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Romain Sincard and future

Aug 3, 2009
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dblueroom said:
When is France going to produce a grand tour champ?

which professional team does Sincard ride for?

Sicard has signed for Euskaltel for the upcoming season.

Speaking of French talents, I think Johan Le Bon might become a future Grand Tour contender. He's only 18, and is already improving in international stage races.
 
Aug 4, 2009
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MrContador said:
Sicard has signed for Euskaltel for the upcoming season.

Speaking of French talents, I think Johan Le Bon might become a future Grand Tour contender. He's only 18, and is already improving in international stage races.

It's interesting he signed with a foreign team - I suppose the culture at a spanish team would be different. good for him, riding for sammuel sanchez, he'll have a great experience. hope to see both in next TDF.
 
dblueroom said:
It's interesting he signed with a foreign team - I suppose the culture at a spanish team would be different. good for him, riding for sammuel sanchez and valverde, he'll have a great experience. hope to see both in next TDF.

From what I heard he's a french basque so the culture isn't that foreign to him.
 
Jun 9, 2009
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The French teams do not even seem like they are trying to produce a grand tour champ. They are opportunist attackers and grab stage wins with excellent riders.

Until the French teams hire DS's who implement strategies proven by the likes of Riis, Vaughters, and Bruyneel, they will continue to flounder in mediocrity.
 
David Suro said:
The French teams do not even seem like they are trying to produce a grand tour champ. They are opportunist attackers and grab stage wins with excellent riders.

Until the French teams hire DS's who implement strategies proven by the likes of Riis, Vaughters, and Bruyneel, they will continue to flounder in mediocrity.

The only french team that seems interested in the GC is AG2R but they only really have foreign riders going for the GC like Valjavec, Efimkin and Nocentini.
 
Aug 13, 2009
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David Suro said:
Until the French teams hire DS's who implement strategies proven by the likes of Riis, Vaughters, and Bruyneel, they will continue to flounder in mediocrity.

Strategies? Wrong forum, that belongs in the Clinic

Glad to see he is going to a clean team
 
May 6, 2009
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ingsve said:
The only french team that seems interested in the GC is AG2R but they only really have foreign riders going for the GC like Valjavec, Efimkin and Nocentini.

Not really. He is a guy who was the right guy for Astana to let him have the yellow jersey.
 
craig1985 said:
Not really. He is a guy who was the right guy for Astana to let him have the yellow jersey.

After he lost the jersey he didn't just sit in the bus the rest of the Tour, he finished 14th overall so he did ride for the GC. I didn't say they were specialized GC riders only that the guys on AG2R that have ridden for the GC have mostly been foreigners.
 
"It's true that I regret not being able to have him in our team. I have though of if every day since Saturday," said Cofidis team manager Eric Boyer. "Unfortunately, it's too late. Euskaltel signed him in July, but I'm not sure it was [simply] because he is a good rider; I think they first wanted him because of his regional identity."

well Eric Boyer from Cofidis showing how little smart he is, did this person know than Sicard won the Subida al Naranco with professionals in early may????? Identity doesn't make anyone a good rider, and Euskaltel signed Sicard in July, before Tour of Porvernir and the Worlds.
 
dblueroom said:
It's interesting he signed with a foreign team - I suppose the culture at a spanish team would be different. good for him, riding for sammuel sanchez and valverde, he'll have a great experience. hope to see both in next TDF.

Valverde????:confused: Caisse D'Epargne at least for the moment. They haven't tore up his contract as far as I know.;)
 
ingsve said:
The only french team that seems interested in the GC is AG2R but they only really have foreign riders going for the GC like Valjavec, Efimkin and Nocentini.

Nocentini thrives more in the week long stage races and even in those if they're especially mountainous like this year's Paris-Nice, he struggles. He has made the podium of Paris-Nice in the past I do believe.
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Angliru said:
Nocentini thrives more in the week long stage races and even in those if they're especially mountainous like this year's Paris-Nice, he struggles. He has made the podium of Paris-Nice in the past I do believe.

