TdF Team lineups

[Liquigas]

Milram: Terpstra, Wegmann, Gerdemann, Ciolek, Kluge, Roberts, Fröhlinger, Knees, Rohregger

No Markus Fothen?

I know, I know, he's not that good anymore, I don't know what's up with his head or whatever his problem is...

 

[MADRAZO]

OPL:
Aerts, De Greef, Delage, Lang, Lloyd, Moreno Fernandez, Roelandts, Van den Broeck, Wegelius


Weird that Van Avermaet is missing. He looked in great form in TDS and would be their best bet at a stagevictory. Anyone knows why he has not been selected?

 

[tgsgirl]

Weird that Van Avermaet is missing. He looked in great form in TDS and would be their best bet at a stagevictory. Anyone knows why he has not been selected?

This is pure conjecture, but maybe he wants a go at the Vuelta again?

 

[ingsve]

To be fair Nicki was looking better then Chris Anker on the climbs last TdF, he's also more experienced and probably a better all-rounder then Chris Anker.

Well, Chris Anker has a higher potential as a climber than Nicki has but Nicki has the experience. I'd say if it's between the two of them it comes down form and preference.

Gustav Larsson was at the cobbled classics so could be useful at stage 3 but he's maybe running tired after both the giro and TdS?

He went into the Giro on poor form and used the race mainly to prepare for the Tour and judging by how he ended the Giro and his current form it seems he has done all he can to be prepared should he get selected. His fate mainly comes down to how they want their overall team to be balanced.

 

[ingsve]

No Markus Fothen?

I know, I know, he's not that good anymore, I don't know what's up with his head or whatever his problem is...

No more Gerolsteiner juice?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

milram is one of those teams that i can't really understand what their plan is. Send Wegmann and Gerdemann up the road for stage wins after they're out of it? sorry, i don't really get how this is a pro-tour team. someone explain.

Kluge, Roberts and Ciolek can put together a half-decent sprint train, but not one I expect to be particularly effective against the engines in the Tour. Gerdemann and Wegmann are both good stagehunters. Wegmann in particular is a rider I have a lot of time for. He'll get into a lot of breaks and sprint from a reduced bunch; maybe get them something in week 2. Somebody like him or Rohregger could get into a break early in the race and hold the KOM for a short while too (the KOM points system in the Tour will work against him being able to repeat his Giro KOM from a few years ago). Gerdemann would have won a Vuelta stage had he not punctured a few km out last year, and Gerdemann will get them some exposure with his doomed, hopeless darts near the ends of stages.

As for how it's a ProTour team... when they joined the ProTour, they were led by Petacchi and Zabel. Petacchi then got banned and Zabel retired, and with German cycling in the doldrums, they couldn't get the budget to improve things. By most accounts they're not the most up-to-date or focused in their training methods, and see themselves more as a placeholder for German cycling than as a genuine major team. They've won at least one of their season goals though (Rund um den Finanzplatz) so their hope for a new sponsor is not doing too badly, but I doubt they'll be ProTour next year. And then it's bye-bye German cycling, which will be a crying shame.

Of the smaller teams like LKT Brandenburg, Heizomat, Seven Stones and the like, I think NetApp are definitely the ones to progress. If Milram fold, NetApp will pick up most of the riders that don't get a ProTour slot, and use that to build to ProConti status the same way Bessons Chaussures-Sojasun (now Saur) took most of the scraps from Crédit Agricole's yard sale.

 

[mowie133]

Liquigas-Doimo for me is a big player this in the tour...they have like 4 or so guys who could go for GC.......Vincenzo Nibali for me is a big player in this years tour...i reckon basso will work for him..any ideas on how the team will line up

 

[bicycles_rule]

I guess, if you're milram you just cannot have a plan. you just got to be lucky. all of them, except ciolek, would be domestiques at big teams.
what if ciolek hits peak form and outsprints everyone? then they will be able to ride for him in the sprints. otherwise, the rest of them will go into breakaways and try to get small prizes like KOM during the first week, or maybe a stage.
They just don't have any top climbers or tt'ers or really top riders in general.

