Teams & Riders Team Visma - Lease a Bike

[Valv.Piti]

Went from a laughing stock in 14-15 to the best team in cycling. Chapeau whoever managed this.

 

[Noddy97]

Went from a laughing stock in 14-15 to the best team in cycling. Chapeau whoever managed this.

Yeah, I still remember when they killed valverde in the tour just to protect mollema's top10... Thanks god those years are gone.

 

[jaylew]

They look mouth-wateringly good next year. 3 top GC guys who can climb and TT, plenty of climbing doms, one of the best sprinters in the world and a couple top strongmen on the rise who can also sprint. And they could still get Kittel...

 

[tobydawq]

Yeah, I still remember when they killed valverde in the tour just to protect mollema's top10... Thanks god those years are gone.

Yeah, that was 2013. In 2015, especially, they were terrible.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah, I still remember when they killed valverde in the tour just to protect mollema's top10... Thanks god those years are gone.

That was literally for the 2nd place in GC. So that's a ridiculous criticism. So much salt for another 4th place lost.

 

[KZD]

They look mouth-wateringly good next year. 3 top GC guys who can climb and TT, plenty of climbing doms, one of the best sprinters in the world and a couple top strongmen on the rise who can also sprint. And they could still get Kittel...

I hope they don't get Kittel.
Considering they are focusing more on GT's next season's and even Groenewegen might miss the Tour selection I don't think they need him.

 

[GVFTA]

They look mouth-wateringly good next year. 3 top GC guys who can climb and TT, plenty of climbing doms, one of the best sprinters in the world and a couple top strongmen on the rise who can also sprint. And they could still get Kittel...

Definitely enough climbing doms to field contending teams for all 3 GTs.

 

[Leinster]

I hope they don't get Kittel.
Considering they are focusing more on GT's next season's and even Groenewegen might miss the Tour selection I don't think they need him.

I would say that if Kittel signs for anyone now, it would be Sunweb. They’ve just lost their top gc rider, and signed Benoot, a classics rider, to go along with Matthews, a classics rider/stage hunter. Kittel would be the obvious rider to contest those flat stage sprints where the day just isn’t hard enough for Matthews to win.

Or as suggested earlier, Groenewegen could go to Sunweb in a swap deal. Also, Quickstep haven’t confirmed Sam Bennett yet. Dylan behind the Quickstep leadout train could be unstoppable.

 

[Noddy97]

The curse of rabofail will never leave this team

 

[JosephK]

What can be said about today's crash? Certainly not a rider's mistake. That water came from nowhere and had "wipeout" written all over it. Bad luck is all.

 

[Anderis]

Yeah, I still remember when they killed valverde in the tour just to protect mollema's top10... Thanks god those years are gone.

You clearly remember things wrong because they gained time on that stage to many more GC relevant riders than just Valverde and Mollema was a legit podium contender at that point until he got ill in 3rd week.

 

[Noddy97]

You clearly remember things wrong because they gained time on that stage to many more GC relevant riders than just Valverde and Mollema was a legit podium contender at that point until he got ill in 3rd week.

But they started the work after valverde's puncture

 

[Anderis]

But they started the work after valverde's puncture

That doesn't change the fact they didn't do it "just to protect Mollema's top10" because after that stage Mollema was 2nd in GC, after outclimbing Contador, Quintana and Purito on Ax3 Domaines and finishing 2nd best of GC riders after Froome on ITT. He was fighting for podium at that point. They worked to attack 2nd overall, not to defend 7th or something.

 

[Lequack]

What can be said about today's crash? Certainly not a rider's mistake. That water came from nowhere and had "wipeout" written all over it. Bad luck is all.

Yeah I mean water coming in a dry stage, just on a blind corner. How unlucky can you get.

 

[Lequack]

Well for at the bad luck at the start of the Vuelta, they seemed to have made it.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Even with all the bad luck they had with crash in the opening TT, mechanical for Roglic in one of the mountain stages and another crash and a tactical error in the echelon stage, they still won with Roglic.

On top of a season with podiums in the Giro (Roglic again) and Kruijswijk (TDF), a plethora of stage victories in many other races with groenewegen, teunissen, van aert etc, and roglic winning nearly every 1 week race he started... what a season.. never expected Plugge and all to pull it off
To be continued next season with Dumoulin as addition. Scary

 

[Lequack]

 

[Nirvana]

Poor Menchov, they forgot he has won three (two according to spanish judges) GTs with them...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

No, they are counting from the time they are Jumbo. Not before

 

[Nirvana]

No, they are counting from the time they are Jumbo. Not before

Why? The team is the same, they only changed the sponsor.

 

[cellardoor]

Is the team the same? I thought they changed "the management" after all the scandals?

 

[Cinemaniak]

Why? The team is the same, they only changed the sponsor.

I disagree. The team has changed so much, inside and outside, it's hardly recognizable as 'Rabobank'. Just like:
UEA= Lampre
CCC=BMC
Trek=Radioshack
BORA=NetApp

 

[Nirvana]

I disagree. The team has changed so much, inside and outside, it's hardly recognizable as 'Rabobank'. Just like:
UEA= Lampre
CCC=BMC
Trek=Radioshack
BORA=NetApp

That teams are all in continuity, they changed the sponsors but maintaining the same team structure, there aren't cases like when Astana in 2007 created a total new entity going away from Liberty Seguros ashes.

 

[masking_agent]

Also great for Bianchi. I'm sure there will be more Oltre XR4's flying off the floors of bike shops. Anyone know if Bianchi are contracted to remain with them for how much longer ?

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I am increasingly baffled about what they plan to do with Groenewegen. It seems increasingly like a Cav at Sky situation. Big star, from the right country, suddenly doesn’t seem like a good fit with team’s strategic priorities. Teams that are deadly serious about winning GTs are not well placed to maximize the results of a sprinter, even more so a sprinter who is quite train reliant. It’s not as if Groenewegen is a McEwen type sprinter, happy to surf wheels by himself.