Saxo - what to do for TdF (minus AC)...

[palmerq]

maybe no one has contacted him yet and it's not a good idea to quit his team with nowhere to go for sure, I think it would weaken his negotiating power and maybe he'd have to go back to geox if nothing worked out, best to wait.. I hope he gets to the tdf and wins.

 

[Angulo]

Menchov will win TDF with Saxo, cause Riis has one of the best doping systems in his team. And Rabo - not.
I don't wait anything from Schlecks in the NEW team. Remember Astana without megadoper Bruyneel?

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Menchov will win TDF with Saxo, cause Riis has one of the best doping systems in his team. And Rabo - not.
I don't wait anything from Schlecks in the NEW team. Remember Astana without megadoper Bruyneel?

yes, they won LBL and the Tour

 

[rxgqgxnyfz]

I just wanted to quickly check the dates, googled his name and saw this:

The official website of Johan Bruyneel, the mastermind behind 9 Tour de France victories...

When did he got ninth?

 

[roadbiker]

I believe, that SaxoBank-Sungard without AC will be one of the most aggressive and visible teams during Le Tour.

CAS in the mountain stages for the polka-dot jersey. A few others for (flat/medium) breakaways and JJ for top-5 sprint finishes.

The time of serial (or lots of) wins for Saxo (think it was 37 in 2010) is over for sure!

I expect a few riders to step up a bit, who have been in the shadow of the former stars.

 

[mombus]

HUGE blow to Saxo. The magnitude of difference in media attention between this year and last is going to be astounding. They have lost everybody. Leopard is the Saxo of last year and better. And then wait... wait... Contador is gone? Disaster for Riis... suicide is only option

No, but really... I would say that they are wisest to go for as many stage wins as possible in France. Get the jersey on the TV and some talk about the riders. Then focus on regrouping for next year, when your team isn't going to be the laughing stock of the top half of the peloton.

 

[El Pistolero]

HUGE blow to Saxo. The magnitude of difference in media attention between this year and last is going to be astounding. They have lost everybody. Leopard is the Saxo of last year and better. And then wait... wait... Contador is gone? Disaster for Riis... suicide is only option

No, but really... I would say that they are wisest to go for as many stage wins as possible in France. Get the jersey on the TV and some talk about the riders. Then focus on regrouping for next year, when your team isn't going to be the laughing stock of the top half of the peloton.

This reminds me of the whole Astana-Team Radioshack thingie again. And we all know how that turned out.

If Contador only gets a one year ban backtracking from july they can save their season, but otherwise they're screwed, but for one season only. After that they're back in the game. Schleck is not nearly as consistent in winning as Contador. So far he has been a waste of cash to be honest.

 

[mombus]

This reminds me of the whole Astana-Team Radioshack thingie again. And we all know how that turned out.

TOTALLY not even close to a good comparison. Gimme a break! Lance Armstrong is as relevant as my dead Grandpa riding in the Tour nowadays.

Saxobank went from number 1 team in the world (WITHOUT QUESTION) to completely arbitrary... in 4 months.

 

[mombus]

and when I say completely arbitrary, it's because we are talking about the Tour de France.

 

[El Pistolero]

and when I say completely arbitrary, it's because we are talking about the Tour de France.

But Schlecklett won't win

Saxobank wasn't the number one team in the world. If anything Astana had a better season last year if you count the Tour.

 

[Magnus]

I just wanted to quickly check the dates, googled his name and saw this:



When did he got ninth?

7 with Lance (99-05) and 2 with Contador (07 and 09)

 

[mombus]

But Schlecklett won't win

Saxobank wasn't the number one team in the world. If anything Astana had a better season last year if you count the Tour.

I really mean as an all around team. You had the Schlecks, love em or hate em, who were both total top candidates for GT wins (they would've have taken the tour without the chaindrop and Frank's injuries, let's be serious--those were unfortunate freak events). Cancellara took 2 or 3 classics, don't remember... but at least 2. Fugslang and Porte are 2 of the best rising riders in the world. Stuart O'Grady and Jens... come on. Astana was a better team?

 

[mombus]

I'd argue that HTC and Omega Pharma Lotto were both better teams than Astana as well.

 

[Havetts]

I suppose you mean HTC and Lotto for sprints? Cause the only two helpers VDB had, that I've seen were Aerts and Lloyd, if Im not mistaken. And HTC had Rogers as their head man, but he finished 32nd..

 

[mombus]

no he started talking season-wise, so I moved away from the Tour

 

[Havetts]

Oh my bad. Well its obviously clear that HTC was the strongest then, around 60 wins or so.

