The Riis factor

[just some guy]

Nygaard satisfied with results

Some spring rap up re Fabian, Frank and Andy in mind.

Would they have won more ?
Raced smarter ?

if they still had Riis as a manger -

My answer Yes and Yes . It seems to me that with the new leopard team the riders may be running the show a bit more re race day tactics and well coming up short.

For all of his faults Riis is very smart re race tactics. Is this a sign of the times re TDF without Riis Andy makes some stupid mistakes and losses?

What say you ?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

riis is really overrated.

 

[palmerq]

even though it is hard not to, please try to keep clinic matters out of this forum.

 

[Archibald]

interesting...

it's easy to fall back and say they're a new team, so any podiums are a good result, but for the riders they have they should have done better. This was more evident in their inability to assist Spartacus in PR and RvV. Whether he believes so or not, Spartacus cannot win these by himself.
A "young" team still progressing or tactical failures or just some silly mistakes in racing? Ego's being brought back to earth perhaps?

then again, just how much did Riis contribute to Nuyens being in the right place at the right time at RvV? and how much was Nuyen's experience coming through?

as for TdF, anyone recall Schlecklet going back to collect water bottles? He's not the most astute rider about even under Riis...
I really do feel that he'll botch the TdF somehow

 

[biopass]

Nygaard satisfied with results

Some spring rap up re Fabian, Frank and Andy in mind.

Would they have won more ?
Raced smarter ?

if they still had Riis as a manger -

No, and no.

Maybe Fabian could have won RvV if he had signed for BMC.

And for Andy and Franck, they were no thread to Gilbert. Actually, no one was.

 

[movingtarget]

Riis is obviously a great motivator and tactician and he seems to be able to get results across the team not just the top riders. I think it was Hinault that rated him as the best DS in the world. Bruyneel built a team around winning the TDF and no one else in the team got a chance. Whether it was the quality of the team Armstrong had around him or great management by Bruyneel I am unsure of. Probably both. Armstrong's team had incredible domestique's who were completely selfless during the TDF. We will see this year whether Andy Schleck will be the same rider in the TDF under different management. I have my doubts.

 

[greenedge]

Yeah i think the Schlecks might not have great management but they should "win the tour unless if they do something pretty stupid and they're not" Think from Zabriskie during a LA BOOK. Riis is undisputably great there should be a poll as to who is better, him or Bruyneel and other sportiffs.

 

[ergmonkey]

even though it is hard not to, please try to keep clinic matters out of this forum.

Well, then it's going to be hard to find anything negative to say about him.

 

[Highlander]

No, and no.

Maybe Fabian could have won RvV if he had signed for BMC.

And for Andy and Franck, they were no thread to Gilbert. Actually, no one was.

I agree. It didn't matter who was calling the shots from the team car, no one could have beaten Gilbert with the way that he was riding last week. It's easy to look at the Schlecks' failure on Sunday and to say that they could have done things better, but when Gilbert possessed the ability to drop them at will, what can you do?

 

[Anonymous]

I like Nyuens but he was fortunate at the Ronde on a couple of occasions. Cancellara over-estimated his form as did Gilbert. Chavanel under-estimated his and made a tactical error not working (a little) with Cancellara. He (Nyuens) also profited from a BMC team riding over their heads. None of this was Riis' doing.

At Roubaix, I think Cancellara was rattled by his inability to drop Thor. Garmin rode the race to win and had a couple of cards to play and they did what they had to.

As for LBL, Riis may have used different tactics in the finale but it would not have mattered. It was, however, irritating to see Frank and Andy lay down and I think Riis would have been going crazy in the car had they still been with SB.

I think Cancellara missed the presence of Breschel at Flanders. Leopard is a little underwhelming but then so was Saxo at Roubaix.

Won more? No

Raced smarter? Probably

 

[Oldman]

Riis would have had the Schlecks do something at LBL instead of a total capitulation to the stronger rider. As for Cancellera, tactics got the best of him and his team wasn't there so it's doubtful any DS could have enhanced that outcome.

 

[Christian]

Riis is a great team manager and has a good nose when it comes to picking out riders and building a team that works. He has discovered many talents (among them the Schlecks) and re-discovered Nuyens.

So he was a really important figure in the beginning of their career and has certainly helped them a lot, as well as Cancellara. However when it comes to the actual races, I believe the DS's were mostly the same at Saxo Bank: Andersen for the Ardennes and Schmidt for Roubaix/Flanders. I could be wrong about the latter though.

Riis tags along to the big races like the monuments and the GT's and certainly gives his input but I believe the main men behind the team strategy and so on have been and still are others. And some of the riders now on LEOPARD TREK seemed to have had a much stronger bond with Andersen and Schmidt then Riis.

Also at least Cancellara seemed to be rather unhappy with Riis at the end of last season ("you realize you are not yourself anymore around him") so I don't know if that would have still worked so well