Vancansoleil in the Pro Tour or dead meat ?

[theyoungest]

Dutch Mafia attack! Fair enough. I do think they are a decent all round team!

Dutch mafia? In Vacansoleil's case, the Italian mafia can do the job just fine... or the Belgian mafia. I for one don't really see them as a Dutch team.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Great riders? Please...?!

.......and you wonder why folks are on BMC's case?

Some, if not all of that list are definitely more than a match for all the riders of a certain team, minus as certain Australian and have the palmares to prove it.
The rest are far more entertaining.

 

[Matthijs]

Great riders? Please...?!

For instance devolder, who is a bit of a 1-2 races a year rider lately. But then again he won the RvV your beloved Hincapie wanted to win so dearly. Twice, not like Ballan one time, but twice
They can ride in various types and contends on top level on the cobbles and hills (devolder, leukemans, hoogerland, marcato, carrara), smaller stage races (marcato, ricco), GT's (ricco) in the north and italy.
But to be fair, the riders can achieve toplevel, but no garanties like boonen, cancellara, basso or andy schleck, Vacansoleils toplevel guys seems to be just one step below.
Too bad their signing for the spanish calender is maybe dropping out. It's rare a team has homeland topriders for races in belgium, italy and spain!

 

[auscyclefan94]

For instance devolder, who is a bit of a 1-2 races a year rider lately. But then again he won the RvV your beloved Hincapie wanted to win so dearly. Twice, not like Ballan one time, but twice
They can ride in various types and contends on top level on the cobbles and hills (devolder, leukemans, hoogerland, marcato, carrara), smaller stage races (marcato, ricco), GT's (ricco) in the north and italy.
But to be fair, the riders can achieve toplevel, but no garanties like boonen, cancellara, basso or andy schleck, Vacansoleils toplevel guys seems to be just one step below.
Too bad their signing for the spanish calender is maybe dropping out. It's rare a team has homeland topriders for races in belgium, italy and spain!

Okay devolder is very good rider. But the calling the rest of the riders great was a bit farfetched.

 

[markene2]

Okay devolder is very good rider. But the calling the rest of the riders great was a bit farfetched.

Umm..... Ricco, Hoogerland, Bozic. If that aint good i dont know. It's very.. VERY
farfetched calling BMC a good team. Of course they got Evans, but the rest of them have been crap this season.

So it's time for you to get down from your high horse now... I have seen other threads where you are hyping BMC into the sky. Vaconsoleil is a good team.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Umm..... Ricco, Hoogerland, Bozic. If that aint good i dont know. It's very.. VERY
farfetched calling BMC a good team. Of course they got Evans, but the rest of them have been crap this season.

So it's time for you to get down from your high horse now... I have seen other threads where you are hyping BMC into the sky. Vaconsoleil is a good team.

What are Hoogerland's big results? What are Bozic's big results?

 

[markene2]

I am not talking about big results. Name some other than Evans on BMC who got big results?

Bozic's and Hoogerland are solid riders though. Great. Let's say Mediocre for Bozic's and quite good for Hoogerland. Ricco is great though

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Bozic won a Vuelta stage for crying out loud.

Hoogerland, well, top 5 Lombardia and top 15 Vuelta, Worlds, Flanders (x2) probably sucks, you are completely right. Anyhow, the point is, they are performing better the last 2 years than BMC big names such as Hincapie and Ballan.

 

[blaxland]

I think Vacansoleil will stuggle for wins this season.Besides Ricco who else will win big races for this team?Hoogerland Maybe?Bozic Probably small races?Fellui brothers nah?So who else?????Hopefully mosqeura will win aswell.

 

[Matthijs]

I think Vacansoleil will stuggle for wins this season.Besides Ricco who else will win big races for this team?Hoogerland Maybe?Bozic Probably small races?Fellui brothers nah?So who else?????Hopefully mosqeura will win aswell.

devolder and leukemans are top guys on the cobbles, together they can do a lot...
bozic was very near at Paris-Tour remember.
Hoogerland, well, maybe in autumn 09 form he can do well in hilly classics, they also have Marcato and Carrara (who can also do well in Tour of Pologne for instance). Jens Mouris for prologue win on protour level (he became close in the past)

 

[blaxland]

devolder and leukemans are top guys on the cobbles, together they can do a lot...
bozic was very near at Paris-Tour remember.
Hoogerland, well, maybe in autumn 09 form he can do well in hilly classics, they also have Marcato and Carrara (who can also do well in Tour of Pologne for instance). Jens Mouris for prologue win on protour level (he became close in the past)

Thanks for response Matthjis,will be interesting to see devolder and luekmans on the cobbles maybe one can win Ronde?But the Pro Tour is a step up for them next yaer me thinks winnings will be slim.Lets hope they prove me wrong...

 

[The Hitch]

Thanks for response Matthjis,will be interesting to see devolder and luekmans on the cobbles maybe one can win Ronde?But the Pro Tour is a step up for them next yaer me thinks winnings will be slim.Lets hope they prove me wrong...

They beat over half of the pt in the ranking last year, despite not even getting in the gts. Every race they were at, they made sure to be seen. At the tob, they won 2 stages, the sprinters jersey, the points jersey, the mountains jersey, and came 2nd. In Poland (PT) they won mountains and sprinters jersey THey won kbk with a nobdody. Even in races they shouldnt have performed in, they were seen, with a Vacan guy being the last person to be dropped by Canc in Paris Roubaix, and cleverly throwing up his hand, in order to be recognised THeir leadout was at the front in every sprint they were in.

That Hoogerland nut went into the break, on 2 successive days in (PN i think) and was the last one to get caught on both occasions. On another occasion he (or some other vacan guy) went alone for like 50k.

I dont know if they have the Feillu brothers next year.

But they have a lot of talent who are willing to go on breaks, and a great sprinter in Bozic.

Add to that the awesome signings of Ricco Styjn and (hopefully) Eze.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

devolder and leukemans are top guys on the cobbles, together they can do a lot...
bozic was very near at Paris-Tour remember.
Hoogerland, well, maybe in autumn 09 form he can do well in hilly classics, they also have Marcato and Carrara (who can also do well in Tour of Pologne for instance). Jens Mouris for prologue win on protour level (he became close in the past)

Plus you are forgetting Marcato. Also top 10 in AGR I believe

 

[ingsve]

I think Vacansoleil will stuggle for wins this season.Besides Ricco who else will win big races for this team?Hoogerland Maybe?Bozic Probably small races?Fellui brothers nah?So who else?????Hopefully mosqeura will win aswell.

The question is what you mean by a win? I would say that for the monuments and GTs they probably only have Devolder with a realsitic but slight chance of winning and perhaps also Ricco but I certainly hope he instead fails miserably.

Outside of those races they probably have a decent shot at winning in 90% of races on the calender. They have a lot of offensivly minded riders and a lot of them have fairly decent sprints in anything but major bunchsprints with the likes of Cav and Farrar.

 

[blaxland]

The question is what you mean by a win? I would say that for the monuments and GTs they probably only have Devolder with a realsitic but slight chance of winning and perhaps also Ricco but I certainly hope he instead fails miserably.

Outside of those races they probably have a decent shot at winning in 90% of races on the calender. They have a lot of offensivly minded riders and a lot of them have fairly decent sprints in anything but major bunchsprints with the likes of Cav and Farrar.

Spot on ingsve you answered your question with my answer...Only Monuments and Grand Tours is what im talkin about.So Ricco and Devolder are the only two that could do this,both of which where not riding for Vacansoliel last year.And personaly i dont care which riders or Teams get seen on TV in breakaways....i watch to see who wins?But your correct in saying they will win plenty of the semi classics and smaller races.

 

[auscyclefan94]

They beat over half of the pt in the ranking last year, despite not even getting in the gts. Every race they were at, they made sure to be seen. At the tob, they won 2 stages, the sprinters jersey, the points jersey, the mountains jersey, and came 2nd. In Poland (PT) they won mountains and sprinters jersey THey won kbk with a nobdody. Even in races they shouldnt have performed in, they were seen, with a Vacan guy being the last person to be dropped by Canc in Paris Roubaix, and cleverly throwing up his hand, in order to be recognised THeir leadout was at the front in every sprint they were in.

That Hoogerland nut went into the break, on 2 successive days in (PN i think) and was the last one to get caught on both occasions. On another occasion he (or some other vacan guy) went alone for like 50k.

I dont know if they have the Feillu brothers next year.

But they have a lot of talent who are willing to go on breaks, and a great sprinter in Bozic.

Add to that the awesome signings of Ricco Styjn and (hopefully) Eze.

because they did not get invites into the big races it meant that they could target the one week stage races and send their best riders who were peaking for those smaller races. A great sprinter in Bozic? I don't think so...he's no Kristoff They did have a very very good year. I agree. Will they back it up again and put up competition in bigger races? We'll see...

Bozic won a Vuelta stage for crying out loud.

Hoogerland, well, top 5 Lombardia and top 15 Vuelta, Worlds, Flanders (x2) probably sucks, you are completely right. Anyhow, the point is, they are performing better the last 2 years than BMC big names such as Hincapie and Ballan.

You going to compare BMC's team who all had very bad years in comparison to other years. The only riders I can think that had above par years were Morabito and Bookwalter. They should bounce back. Funny how some of you say that Ballan and Hincapie are nothing special on the cobbles but they are big names when it suits some peopleso they can prove a point.

 

[ingsve]

Spot on ingsve you answered your question with my answer...Only Monuments and Grand Tours is what im talkin about.So Ricco and Devolder are the only two that could do this,both of which where not riding for Vacansoliel last year.And personaly i dont care which riders or Teams get seen on TV in breakaways....i watch to see who wins?But your correct in saying they will win plenty of the semi classics and smaller races.

Ok, if that's the criteria then I agree with the assessment. I personally think there is more to a season than those eight races. I guess it's a guestion of how far each of us separate the biggest races from every other race. I think we all agree what races are the biggest but I tend to see the rest of them follow right behind in steady declining pace.

