The best prospects from your home country

[cobblehead]

I'm gonna limit the list to five boys I think are gonna make the step from being prospects to being boys capable of winning some nice races, therefore the most are allready a bit older (22 - 24) but we all know for a cyclist that's still prospectage...

1. Jan Bakelandts (24, omega pharma), can be good in every hilly classic and someone capable of winning a stage in a GT after a break away
2. Thomas Degendt (23, topsport vlaanderen, going to a protour team next season), good one day rider
3. ben Hermans (24 radio shack), see him winning the fleche wallon one day
4. Sep Vanmarcke (22 topsport vlaanderen, going to a protour team next season), has everything to be the next big belgian for the flat classics
5. jens keukeleire (21, cofidis): boy wonder, not a real sprinter but very powerfull boy, allready won 6 one day races today, most of them against stiff competition (won a race last week beating jimmy casper in a sprint)

there's a lot more out there (boeckmans, lodewyck, eijssen, vermote, ghyselinck,...) but I think these five are the biggest prospects for the moment

I also left out kevin seeldrayers, the boy is still only 23 years old but someone who has allready won both the youth classification in the giro and in paris nice can hardly still be called a prospect in my opinion..

 

[battery89]

I think Bobridge/Cam Meyer/Michael Matthews/Leigh Howard are the biggest 20~ yo Aussie talent coming through at the moment. MM has been winning constantly this year in u23 and placing well, and started cycling when he was 17.

 

[badboyberty]

a lot of the guys mentioned come from the track. Dont most of the best road riders get started on the road earlier?

Yeah, but usually a under 23 year old road or XC talent shows "potential" and wins some minor races, a 19 year old trackie can win a World Championship.

 

[Cerberus]

Yeah, but usually a under 23 year old road or XC talent shows "potential" and wins some minor races, a 19 year old trackie can win a World Championship.

The reason for that might be that someone who'd really good at age 20 on track by the time he's 25 will have transitioned to road because that's where the money and prestige is. Look at Rasmussen and Mørkøv who are in the process of trading in their status as the perhaps worlds best Madison and six-day riders for a career on the road where they're hardly outstanding though Rasmussen does show promise. There's just so much more money and prestige on the Road even if you're very good on track.

 

[jaylew]

I always love looking at the younger riders (U23 type deal) coming through the system. It might be an American thing with colossus that college sports plays on the American sporting map. People love to think about what could be and how bright the possible future is.
I guess I will start things off as we look to the future of the sport.

USA
1. Tejay van Garderen (21)- HTC-Columbia, might be the greatest GC cycling prospect the United States has ever produced. The sky is the limit but the team is not the best fit right now

2. Taylor Phinney (20)- Trek-Livestrong- The kid is great and is the all around package when it comes to the classics. He was a world champion on the track. He is a world champion on the track and has won the U23 Paris-Roubaix twice. He has also proved that he has the legs to sprint it out when he needs to an looks to be a very good time trialist. Radioshack is going to try to build him into the great classics threat that America has never produced.

3. Peter Stetina (22)- Garmin-Transitions- He is on a great team that has built some really good talent over the past few years and Vaughters has spoken the world of him. Only time will tell how good he turns out to be.

4. Alex Howes (22)- Team Holowesko Partners- Another young kid in the Garmin-Transitions development program that has proved some impressive results and could become a very talented climber/GC threat some day.

5. Ben King (21)- Trek-Livestrong- won the U23 US Championships in both the road race and criterium and seems to be a decent time trialist

Way too early to tell, but looking further out, you could probably add Lawson Craddock(18). Swept the Junior NC's in the TT, RR and Crit, 3rd in the Juniors Paris-Roubaix and picked up a handful of wins this season over in Europe.

 

[TRDean]

Way too early to tell, but looking further out, you could probably add Lawson Craddock(18). Swept the Junior NC's in the TT, RR and Crit, 3rd in the Juniors Paris-Roubaix and picked up a handful of wins this season over in Europe.

I was thinking about this youngster as well...If I'm not mistaken he also won the pursuit national championship this summer as well. Strong powerful time trialist...time will tell.

 

[theyoungest]

I'm not into the youth. No idea where to get much information about it.

Anyways I'm curious about dutch talent? Any of the dutch people have an idea?

Tom Jelte Slagter (20) is probably our biggest prospect. Dutch U23 champion, climber, in the mix with Scarponi and Ricco at the Settimana Lombarda.

Another one is Tom Dumoulin (19), who came out of nowhere to win the GP Portugal in the Nations Cup. And he won the TT in the Baby Giro.

For the Flemish classics we have Coen Vermeltfoort (22), who won Paris-Roubaix U23 in 2008. He hasn't done much since, but then again he missed all of 2009 because of the Rabo disease.

And well, if we're going to include people as old as 25 (Richie Porte), I might as well say Robert Gesink (24) and Bauke Mollema (23)

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Dutch riders, not going to name Mollema etc, just neo pro's and espoirs...

