Riders to watch in 2012

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

A gregario for whom? He'll drop nearly everyone.

Cadel Evans or Andy Schleck, for instance.

Not sure about Gesink dropping nearly everyone as a super domestique, though. Head wind becomes a problem and he's "only" at about Menchov's level as a climber.

BMC would be a good team for him. He could still target his own races................... except for the Tour. You know he'll have to deal with that anyhow, IF it turns out that he's not Rabobanks #1 GT specialist anymore. Best to find a better team.

 

[just some guy]

Cadel Evans or Andy Schleck, for instance.

Not sure about Gesink dropping nearly everyone as a super domestique, though. Head wind becomes a problem and he's "only" at about Menchov's level as a climber.

BMC would be a good team for him. He could still target his own races................... except for the Tour. You know he'll have to deal with that anyhow, IF it turns out that he's not Rabobanks #1 GT specialist anymore. Best to find a better team.

Gesink @ BMC ha ha Timmy just died a little on the inside

 

[Angliru]

Cadel Evans or Andy Schleck, for instance.

Not sure about Gesink dropping nearly everyone as a super domestique, though. Head wind becomes a problem and he's "only" at about Menchov's level as a climber.

BMC would be a good team for him. He could still target his own races................... except for the Tour. You know he'll have to deal with that anyhow, IF it turns out that he's not Rabobanks #1 GT specialist anymore. Best to find a better team.

I'm going to give Gesink another year before I even think of writing him off. He's had some bad luck with crashes and injuries. If memory serves me correctly a certain rider had a spell of similar bad luck with multiple crashes and 2 broken clavicles in the same season, along with less than expected performances when he was healthy. He ended up winning a WC and the Tour so all is not lost for Gesink.

 

[theyoungest]

Cadel Evans or Andy Schleck, for instance.

Not sure about Gesink dropping nearly everyone as a super domestique, though. Head wind becomes a problem and he's "only" at about Menchov's level as a climber.

BMC would be a good team for him. He could still target his own races................... except for the Tour. You know he'll have to deal with that anyhow, IF it turns out that he's not Rabobanks #1 GT specialist anymore. Best to find a better team.

Cadel Evans isn't better than Gesink on the long climbs, so that would be quite useless. At least, he hasn't been up until now.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

I'm going to give Gesink another year before I even think of writing him off. He's had some bad luck with crashes and injuries. If memory serves me correctly a certain rider had a spell of similar bad luck with multiple crashes and 2 broken clavicles in the same season, along with less than expected performances when he was healthy. He ended up winning a WC and the Tour so all is not lost for Gesink.

Note the posts I was responding to. "After 2012" if he's no longer Rabo's #1 GT specialist by then. He has a whole season and 2 GTs to prove himself as far as I'm concerned. If one of his teammates does better, though, it's perhaps time to rethink his career direction.

Cadel Evans isn't better than Gesink on the long climbs, so that would be quite useless. At least, he hasn't been up until now.

Useless? More like very useful. Unless Gesink starts TTing like him, that is.

Consistency and recovery is also a factor. We'll see next year if he climbs better than Evans during a GT. There isn't much to go on to make a useful comparison right now. It would be stupid if Gesink was a podium contender himself, obviously.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I'm going to give Gesink another year before I even think of writing him off. He's had some bad luck with crashes and injuries. If memory serves me correctly a certain rider had a spell of similar bad luck with multiple crashes and 2 broken clavicles in the same season, along with less than expected performances when he was healthy. He ended up winning a WC and the Tour so all is not lost for Gesink.

Agreed though I think Gesink needs to improve on his time trial a bit yet. Also his climbing doesn't seem as good as it use to be.

Gesink @ BMC ha ha Timmy just died a little on the inside

I just wet myself a little!

 

[Havetts]

sorry but I can't take guys in their 20s having kids very seriously

He's a family man, can't blame him for that.. Alot of people on the world are family persons..

Gesink @ BMC ha ha Timmy just died a little on the inside

I as a Dutch Mafia member cringed too, as did probably everyone of us! Even thinking Gesink will ride for the ACF mafia makes onions cry!

