Strongest Pro Team 2012?

[cineteq]

Which is the best team, who has the best roster, please vote and justify why if you want.

PS: Sorry if I miss your favorite team

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

What does 2 + 2 =?

Do bears **** in the woods?

 

[Forunculo]

http://roadcyclinguk.com/blogs/guest-blog/superteams-show-their-hand-for-2012.html

I choose BMC, they have a solid GC rider, Gilbert, good classic riders and Hincapie as road captain.

Sky is weaker in everything but sprint and it will be handicaped by GC ambitions.

Leopard have a strong GC area (but not the best), Cancellara (but Tony Martin at ITT is a formidable opposition and at classics he goes vs the rest) and usefull helpers but I guess the team's spirit is a weak point

1 BMC
2 Leopard
3 Sky

 

[Richeypen]

http://roadcyclinguk.com/blogs/guest-blog/superteams-show-their-hand-for-2012.html

I choose BMC, they have a solid GC rider, Gilbert, good classic riders and Hincapie as road captain.

Sky is weaker in everything but sprint and it will be handicaped by GC ambitions.

Leopard have a strong GC area (but not the best), Cancellara (but Tony Martin at ITT is a formidable opposition and at classics he goes vs the rest) and usefull helpers but I guess the team's spirit is a weak point

1 BMC
2 Leopard
3 Sky

Errrrrrrrrrrr

You realise there is no longer Leopard right?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Errrrrrrrrrrr

You realise there is no longer Leopard right?

Whatever you know what he means...

 

[Siriuscat]

It'll be radiotrash but then again Leopard were the strongest team last year, they were still dire!!

 

[LaFlorecita]

I voted BMC. I would've loved to vote Saxo, but it won't add to my credibility I'm afraid.

 

[Forunculo]

Errrrrrrrrrrr

You realise there is no longer Leopard right?

Sorry Radioshack Nissan Treck, directed by Bruyneel, and the Schlecks and Cancellara as leaders.

Florecita understands me

 

[Gloin22]

Sky for me - strongest team in depth and much better climbing squad than BMC except lonely Evans

 

[LaFlorecita]

Sorry Radioshack Nissan Treck, directed by Bruyneel, and the Schlecks and Cancellara as leaders.

Florecita understands me

Yay!

 

[Richeypen]

Voted Sky. BMC have the most impressive rider list but I feel there are too many egos there for them to be the best 'Team'.

Despite not being the best on paper Sky were the best on the road last year and have improved quite a bit for the coming year. OPQS look strong as well.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Sky for me - strongest team in depth

Sky is a close second for me. They do have a strong GC man, arguably the strongest sprinter and a few good TTers, but BMC just have a little more with Gilbert, Evans and Hushovd.

 

[The Hitch]

Coledeportes duh

Seriously though, Sky have a superb all round team. Superb.

 

[just some guy]

Sky at this moment but if Thor wins P-R then BMC.

Thor will become thegreatest team man if he gets his cobble and BMC may become a monster.

 

[Andy99]

Voted Sky.

Whilst BMC may be stronger if you look purely at individuals, I think Sky form a stronger all round team.

 

[FF'Wilco]

Sky for sure. Serious GT contenders (Froome, Wiggo), bunch of solid, already proved in their abilities, climbers with good TT (Rogers, Sivtsov, Lofkvist, Porte). Also nice on cobbles (Flecha, Thomas, Hagen, Eisel, Hayman) and they have best sprinter in the world, current world champion with a bunch of other nice sprinters, young and promising like Swift or Appollonio. They are lacking some potential on hills but i guess Uran and Henao can develop well and become serious contenders for Ardennes classics. And one thing that is really important: this team is still developing as a team and is actually great in developing youngsetrs like Dowsett, Kenaugh or Appollonio. And they seem like a group of people that really like each other and like to help and work for each other. SOmething opposite to Katusha imo.

BMC ? They are great in buying stars, nothing more. Winning TdF is somthing that deserve respect but thats all. Its one of the worst team in developing young riders from all WT teams.

 

[cineteq]

I'm surprised anybody, even Libertine, has not mentioned Movistar as one of the strongest.

Movistar Team 2012
Andrey Amador (CRC), David Arroyo, Marzio Bruseghin (ITA), Rui Costa (POR), Imanol Erviti, Iván Gutiérrez, Jesús Herrada, Beñat Intxausti, Javier Iriarte, Vasil Kiryienka (BLR), Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU), Pablo Lastras, David López, Angel Madrazo, Sergio Pardilla, Rubén Plaza, José Joaquín Rojas, Enrique Sanz, Branilau Samoilau (BLR) y Francisco Ventoso.

New Riders:
Jonathan Castroviejo (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Juanjo Cobo (Geox), José Herrada (Caja Rural), Vladimir Karpets (RUS-Katusha), Javi Moreno (Caja Rural), Nairo Quintana (COL- Colombia es Pasión), Alejandro Valverde y Giovanni Visconti (ITA-Farnese-Vini).

 

[jens_attacks]

i'd go with sky and radioshack

 

[Mambo95]

I'm surprised anybody, even Libertine, has not mentioned Movistar as one of the strongest.

Probably because they did sod all in 2011. A few new riders isn't going to suddenly turn them into a top team.

 

[lanternrouge]

Sky is a close second for me. They do have a strong GC man, arguably the strongest sprinter and a few good TTers, but BMC just have a little more with Gilbert, Evans and Hushovd.

Arguably the best sprinter? What does the man have to do to prove himelf the strongest to you!?!?

BMC will either have an awesome season or a disaster. Hopefully the latter.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Woted BMC, if Thor does well in PR and so on, Gilbert is as dominant as last year, and Evans wins a couple of 1 week races + podium in the tour it will be a really good team.

Sky as a close second

 

[taiwan]

good idea...

Sky, Radioshack or BMC. Maybe Radioshack. They've got both Schlecks and Cancellara, then add in all Bruyneels Tour veterans. They don't have the strongest sprinter, but Bennati still gets around. Sky aren't quite the same in terms of depth, and BMC lean quite a lot towards the Classics. Movistar, in terms of depth, are strong as ever.

 

[ferryman]

Coledeportes duh

Seriously though, Sky have a superb all round team. Superb.

They have but they are light for the Ardennes No? Which probably leans me more to BMC plus the fact they have the likely TDF winner when/if AC gets sent down.

 

[just some guy]

Sky for sure. Serious GT contenders (Froome, Wiggo), bunch of solid, already proved in their abilities, climbers with good TT (Rogers, Sivtsov, Lofkvist, Porte). Also nice on cobbles (Flecha, Thomas, Hagen, Eisel, Hayman) and they have best sprinter in the world, current world champion with a bunch of other nice sprinters, young and promising like Swift or Appollonio. They are lacking some potential on hills but i guess Uran and Henao can develop well and become serious contenders for Ardennes classics. And one thing that is really important: this team is still developing as a team and is actually great in developing youngsetrs like Dowsett, Kenaugh or Appollonio. And they seem like a group of people that really like each other and like to help and work for each other. SOmething opposite to Katusha imo.

BMC ? They are great in buying stars, nothing more. Winning TdF is somthing that deserve respect but thats all. Its one of the worst team in developing young riders from all WT teams.

Since the team has only been in the WT for 1 year staring its 2nd in 2012 how do you develop riders

 

[richtea]

I'm a bit bemused by these arguments that BMC become a stronger team because Hushovd gets a good result at PR again. The results come because of the quality of the riders not the other way round.