Tour Rider Selection and Roles

[the asian]

/Trying out my Daotec mode/

Elena Isinbaeva signed with Katusha women's team. 5 Year contract & 4.000.000 euros/month

Wow! I'll definitely be a fan from now on

 

[Galic Ho]

I'm sure if he was available he'd be in the team, but he's riding track in the olympics.

That really, really sucks for them. He is phenomenally gifted and exceptionally useful. I can't but help think Cav might end up with the short end of the deal this year. Missing out on help at the Tour could affect his temperament. Might then cascade into a flow that messes with his Olympic preparations. If Sky don't win the Tour and/or Cav's Tour isn't up to par with previous years, I can see the team ending up in a losing scenario on two fronts both at the Tour and then with the GB riders for the Olympics. Gamble in halfs and lose both. Won't be good.

At least Thomas will be all prepared for the Olympics. Winning scenario for him at least.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Rogers - Porte - Eisel - Hagen should be enough for Cav. Of those four only Eisel can't climb, the three others will be very useful for Wiggins as well. Shouldn't be a problem.

 

[cineteq]

Just read Duggan will do Tour of Poland
Does this look right?

Liquigas

Vincenzo Nibali - GC Leader
Peter Sagan - Free role
Ivan Basso - Mountain domestique
Cayetano Sarmiento - Mountain domestique
Eros Capecchi - Domestique
Sylvester Szmyd - Mountain domestique
Valerio Agnoli - Mountain domestique
Damiano Caruso - Mountain domestique
Daniel Oss - Leadouts/domestique

 

[JRanton]

+1. They (Sky) are running very thin in the mountains.

Sure looked that way yesterday.

Oh hang on...

 

[Eric8-A]

Just read Duggan will do Tour of Poland
Does this look right?

Liquigas

Vincenzo Nibali - GC Leader
Peter Sagan - Free role
Ivan Basso - Mountain domestique
Cayetano Sarmiento - Mountain domestique
Eros Capecchi - Domestique
Sylvester Szmyd - Mountain domestique
Valerio Agnoli - Mountain domestique
Damiano Caruso - Mountain domestique
Daniel Oss - Leadouts/domestique

I don't know about Basso and Capecchi.

 

[Ferminal]

Basso is confirmed I thought.

Not sure they will take all four of their Giro domestiques though.

 

[eljimberino]

Is Cav planning to finish the tour?

If not, I do not think it's in Sky's best interest to send him.

Let's say Sky lose 2 riders to crashes/illness/miss the cut.

Cav leaves.

They have 6 riders left for the last week.

 

[orangerider]

Is Cav planning to finish the tour?

If not, I do not think it's in Sky's best interest to send him.

Let's say Sky lose 2 riders to crashes/illness/miss the cut.

Cav leaves.

They have 6 riders left for the last week.

Doubt he'll finish. The Olympics is just too important to disregard the energy usage. They'll probably still send him - even dropping out he will win at least 3 stages easily, support or no support. Three stage wins is nothing to sneeze at and he'll be the savior of the team when Wiggins cracks and ends up in overall 4th.

 

[eljimberino]

The other complication is that Wiggo will be forced to take yellow in the TT's. This means defending it too.

Watching the Sky juggling act will be fun.

 

[dlwssonic]

Martin or Cancellara should be able to beat wiggins on a flat prologue.

 

[eljimberino]

Not talking about prologue.

 

[PCutter]

He was a domestique on Saxo Bank last year for Contador. He was next to useless ....

Wow, Im not Wiggo/Sky fan but what a lot of nonsense.

Porte wasn't seen at the end of big mountains for AC in the Giro or Tour was because 1) he wasn't supposed to go to the Giro, he'd already raced a lot and was supposed to be concentrating on the Tour (on the assumption AC would be booted out by then) so should have been resting, and with AC having his Spanish armada to drive on the final climb they used Porte on the earlier climbs and then he'd sit up 2) by the time the tour came around Porte had ridden the most race days in the squad so probably fair that he couldn't pull at the end of the big days for AC. Szmyd wasn't really around to pull for Basso for the same reason, or is he a crap climbing domestique as well.

You then name the whole RST team as better domestique climbers than Porte/Rogers...Rohregger??? Please. Kloden?? Maybe 5 years ago. RST will be fine because they have the best climber on the team, but other than Frank, Andy dosn't really need anyone else in the mountains. And you say all these riders can can ride for a leader? What leader? Andy's not looking much like a leader of RST. I can't see Zubeldia or Horner really going too deep for a guy 5 min down from TTs. If he's to do anything he needs to be attacking from the bottom, not waiting for domestiques to try and isolate Wiggins.

And then you throw out Cobo? WTF. Hardly someone you'd be planning to provide reliable domestique service. Cav would be a more reliable climbing domestique.

If Wiggins doesn't win it won't be because his domestiques couldn't do the job asked of them.

 

[Eric8-A]

Cancellara's slowly getting back into form. Would love to see him in yellow in the early stages of the Tour.