Lotto had 11 and Astana had 20.

 

[mombus]

I know, but there's the issue of how and where teams decide to direct their effort. Those 60 wins don't convince me that HTC was a better team than Saxobank.

 

[Havetts]

Well you cant say that HTC wasnt above the rest in the sprints. But in the mountains HTC was no where to be seen, when Saxo was.

It depends what you see as better, a KoM jersey, points jersey or just GC. Personally I like GC better, so yea I'd say Saxo was way better than HTC.

 

[El Pistolero]

I really mean as an all around team. You had the Schlecks, love em or hate em, who were both total top candidates for GT wins (they would've have taken the tour without the chaindrop and Frank's injuries, let's be serious--those were unfortunate freak events). Cancellara took 2 or 3 classics, don't remember... but at least 2. Fugslang and Porte are 2 of the best rising riders in the world. Stuart O'Grady and Jens... come on. Astana was a better team?

They won 2 classics, some GT stages and TDS, that's their only big wins.

Astana won a classic, the Tour and stage races(Paris-Nice, Vuelta a castilla y leon, Algarve, Trentino, second at Dauphine) .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Saxo_Bank-SunGard#Notable_wins

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Astana_season#Season_victories

Not even comparable. And Schleck would have still lost without Frank's crash(andy gained a lot time because of that and didn't have to wait for his weak brother in the mountain stages). Contador won it fair and square. The only fair time he got over Contador was on the first stage he won which was only 10 seconds. Contador took 42 seconds on a prologue, some more seconds on the long time trial and 10 seconds at Mende.

Yes, Astana was a better team because Contador achieved more then all of them combined except Cancellara. Great riders are useless if they don't win something big.
20 small victories don't equal a Tour win.

 

[mombus]

In fact, I will say they were not even close to being on the same level.
Take Saxo's top 7 men in 2010. Line them up against HTC's. Set off a two-day race, first day in the mountains and the second day rolling hills with a sprint finish. Who wins?

 

[mombus]

I'll save you the math, Saxo by a half an hour on day one, and Voigt accompanying Cancellara's 1st degree murder of Cav on day 2.

 

[The Hitch]

I really mean as an all around team. You had the Schlecks, love em or hate em, who were both total top candidates for GT wins (they would've have taken the tour without the chaindrop and Frank's injuries, let's be serious--those were unfortunate freak events). Cancellara took 2 or 3 classics, don't remember... but at least 2. Fugslang and Porte are 2 of the best rising riders in the world. Stuart O'Grady and Jens... come on. Astana was a better team?

You count Porte ahead of Matty Breschel.

Shame on you.

All round team wise it was either Liqui or Htc

Liquigas

Basso
Nibali
Kreuziger
Sagan
Bennati
Guarnieri
Szmyd

HTC

Cav
Greipel
Tony Martin
Peter Velits
Mick Rogers
Goss
Eissel
TJVG
Pinnoti
Albassin
Renshaw

I think HTC was the best, and even though they lose Greipel and ROgers, look good to be the best again this year.

 

[La Pandera]

I would not have thought that SaxoBank have the cash to buy out Den's contract.
Perhaps Riis can get his mate McQuaid to make up another, one off, new rule.

Saxo will have to send a right load of old rubbish to the Giro, in anycase.
I'll bet the RCS would be happy to dump them, in order to take both Geox and Colango.....

There is no way that Geox would give up Menchov. I doubt they could even allow his contract to be bought out plus a significant sum of money. It's not like their invites are filling up their mailbox. Without Menchov they'd really be up a creek, with Sastre left as the only marketable rider.

I agree Saxo hasn't the names to make their presence an appealing one. Geox with Menchov and Sastre and Colnago with Pozzivivo and the young
sprinter dude who surprised everyone at MSR (Sasha M-something) are much more appealing draws.

 

[La Pandera]

Knowing Riis he wont do that unless he is forced to. How long has it been since Riis has been without a GC contender? Doesnt even come up in my mind.

I think it was since he had Jalabert chasing KOM points near the end of his career.

 

[La Pandera]

This reminds me of the whole Astana-Team Radioshack thingie again. And we all know how that turned out.

If Contador only gets a one year ban backtracking from july they can save their season, but otherwise they're screwed, but for one season only. After that they're back in the game. Schleck is not nearly as consistent in winning as Contador. So far he has been a waste of cash to be honest.

...but he's so clean-faced, cute, charismatic and marketable.