• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Sunweb

Didn't see a topic for Sunweb.

Even though i'm Dutch and i think both Dumoulin and Kelderman certainly have talent i must say that i am shocked by the results of the team.

I can see this team win a GT or a couple of sprint stages or have the KOM-jersey or have a Vuelta podium.
However....
Dumoulin winner of the Giro d'Italia
Matthews winner of a bunch of Tour de France stages
Barguil winner of the KOM-jersey & 2 mountain stages in the TDF and 10th overall
Kelderman going for the podium in the Vuelta


Maybe i am pessimistic, but this makes my doping radar go on tilt....

How do you guys look at the team? Should i recalibrate my radar? Or is this starting to look quite dodgy?
 
May 26, 2010
28,143
5
0
Visit site
Re:

Dekker_Tifosi said:
just developing the best u23 talents there are for years.. why is it suspicious some of them also become of the best when they are pro's later on?

they did the same with kittel and degenkolb, but then in sprint + classics

Kittel the blood spinner?

Yeah teamSunweb are cleans, of course they are, they are nice and good boys.

:lol:
 
Re:

Dekker_Tifosi said:
just developing the best u23 talents there are for years.. why is it suspicious some of them also become of the best when they are pro's later on?

they did the same with kittel and degenkolb, but then in sprint + classics

While i agree that Dumoulin and Kelderman progression looks almost believable, how do you think they are able to keep up with dopers in the third week? I really like them btw, i would love for them to be clean but it's hard to believe they are. At least they had good results since a young age, and while skinny they don't look completely gaunt, so i can actually watch them during a race without instantly thinking "this is preposterous".
 
Re:

Dekker_Tifosi said:
i'm not saying they are, i'm just saying it's not so sudden and unexpected when you have been buying a pick o the best u23 talents for years and develop them for years.
Which is why i mentioned in the opening post that the results by these riders in itself is not something that would be unbelievable to me, or better said these guys having career best results is not something that shocks me. However it is the combination of the level of their results (it's not just career best, it is for all a massive step upwards) and that all these riders are getting these results that makes my radar go off.
 
Could just be a good year. I'll await the next years to see if there's something Sky'something going on.
If we have TDF train consisting of Kamna, Hofstede, Oomen, Kelderman and finally Dumoulin destroying the rest of the field like nothing, then it's something entirely different
 
May 26, 2010
28,143
5
0
Visit site
Re:

Dekker_Tifosi said:
i'm not saying they are, i'm just saying it's not so sudden and unexpected when you have been buying a pick o the best u23 talents for years and develop them for years.

That doesn't mean much in WT pro cycling.
 
Re:

Dekker_Tifosi said:
just developing the best u23 talents there are for years.. why is it suspicious some of them also become of the best when they are pro's later on?

they did the same with kittel and degenkolb, but then in sprint + classics
Doping programs are large, potentially risky investments. Starting with a good base of exceptionally naturally talented riders takes away some of that risk.

Who better than riders such as U23 World Champions (eg: Matthews), Tour de Lavenir winners (eg: Barguil), and multiple national TT champions (eg: Dumoulin)?
 
May 26, 2010
28,143
5
0
Visit site
Re: Re:

42x16ss said:
Dekker_Tifosi said:
just developing the best u23 talents there are for years.. why is it suspicious some of them also become of the best when they are pro's later on?

they did the same with kittel and degenkolb, but then in sprint + classics
Doping programs are large, potentially risky investments. Starting with a good base of exceptionally naturally talented riders takes away some of that risk.

Who better than riders such as U23 World Champions (eg: Matthews), Tour de Lavenir winners (eg: Barguil), and multiple national TT champions (eg: Dumoulin)?

Doping programs are a necessity in modern sport. Hence most WT with more than 1 doctor.

To be a WT rider one needs to be exceptional.

It is the reponse to the program and the risk a rider is willing to take to pursue their goals that marks them out for team captains, lieutenants etc
 
Looks like they're odds-on to win the Men's Time Trial?

Dumoulin should be the favorite and Kelderman figures to contend. Should outpace the Froome/Kwiatkowski/Kiryienka trio from Sky.

Something must be wrong with Dennis and Roglic; normally Dennis would be the favorite and Roglic would be a strong contender.
 
DanielSong39 said:
Looks like they're odds-on to win the Men's Time Trial?

Dumoulin should be the favorite and Kelderman figures to contend. Should outpace the Froome/Kwiatkowski/Kiryienka trio from Sky.

Something must be wrong with Dennis and Roglic; normally Dennis would be the favorite and Roglic would be a strong contender.
Dennis is close to invincible at the moment but only up to around 15-20 kms, then Dumoulin, Martin, Kiriyenka etc start taking over. He's probably the best TTTer around as well. I'd love to see him have a shot at the pursuit too.
 
behind the Giant-Shimano (and previously Argos) Giant-Alpecin, Giant-Sunweb, Sunweb there must be a similar marketing and PR brain to Sky but they did it slower, from the Argos years, now since 3-4 years with the #creatingmemories hashtag and the 2 vertical lines on the jersey (while Sky has 1....) the "young team", the 2015 Dumo-Vuelta experiment, the likeable team...
it´s coming together. kudos to Spekenbrink and co. for working behind that. they planned for long time. just look at Dumo´s contract until 2021.
they saw Sky´s big mistakes and Sky´s methods and marginal gains and learned from them. they have everything to please the public. Geschke, Ten Dam (tweeting to digger today ffs) the young guns from Holland and Australia etc
that is going to be huge. Kelderman stepped up big time and well, Dumo winning in Oropa is an aperitif of what is coming next year. and today we had the confirmation.
the team that will try to defeat Sky (with their similar methods, because they saw Sky and slowly learned) is coming

Dumo in 2015 "Wiggins showed me what´s possible"

http://teamsunweb.com/auping-tech/

bring their own mattresses and train in South Africa
 

TRENDING THREADS