Sign here if you think Henao is a future star on the european scene.

[The Hitch]

If we can have a thread about David Kemp and several about Taylor Phinney i think we can have one on this guy.

seeing as how cycling experts and much of this forum are building up several anglo and european riders including Richie Porte Sagan, Kennaugh, TJ, EBH, Phinney etc as the future gt stars i want a list of posters who think the unsung Henao will beat them all.

Sign here and years from now you can point to this thread to show that you knew more about cycling than Phil Ligget



I know his tt may be a problem but he can work on it and losing 1 20 to Oscar Sevilla in a 36 k tt isnt that bad.

I eagerly await his arrival on the european scene

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Henao, Betancourt, Atapuma, Quintana, Pantano, Beltran...

I will build them all up to be future stars of cycling. Colombia (the country, not the team) has a god awesome batch of talents lately.
Not to mention Uran is still only 23 and Duarte is not exactly old yet either

 

[nvpacchi]

man Hitch you weren't lying when you said you were bored, but I gotta love me some Colombians as well

 

[hrotha]

Depends on many factors, including his mental strength to adapt to Europe and also several Clinic-related factors that made the Colombians all but disappear from the face of Earth in the 90s.

 

[The Hitch]

Henao, Betancourt, Atapuma, Quintana, Pantano, Beltran...

I will build them all up to be future stars of cycling. Colombia (the country, not the team) has a god awesome batch of talents lately.
Not to mention Uran is still only 23 and Duarte is not exactly old yet either

I agree about the others. Personally i dont care who does it, i want a non anglo/ european rider bringing it in gts and i love Colombias passion for cycling.

But i was motivate to put Henao forward because unlike the others, he has actually WON the Vuelta colombia, a big 2 week stage race which makes the Tourmalet look like the Col de la Croix de la Serra

And most importantly, unlike the others, despite his win he doesnt have many articles about him, and he didnt even have a wikipedia profile until i created one 10 minutes ago.

Actually i create this thread because i want to put in the phrase " While Henao has been relatively ignored by cycling experts, he is seen by cycling fans as a potential Grand Tour winner", and then link this thread as the refference

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I think he should be. He has the talent to. Whether he will be is another matter, whether it be for lack of opportunity, willingness, or ability to adapt to Europe.

 

[Barrus]

I hope he will and think he should, like Libertine. However I fear that he might not, unless he comes over in a Colombian team. For some reason most SOuth American don't really adjust well to the European scene

 

[Escarabajo]

Depends on many factors, including his mental strength to adapt to Europe and also several Clinic-related factors that made the Colombians all but disappear from the face of Earth in the 90s.

+1.

I hoping for the best. It looks like the perfect time.

 

[pedaling squares]

Actually i create this thread because i want to put in the phrase " While Henao has been relatively ignored by cycling experts, he is seen by cycling fans as a potential Grand Tour winner", and then link this thread as the refference

While I agree with the bunch about his potential, I believe you created this thread with an eye to your future signature block:

"The Hitch: Official Cycling News breaker of Henao's potential to shine in the Euro scene. Take that you Aussie punk."

 

[Kvinto]

I hope he'll justify your expectations but... I don't know... they all (I mean South American riders) are too unpredictable in Europe... Don't know how it'll work out in the case of Henao...

 

[Michele]

Personally I would have liked to see him riding already next year in some Continental team or anyway a minor racing schedule.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Are any of these guys better time triralists or bike handlers than Soler?

 

[janraaskalt]

I believe Henao has the physical talent to become a great professional. I hope a great pro team will give him a chance in 2012.

 

[Gotland]

I think Henao not going too win a GT he is overestimate. It exist alot of better colombian riders. Winning volta colombia isn't a really big thing. Yes it has alot of mountain stages. But the opponents in that race is not that hard. Henao has just turn 23 and by then you must have shown more talant too win a GT.

Sarmiento, Quintana, Beltran, Betancour, Duarte, Uran Uran and Rubiano have all alot bigger chance too be new colombian star rider.

 

[Escarabajo]

I think Henao not going too win a GT he is overestimate. It exist alot of better colombian riders. Winning volta colombia isn't a really big thing. Yes it has alot of mountain stages. But the opponents in that race is not that hard. Henao has just turn 23 and by then you must have shown more talant too win a GT.

