Season in Review. Your thoughts?

[usedtobefast]

As all the big races are coming to an end i thought i would start a thread reviewing the season.

Who was the big surprise?

cav winning msr

Who was the big dissapointment?

danilo di luca

Dissapointing and Best team?
dis:milram best: columbia-htc


Favourite victory for the year?

menchov winning the giro


What are you looking forward to during 2010?

all of it. it should be massive.

.........

 

[derailleur]

SUPRISE: Evans faltering so badly in the Tour, and winning the Worlds.

He was no better than the peloton's mascot for much of the year. The WC was a huge surprise. The other was Wiggo finding anti-gravity boots.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Little if any progress on stopping doping.

diLuca at the Giro. I thought he had it, then Menchov waxed him and marked him for the rest of the race. Then Danilo comes up dirty anyway. Bad to worse.

Also, Lance turning the sport into it being about him, and all who followed.

I think a lot more people watched. That was the point. If many of them stick, and HDTV will help, then the sport got more than it would have otherwise.

Leipheimer's never attacking style, and failure to attempt to lead his own team once again.

He won in Cali and was 3rd banana at best. I think he does pretty well considering his situation.

WORST TEAM: Fuji-Servetto, or Katusha. All that money...

BEST TEAM: Columbia. Cervelo over achieved.

Columbia by a ton. Hincapie to Rogers to Cav. Sealing it by *****-slapping Garmin in the last klick of the Tour was just gravy. Cervelo lost my respect when they switched from the cool black unis to the white ones.

FAVE VICTORIES: Cancellara's World's ITT victory.

Fabo for me too, only at the Tour de Suisse. That made it possible to believe he could win the road race at the worlds.

LOOKING FORWARD 2010: Superior webcasting, better doping controls, demise of the UCI, cracking of the omerta, race radios being limited. Less media wallpaper focus on Lance (hey, a guy can dream, no?!)

If Lance is winning he's going to be on the cover of People, Popular Mechanics, and Dogwear Monthly. Some people could be more disappointed than others.

I'm hoping the IOC goes back on its plans to cut the men's pursuit from 2012.

The Shack and Sky are going to be interesting to watch. Columbia less interesting than this year without Big George, though Rogers and Cav-o will still light up. Astana is going to be a tough sell; frankly I hope they blow their license and lose AC to someone else, though I don't think it will happen.

 

[Cerberus]

Make that 4.

Yeah, but I wrote 2 and the actual number was 4, so I missed 2 (unless I missed 2 more and the actual number is 6 ).

 

[auscyclefan94]

.........

why did u quote me for saying that?

 

[Fourier]

Surprise: Cadel winning the friggin' Worlds!!
Dissapointment: All of german cycling (Greipel saved face but was always second fiddle to Cav, is Haussler really an Aussie?)
Dissapointing team: Lampre, Cunego couldn't deliver
Best Team: Saxo Bank (more than sprints...)
Favourite victory: Haussler at the TDF (the rain, the tears...)
Best moment: Menchov's epic slide on the pavé at the Giro.
Looking forward to 2010: A creaky old retirement Shack haulin' up the old man.

 

[nvpacchi]

Biggest Surprise:
Heinrich Haussler (I gained an immense amount of respect for him this year)
Cavendish calling out Garmin at the Giro TTT (one of my favorite moments of the year, Garmin deserved the ridicule)
Johan Van Summeren (pulled off the slickest bike skid I've ever seen at Roubaix)

Biggest Disappointment:
Leif Hoste (fell off my chair when he crashed in Roubaix)
Martijn Maaskiant (non-existent after a good classics campaign in '08)
Damiano Cunego @ Giro (cemented himself as a classics rider)

Best Riders:
Philippe Gilbert nearly singlehandedly saved Silence-Lotto's season
Filippo Pozzato sported the Italian champs kit immaculately

Best Win:
Stijn Devolder @ Vlaanderen
Andy Schleck in Liege
Juan Manuel Garate @ Ventoux (not nearly enough coverage of him in Martin during the stage)

Best Team: Saxo Bank, Quickstep before April 20

Worst Team: As a huge Euskaltel fan I was disgusted

Looking forward to:
Cadel Evans looking embarrassingly like a weekend warrior in the WC kit.
The Giro, I really hope Menchov comes back to defend his title.
Team BMC
Team Astana's new bike sponsor (BMC would be awesome)
Fabian Cancellara winning every TT he enters

 

[mitchman]

Surprise: Cadel at Worlds, LA at TDF
Dissapointment: Horner's crash's
Dissapointing team: Loto at the Tour
Best Team: Saxo
Favourite victory: Haussler at the TDF
Best moment: Menchov's epic slide on the pavé at the Giro.
Looking forward to 2010: Shack and the return or Vino

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Maaskant was 4th in the Tour of Flanders and 4th in a TDF stage, close to vuelta stage win and 4th best Dutchie on the UCI Pro Tour ranking and 5th best dutchie on CQ ranking

How is that a dissapointment.. lol

 

[Angliru]

I still don't get this. Not that you oppose to Vino, but having a snake like Basso as better example.
He lied, lied some more, cried some more, had a big smile while signing for Bruyneel when his guilt was obvious and finally when there was no denying left he came with a story about how he only intended to dope and that he was oh so sorry. That's about as low as you can go imo.
I prefer a guy who sticks to his original story and doesn't pretend to be the perfect son-in-law during his comeback.

Millar always reminds me of those people who stopped smoking and after that start to loudly complain about everybody who still smokes.

+1, My sentiments exactly.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Would you like a guy that did not confess to rape, but was obviously a rapist, to come back out of prison?

.

 

[Mickey75]

Surprise : I think after his performance at the TDF it has to be Cadel Evans winning the World Championships Road Race.

Biggest Disappointment : This years band of Dopers and also the way the Valverde 'doping' has been handled. Valverde should have been banned full stop not just in Italy, should be global.

Most Disappointing Team : Fuji - Servetto

Best Team - No getting away from Team Saxo

Favourite Victory : Haussler in the Tour or Cadel Evans at the World Championships

Looking forward to : Team Sky and seeing what they achieve this year. EBH going from strength to strength. Would like to see more of Lokvist now he is at Sky. Also can't wait to see how team BMC do this year. A TDF without a Team Time Trial. Some of the promising riders like Rui Costa, Boom etc showing more of their potential. The beginning of Peter Kennaugh's pro career.

 

[nvpacchi]

Maaskant was 4th in the Tour of Flanders and 4th in a TDF stage, close to vuelta stage win and 4th best Dutchie on the UCI Pro Tour ranking and 5th best dutchie on CQ ranking

How is that a dissapointment.. lol

I think I was expected a lot more from him this year. Besides Devolder, there was a mass finish in Flanders, so the 4th doesn't seem as impressive to me for some reason. And I really expected him to get Top 5 in Roubaix again, not 98th...

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Surprise: Cancellara at the Swiss tour.
Dissapointment: Twitter.
Dissapointing team: Same as last year - Milram.
Best Team: Saxo or Columbia.
Favourite victory: Contador - Verbier.
Best moment: The last bit of MSR.
Looking forward to 2010: The various build-ups - MSR, P-R, Giro, Tour, etc.

 

[Boeing]

Brice Feillu stage 7 is my fave win

Nicolas Roche and AG2R pleasant surprise

Apart from Wiggos results I was disappointed in Garmin

biggest douche is DiLuca

Since this is an "on the bike" question I have to give Lance props for riding to a podium spot.

 

[hayleyy]

Surprise: Cadel winning worlds
Dissapointment: Schleck's abbandoning the Vuelta
Dissapointing team: Silence Lotto before August/September
Best Team: Columbia HTC
Favourite victory: Haussler's stage win at the TDF
Best moment: Cadel winning worlds
Looking forward to 2010: More even teams in the TDF

 

[Angliru]

Favorite win: Contador's win on Verbier and his triumphant, almost primal celebration upon donning the yellow jersey, with tears welling up in his eyes.
I was torn between that and the final podium presentation at the Tour, where Contador is presented with the overall winner's trophy with Armstrong to his left, red-faced, envious, and likely not believing that his underhanded tactics had had little to no effect on his teammate. A moment to truly relish.

