Team Tinkoff-SaxoBank -What happens next?

[WheelofGear]

Petrov, CAS, Poljanski and even Zaugg are all pro-conti/low world tour-team level. Basso is too old and Kreuziger is not the climber he used to be.

An expensive team like Tinkoff-Saxo need some stronger riders.

 

[buchanan]

Been really dissapointed in Contador's lack of ANY support in the mountains at the Giro. None of his teammates were capable of pacing him even just for a 1 or 2km's at the base of the climbs. As soon as the road tilts up they all just drop away like flies. Funny thing is Rogers was pretty good last year, even winning mountain stages in the Giro and Tour. But his level has dropped off hugely this year. Basso has been hopeless and I remember scratching my head when TS signed him. I thought surely it makes more sense to go for a younger up and coming rider. If Kreuziger indeed became sick then I suppose we can't really blame him. Hopefully Majka can step up and help a bit at the Tour. Kiserlovski seems to have been anonymous so far this season (does anyone know how his form has been?) and Contador's pal, Jesus, really should not be picked for the Tour team as he simply isn't good enough anymore.

 

[rm7]

Re:

At TdF Kreuziger will be in much better shape, because of this Giro. It was hard for him without race days, without GT in his legs and without training focused on big mountains.

But Basso? Joke. Even Rogers seemed worse than last year, or is that just because Astana was flying?

I dont think Kreuziger will be at the Tour because of his CAS hearing. I think it's in july.

I dont know if Rodgers was much worse than last year, because last year he didn't have to be at the front all the time, and he could ride for stages. We'll find out in the Tour, but I think he will be better. He got better during the Giro, and should be peaking in the Tour.

 

[staubsauger]

Oleg should've re-honored his old racing-license prior to the Giro. No way he would've been uselesser than Basso as a domestique!

 

[Carols]

Re:

I have no words. Tinkoff-Saxo was truly a DISGRACE.

Obviously Contador had a bad day, but please tell me... Have he got any help just ONCE in the finals on mountain stages????? Not ONCE! In the whole race, he had to cover ALL attacks by himself. COME ON!

Kreuziger apparently got ill, but he wasn't even top10 in the big mountains.

I really hope Majka, Kiserlovski and Rodgers are in top shape at the Tour.

I really can't remember when somebody last time won a GT without any team at all. Kreuziger should've closed a lot of the gaps that Contador did himself.

LeMond 1989.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Navarro would have been real good

 

[IndianCyclist]

Re: Re:

I have no words. Tinkoff-Saxo was truly a DISGRACE.

Obviously Contador had a bad day, but please tell me... Have he got any help just ONCE in the finals on mountain stages????? Not ONCE! In the whole race, he had to cover ALL attacks by himself. COME ON!

Kreuziger apparently got ill, but he wasn't even top10 in the big mountains.

I really hope Majka, Kiserlovski and Rodgers are in top shape at the Tour.

I really can't remember when somebody last time won a GT without any team at all. Kreuziger should've closed a lot of the gaps that Contador did himself.

LeMond 1989.

but it was Fignon with the yellow and all the responsibility. Lemond took yellow back in the last stage which was the TT. Same with Cadel

 

[Carols]

Re: Re:

I have no words. Tinkoff-Saxo was truly a DISGRACE.

Obviously Contador had a bad day, but please tell me... Have he got any help just ONCE in the finals on mountain stages????? Not ONCE! In the whole race, he had to cover ALL attacks by himself. COME ON!

Kreuziger apparently got ill, but he wasn't even top10 in the big mountains.

I really hope Majka, Kiserlovski and Rodgers are in top shape at the Tour.

I really can't remember when somebody last time won a GT without any team at all. Kreuziger should've closed a lot of the gaps that Contador did himself.

LeMond 1989.

but it was Fignon with the yellow and all the responsibility. Lemond took yellow back in the last stage which was the TT. Same with Cadel

He and Fignon traded the jersey back and forth from stage 5 where Greg took yellow.

 

[Kokoso]

Re:

Navarro would have been real good

Or pretty bad, you can't know.