 

[SafeBet]

Just read Duggan will do Tour of Poland
Does this look right?

Liquigas

Vincenzo Nibali - GC Leader
Peter Sagan - Free role
Ivan Basso - Mountain domestique
Cayetano Sarmiento - Mountain domestique
Eros Capecchi - Domestique
Sylvester Szmyd - Mountain domestique
Valerio Agnoli - Mountain domestique
Damiano Caruso - Mountain domestique
Daniel Oss - Leadouts/domestique

Capecchi and Caruso are rumoured to ride Vuelta as captains for Liquigas and they already rode the Giro. It's unlikely they'll do 3 GTs at their age.
I have doubts on Agnoli as well. Plus, Liquigas won't need to control the race on the mountains so why bringing so many climbers?
Paterski should be there. I'd bring Duggan as well, he's in very good form. Even Viviani would be better.

Last spot my man Moreno.

 

[Peccio89]

Caruso and Capecchi won't be in the liquigas team for the tour. Vanotti and Paterski will probably be in the team line-up instead of them.
And i doubt Agnoli will go to the tour too, he is too tired after the giro. Probably the last spot will go to either Duggan or Marangoni.


Moser is too young, i guess they will leave him out just like Sagan last year.

 

[cineteq]

Caruso and Capecchi won't be in the liquigas team for the tour. Vanotti and Paterski will probably be in the team line-up instead of them.
And i doubt Agnoli will go to the tour too, he is too tired after the giro. Probably the last spot will go to either Duggan or Marangoni.

Basso had a great team in the Giro, but Nibali won't have the A team, this really sucks.
Duggan is not going unfortunately
VN: What’s the programme, now?
TD: Next up is the Tour de Suisse, than I have the Tour of Poland.

Read more: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...peaks-about-top-career-win.aspx#ixzz1xNrvZFsO

 

[Gubby Allen]

Will Friere go the tour this year?

 

[Gloin22]

Yes. He said himself he will.

 

[Gubby Allen]

Is Cav planning to finish the tour?

If not, I do not think it's in Sky's best interest to send him.

Let's say Sky lose 2 riders to crashes/illness/miss the cut.

Cav leaves.

They have 6 riders left for the last week.

Withdrawls will cause them more problems than most teams, but without any I think they'll be fine.

Wiggins, Froome, Porte, Suitsov, Rogers, Boassen Hagen, Cavendish & Eisel leaves them pretty well covered and still room for one more. The might be missing a dedicated lead out man if they need one, but the last will probably be someone else to assist Cav, maybe Pate.

 

[Wilba60]

My teams

OGE
Gerrans
O'Grady
Langeveld,
Impey
Goss
Weening
Sulzberger
Cam Meyer
Lancaster

I see 7 of those going with Lancaster and Impey being the specialized lead outs for Goss. Gerrans and Langeveld for the rolling hills, O'Grady as the anchorman and Weening (who is having a great Dauphine) as the mountain man.
I would love to see Cam Meyer race but he might be too young and have raced too much. I wonder if Albasini will get a start instead? As for Sulzberger, they may go for a stronger rider to contest time trials and pull back breaks...maybe Vaitkus or Tuft. I had wondered if they would send Durbridge with the form he has shown but most tend to think he is too young and will be set for Worlds TT

 

[MizzouJack]

Today in the tour de suisse the couple Garmin hopefuls for the the last tour domestic spot Peterson, VanSummeran and Dekker all finished around 3 min down. Didn't get to watch any of the stage did Garmin take any pulls on the front or do any work during the stage.

 

[greenedge]

I would love to see Cam Meyer race but he might be too young and have raced too much. I wonder if Albasini will get a start instead? As for Sulzberger, they may go for a stronger rider to contest time trials and pull back breaks...maybe Vaitkus or Tuft. I had wondered if they would send Durbridge with the form he has shown but most tend to think he is too young and will be set for Worlds TT

I think as Cam Meyer is Australias young poster boy he will go. I also do not think he has over raced, or too young I completely forgot Albasini ( i think in another post i said he deserves to go ). I feel sad that Clarke will not go but the Vuelta will help him for the WC. Durbridge i do think is too young.
Vaitkus and Tuft might be tired after the Giro ( that is why i left them out ).

 

[Eric8-A]

Today in the tour de suisse the couple Garmin hopefuls for the the last tour domestic spot Peterson, VanSummeran and Dekker all finished around 3 min down. Didn't get to watch any of the stage did Garmin take any pulls on the front or do any work during the stage.

I'm going to say Dekker makes it.

 

[element]

Regarding AG2R, does anyone know if Gadret will be going to the Tour? He was looking OK in Suisse, but I'd imagine he might be a bit tired. Peraud has looked pretty bad. Roche seems to be coming into form though, fingers crossed for him.
Also, Lofkvist seems to be showing some signs of life in Suisse. Will be interested to see how he TTs. I hope Sky consider him for the last spot. Would like to see him at the tour. I'm always surprised he's not part of team Tenerife - he seems to fit the criteria perfectly.