Best race: Valverde's battle back from getting dropped on the steepest sections of the La Pandera stage. It was for me, high theatre that took me from the lowest lows of disappointment to cheering at his ability to comeback
and drop Evans, Basso and eventually beat Gesink to the line for 3rd place and the final available bonus points. Not a victory on the stage but a resounding victory by showing he was the strongest most steady rider there.


Biggest surprise: Admittedly, Evans WC win. With either the Spanish and Italians thought to be locks, someone forgot to tell the rest of the world that there were other riders capable of winning a hilly one day race. In the right place at the right time Evans almost seemed surprised that he had somehow drifted off the front of his 2 breakaway companions. One look back was all it took for him to realize that they didn't have it in them to bridge even that little gap, and off he went to the biggest win of his career.

Biggest disappointment: Armstrong's underhanded tactics during the Tour. Showed a complete lack of class and considering he wasn't on the payroll,
it was rather hypocritical of him to criticize Contador about not being a team player when he wouldn't even sign a contract to commit to the team for a year. He chose to collect appearance fees at $1 mil a pop to promote his cancer awareness program. Couldn't he have done that while under contract and allowed those appearance fee millions to go to his cause? That would have been contrary to his ultimate plan of pirateing riders to start his own team from the sponsors that welcomed his return in their colors. Not a huge disappointment since I'd lost respect for him years back anyway but he took my dislike for him to a new low with his tactics.

Biggest disappointment Part Deux: Bryuneel complete lack of willingness to DO HIS DAYUM JOB and reign Armstrong in. That in addition to his completely flawed strategy of having Astana's entire Tour be built around getting Armstrong either his 8th Tour win or at minimum on the podium when he was likely only the 3rd strongest and possibly only the 4th strongest rider on the team.

Biggest disappointment Part Trois: Johann, it was okay for Armstrong and yourself to hope wistfully for Armstrong to wear yellow after the TTT but then it was inopportune for Contador to pursue yellow on Arcalis?? I lost all respect for Bryuneel at this point.

Best Team: I personally enjoyed Caisse D'Epargne's season with Valverde, Sanchez, Rodriguez and their young cast of upstarts. If Rojas continues his development we may have another Oscar Freire on our hands except one that can compete in Flanders and P-R along with battle in the sprints.

Best Team #2: Liquigas was impressive with Nibali, Kreuziger and Pellizotti. Basso if I'm correct in my thinking will be a factor in the grand tours next year after a year of getting reaclimated to top level competition. Unfortunately he has to deal with Nibali who came into his own, Kreuziger who actually seemed to have gotten stronger on Ventoux, and Pellizotti who has to be respected now with his successes in both the Giro and the Tour which has to be the best dual performance since Pantani's Giro and Tour wins of 1998 (I'm talking back to back grand tours).

I have to mention Cancellara's WC ITT win. I'm not much of a fan of watching ITT's but watching Cancellara's performance was nothing short of awe-inspiring. So dominant he had one of his opponents having a temper tantrum
in public (Wiggins) to only add to his embarrassment. To have such a performance on his home soil was epic.

 

[Publicus]

Favorite win: Contador's win on Verbier and his triumphant, almost primal celebration upon donning the yellow jersey, with tears welling up in his eyes.
I was torn between that and the final podium presentation at the Tour, where Contador is presented with the overall winner's trophy with Armstrong to his left, red-faced, envious, and likely not believing that his underhanded tactics had had little to no effect on his teammate. A moment to truly relish.

Best race: Valverde's battle back from getting dropped on the steepest sections of the La Pandera stage. It was for me, high theatre that took me from the lowest lows of disappointment to cheering at his ability to comeback
and drop Evans, Basso and eventually beat Gesink to the line for 3rd place and the final available bonus points. Not a victory on the stage but a resounding victory by showing he was the strongest most steady rider there.


Biggest surprise: Admittedly, Evans WC win. With either the Spanish and Italians thought to be locks, someone forgot to tell the rest of the world that there were other riders capable of winning a hilly one day race. In the right place at the right time Evans almost seemed surprised that he had somehow drifted off the front of his 2 breakaway companions. One look back was all it took for him to realize that they didn't have it in them to bridge even that little gap, and off he went to the biggest win of his career.

Biggest disappointment: Armstrong's underhanded tactics during the Tour. Showed a complete lack of class and considering he wasn't on the payroll,
it was rather hypocritical of him to criticize Contador about not being a team player when he wouldn't even sign a contract to commit to the team for a year. He chose to collect appearance fees at $1 mil a pop to promote his cancer awareness program. Couldn't he have done that while under contract and allowed those appearance fee millions to go to his cause? That would have been contrary to his ultimate plan of pirateing riders to start his own team from the sponsors that welcomed his return in their colors. Not a huge disappointment since I'd lost respect for him years back anyway but he took my dislike for him to a new low with his tactics.

Biggest disappointment Part Deux: Bryuneel complete lack of willingness to DO HIS DAYUM JOB and reign Armstrong in. That in addition to his completely flawed strategy of having Astana's entire Tour be built around getting Armstrong either his 8th Tour win or at minimum on the podium when he was likely only the 3rd strongest and possibly only the 4th strongest rider on the team.

Biggest disappointment Part Trois: Johann, it was okay for Armstrong and yourself to hope wistfully for Armstrong to wear yellow after the TTT but then it was inopportune for Contador to pursue yellow on Arcalis?? I lost all respect for Bryuneel at this point.

Best Team: I personally enjoyed Caisse D'Epargne's season with Valverde, Sanchez, Rodriguez and their young cast of upstarts. If Rojas continues his development we may have another Oscar Freire on our hands except one that can compete in Flanders and P-R along with battle in the sprints.

Best Team #2: Liquigas was impressive with Nibali, Kreuziger and Pellizotti. Basso if I'm correct in my thinking will be a factor in the grand tours next year after a year of getting reaclimated to top level competition. Unfortunately he has to deal with Nibali who came into his own, Kreuziger who actually seemed to have gotten stronger on Ventoux, and Pellizotti who has to be respected now with his successes in both the Giro and the Tour which has to be the best dual performance since Pantani's Giro and Tour wins of 1998 (I'm talking back to back grand tours).

I have to mention Cancellara's WC ITT win. I'm not much of a fan of watching ITT's but watching Cancellara's performance was nothing short of awe-inspiring. So dominant he had one of his opponents having a temper tantrum
in public (Wiggins) to only add to his embarrassment. To have such a performance on his home soil was epic.

+1 I'm really tired of this 10 character requirement. It's just plain dumb

 

[flicker]

Best Lance 3rd place TdF.

Saddest Danny D.

Best comeback Vino.

 

[usedtobefast]

why did u quote me for saying that?

because my response is in the quote.hello?

 

[racerralph]