Sarmiento, Quintana, Beltran, Betancour, Duarte, Uran Uran and Rubiano have all alot bigger chance too be new colombian star rider.

Te Vuelta at age 22??? Are you kidding me.

Easy?

You have me confused.

 

[Escarabajo]

I believe Henao has the physical talent to become a great professional. I hope a great pro team will give him a chance in 2012.

I read on this same forum that a couple of pro-tour teams tried to sign him and he refused. It looks like he did not feel was the right time to make the switch. Go figure. Now that we have a Continental Colombian team he might not even ride with a European team in the near future after all.

Maybe we will have the good all days from the 80's.

 

[Ferminal]

In thy CQ team...

 

[simo1733]

Hey Hitch I do hope you are not going to have an ACF style man crush on this poor boy?

 

[dolophonic]

Sounds like a rider to watch if we could ever see any of his races...
Perhaps a spot at the Giro would be good. Rujano sure shone there.

 

[hfer07]

Henao will succeed-perhaps not to the level of a TdF GT contender, but certainly a top 5 is reachable- IF he's supported by a Colombian Team- otherwise he'll never get the chance in an environment where European interests are prioritized. Also-as some folk here already stated- the "clinic" factor will play out in his goals-since the colombians aren't that keen to get into those methods (of course excluding Santiago Botero-- which belongs to a different breed)

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

transition into europe is a difficult one.
Yes the races in s/america are probably more entertaining, but that is because quality in Europe make the races less unpredictable.
for example man utd and liverpool can play a terribly boring 0-0 draw, whereas my little cousin can play a 7-6 game in a junior league here. Comparing riders results in s/america is difficult to summarizing instant sucess in europe.

Colombia appear to have much talent, but I suspect many will not succeed in europe.

As for Henao, he certainly has the potential, but only time will tell. Once again, the transition into europe will not be easy. Different racing.

Personally I would like to see some come here and succeed, but at the same time I can't claim i'm 'crazy' about them, as I haven't personally seen enough of these guys (suspect this is the case with the majority of the posters here, despite the constant hype ) to really judge if I like the individual rider or not.

 

[The Hitch]

Hey Hitch I do hope you are not going to have an ACF style man crush on this poor boy?

wtf

What an extremely stupid comment.

I suggested a cyclist will shine is all. As have many others.

Your comment deserves a place in the moron of the year thread on its own.

 

[The Hitch]

s I haven't personally seen enough of these guys (suspect this is the case with the majority of the posters here, despite the constant hype ) to really judge if I like the individual rider or not.

No i havent seen that much of him. But im not saying he WILL be great, i simply threw his name into the ring. If you look at the op i said he might be better in gts than Sagan, Ebh, Phinney,tj ie the people many suggest will end up as gt riders. I think tj might become one, i dont have much hope for the others, but is it really that far fetched to suggest Henao might be up there too?

 

[profff]

henao has great talent
he has every thing to succeed in europe.

i think the transition in europe is diffuicult for colombians as they are left alone by the teams.
duarte was signed by androni, and then left alone in a hotel near the small town of biella, northern italy , for a couple of month.
he was not able to stand that and he simply come back to colombia.
he is a very complete rider and , in the right environment , he can blow up the scene in europe.
i hope he will find the right mood in geox: he has the numbers and the right age to explode....

south american have particular attitudes: they need to have dreams , to feel supported and have "gana":if they have all this they are very strong.

staying another year with orgullo, henao is probably loosing an year.

i expect great thing from betancurt, with acqua e sapone. he is great rider, you'll see.

uran has his last great chance with sky: when he was young he was very often beaten by henao uphill. rigoberto is stronger in tt ( he was decent also on track) and he is more complete then sergio henao.
i hope he will be let free to make his road this year. if he fails , he has a future as super domestique,.
i hope that sky will not use him this year in this role , sacrifying him to some white pale wannabee...

pantano, quintano and atapuma are very young.
especially for the last two it will be great to make some experience with cafe de colombia in small races in europe: let them grow, and you will see...

 

[Reuell]

Where do I sign?