 

[Ferminal]

This is pure conjecture, but maybe he wants a go at the Vuelta again?

Going to BMC (or somewhere else), so they are probably giving him the cold shoulder.

 

[Climbing]

Liquigas-Doimo for me is a big player this in the tour...they have like 4 or so guys who could go for GC.......Vincenzo Nibali for me is a big player in this years tour...i reckon basso will work for him..any ideas on how the team will line up

Nibali will not run TdF, but will be at the Vuelta.
By the way the captain is Basso, as stated in the last interview released.

 

[JPM London]

Saxo-Bank:
A. Schleck, F. Schleck, Cancellara, Fuglsang, Breschel, N. Sorensen, Voigt, C. Sorensen, Larsson, O'Grady

And so the news is out: Larsson will be the reserve on tactical reasons (preferred extra climber instead of tempo rider).

http://www.team-saxobank.com/ny_news.asp?lang=dk&n_id=2845

 

[analo69]

Saxo banks tour team has been announced in the Danish media.

It was Gustav Larsson who got sorted out.

The Lineup:

Andy Schelck
Fränk Schleck
Cancellara
Voigt
O'grady
C A Sørensen
Nicki Sørensen
Matti Breschel
Jacob Fuglsang

I am happy to see 4 Danes on the team, but feel sorry for Larsson.

In my opinion the strongest team in the tour, regardless who the other teams choose. 2 debutants, but I don't think it will be a problem because they are both very strong and also experienced in other races. Breschel has ridden 4-5 Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris Roubaix plus both the giro and vuelta. Has a lot of victories and many good results. Fuglsang has only ridden one vuelta, but has won 3 short stage races and got 3rd yesterday in T D Suisse.

4 very strong riders for the mountains: Schlecks, CA Sørensen and Fuglsang. Strong lineup. CA Sørensen recently won a mountain stage in the Giro + 1 and 3 in TDS and off course Andy Schleck. Very impressive.


5 strong riders for the rest: Cancellara, O'grady, Nicki Sørensen, Voigt and Breschel. Some of them are also strong in the mountains. 4 of the 5 are previous tour stage winners.

 

[roundabout]

So Riis is going to take Contador on in the mountains. Any guesses to what the outcome might be?

 

[mightymac12]

Team Radio Shack's Tour Selection

http://www.livestrong.com/teamradio...-roster/24f81b27-05ee-4dea-9fff-326a86204eaf/

 

[Cerberus]

I'm slightly surprised that Larson got left out. He was the guy the media originally tipped as the most likely to be left out when the shortlist was announced way back, but considering his IMO fairly strong performance in TdS I would have though he'd get in. On the other hand what Larsson brings to the table is mainly strenght on the flats, which is probably unlikely to be decisive. Not that Saxo Bank is lacking in that regard.

 

[analo69]

I think he is going to take Contador on the pavees as well. He has two Paris Roubaix winners and Breschel who is also a pavé specialist.

I think he will also try to isolate some favourites early on in the stages. Perhaps hoping to have 4-5-6 riders in a 15-30 man group 100 km from the finish. With lots of guys in a small group it should be possible to take time from someone not having such a strong lineup.

I really cant see who has a better team than Saxo Bank. Perhaps Radioschack or Liquigas in the mountains. Difficult to say now.

In addition Saxo bank has a rider for every type of stage, mass sprints excluded. Voigt, Breschel for stage wins on hilly or flat terrain. Cancellara for TT and perhaps a yellow jersey. 4 riders for the mountains (see previous post by me). Strong domestiques as well.