Angliru articulated it all so well. I'm on board for Part Un, Deux, Trois 100%. And my picks vary a bit, but his pints are great.
Biggest surprise for me was: 1.) Edvald Boasson Hagen popping out on his dominant team and really standing out.
2.)Tyler Farrar, great riding in the highly competitive sprint field
3.)And most of All, Phillipe Gilbert, and his late season surge! He seemed to respond to Stijn Devolder's outburst, about being left of the Belgian World Championship team. And after the WC, he won everything he entered, 4 straight, including Paris-Tours and Giro di Lombardia. Slamming the door shut on the 2009 season!
Biggest disappointment was: Boonen's sprinting abilities. Which seem to be losing some steam, although his season was still very good with the Belgian Championship, and a convincing Paris-Roubaix victory to put amongst his palmares.
A bigger disappointment was Bruyneel's poor judgement in the way he handled the whole Astana team situation, the moment LA entered the picture again.
Best Team for me was Columbia-HTC. Between Cavendish, Greipel and Boasson-Hagen, there was almost no room for anybody else on the top step of the podium, day in, and day out.
Big Disappointment Team for me was not one of the lowly teams that I never expected much from anyway. Predictably it boiled down to Team Astana. Financial Turmoil, MIA Leadership, leading to a very divided and tense team. Melodrama piled upon melodrama made what should have been a cake walk of a season into a repulsive soap opera. Redeemed only by what I felt was my Favorite Victory of the year: Alberto Contador's taking the French GT despite an astoundingly adverse team environment. Though he was portrayed by his detractors as not being savvy enough, and not even being intelligent enough, he weathered the storms and psychological attacks to come out on top. Job well done.
This fav victory is followed closely by Menchov's Giro Crown, which he won despite unrelenting pressure and uncountable attacks by Danilo DiLuca. And finally taking the victory despite an adrenalin rushing spill on the Via leading into the final sweep around the Coliseum. Great stuff! (And I'm a sucker for Italy anyway the Vesuvio stage was breathtaking)
Looking forward to 2010: Well, let me see.......TOUR DE FRANCE- MORTAL COMBAT!!!! LA Vs. AC to the death, with everybody else wanting to beat the old "fart"(he called himself that in a post Ventoux interview)too. It sure is gong to be a Gas!! can't wait.

 

[Ripper]

The big surprise: Evans at Worlds. Would never had predicted it

The big disappointment: The TdF. Boring race this year, lame drama. Hope next year is much better.

Disappointing team: Up until 3 weeks ago, Silence Lotto! Now ... ummmm Fuji!

Best team: Rock Racing (just kidding ) Cervelo ... just 'cause I liked their kits and they were better than I thought they'd be

Favourite victory: Lombardia and Worlds

Looking forward to: Great racing in 2010.

 

[Ripper]

And getting extremely annoying ...

Armstrong and his endless twittering.

Contadip constantly talking about how he wants to be on another team and that Constandya is not optimal (did someone hold a gun to his head to sign with Astana ... did Vino hold someone hostage?? )

 

[badboyberty]

Who was the big surprise?
Haussler, not really a surprise but nice to see the potential realised.

Who was the big dissapointment?
CyclingNews for screwing up the website!

Dissapointing and Best team? Disappointing team, Ag2R; Best, CerveloTT (also very impressed with FlyV-Australia)

Favourite victory for the year? Australia at the Worlds, it's nice to back a winner.

What are you looking forward to during 2010? The whole "is Haussler able to race for Australia?" thing being resolved, and the UCI doing something useful and banning certain riders from abusing Twitter.

 

[Tugboat]

Surprise Evans winning the Worlds (was a big surprise to him too I think).

Disappointment I'm going to pick Vinokourov for the arrogant way he returned from his doping disgrace. Di Luca a close second. Both ****s should just crawl under a rock and never come back.

Best Team Colombia hands down. Cavendish and Greipel with over 40 wins between them is staggering!!

Disappointing Team Rock Racing... what a fiasco the whole splitting of the original squad into amateur and pro was.

Favourite Victory The Kiwi bias in me just loved Hendy's stage win at the Vuelta... a breakthrough win for a really nice guy. The other standout for me was Luis Leon-Sanchez winning Paris-Nice (one of the most personable riders I've ever had the opportunity to meet).

Looking forward to in 2010 July's week in the Pyrenees has the potential to be awesome. Highlight is going to be the road worlds and the fact that they are just a short hop across the Tasman to be there live on the side of the road in Geelong.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Surprise
Cadel winning worlds, Thor getting green at TdF

Disapointment
Floyd Landis' return to cycling, Boonen at the TdF

Best Team - Cervelo

Favorite victory
AC beating Lance in the Tour, Sastre's Giro stages

What are you looking forward to during 2010?
Vino's return to a full season of racing, Gesink in the tour, Zirbel time trialling against the big guys.