1) Tom Jelte Slagter - Very good climber for his age indeed, still to see wether he goes the way of Eltink, also a pocket climber who never improved. Slagter might, but also might not, let's wait and see
2) Tom Dumoulin - for obvious reasons already stated. Not only an excellent TT specialist, also great hilly rider. Mountains are too much for him at the moment.
3) Steven Kruijswijck - Still only 22, had an amazing Giro, really suprised me, only became better during 3 weeks, has extremely good recuperation.
4) Jetse Bol - 21 years old, very allround, though not a climber. Could go far in small tours and classics, has a decent sprint to go with it
5) Michel Kreder - 22 years old, excellent pro start at Garmin, 2nd in the Klasika Primavera, top 10 in Catalunya, very dangerous in hilly sprints and hilly stages. Excellent prospect for ardennes classics, has all the right abilities for those. Good on hills and very good sprint... now just needs time and gain experience the coming years

Other notables:
Coen Vermeltfoort - Good sprinter and good cobble specialist, I wouldn't go as far as naming him the new Tom Boonen, but he has the same abilities (just on a lower level)
Boy van Poppel - Son of JP van Poppel... has the same sprint genes as his dad, although it will be very hard for him to become as good. Still...has a bright future ahead

 

[Clemson Cycling]

Anyone know anything about Ian Boswell, the 19 year old Bissell rider that just won the Nevada City Classic

 

[Sasquatch]

Maybe check out a Canberra kid named Michael Matthews who rides in AIS/SKINS. Should turn Pro at the end of the year.

Hepburn is more a trackie at present.

Matthews will be hard to beat in the Under 23 World's this year. In fact, I'm confident he'll win. Big talent.

 

[mORGAN]

I think Bobridge/Cam Meyer/Michael Matthews/Leigh Howard are the biggest 20~ yo Aussie talent coming through at the moment. MM has been winning constantly this year in u23 and placing well, and started cycling when he was 17.

MM actually started when he was 15 and won his first Nat U17 RR title at 16yr old. On the track- Parker, Hepburn, Dennis, Bobridge and Meyer are the big names coming thru.

Road - Bobridge/Cam Meyer/Michael Matthews/Leigh Howard PLUS Durbridge and U19 rider McCarthy is a freak as well.

 

[sportzchick]

MM actually started when he was 15 and won his first Nat U17 RR title at 16yr old. On the track- Parker, Hepburn, Dennis, Bobridge and Meyer are the big names coming thru.

Road - Bobridge/Cam Meyer/Michael Matthews/Leigh Howard PLUS Durbridge and U19 rider McCarthy is a freak as well.

add Richie Porte in the mix as well

The next Generation of Aussie Cyclists could be as good if not better then our current generation

 

[theyoungest]

add Richie Porte in the mix as well

The next Generation of Aussie Cyclists could be as good if not better then our current generation

Once again: Richie Porte is a bit old to be called a prospect. He was barely eligible for the white jersey in the Giro.

 

[LiboHC]

Hmmm, Here when you say prospect, means crude oil or natural gas exploration prospects!
about 0.00001% of people may know about TdF

Sorry Clemson

Yes, Tejay van Garderen is good, I saw him in criterium de dauphine, his Flemish name is warranty

 

[auscyclefan94]

Richie Porte (25)
Matthew Goss (23)
Cameron Meyer (22)
Jack Bobridge (21)
Leigh Howard (20)

Still to make it on the road:

Rohan Dennis (20)
Luke Durbridge (19)
Michael Hepburn (18)
Dale Parker (18)

I don't really know of anyone outside the track program, it seems most talent is concentrated there.

Dale Parker now holds the U19 3000m record which was previously held by Hepburn and before him Phinney.

Richie Porte! That guy is a legend. He is ACF94's next protege! It is great to see how much talent Australia has coming through and how dominant we are going to be in the next decade.

 

[joy118118]

Once again: Richie Porte is a bit old to be called a prospect. He was barely eligible for the white jersey in the Giro.

I think Fuglsang and Breschel are also a bit too old.

 

[Mambo95]

Once again: Richie Porte is a bit old to be called a prospect. He was barely eligible for the white jersey in the Giro.

He's six months older than Andy Schleck

 

[hrotha]

Isn't Porte, for all intents and purposes, a neo-pro? If so I'd say he qualifies.

 

[Red Lobster]

1. Tejay van Garderen (21)- HTC-Columbia, might be the greatest GC cycling prospect the United States has ever produced.

I think Tejay is the real deal but let's not get carried away. Don't forget that roughly 30 years ago the US produced a GC prospect called Greg LeMond, who happens to be one of the most talented stage racers of all time.

 

[Ferminal]

Isn't Porte, for all intents and purposes, a neo-pro? If so I'd say he qualifies.

I'd consider anyone who just rode their first GT to be an "up and comer", regardless of their age.

 

[Bernardus]

Hmmm, Here when you say prospect, means crude oil or natural gas exploration prospects!
about 0.00001% of people may know about TdF

Sorry Clemson

Yes, Tejay van Garderen is good, I saw him in criterium de dauphine, his Flemish name is warranty

Is Tejay such a Flemish name??? Van Garderen sure as hell isn't.

 

[Christian]

Richie Porte! That guy is a legend. He is ACF94's next protege! It is great to see how much talent Australia has coming through and how dominant we are going to be in the next decade.

Lol you're great. I think everyone is a fanboy of one or more riders, the best we can do is admit it and be self-ironic about it. That's a very good attitude to have in a forum IMO!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Is Tejay such a Flemish name??? Van Garderen sure as hell isn't.

Van Garderen is a dutch name. I believe his (step?) father is Dutch, don't know what the exact story was.

 

[Christian]

Van Garderen is a dutch name. I believe his (step?) father is Dutch, don't know what the exact story was.

Does it have anything to do with gardens?

 

[joy118118]

Van Garderen is a dutch name. I believe his (step?) father is Dutch, don't know what the exact story was.

his father Marcel Van Garderen is a dutch and when Marcel was 20, he went to USA as a exchange student and met TJ's mother.

Today, TJ's aunt is still in netherlands. When he was in rabobank ct, he lived in her home and his aunt teached him Dutch.