 

[Eric8-A]

Gerald Ciolek

 

[greenedge]

Gesink could conceivably go to BMC only after Cadel retires/ can no longer compete for GTs' and a split happens between him and the Rabobank managers.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

yeah I'm pretty confused why gesink would leave rabo, lol. He has excellent mountain support, still treated like the leader (lol at anyone who belittles him, despite this god awful year or so some proclaim he still had good results, and showed in Canada he is fully capable of being up there with the best). At a team whom will priortize him and other dutch riders.

Or yeah he could go to a team with too many chiefs, and basically no indians. Makes sense.

@Tank Engine
typo yes. or rather work "out of it" zone.

Cadel Evans or Andy Schleck, for instance.

Not sure about Gesink dropping nearly everyone as a super domestique, though. Head wind becomes a problem and he's "only" at about Menchov's level as a climber.

BMC would be a good team for him. He could still target his own races................... except for the Tour. You know he'll have to deal with that anyhow, IF it turns out that he's not Rabobanks #1 GT specialist anymore. Best to find a better team.

[/QUOTE]

BMC aren't a better team, they justy have some bigger riders. For gesink it would be stupid to go to bmc based on this. Logic 101.

As for not being thier best rider after 2012, we should wait for 2012 to happen before we induldge in such baseless speculation.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

yeah I'm pretty confused why gesink would leave rabo, lol. He has excellent mountain support, still treated like the leader (lol at anyone who belittles him, despite this god awful year or so some proclaim he still had good results, and showed in Canada he is fully capable of being up there with the best). At a team whom will priortize him and other dutch riders.

Or yeah he could go to a team with too many chiefs, and basically no indians. Makes sense.

@Tank Engine
typo yes. or rather work "out of it" zone.


BMC aren't a better team, they justy have some bigger riders. For gesink it would be stupid to go to bmc based on this. Logic 101.

As for not being thier best rider after 2012, we should wait for 2012 to happen before we induldge in such baseless speculation.

Okay, let's wait until after the 2012 Vuelta then.

I was talking about Rabo's best GT rider, not best overall rider, BTW, so I don't see how Canada is relevant anyway.

As to why it would be a good idea to leave Rabo regardless, he's underpaid relative to his potential to bring World Tour points in, and relative to some other riders on the team. He could get a better contract elsewhere, IMO.

 

[Havetts]

I was talking about Rabo's best GT rider, not best overall rider, BTW, so I don't see how Canada is relevant anyway.

Because when he finally came close to peak form he could keep up with Gilbert who normally shat on everyone even when he was not on form himself. Only the Schlecks could say together with Gesink they could somewhat keep up with Gilbert on the hills.

As to why it would be a good idea to leave Rabo regardless, he's underpaid relative to his potential to bring World Tour points in, and relative to some other riders on the team. He could get a better contract elsewhere, IMO.

One million € a year, I wouldnt call that bad.. :')

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Because when he finally came close to peak form he could keep up with Gilbert who normally shat on everyone even when he was not on form himself. Only the Schlecks could say together with Gesink they could somewhat keep up with Gilbert on the hills.

Uh............ I was talking about Grand Tour potential. One-day races aren't relevant.

One million € a year, I wouldnt call that bad.. :')

Just 800,000, unless he got a raise.

http://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/12369/-gesink-best-verdienende-nederlandse-wielrenner-.html

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

while not directly relavent, it is still indicitive of his strength.

and whoa. only 800000, I'm surprised he isn't wearing rags only.
Maybe gesink makes career choices not based on financial situation ey

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

while not directly relavent, it is still indicitive of his strength.

and whoa. only 800000, I'm surprised he isn't wearing rags only.
Maybe gesink makes career choices not based on financial situation ey

Apparently. As long as he's happy.

 

[theyoungest]

while not directly relavent, it is still indicitive of his strength.

and whoa. only 800000, I'm surprised he isn't wearing rags only.
Maybe gesink makes career choices not based on financial situation ey

It could be refreshing to go to a team like Astana, or somewhere else where they don't give a **** about what the Dutch press says and thus don't feel the need to base their team strategies on that.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

It could be refreshing to go to a team like Astana, or somewhere else where they don't give a **** about what the Dutch press says and thus don't feel the need to base their team strategies on that.

Indeed. Unless 2012 will be his best season to date, it can't hurt to look elsewhere, for reasons other than money as well. And then maybe target the Dauphine and Vuelta instead of the Tour. Go all out for the win, not for a top-10.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

It could be refreshing to go to a team like Astana, or somewhere else where they don't give a **** about what the Dutch press says and thus don't feel the need to base their team strategies on that.

