Vuelta Winner

[blaxland]

Rodriguez would be my pick,but i think some unknown Spanish Mountain Goat turns up and smashes the race to pieces........

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I really don't see how F.Schleck can win a grand tour, it's really beyond me how people see him gaining time on Anton/Mosquera uphill or limiting the damage enough to, hilariously, strike in the TT.

But whatever. I'll probably be woefully wrong and F.Schleck probably has unseen skills.

 

[jaylew]

I'm sure there will be a few changes, but:

Andalucia - CajaSur (ESP)
CALVENTE CORBAS Manuel ESP
CARRASCO GARCIA Sergio ESP
ESTRADA RUIZ Juan Javier ESP
GOMEZ MARCHANTE José Angel ESP
MORENO BAZAN Javier ESP
ORTEGA OCANA Manuel ESP
PIEDRA PEREZ Antonio ESP
RAMIREZ ABEJA Javier ESP
TORIBIO ALCOLEA Jose Vicente ESP

Ag2r - La Mondiale (FRA)
ARRIETA LUJAMBIO Jose Luis ESP
BONNAFOND Guillaume FRA
DUPONT Hubert FRA
HINAULT Sébastien FRA
KADRI Blel FRA
NOCENTINI Rinaldo ITA
RIBLON Christophe FRA
ROCHE Nicolas IRL
TURPIN Ludovic FRA

Bbox - Bouygues Telecom (FRA)
BICHOT Freddy FRA
BONNET William FRA
GÈNE Yohann FRA
JEROME Vincent FRA
PICHOT Alexandre FRA
QUEMENEUR Perrig FRA
ROLLAND Pierre FRA
SPRICK Mathieu FRA
VOGONDY Nicolas FRA

Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne (FRA)
DUMOULIN Samuel FRA
GALLOPIN Tony FRA
KERN Christophe FRA
LABBE Arnaud FRA
MONCOUTIE David FRA
PAURIOL Rémi FRA
SIJMENS Nico BEL
TAARAMAE Rein EST
ZINGLE Romain BEL

Cervélo Test Team (SUI)
BOS Theo NED
CUESTA LOPEZ DE CASTRO Iñigo ESP
DEIGNAN Philip IRL
DENIFL Stefan AUT
FLORENCIO CABRE Xavier ESP
HAMMOND Roger GBR
HUSHOVD Thor NOR
SASTRE CANDIL Carlos ESP
TONDO VOLPINI Xavier ESP

Euskaltel - Euskadi (ESP)
ANTON HERNANDEZ Igor ESP
FERNANDEZ DE LARREA Koldo ESP
INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA Beñat ESP
MARTINEZ DE ESTEBAN Egoi ESP
NIEVE ITURRALDE Mikel ESP
OROZ UGALDE Juan Jose ESP
TXURRUKA ANSOLA Amets ESP
URTASUN PEREZ Pablo ESP
VERDUGO MARCOTEGUI Gorka ESP

Française des Jeux (FRA)
BONNAIRE Olivier FRA
CAZAUX Pierre FRA
CHAVANEL Sébastien FRA
CHEREL Mikael FRA
HUTAROVICH Yauheni BLR
LE MEVEL Christophe FRA
MEERSMAN Gianni BEL
OFFREDO Yoann FRA
VICHOT Arthur FRA

Footon - Servetto (ESP)
BENITEZ ROMAN Jose Alberto ESP
CARDOSO manuel Antonio Leal POR
CHEULA Giampaolo ITA
DURAN AROCA Arkaitz ESP
GUTIERREZ GUTIERREZ David ESP
MATA Enrique ESP
PEREZ ARRIETA Aitor ESP
VALLS FERRI Rafael ESP
VITORIA David SUI

Caisse d'Epargne (ESP)
ARROYO DURAN David ESP
BRUSEGHIN Marzio ITA
ERVITI OLLO Imanol ESP
GARCIA ACOSTA Jose Vicente ESP
LOPEZ GARCIA David ESP
PASAMONTES RODRIGUEZ Luis ESP
PLAZA MOLINA Ruben ESP
SANCHEZ GIL Luis Leon ESP
URAN URAN Rigoberto COL

