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Which team has the best climber squad?

Jun 9, 2010
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Now that we are heading to the Alps and the Pyrenees seems to be close too is time to think about which team has the best climber squad or like Publicus said "Mountain goats squad"?

I'm going with Liquigas before Rabobank... we are talking about teams not just one rider...

Basso
Kreuziger
Szmyd
Kuchynski
Bellotti

Uffff this guys love the mountains... Liquigas do it great in Il Giro and I hope that they are going to do great also here in Le grand Boucle... it's a shame that Nibali didn't come but the next year he will be here...:cool:
 
A

Anonymous

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I read on the internet that it's Team Radio Shack, so it must be true. ............ :rolleyes:
 
Honestly, you only had to list the first three from Liquigas. It's just no competition (Szymd is the motherf@cking man in the mountains). That being said, Astana is going to do just fine with this line up:

Contador
Vinokoruv
Navarro
Tiralongo
De la Fuente
Hernandez

They can hold their own with that line up (especially when the guy at the top of the house is the best in the business).
 
Jun 9, 2010
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-myra- said:
I read on the internet that it's Team Radio Shack, so it must be true. ............ :rolleyes:

If La église de Lance said it so is true hahahahaha...

The Uniballer Climbing Squad is going to crack... but that fight in the mountains is going to be great... That team at the end is going to look desperate :cool: cuz they dont have what it takes...
 
Jun 9, 2010
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Publicus said:
Honestly, you only had to list the first three from Liquigas. It's just no competition (Szymd is the motherf@cking man in the mountains). That being said, Astana is going to do just fine with this line up:

Contador
Vinokoruv
Navarro
Tiralongo
De la Fuente
Hernandez

They can hold their own with that line up (especially when the guy at the top of the house is the best in the business).

Even if Vinokourov cracked there would be still the spanish mountain goats squad =D Dani Navarro uffff... that guy is learning from the Best and he already show it in Le Criterium du Dauphiné...
 
Publicus said:
Honestly, you only had to list the first three from Liquigas. It's just no competition (Szymd is the motherf@cking man in the mountains). That being said, Astana is going to do just fine with this line up:

Contador
Vinokoruv
Navarro
Tiralongo
De la Fuente
Hernandez

They can hold their own with that line up (especially when the guy at the top of the house is the best in the business).

Vino and De la Fuente tend to pop..

one thing with Astana is that a lot of their riders are often finishing these flat stages out the back of the peloton... saving all their energy for the mountains it seems
 
May 26, 2010
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Pharazon said:
Vino and De la Fuente tend to pop..

one thing with Astana is that a lot of their riders are often finishing these flat stages out the back of the peloton... saving all their energy for the mountains it seems

do you reckon that is it or are they being dropped. Sean kelly on eurosport said that the best place to be in the peleton is the centre of it where you practically get carried along....so are these guys dropping off at 10ks and freewheeling in to save themselves???

its gonna be interesting to see the radiosmack strategy as they are hardly gonna drop contador on a steep hill and they have not managed to ride him off the back over cobbles as was planned. He doesn't have the jersey so it should be fun to watch.....Saxo bank/RS have to make the 1st move or contador will ride away on the last climb
 
Benotti69 said:
do you reckon that is it or are they being dropped. Sean kelly on eurosport said that the best place to be in the peleton is the centre of it where you practically get carried along....so are these guys dropping off at 10ks and freewheeling in to save themselves???

I think that's true throughout the race, but the pace in the peloton is pretty high in the final 10KM of a flat stage. Why have them burn themselves up keeping pace on a flat stage when you aren't trying to preserve their overall position or win the team classification?

And it was by design. AC has talked about it the last couple of days.
 
May 26, 2009
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Benotti69 said:
do you reckon that is it or are they being dropped. Sean kelly on eurosport said that the best place to be in the peleton is the centre of it where you practically get carried along....so are these guys dropping off at 10ks and freewheeling in to save themselves???

Well they're not going for GC, so I guess they don't care if they lose X amount of minutes as long as they finish inside the time limit.
 
Jul 2, 2009
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jaylew said:
No big fan of JB and LA, but it's got to be Radioshack. Honestly, I don't even think it's close.

I agree and deep down most or here do to, but can't admit it (and I'm certainly no fan either)
 
Jun 9, 2010
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Mambo95 said:
I agree and deep down most or here do to, but can't admit it (and I'm certainly no fan either)

Those oldies are going to crack... What about Rabobank??? Menchov, Gesink and Tamkink just to say they are young and climb really well... Jani Brajkovic is the only youngster in The Shack...

