Tour De France Contenders - who has a shot?

[Angliru]

I doubt Rolland will be better than last year. Or if he does then I fear this conversation will be moved to the clinic about a month after the Tour. I don't think he can TT well enough to pull out a top 10 this year. Although of course I would like to see him do well and finally be the full fledged French GT contender that has been missing for too long.

He could be better but ultimately not get a better result due to the amount of TT km's. His ds seems to think that he's capable of climbing with the Schlecks, I'm assuming when he's at his best, so that is either the an extreme vote of confidence or setting Rolland up for a big fall should he crumble under the pressure of the French's hope for a true Tour gc contender.
He seems to welcome the expectations though so we'll see. He is the first French rider in quite a while to really show in the 3rd week that he can climb with the elite. I'm not including Voeckler because I really don't think that he'll be able to reproduce the same performance from 2011 in this year's Tour.

 

[The Hitch]

Better watch out, LaFlorecita is going to scratch your eyes out (metaphorically speaking).

Anyway, I guess he's riding Giro again this year, isn't he?

He kind of has to seeing the route. but giro is still a gt so gt contender. i think he'll do tour in 2013 though.

 

[uphillstruggle]

I don't get this instant dismissal of Andy Schleck. He managed to come second quite comfortably on a similar parcours in 2009. There might be more ITT miles this year, but there is no TTT against a stupendously strong opposition like there was in 2009 when Astana obliterated the field.

If Andy Schleck can finish on the podium on a parcours like the one in 2009 then he will be up there again in 2012, especially with the team he'll have backing him up.

I totally agree. In the one big mountain stage in 2009 AS, his bro and AC put over two minutes into everyone else. When the hammer was down in 2010 AS and AC put minutes into the other contenders in the mountains. I really don't care if he wins or not but to say he has no chance just shows a lack of understanding as to how good he is.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Better watch out, LaFlorecita is going to scratch your eyes out (metaphorically speaking).

Anyway, I guess he's riding Giro again this year, isn't he?

I won't. I like Hitch.

 

[Kvinto]

I like Bradley Wiggins, he gives his all for the win, tries to win races and though his style is not what a spectator likes it's the only possible way for him to win races and i don't mind if the former elite trek rider wins the Tour.
Cadel Evans won the Tour that was prophesied for the other rider and i liked it very much, he also gives his all trying to win races and seems to be a good person so i don't mind if he wins the Tour again.
I've never liked a rider Denis Menchov, but it doesn't concern to a person Denis Menchov. He is a good guy so i dont mind if he wins as well.

But, up to this day i had a hope that the Tour will be entertaining and today i've seen the Mende PN stage and the hope is gone I don't mind that the Tour will be boring but i feel a bit sorry for this 'wasted' hope

 

[airstream]

is todays stage demonstrative regarding fight on the climbs in july? How could todays stage be other in terms of spectacle?

 

[Angliru]

I like Bradley Wiggins, he gives his all for the win, tries to win races and though his style is not what a spectator likes it's the only possible way for him to win races and i don't mind if the former elite trek rider wins the Tour.
Cadel Evans won the Tour that was prophesied for the other rider and i liked it very much, he also gives his all trying to win races and seems to be a good person so i don't mind if he wins the Tour again.
I've never liked a rider Denis Menchov, but it doesn't concern to a person Denis Menchov. He is a good guy so i dont mind if he wins as well.

But, up to this day i had a hope that the Tour will be entertaining and today i've seen the Mende PN stage and the hope is gone I don't mind that the Tour will be boring but i feel a bit sorry for this 'wasted' hope

It's quite early yet Kvinto, don't despair so soon.

 

[Fetisoff]

I'm just surprised that noone has posted "Leuwe Westra" in this thread so far today

 

[jens_attacks]

lieuwe westra

 

[Richeypen]

I'm just surprised that noone has posted "Leuwe Westra" in this thread so far today

What a stupid post












Westra is going to win L-B-L and Lombardia

 

[Fetisoff]

lieuwe westra

Thanks, Jens

What a stupid post


Westra is going to win L-B-L and Lombardia

Well sorry for being brain dead after a hard day at work (mostly spent watching P-N and T-A, and then catching up on all the **** i gotta do before going away for two weeks)

But yeah, looks like Tiernan-Locke's going straight for the WC, so Westra's gonna win L-B-L

 

[Kvinto]

It's quite early yet Kvinto, don't despair so soon.

Never mind, just a bad day and it gonna end in 20min

In the end there is always Robert Gesink who will be 100% fit and crush everybody or at least will crash later than VDB2

 

[Kvinto]

It's quite early yet Kvinto, don't despair so soon.

Nevermind, just a bad day which ends in 20min

In the end there is always Robert Gesink who will be 100% fit and crush everybody or at least will crash later than VDB2

 

[theyoungest]

Nevermind, just a bad day which ends in 20min

In the end there is always Robert Gesink who will be 100% fit and crush everybody or at least will crash later than VDB2

Gesink is so 2011 (or 2010, rather). Westra is the word. He'll leave a trail of broken Wigginses in his wake.

 

[greenedge]

I wonder if Westra could go to the Giro- maybe make an impact there. I would also like to see him go tot the Vuelta- where if he shows this form on punchy finishes and Time-Trials ok might top 15.

 

[Swede1]

A french rider podiumed the Giro last year. Theres your french gt contender.

No he finished 4th! Anyway its not that I personally want a French GT contender to arise, I was just pointing out that they have not had one in a while. And no I don't really consider John Gadret good enough to be able to win a grand tour.

 

[airstream]

trying to predict the future winner, all fans build on some prejudices, or say more generally, assumptions, to justify their points. evans confirms his the last tour level both on the climbs and in tt. Wiggins burns the opposition in tt's, doing this as if all three of them are one day starts, and keeps up in the mountains successfully. schleck comes back to his 2010 form. menchov rides 2 great tt's and probably extracts the maximum from collaboration with schleck, being the second climber in theory. almost certainly no assumptions will be true entirely, and maybe even 2 of 4 won't. i admit one of them can fail completely. the most obvious thing for me is everything depends on evans to a greater extent. very interesting who will win if all of 4 main favourites will be prepared really well. i have some expectation on it, but let it be my secret. )

 

[Froome19]

No he finished 4th! .

Aaaah ...no he didnt.

 

[karlboss]

by trying to predict the future winner, all fans build on some prejudices, or say more generally, assumptions, to justify their points. evans confirms his the last tour level both on the climbs and in tt. Wiggins burns the opposition in tt's, doing this as if all three of them are one day starts, and keeps up in the mountains successfully. schleck comes back to his 2010 form. menchov rides 2 great tt's and probably extracts the maximum from collaboration with schleck, being the second climber in theory. almost certainly no assumptions will be true entirely, and maybe even 2 of 4 won't. i admit one of them can fail completely. the most obvious thing for me is everything depends on evans to a greater extent. very interesting who will win if all of 4 main favourites will be prepared really well. i have some expectation on it, but let it be my secret. )

I think evans has the best chance if it comes down to MTF and TTs after, hopefully Sanchez won't let it.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Aaaah ...no he didnt.

Yes he did.

 

[Fetisoff]

Aaaah ...no he didnt.

Yes he did.
Where he ended up - that's a matter for discussion, but not where he finished

 

[Afrank]

I wonder if Westra could go to the Giro- maybe make an impact there. I would also like to see him go tot the Vuelta- where if he shows this form on punchy finishes and Time-Trials ok might top 15.

He showed yesterday he can climb, he won the prologue in the tour of belgium in 2011 and was 3rd in the national TT championships in 2010, so we can assume he is a decent TTer. Don't know how he would handle a 3 week race, has he ever done a grand tour before?

 

[jens_attacks]

looking at how he rides,it looks like a proper tour de france winner of this year's edition.

146. KITTEL Marcel 211 PROJECT 1T4I 23h 27' 03" + 55' 11"
147. WILSON Matthew 48 GREENEDGE CYCLING TEAM 23h 27' 07" + 55' 15"
148. HOWARD Leigh 44 GREENEDGE CYCLING TEAM 23h 27' 10" + 55' 18"
149. SAEZ Adrian 67 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 23h 28' 11" + 56' 19"
150. WYNANTS Maarten 98 RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM 23h 28' 18" + 56' 26"
151. KASHECHKIN Andrey 85 ASTANA PRO TEAM 23h 31' 22" + 59' 30"

basically every stage in the kittel group.
the signs are very good,still andy did even better than him

 

[Red Rick]

He showed yesterday he can climb, he won the prologue in the tour of belgium in 2011 and was 3rd in the national TT championships in 2010, so we can assume he is a decent TTer. Don't know how he would handle a 3 week race, has he ever done a grand tour before?

Vuelta 2009, and Tour 2011 I know for sure, don't know about other GT's though. He got in as much breakaway's as he could

 

[Caruut]

Aaaah ...no he didnt.

4th on the road, 3rd on Wikipedia.