 

[mightymac12]

Lance Armstrong
Levi Leipheimer
Jani Brajkovic
Chris Horner
Andreas Kloden
Dimitriy Muravyev
Sergia Paulinho
Gregory Rast
Yaroslav Popovych

 

[Beech Mtn]

Lance Armstrong
Levi Leipheimer
Jani Brajkovic
Chris Horner
Andreas Kloden
Dimitriy Muravyev
Sergia Paulinho
Gregory Rast
Yaroslav Popovych

Interesting. No Spaniards - Chechu left home, Haimar out with wrist injury,

Also Machado left out of Tour after being denied a chance to ride in the Giro.

But a good strong team in a lot of ways. Surprised they brought Muravyev - I figured he might get left out.

 

[kurtinsc]

Lance Armstrong
Levi Leipheimer
Jani Brajkovic
Chris Horner
Andreas Kloden
Dimitriy Muravyev
Sergia Paulinho
Gregory Rast
Yaroslav Popovych

Expected... but it shows that if Lance wants to gain time on the cobbles he's going to need another team to push the pace. He doesn't have the team to fracture the pelaton on a cobbled course... it's loaded with high mountain guys.

Rast is solid, Muravyev is okay, Popovych can cope... but after that there's nobody that will help on a cobbled section.

 

[Merckx11]

Horner and Rast can help on the cobbles too.

 

[kurtinsc]

Horner and Rast can help on the cobbles too.

Horner might be able to survive the cobbles, but as far as I know he's not skilled enough to set a pace that will burn anyone off the back.

Popovych is a little better... but I'm not sure he could either.

Really it's just Rast and Muryavev. I simply don't think that's enough to cause a significant gap.

If another team does... say Quickstep... then RS might be able to "help out" a bit... but I can't see them actually driving things. They'll need help.

Now if Andy and Frank can handle the pace... then Saxo has the firepower to create a break.

 

[ilillillli]

can someone help me with this: what, exactly does Dmitriy Muravyev bring to this lineup? is he a "roller" in the Gregory Rast mold? that's the only way his presence on this roster makes any sense to me.

 

[Cerberus]

Now if Andy and Frank can handle the pace... then Saxo has the firepower to create a break.

Definitely, and the fact that the Schlecks (like everyone else) can't expect to beat Contador in a straight matchup is definitely in favour of trying something on the cobbles. On the minus side the Schelcks themselves are probably as far from cobbled riders as you can get. Does anyone know how much having a strong cobbled team can help get individually weak rider such as the Schlecks across the cobbles? Position coming into the cobbles is supposed to be important and the team definitely can help with that.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Yes.
I would agree with the posters above. Lightweight for the cobbles and, I suspect, more importantly, stage 1 along the coast.
Jani gets a ride. Good, as he merits a place.
Perhaps something that is positive has come out of the Vuelta non-invite.

Saxo go for the tried and tested. Stuey makes the cut.
Hopefully, Fuglsang will add a bit of mountain strength by showing up on the big stage..........at last.

 

[kurtinsc]

Definitely, and the fact that the Schlecks (like everyone else) can't expect to beat Contador in a straight matchup is definitely in favour of trying something on the cobbles. On the minus side the Schelcks themselves are probably as far from cobbled riders as you can get. Does anyone know how much having a strong cobbled team can help get individually weak rider such as the Schlecks across the cobbles? Position coming into the cobbles is supposed to be important and the team definitely can help with that.

I've asked that question before. I don't honestly know the answer.

I'd guess a rider like Wiggins who has a pretty solid team in terms of cobbled riders who has also done decent in cobbled races himself is in the best position.

But then you have Lance... who's a decent cobbled rider but doen't have a lot of guys on his team who are great at the cobbles... and the Schlecks... who have a dominant cobbled team but neither has ever done anything on cobbles (as far as I know).

I have no idea if Lance or the Schlecks have a better shot at doing something with a cobbled stage given their teams. That's what makes it interesting for me. I REALLY hope quickstep blows it up so we can see what happens.