Even The Saxo... Andy and Fuglsang.. I want to see that couple climbing...
 
Publicus said:
Honestly, you only had to list the first three from Liquigas. It's just no competition (Szymd is the motherf@cking man in the mountains). That being said, Astana is going to do just fine with this line up:

Contador
Vinokoruv
Navarro
Tiralongo
De la Fuente
Hernandez

They can hold their own with that line up (especially when the guy at the top of the house is the best in the business).

One has to wonder how badly hurt are Navarro and Hernandez. Hernandez was getting treated by the medical car today. They have both struggled to finish the last 4-5 days. I know Astana said they are resting climbers. But I guess we will see if these two are hurt the next few days. It would not be a surprise to see them both abandon Sunday.
 
Mambo95 said:
I agree and deep down most or here do to, but can't admit it (and I'm certainly no fan either)

Do you say stuff like this to validate your opinion? Or do you think folks lie because they don't want to be attacked by other forum participants who feel the same way or are ashamed to admit it?

I'll proudly admit that I am not one of those that share your opinion for a variety of reasons. Namely, I have yet to see Radio Shack CONTROL a mountain stage this year. This year they don't have the strongest climber (or even the second (Shcleck) or third (Basso/Schleck). They have two diesels (Levi and Kloden) who can hang on to almost any pace, I'll grant you that. But I don't see them setting up Lance for an attack a la 1999-2005. And let's be honest, that's who they are working for in the mountains.

Jani is their biggest threat in the mountains and he won't be protected.
 
Old&slow said:
One has to wonder how badly hurt are Navarro and Hernandez. Hernandez was getting treated by the medical car today. They have both struggled to finish the last 4-5 days. I know Astana said they are resting climbers. But I guess we will see if these two are hurt the next few days. It would not be a surprise to see them both abandon Sunday.

LOL. Ok. Well I would be surprised to see them abandon on Sunday. Very surprised.
 
I wonder if the Shack will utilise Jani as their Joker. If they are clever enough and of course if he is strong enough they could make it pretty interesting. That's a big could but if I was Lance/Johan I would be looking to play that card.
 
Jun 9, 2010
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ferryman said:
I wonder if the Shack will utilise Jani as their Joker. If they are clever enough and of course if he is strong enough they could make it pretty interesting. That's a big could but if I was Lance/Johan I would be looking to play that card.

Wherever you see it that is the card to play... LL and AK are not in their best but Jani did it well in Dauphiné...
 
ferryman said:
I wonder if the Shack will utilise Jani as their Joker. If they are clever enough and of course if he is strong enough they could make it pretty interesting. That's a big could but if I was Lance/Johan I would be looking to play that card.

Play it how? That it will draw everyone out? It's Jani. We all know he's not their main card. Just like I know Popo isn't their main card. How? Who gave up their wheels on Stage 3? Rast and Jani. Who paced Lance until he exploded? Popo.

He's a domestique. For the card to work they would have had to pretend like he was a protected rider at some point in the last week. They've treated him like a domestique.
 
Someone go to PCM and check the relevant mountain scores.

No, but seriously, a slightly more direct comparison might be interesting or at least entertaining.

Contador > Armstrong
Vinokourov = Leipheimer
Tiralongo < Klöden
Jesús Hernández < Horner
Navarro < Brajkovic
De la Fuente => Popovych
Grivko > Paulinho

Or somesuch!
 
Jul 2, 2009
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rxgqgxnyfz said:
Are you implying that all members on this forum are closet lancesexuals?

Nothing of the sort. More that a lot of people would rather sticks pins in their eyes than admit that RadioShack are a very strong team.
 
Jun 9, 2010
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hrotha said:
Contador > Armstrong
Vinokourov = Leipheimer
Tiralongo < Klöden
Jesús Hernández < Horner
Navarro < Brajkovic
De la Fuente => Popovych
Grivko > Paulinho

mmmmmmm as we are talking about climbing skills I would make some fixes to this list

Jesus Hernandez > Horner (Horner barely climbs "well")
De la Fuente >> Popovych (He is a mountain goat)
Navarro = Brajkovic (I really think that they have the same level but Dani is far more domestique as Jani and he just had one opportunity to show it and it was in Dauphiné)