 

[cellardoor]

If Rogers is doing both the Giro and Tour then it makes sense that, like Contador, his form has to be a bit off at the Giro and then peaking for the Tour.

 

[Billie]

Re:

I have no words. Tinkoff-Saxo was truly a DISGRACE.

Obviously Contador had a bad day, but please tell me... Have he got any help just ONCE in the finals on mountain stages????? Not ONCE! In the whole race, he had to cover ALL attacks by himself. COME ON!

Kreuziger apparently got ill, but he wasn't even top10 in the big mountains.

I really hope Majka, Kiserlovski and Rodgers are in top shape at the Tour.

I really can't remember when somebody last time won a GT without any team at all. Kreuziger should've closed a lot of the gaps that Contador did himself.

Il Falco's two giri wins never had any teammate to help him.

First time whole team was build around Quaranta who got dropped on a bridge with all his team dropping back to help him.
Second time half the discovery team had already quit. Atleast Ardila and van Huffel did lots of usefull work for him

 

[Jelantik]

Re:

The biggest problem for Contador this time was also that Astana had two strong riders.

It's like when he race against SKY, they only have Froome, so the SKY train is actually doing the job for him also. All he have to do is follow Froome when he attacks.

In this Giro he had to cover attacks from a lot of riders, but in the Tour I think SKY will do that job.

This year though, if porte is recovered well and still hold his form, Contador is going to deal more than what he just dealt in the Giro with Aru/Landa. Porte/Froome is lethal when they both on form. Majka is not very consistent, and weak mentally *read somewhere in his interview, he didn't have confident aka buckle easily mentally. He also hasn't shown any convincing form after stellar performance last year. I guess that's the different between him vs Aru.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Tinkov is saying after the TDF do the Vuelta. I am not so sure that Contador will crack but the TS team sure will be dead

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Every time Olga opens the mouth only shit comes out of it, literally. Just wonder why cycnews publishes it. It has as much to do with true cycling as I have to do with NASA.

 

[Up_The_Road]

Not a GT, but Contador got equally poor support at the 2014 Dauphine.

Actually, I think it was even worse, because AC only had the leader's jersey one day and the rest of TS didn't have to do anything prior to that. The one day that they were needed, they were nowhere to be found right after the starting pistol.

 

[personal]

All that being said, team did great in TTT which was first big step in Contador's path to victory.

 

[T-Nielsen]

Re:

All that being said, team did great in TTT which was first big step in Contador's path to victory.

The elephants did good but the goats failed.

 

[personal]

Re: Re:

All that being said, team did great in TTT which was first big step in Contador's path to victory.

The elephants did good but the goats failed.

That is my point; team didn't fail completely.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

All that being said, team did great in TTT which was first big step in Contador's path to victory.

Yep.
I was just thinking yesterday;
Looking back, funny that the TTT was the closest Berto was to a stage. Just a Basso failure away

 

[TourOfSardinia]

I'd say that the way Basso went in the Giro means he should be fresh for the Tour
and may be better there than the Giro.

 

[WheelofGear]

 

[T-Nielsen]

Re: Re:

All that being said, team did great in TTT which was first big step in Contador's path to victory.

Yep.
I was just thinking yesterday;
Looking back, funny that the TTT was the closest Berto was to a stage. Just a Basso failure away

To be fair, Contador made the mistake. Dropping a rider in the TTT happens. Indeed it SHOULD happen. The failure was Contador waiting for him. He will learn from that

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

All that being said, team did great in TTT which was first big step in Contador's path to victory.

Yep.
I was just thinking yesterday;
Looking back, funny that the TTT was the closest Berto was to a stage. Just a Basso failure away

To be fair, Contador made the mistake. Dropping a rider in the TTT happens. Indeed it SHOULD happen. The failure was Contador waiting for him. He will learn from that

I think the issue was that Alberto had just done a pull and went to Basso's wheel. And then Basso dropped

 

[rainman]

Re:

Poor dog !

 

[No_Balls]

Re: Re:

Oleg has to get sober: