on the road I can certainly understand why he would want to focus on the tracks this season with the Olympics being held in his home country.

He has a lot of years left in him so many opportunities to do whatever he want on the road - but an Olympics on home soil is an experience that will never arise again.

 

[maltiv]

Kittel will be close to taking over the sprint throne of Mark Cavendish. He's like a version of Greipel who also can position himself properly.

Some Norwegian specials (some more likely than others!):

- Nordhaug will win a GT stage.
- Willmann to start his season with a top 10 overall at San Luis and continuing to impress throughout the season.
- EBH to win a monument (M-SR or RVV) and podium the olympics.
- Hushovd will yet again finish 2nd in P-R behind Spartacus and generally have a quite disappointing season.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Riders who will impress:

-Wilco Kelderman will burst onto the scene and surprise both friend and foe with his skill.

-Sep Vanmarcke will step into a leadership role for Garmin in the classics and thrive.

-Egor Silin will shed his eternal talent stamp and actually start to ride some good results in big European races.

-Nibali to bounce back after a slightly disappointing year and win his 2nd GT.


Riders who will disappoint:

-In the twilight of his career Vino will make us all wish he'd stayed retired, while we savour those fantastic memories we have of him.

-Thor will struggle for attention in between Evans and Gilbert and fade into obscurity.

-Mark Cavendish, now stated with a mega-contract and the rainbow jersey on his shoulders will show little before the Olympics, win there triumphantly, and then fail to impress for the rest of the season.

-John Degenkolb will struggle for wins in his sophomore year, having to lead out his former lead out man in most big races Skil get into.

Random predictions:

-Philbert will not win the Worlds in Valkenburg.

-Absolutely noone will care about the Worlds Port Classic (even in that sleepiest of cycling months) come August

-Marcel Kittel will finish with the most victories at the end of the season.

-Skil will earn WorldTour status with some impressive results.

watch it now, you dont want to make me angry

 

[The Hitch]

-Nibali to bounce back after a slightly disappointing year and win his 2nd GT.

You think hell win the Tour or you think a post Tour Nibali will win the Vuelta?

 

[markene2]

Riders who will impress:
-Egor Silin will shed his eternal talent stamp and actually start to ride some good results in big European races.

I agree 100%.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

You think hell win the Tour or you think a post Tour Nibali will win the Vuelta?

he will win both

 

[Kazistuta]

Already mentioned, but I approve of the Battaglin prediction. There's a lot of Italian races that'll suit him perfectly, and barring serious injuries he will show us great things next season.

Another promising youngster is Nairo Quintana, who might not show Henao-like aggressiveness, but probably close. If it'll bring him any victories only time can tell.

Also having high hopes for the unfortunate Timofey Kritskiy. He improved during the season, and his broken leg seems to be in a distant past.

Jan Bakelants really impressed me this year - I'm sure he's in for some stage wins this year.

Last, but not least, I predict a resurrecting year for both Maxim Iglinskiy & Filippo Pozzato.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Matthias Frank - strong climber who can step up to the next level and win some bigger races.

I'll say a few more later but I personally don't want to say too many because of not submitting my CQ team yet.