This is no doubt a better reason to leave.
Still I feel Gesink is pleased with how rabo has treated him, and wont take his frustration of the media and home expectation on rabo.

Another reason to leave might be - go to a team with tactical sense -

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Indeed. Unless 2012 will be his best season to date, it can't hurt to look elsewhere, for reasons other than money as well. And then maybe target the Dauphine and Vuelta instead of the Tour. Go all out for the win, not for a top-10.

Thing is Gesink himself wants to do well in the tour, he like so many prioritize it above everything.

 

[Havetts]

Still I feel Gesink is pleased with how rabo has treated him, and wont take his frustration of the media and home expectation on rabo.

He wasn't really pleased that Van Houwelingen called him mentally weak..

Thing is Gesink himself wants to do well in the tour, he like so many prioritize it above everything.

Possibly cause of the media, Dutch media hardly care about anything else then the Tour and I'm pretty sure he's influenced by it and so is Rabobank in general.

Who knows it might be a good idea if he'd change teams, atleast I hope it won't be as disastrous as 2011.

 

[theyoungest]

Indeed. Unless 2012 will be his best season to date, it can't hurt to look elsewhere, for reasons other than money as well. And then maybe target the Dauphine and Vuelta instead of the Tour. Go all out for the win, not for a top-10.

I don't mean he should change his goals, but the setting in which those goals could be fulfilled.

 

[auscyclefan94]

He wasn't really pleased that Van Houwelingen called him mentally weak..
Possibly cause of the media, Dutch media hardly care about anything else then the Tour and I'm pretty sure he's influenced by it and so is Rabobank in general.

Who knows it might be a good idea if he'd change teams, atleast I hope it won't be as disastrous as 2011.

If it looks like a pig, sounds like a pig and is a pig then call it a Pig!

yeah I'm pretty confused why gesink would leave rabo, lol. He has excellent mountain support, still treated like the leader (lol at anyone who belittles him, despite this god awful year or so some proclaim he still had good results, and showed in Canada he is fully capable of being up there with the best). At a team whom will priortize him and other dutch riders.

Or yeah he could go to a team with too many chiefs, and basically no indians. Makes sense.

@Tank Engine
typo yes. or rather work "out of it" zone.

BMC aren't a better team, they justy have some bigger riders. For gesink it would be stupid to go to bmc based on this. Logic 101.

As for not being thier best rider after 2012, we should wait for 2012 to happen before we induldge in such baseless speculation.

LOL, cobbled classics BMC is far better, ardennes classics BMC is far better & stage races BMC has guys such as Evans & Van Garderen. Until one of the Rabo boys podiums at a GT maybe I will consider them to better stage racing teeam Rabo has a sprinter and BMC doesn't have one. I mean Gesink is more than welcome to set tempo on one of the earlier climbs n an alpine stage when Cadel is 37.

 

[theyoungest]

If it looks like a pig, sounds like a pig and is a pig then call it a Pig!

Lol, I wouldn't expect this from a Cadel Evans fan... if anyone has been called mentally weak by team managers and journalists alike, it's him. And if anyone has proved the whole world wrong, it's him as well.

LOL, cobbled classics BMC is far better

Yes, if you include Gilbert, they are. Otherwise I haven't been very impressed.

stage races BMC has guys such as Evans & Van Garderen.

Van Garderen? Seriously? Outclimbed by three Rabo riders in Suisse, outclimbed by Laurens ten Dam in what was supposed to be his main season goal, California. Not even close to the Rabo youngsters in GTs.

The reason BMC's stage racing squad is better is Cadel Evans. Period.

Rabo has a sprinter and BMC doesn't have one.

Which sprinter do you mean? Renshaw, Matthews, Bos?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Lol, I wouldn't expect this from a Cadel Evans fan... if anyone has been called mentally weak by team managers and journalists alike, it's him. And if anyone has proved the whole world wrong, it's him as well.

Team managers are one thing, they often do not know what they're talking about, but no DS has ever called Evans mentally weak, as far as I know. Right? When a DS says so, it's certainly more damning, IMO.

 

[Panda Claws]

Yes, if you include Gilbert, they are. Otherwise I haven't been very impressed.

Haven't you seen them chase Cancellara with 6 man at this year's RVV?