Garmin - Transitions (USA)
DANIELSON Tom USA
DEAN Julian NZL
FARRAR Tyler USA
KREDER Michel NED
MEIER Christian CAN
MILLAR David GBR
VANDE VELDE Christian USA
WILSON Matthew AUS
ZABRISKIE David USA

Katusha (RUS)
CARUSO Giampaolo ITA
GALIMZYANOV Denis RUS
GUSEV Vladimir RUS
HORRACH RIPOLL Joan ESP
KARPETS Vladimir RUS
KOLOBNEV Alexandr RUS
PETROV Evgeni RUS
POZZATO Filippo ITA
RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin ESP

Lampre - Farnese Vini (ITA)
BOLE Grega SLO
HONDO Danilo GER
KASHECHKIN Andrey KAZ
LORENZETTO Mirco ITA
MARZANO Marco ITA
MORI Manuele ITA
PETACCHI Alessandro ITA
PIETROPOLLI Daniele ITA
RIGHI Daniele ITA

Liquigas - Doimo (ITA)
BENNATI Daniele ITA
FINETTO Mauro ITA
GUARNIERI Jacopo ITA
KISERLOVSKI Robert CRO
KREUZIGER Roman CZE
NIBALI Vincenzo ITA
SABATINI Fabio ITA
SANTAROMITA Ivan ITA
WILLEMS Frederik BEL

Milram (GER)
FÖRSTER Robert GER
FOTHEN Markus GER
NERZ Dominik GER
ROELS Dominik GER
RUSS Matthias GER
SCHRÖDER Björn GER
SENTJENS Roy BEL
TERPSTRA Niki NED
VOSS Paul GER

OmegaPharma - Lotto (BEL)
BAKELANTS Jan BEL
BRANDT Christophe BEL
DELAGE Mickael FRA
GILBERT Philippe BEL
HOSTE Leif BEL
KAISEN Olivier BEL
PERAUD Jean-Christophe FRA
VAN AVERMAET Greg BEL
VANENDERT Jelle BEL

Quick Step (BEL)
BARREDO LLAMAZALES Carlos ESP
CATALDO Dario ITA
DE WEERT Kevin BEL
DEVOLDER Stijn BEL
MALACARNE Davide ITA
SAMOILAU Branislau BLR
STAUFF Andreas GER
TOSATTO Matteo ITA
WEYLANDT Wouter BEL

Rabobank (NED)
ARDILA CANO Mauricio Alberto COL
FREIRE GOMEZ Oscar ESP
GARATE CEPA Juan Manuel ESP
KOZONTCHUK Dmitriy RUS
LANGEVELD Sebastian NED
MARTENS Paul GER
MENCHOV Denis RUS
TEN DAM Laurens NED
WEENING Pieter NED

Saxo Bank (DEN)
CANCELLARA Fabian SUI
COOKE Baden AUS
HAEDO Juan Jose ARG
KLEMME Dominic GER
LARSSON Gustav Erik SWE
LUND Anders DEN
O'GRADY Stuart AUS
SCHLECK Andy LUX
SCHLECK Fränk LUX

Sky (GBR)
AUGUSTYN John-Lee RSA
CARLSTRÖM Kjell FIN
FLECHA GIANNONI Juan Antonio ESP
GERRANS Simon AUS
KENNAUGH Peter GBR
LÖFKVIST Thomas SWE
NORDHAUG Lars Petter NOR
STANNARD Ian GBR
SWIFT Ben GBR

HTC - Columbia (USA)
BAK Lars Ytting DEN
CAVENDISH Mark GBR
EISEL Bernhard AUT
GOSS Matthew AUS
ROULSTON Hayden NZL
SIUTSOU Kanstantsin BLR
VAN GARDEREN Tejay USA
VELITS Martin SVK
VELITS Peter SVK

Xacobeo - Galicia (ESP)
CESAR VELOSO Gustavo ESP
FERNANDEZ CRUZ Delio ESP
GARCIA DA PENA David ESP
GARCIA Marcos ESP
ISAICHEV Vladimir RUS
MARTINEZ Serafin ESP
MOSQUERA MIGUEZ Ezequiel ESP
RABUNAL RIOS Gonzalo ESP
RODRIGUEZ IGLESIAS Gustavo ESP

 

[Arnout]

Probably the winner will be the contender that stays on his bike. They're all remarkably unstable on the bike (if you count out Nibali, but I don't see him as top contender).

 

[ferryman]

I really don't see how F.Schleck can win a grand tour, it's really beyond me how people see him gaining time on Anton/Mosquera uphill or limiting the damage enough to, hilariously, strike in the TT.

But whatever. I'll probably be woefully wrong and F.Schleck probably has unseen skills.

Oh come on, 1/2 in the Lux's ITT Champs FFS Seriously though, if my welll: thought out theory is correct Frank is the man for the Vuelta.

 

[Gcraenen]

Carlos Sastre wins
Frank will pull out in preparation for the worlds.

So who will win the sprinters competition?

 

[Ryaguas]

Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne (FRA)
DUMOULIN Samuel FRA
GALLOPIN Tony FRA
KERN Christophe FRA
LABBE Arnaud FRA
MONCOUTIE David FRA
PAURIOL Rémi FRA
SIJMENS Nico BEL
TAARAMAE Rein EST
ZINGLE Romain BEL

No Leonardo Duque??? WTF!!!! Who is managing Cofidis? Monkeys??? Bah Leonardo deserves a better team

 

[Ferminal]

Rodriguez, Nibali or Menchov.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Yo voy con Purito Rodriguez... corriendo en casa y mostrando buena forma en Le Tour... quiero verle siquiera haciendo Top 3 y tiene todas las armas para hacerlo... y asi completaria una de las mejores, sino la mejor, temporada de su carrera...

I'll go with Purito Rodriguez... running at home soil and showing a really good form in Le Tour... I want to see him making Top 3 at least (I know that his TT is not the best), He has all the weapons to make it happen... therefore completing one of the best season, if not the best, in his career...

Also Katusha will have a very good and solid team...

gotta be a little realistic. He has had a long season, and rode the tour. I don't think he has ever done the tour-vuelta. I do rate the guy highly, and tipped him to well at the tour, but here I expect stage hunting, and maybe looking for form at the WCs.

---

anyway I expect that F. schleck, anton , mosquera, nibali and maybe menchov to be competing the victory. Menchov is a hard to predict. He has done the tour/vuelta well in the past, but I'm not sure this time around.
I will be throwing my support behind mosquera anyway.

I agree that anton and mosquera could be the mountain men at the vuelta.

 

[BroDeal]

Where's the Tommy D. option?

I hear he's ready to rage.

 

[Sasquatch]

Txurruka

Nah, everyone here knows I'm a huge Rodriguez fan. He reckons he can peak again and is preparing for a podium at the Vuelta - his words.

I look at their list and I see Vladimir Karpets who last peaked in May for the Giro. He did get an injury at the Tour but he would be the fresher of the two.

It wouldn't surprise me if Rodriguez does go well. Those steep climbs suit him.

Anton should probably figure on the podium - the steep climbs suit him as well.

I'm going to sit back and enjoy and not tip a winner because frankly, any of 10+ riders can win.

 

[Sasquatch]

Carlos Sastre wins
Frank will pull out in preparation for the worlds.

So who will win the sprinters competition?

Cavendish.

He knows he can't win the world's. Well, he should know he can't win it. May as well get something out of the season as backup. Sprinting to wins in the Vuelta won't really hamper his world's preparation anyway. He would be nuts not to target the sprint comp.

 

[joe1265]

The winner is gonna be either VDV or Tejay Van Garderen. Both back by very SOLID teams. You heard it here.

 

[Clemson Cycling]

It will Tejay's first chance to prove he has it. I look for him to finish in the Top 10 since he has been building up to this race this year. Garmin looks like the shoe in to win the TTT and have brought a stacked team for Vande Velde .

 

[ericthesportsman6]

It will Tejay's first chance to prove he has it. I look for him to finish in the Top 10 since he has been building up to this race this year. Garmin looks like the shoe in to win the TTT and have brought a stacked team for Vande Velde .

No way he finishes top 10. First of all, it's his first GT, almost no one finishes top 10 in their first. Second of all, he will get absolutely no backing from HTC. But the most important thing is that the course does not suit him at all. Tejay was able to do well at some of the more gradual climbs at the Dauphine, the shorter but steeper climbs of the Vuelta will kill him. Not to mention he hasn't yet developed the stamina or consistency necessary to finish top 10 at a three week race.

 

[Ryaguas]

Van de Velde and Tejay are going to lose big time in the steepest parts of the climbs...

Dang it... How is that nobody misses Alejandro Valverde...? This Vuelta was again for him... bah...

 

[Clemson Cycling]

Man I wish he would go somewhere where they are more concerned with yellow jerseys then green ones

 

[joy118118]

Man I wish he would go somewhere where they are more concerned with yellow jerseys then green ones

how about going to RS?

 

[karlboss]

Man I wish he would go somewhere where they are more concerned with yellow jerseys then green ones

If they had a decent GC shot, they would concentrate on it. They have plenty of guys who take their chances in one week stage races, just noone yet good enough to be worthy of full support in a GT.

 

[skidmark]

I can't possibly see F.Schleck keeping up with Anton and Mosquera. He is terribly inconsistent uphill and will lose time a few mt stages.
And he isn't a TT star either. Can't see him win really

No argument that Frank is not the most consistent of riders, but maybe you could refresh me on Anton because I don't seem to remember him delivering the most consistent results either. I remember when he did well at the Vuelta a couple of years ago and then crashed, and he's shown well in some smaller stage races, but most of my impression of him is wildly inconsistent... I'm just curious where your obviously strong impression of him as a solid pick for the Vuelta comes from.

 

[Moondance]

I voted for Mosquera... I don't see how he beats Menchov and perhaps even Nibali with stage 17 being what it is (a 46km, flat, non-technical ITT)... But a man may hope.

 

[Kwibus]

A good Menchov should win this, but I doubt we'll get to see good Menchov. Mentally not the strongest rider and I doubt he can focus on this Vuelta after his TdF.

I'm not sure what form F Schleck will bring. On good form he sure has a shot at winning this Vuelta. Somehow I also doubt he will have good form. A Schleck on good form ofcourse should be the big favourite, but nobody expects him to be in good form.

I got no idea who will win. I voted for F Schleck, but I guess we'll just have to sit back and enjoy the show we'll get to see.

 

[theyoungest]

I think it's funny how Nibali has gone from an underrated rider to an overrated one: he won't win this Vuelta, his climbing is just not good enough. It's good, but not good enough. And as mentioned before, there's always one day when he loses more time than he can afford.

 

[EmpressJo]

I'm not sure what form F Schleck will bring. On good form he sure has a shot at winning this Vuelta. Somehow I also doubt he will have good form. A Schleck on good form ofcourse should be the big favourite, but nobody expects him to be in good form.

I got no idea who will win. I voted for F Schleck, but I guess we'll just have to sit back and enjoy the show we'll get to see.

+1.

I voted for Frank as well, and given his unscheduled early departure from Le Tour, I hope he's fresh enough and fit enough to win this. But that collarbone makes things rather dodgy.

As for Baby Schleck, I think he's only there to pull big brother along. Should Frank withdraw/crash/pull out, I wouldn't be surprised to see Baby Schleck do the same.

 

[tretow95]

If your backing Mosquera your saying he will take 3 mins out of everyone in the mountains as he ll need it in a tt, not gona happen, maybe there a reason why he is on such a poor team.....this maybe clinic or not but why would he not join a good team
Anton is possible but Soler should be a joke i mean hes probably not even going and will definitely injure himself at some point
I would be amazed if someone out of the 4 i mentioned with the exception of Andy won the vuelta

mosquera is 33 now and its too late fora Protour team to snap him up.
with only 55 km of time trialling in total the course is more favourable to climbers so menchov and nibali are at a disadvantage.

mosquera has had a calm relaxed season and his legs will be fresh so my bet is still with him.