Quite. Nocentini is a reasonably good climber, but he's a classics man above all else. In the high mountains he's nowhere near good enough to be a team leader.
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Orbea is the Euskaltel feeder team so hardly surprising that Sicard would sign for them.

He won't ride any GTs in 2010 - says what he wants to do next season is the same as he did this season - learn (though his mum says he told her age 3 he was going to ride the Tour)

The French produced the greatest DS ever in Cyrille Guimard - as RR says, talk of Riis and the Hog and their 'strategies' belongs firmly elsewhere.

Interesting that the French teams, with their longitudinal season long testing regime on top of whatever WADA/UCI/AFLD dishes out are 'mediocre' - is that a euphemism - after all, the French teams probably have as many really credible GC contenders as Garmin and were certainly more evident in terms of stage wins at the TdF.
 
bianchigirl said:
Interesting that the French teams, with their longitudinal season long testing regime on top of whatever WADA/UCI/AFLD dishes out are 'mediocre' - is that a euphemism - after all, the French teams probably have as many really credible GC contenders as Garmin and were certainly more evident in terms of stage wins at the TdF.

I can't think of one "credible GC contender" on any of the French teams. Maybe my definition is different from yours but I only see stage chasers like Voeckler and KOM aspirants like Moncoutie. I believe even Moreau has given up chasing the KOM classification. Garmin does have Vande Velde and Wiggins with upcoming Daniel Martin who has shown potential in the week long stage races.

I agree though, that they did quite well in stage wins this year which is why I was surprised at Bbox Telecom not getting renewed for their pro tour license.
I guess their finances weren't up to par.
 
Jun 22, 2009
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Although I agree that VDV and Wiggins are probably stronger then the french team leaders, le mevel had an outstanding tour (in the top 10) . Casar road quite strongly too i think.
And as far as martin goes, I understand he wasn't leader, and had a little bad luck, but I was still a little dissapointed from his perfoemance at the vuelta.
 
Aug 4, 2009
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I think there are a few guys that (in case of TDF) have podium potential, and right now they're Contador, A. Schleck, Valverde, sam sanchez, Evans, even Menchov, LA, Kloden, leipheimer. All others that ended up in top 10, good for them, it's important for them, but they're not strong enough to challenge podium composition... and for me personally i have a greater interest in stage win than the less GC contenders. And of course, KOM won not by the top three guys is a joke - the stupid thing really in my view. doesnt make sense as sprint points classification.
 
Aug 4, 2009
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ingsve said:
From what I heard he's a french basque so the culture isn't that foreign to him.

great you mentioned he's a basque, he doesnt sound french the way i am familiar with, somewhat soft-spoken guy. andy schleck would be more French than he is...
 
Aug 4, 2009
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bianchigirl said:
Orbea is the Euskaltel feeder team so hardly surprising that Sicard would sign for them.

He won't ride any GTs in 2010 - says what he wants to do next season is the same as he did this season - learn (though his mum says he told her age 3 he was going to ride the Tour).

What was the reason Sam Sanchez didn't ride TDF? Euskaltel was pretty weak there, if that's the case next year, they should let him ride and let the kid go for stage wins.
 
Jun 22, 2009
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dblueroom said:
What was the reason Sam Sanchez didn't ride TDF? Euskaltel was pretty weak there, if that's the case next year, they should let him ride and let the kid go for stage wins.

SS made the vuelta his main priority. I think wise, better then him fighting it out for a top ten place.

As for Sicard, and all the other youngsters coming into the PT ranks next season, it is wise to avoid GTs for a season imo. Learn the ranks, and get adjust to the riding tempo in 1 week races like paris-nice, dauphne etc before attempting a GT. I think 2011 tour coud be interesting in terms of the white jersey fight. Sicard could be a real force in say 2013-14. Kritskiy too, i forsee him leading a very strong katusha somewhere down the track.
 
I think that the ousting of Bbox and Cofidis from the ProTour could help French cycling in that it might inspire talented young French riders to look for spots on (better-managed) foreign teams. Sicard and the Feillu brothers have already taken this option.
 

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