The three biggest losers (teams) after the three first monuments

[More Strides than Rides]

As far as monuments go, only HTC, Saxo and Garmin won one, so everybody else failed.

Of the rest, both Sky and BMC at least gave it a go (Sky in Flanders and Roubaix) BMC in MSR and Roubaix and both teams were visible. Katusha get some marks for at least trying to drive things in MSR while Leopard were happy sitting on the back.

For me biggest dissapointments. Rabobank, who didnt animate either of the northern races, Liquigas (did they even enter any of the races?), Lampre, Radioshack (did they enter MSR or Flanders?), AStana (Did they enter any of the three races)

Leopard will be majorly dissapointed, not only in failing to win one, but by Saxo putting one over on them.

So for me, Radioshack, Liquigas and Astana for the fact I cant even remember if they were there.

I think this is the best way to answer the question. This answer however, would be totally different if asked about disappointments, where we would have to levy expectations, attempts, and performance. RS, Katusha, Euskatel, Liquigas, Astana stand out as the biggest losers, but I was let down by BMC, Sky, and maybe Rabobank a little bit. Some teams have to miss out though, that's the way racing goes

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Euskaltel's sole Paris-Roubaix finisher, Alan Pérez, finished ahead of Stijn Devolder.

Gorka Izagirre finished 62nd in de Ronde, ahead of van Impe, Greipel, Cooke, Tjallingii, Keukeleire, Hammond, Klier and Oss. Javier Aramendia and Ion Izagirre also finished.

Egoi Martínez was 32nd in Milano-Sanremo, actually something of an exceeding of expectations. He was in the big group that split the field up. A lot of very useful riders several minutes behind him, including Greipel, Roelandts, Klier, McEwen, Feillu, Wegmann, Farrar, Eisel, Kolobnev, Cavendish, Bole, Hondo, Bak, Kroon, Flecha, Leukemans, Vaugrenard, Visconti, Freire, Boom, Paolini, Vansummeren, Hushovd, Davis, Hammond and Keukeleire. Other Euskaltel finishers, in the pack: Juan José Oroz, Ivan Velasco, Jonathan Castroviejo, Amets Txurruka, Javier Aramendia, and Daniel Sesma.

That's actually a pretty reasonable season in the first 3 monuments by Euskaltel's standards.

 

[Angliru]

I think this is the best way to answer the question. This answer however, would be totally different if asked about disappointments, where we would have to levy expectations, attempts, and performance. RS, Katusha, Euskatel, Liquigas, Astana stand out as the biggest losers, but I was let down by BMC, Sky, and maybe Rabobank a little bit. Some teams have to miss out though, that's the way racing goes

What ambitions/expectations did Euskaltel have in either race? It's always joked about that they bail at the first feed stop anyway so how is this year's performance a disappointment?

 

[theyoungest]

Euskaltel's sole Paris-Roubaix finisher, Alan Pérez, finished ahead of Stijn Devolder.

Gorka Izagirre finished 62nd in de Ronde, ahead of van Impe, Greipel, Cooke, Tjallingii, Keukeleire, Hammond, Klier and Oss. Javier Aramendia and Ion Izagirre also finished.

Egoi Martínez was 32nd in Milano-Sanremo, actually something of an exceeding of expectations. He was in the big group that split the field up. A lot of very useful riders several minutes behind him, including Greipel, Roelandts, Klier, McEwen, Feillu, Wegmann, Farrar, Eisel, Kolobnev, Cavendish, Bole, Hondo, Bak, Kroon, Flecha, Leukemans, Vaugrenard, Visconti, Freire, Boom, Paolini, Vansummeren, Hushovd, Davis, Hammond and Keukeleire. Other Euskaltel finishers, in the pack: Juan José Oroz, Ivan Velasco, Jonathan Castroviejo, Amets Txurruka, Javier Aramendia, and Daniel Sesma.

That's actually a pretty reasonable season in the first 3 monuments by Euskaltel's standards.

Wow, they're even worse than I thought.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

A team like Euskaltel should not even start RVV and PR...

 

[hrotha]

Don't blame them, I bet they'd be glad to not have to start but that's how cycling works.

Anyway, it's obviously Katyusha. In theory they had a leader capable of winning any of the three monuments, and while he did OK in MSR he failed spectacularly in the other two. They also had a very strong team on paper, second only to Garmin, I'd say, and yet they did nothing.

 

[Irish2009]

I must have been looking at some different Monuments this spring.

Quickstep : Chavenal should have won the Ronde, away for 60km marked all the moves when caught, wasted his time waiting for Boonen and arguable should have won the sprint had he not had to freewheel twice. In case anybody didnt see the whole P-R coverage, Chavenal crashed twice and fought to within 200mtrs of the back of the main group just as the big guns attacked. He kept chasing and crashed again. Boonen, just hadnt got it, attacked when his team mate was up the road in the Ronde, and then couldnt follow Cancellara when he attacked, if he did this on an amature team his team mates would slag him to death.

Ag2r : Elmiger was a monster in P-R, he rode at the front of the breakaway all day, just watch the coverage from 140km to go. An epic ride.

FDJ : Gusedon also was a monster in the break and crashed from the lead group, still finished 11th!!!!

Astana, Rabobank, Radioshack,Sky,BMC, were all mediocare.

Most dissapointing : Leopard Trek, to have the strongest rider in the field by a country mile in the the Ronde & P-R and offer him no support is criminal.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Don't blame them, I bet they'd be glad to not have to start but that's how cycling works.

That's not how cycling works, that's how UCI & Worldtour works this days...

 

[FignonLeGrand]

Don't blame them, I bet they'd be glad to not have to start but that's how cycling works.