 

[ingsve]

A great sprinter in Bozic? I don't think so...he's no Kristoff

You need to look a little closer. Bozic is a very competent sprinter. He's certainly on level with sprinters like Hutarovich, Allan Davis and the Haedo brothers to name a few.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Funny how some of you say that Ballan and Hincapie are nothing special on the cobbles but they are big names when it suits some peopleso they can prove a point.

Well Devolder and Leukemans are compared to Ballan and Hincapie because they are the two teams best riders on cobbles. That doesn't mean that Ballan and Hincapie are big names. Unfortunately BMC don't have better riders to compare with.

 

[rxgqgxnyfz]

A great sprinter in Bozic? I don't think so...he's no Kristoff

That's right. Bozic is no Kristoff. He doesn't suck, and actually wins races. In a row.
________
CHEEP VAPORIZERS

 

[Mellow Velo]

IMO, Leukemans was one of the riders of the season. So consistent and persistent.
We saw more of him at the front of races, than BMC's entire team of cobblers.

I agree with Ingsve's assessment of B Boz.

Ricco is likely to make a big impact in stage races and the Giro. Not sure whether he will visit the Tour.

Again, we have another ACF inspired, double standards thread, where Hincapie and Ballan are rated upon past performances, (how old is Hincapie, now?) yet Hoogerland's great 2009 season is totally ignored.

 

[jens_attacks]

2010 season was way better for vacansoleil than bmc.period.
i think 2011 season will be even better for the dutch team.
you all forgot about mosquera who will probably ride two grand tours and he definitely can podium again.
bmc will score big victories again just with evans.i wish hincapie will win something big but unfortunately it's too late.

vacansoleil will be the most entertaining team for 2011:leukemans,devolder,hoogerland,marcato,carrara,ricco,mosquera.for fucc's sake i already can't wait.

 

[auscyclefan94]

2010 season was way better for vacansoleil than bmc.period.
i think 2011 season will be even better for the dutch team.
you all forgot about mosquera who will probably ride two grand tours and he definitely can podium again.
bmc will score big victories again just with evans.i wish hincapie will win something big but unfortunately it's too late.

vacansoleil will be the most entertaining team for 2011:leukemans,devolder,hoogerland,marcato,carrara,ricco,mosquera.for fucc's sake i already can't wait.

Ahh, haven't you heard the news about mosquera's positive? We'll see who goes better in 2011.

IMO, Leukemans was one of the riders of the season. So consistent and persistent.
We saw more of him at the front of races, than BMC's entire team of cobblers.

I agree with Ingsve's assessment of B Boz.

Ricco is likely to make a big impact in stage races and the Giro. Not sure whether he will visit the Tour.

Again, we have another ACF inspired, double standards thread, where Hincapie and Ballan are rated upon past performances, (how old is Hincapie, now?) yet Hoogerland's great 2009 season is totally ignored.

Great 2009 season? It was a good season. Great for him maybe but lets not exaggerate like usual mellow Velo. It is well known that riders do not go well in their first GT back from a doping suspension. Ricco will struggle in the final week. No doubt about it. Well if you can actually say something nice about BMC you would recognise that all of BMC's top cobblers had down years in 2010. I think you and others have double standards, not me. You all say BMC were so dissapointing this year yet you say that Hincapie, balla, etc. are all past their best. So if their all past their best why expect anything from them?

That's right. Bozic is no Kristoff. He doesn't suck, and actually wins races. In a row.

Bozic has 3 wins this year in very small races. If he is soooo good like you say he is then he should of done way better. bozic is also 30, kristoff is 23.

You need to look a little closer. Bozic is a very competent sprinter. He's certainly on level with sprinters like Hutarovich, Allan Davis and the Haedo brothers to name a few.

Oh wow! I would really strive to be on the same level as Allan Davis!

 

[hrotha]

Oh wow! I would really strive to be on the same level as Allan Davis!

Seriously, the way you underrate everyone not riding for BMC would be hilarious if it weren't so tiresome. Davis is about a million times better than Kristoff, and Kristoff would love to grow into the rider Davis is.

Also, Riccò has had a full year of riding under the belt. Riders coming from a suspension have trouble in GTs because they haven't had the time to build up their form, but Riccò won't have that problem more than Basso did this year.

 

[Moondance]

Spot on ingsve you answered your question with my answer...Only Monuments and Grand Tours is what im talkin about.So Ricco and Devolder are the only two that could do this,both of which where not riding for Vacansoliel last year.And personaly i dont care which riders or Teams get seen on TV in breakaways....i watch to see who wins?But your correct in saying they will win plenty of the semi classics and smaller races.

Well, in the one GT that Vacansoleil got into (2009 Vuelta) they won a stage and had Johnny Hoogerland in 12th or 13th overall i think. So they've got a 100% record in getting good results for each GT they've contested. In terms of winning monuments I don't think you can hold that against them. Every team that isn't Rabobank, Saxo, Astana or Lotto didn't win a monument this year. That doesn't mean HTC, Garmin, Caisse or Liquigas (to name but a few) didn't perform well in the Classics.