Anyway, it's obviously Katyusha. In theory they had a leader capable of winning any of the three monuments, and while he did OK in MSR he failed spectacularly in the other two. They also had a very strong team on paper, second only to Garmin, I'd say, and yet they did nothing.

Interesting that Katusha are talked about in a thread regarding teams. They seem totally incapable of working as a team. Thinking about it not sure I have ever seen them work as a team in any race . . . .

 

[hrotha]

That's not how cycling works, that's how UCI & Worldtour works this days...

That's obviously what I was saying but hey.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

what I was saying with "euskaltel should not start at these races" was not I blame them but the UCI...

But still, it's impossible to call this team a loser, this are races they don't care about.

 

[Mambo95]

what I was saying with "euskaltel should not start at these races" was not I blame them but the UCI...

A more appropriate phrase would be 'Euskaltel don't want to be in these races'

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

True. Maybe even better: Euskaltel shouldn't be forced to start at these races.

There are a lot of Belgian teams who dream of ever riding RVV, and will do everything they can getting in an early breakaway and finishing the race.

 

[El Pistolero]

Maybe Euskaltel shouldn't be Pro Tour anymore then. I know I'll get some Spanish hate on me, but the team just doesn't look strong at all. Samu and Anton are great cyclists, but they just don't win a lot. I'll be happily proven wrong though as I'm a fan of both.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Don't know how serious he was, but I heard Michel Wuyts saying Euskaltel uses RVV as a sort of 'punishment': "better do what we say, or we send you to Vlaanderen!"!

 

[hrotha]

Maybe Euskaltel shouldn't be Pro Tour anymore then. I know I'll get some Spanish hate on me, but the team just doesn't look strong at all. Samu and Anton are great cyclists, but they just don't win a lot. I'll be happily proven wrong though as I'm a fan of both.

Euskaltel is strong in stage races. They have Samu and Antón, but you forget about Sicard, Gorka Izagirre, Koldo Fernández, Nieve, and others. They're mostly a climbing team. By your logic, Quick Step shouldn't be Pro Tour anymore, since they focus on the classics and don't really have people for the GTs.

 

[Mambo95]

By your logic, Quick Step shouldn't be Pro Tour anymore, since they focus on the classics and don't really have people for the GTs.

Quick Step won 5 GT stages last year, which is more than Euskaltel won (3).

Outside Spain, the Tour is all they're interested in (and maybe the Giro, this year).

I like them, but they they probably shouldn't be a ProTour team.

 

[hrotha]

Quick Step won 5 GT stages last year, which is more than Euskaltel won (3).

Outside Spain, the Tour is all they're interested in (and maybe the Giro, this year).

I like them, but they they probably shouldn't be a ProTour team.

I meant for the GC.

Anyway, there's also the Ardennes classics. Samu has been up there in Liege, and of course Antón was 4th in the Fleche.

 

[El Pistolero]

I meant for the GC.

Anyway, there's also the Ardennes classics. Samu has been up there in Liege, and of course Antón was 4th in the Fleche.

Do you rather win 2 stages in the Tour or get a fourth place without any gloss?

Quickstep wore the yellow jersey for a few days, so they did fine.

Classics specialists can do well in GTs. Euskaltel is hopeless in many classics except the more hilly ones. And even there they don't have the top favorites.

 

[hrotha]

You mean Chavanel did fine. Chavanel, and to a lesser extent Barredo and Pineau. No one else. The more hilly classics are still a large percentage of World Tour one-day races. Anyway, you can't compare a team that gives a free role to everybody to one where everybody has to take care of a GC guy.

Anyway, my point is that, as long as the World Tour exists, you can't leave teams out just because they aren't so versatile as to be competitive in all kinds of events. Quick Step was just an example, but there are others if you don't like that one. Movistar for example don't really have a team for the cobbles either. Euskaltel can't magically produce riders for the cobbled classics out of thin air, but they're competitive in the rest of the World Tour calendar.

 

[luckyboy]

Biggest dissapointments

1. Sky
2. Katusha
3. BMC

Yeah agree with this.

Euskaltel can't magically produce riders for the cobbled classics out of thin air, but they're competitive in the rest of the World Tour calendar.

They should go to Belgium and get some guys to move to Euskal Herria and train there.

 

[luckyboy]

Euskaltel can't magically produce riders for the cobbled classics out of thin air, but they're competitive in the rest of the World Tour calendar.

They should go to Belgium and get some guys to move to Euskal Herria and train there.

 

[Oldman]

Hazuki still thinks it's Garmin.

 

[Cobblestoned]

Since Mr.Tchmil is at boilingpoint, I would say Katusha.
If they do nothing at Amstel he will explode.

 

[nvpacchi]

Regarding Euskaltel and the Northern Classics, Gorka Izagirre may surprise some people in the future. He has been saying that he really enjoys these races, and dreams of winning them one day. Dunno about PR, but I can eventually see Izagirre doing something in RvV. Gorka is only 23, so there is plenty of time for him to develop into a nice classics rider.

Do you rather win 2 stages in the Tour or get a fourth place without any gloss?

Quickstep wore the yellow jersey for a few days, so they did fine.

Classics specialists can do well in GTs. Euskaltel is hopeless in many classics except the more hilly ones. And even there they don't have the top favorites.

Not calling Sam San a top favorite for the hilly classics is foolish. Though he is yet to bring home a victory, he is always attacking and animating LBL and GdL.

Also Nieve has proven that he has the stamina to compete in the monuments, as has Anton. And I could totally see Anton destroying GdL if he carries his Vuelta form over.