Which team will win TDF?

[pablo0642]

There've been discussions about GC, green and white jerseys but what about which team will win the overall?

 

[barn yard]

'win the overall'? do you mean the teams classification? or the winner of the tour?

 

[pablo0642]

Sorry, Team Classification.

 

[barn yard]

no idea, doesnt mean anything

they shouldnt even award a teams classification imo

 

[pablo0642]

By way of explanation (and yes I'm new here) I was a big fan of the 2011 Tour and Cadel's win and have subsequently enjoyed watching the 2012 Giro and Dauphine on our excellent free to air TV coverage in Australia. So I'm a 'novice' watcher of pro cycling and thought I'd enter a tour tipping comp that gives (too many imo) points for selecting riders who finish on teams at the top of the teams classification. I figure the most likely contenders are those with GC hopefuls especially as I realise that they only count the top 3 times towards the overall team classifications. Any thoughts?

 

[rxgqgxnyfz]

they shouldnt even award a teams classification imo

this

Teams who fail at GC are now spinning team classification as a big deal to save face.

I was very disappointed seeing Astana doing this. Radioshack doing this was expected, sad to see this practice was contagious.

 

[Richeypen]

no idea, doesnt mean anything

they shouldnt even award a teams classification imo

+1000000000000

 

[greenedge better then some]

i don't mind it, ag2r tryed to attack a few times in the closing stages to try an gain time to win it,
offers something different to those riders down the GC order abit to aim for, rather then swaping storys down in the gruppetto with cav

if you are a betting man rabo might be worth a sneaky 10 bucks

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

It's about the best 3 each day. With that in mind. Sky and Rabobank stand the most chance with the teams they have for the mountains, provided their main riders stay intact

 

[Frosty]

One of the problems with Sky is that if Wiggins is close to winning it then dropped mountain domestiques might just sit up and treat the rest of the ride as a recovery ride.

I imagine that sponsors like this sort of event, as they like to say 'best team in the tour de france,' cant say i am that fussed myself.

 

[iZnoGouD]

no one beats RNT on team classification

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Sometimes it'll be about who has guys in the breaks that are allowed to gain 20 minutes after the first set of mountains (oh wait, there isn't one).

Here, though, I think it will be about Team Sky as they will probably have 9 men in the final 30 on the big stages. Certainly they're likely to have 3 where it counts, Wiggins and his able mountain support from Captain Freiburg, Porte and Froome.

 

[maltiv]

Either Rabobank or Sky. Rabobank has a fairly good chance since they have 3 good climbers who presumably won't have to work too much, whilst Sky's best riders will have to sit on the front all day.

 

[Froome19]

Sometimes it'll be about who has guys in the breaks that are allowed to gain 20 minutes after the first set of mountains (oh wait, there isn't one).

Here, though, I think it will be about Team Sky as they will probably have 9 men in the final 30 on the big stages. Certainly they're likely to have 3 where it counts, Wiggins and his able mountain support from Captain Freiburg, Porte and Froome.

I agree more with your first point.
Generally you find that the teams who win the team classification it is because of every stage where they get riders in the breaks.
The reason garmin won last year was not primarily down to Danielson, Hesjedal etc riding consistently in the mountains but rather it was because they managed to get Hushovd, Hesjedal, Hushovd etc in to breaks which stayed away and these gained them time which would be equal to however much they may lose on a mountain stage.

Sky this year and also Movistar imo have at least 3 riders who can do well in the mountains so they should be the favorite, but they wont be getting riders in breaks as they will mostly working for Cav/Wiggins and so they could lose out possibly, yet that is only if they are up against a team like Movistar or Astana who may additionally be sending the riders up the road. Once again this is especially relevant this year when a lot of stages are possible breakaway stages and the mountains are rather limited.

 

[Panda Claws]

Damned, accidentally pressed BMC

 

[martyfulu]

im new to watching this stuff too but think maybe they could start awarding uci points for the competitions outside of gc and stage wins or they will become more and more marginal. im thinking mainly king of the mountains but i think it could happen to the green jersey in time. just a thought.

 

[pablo0642]

Thanks for all the replies and votes guys. I'll look into some 'cheap' Rabobank, RSNT, Garmin and Sky riders for my tour competition as just being on the 'winning' team is worth 2/3 as many points for a rider as winning a stage (and being on the 2nd team is worth as much wearing yellow for 2 days..)

Just to clarify is it the best three riders cumulative time overall at the end of the race or best three each day with 'points' toted up? I thought it was the former hence my (not especially novel) idea that its more likely to be won by teams with GC contenders. I realise Garmin won it last year but I think the extra TT favours the GC teams and not surprisingly Sky.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Astana could surprise aswell although they are probably short but you might get good odds on them, when betting. With Brajko, kiserlovski, Kash, Kessia and some attackers for some stages.

 

[K-0tic]

Normally Sky wins this with Wiggins,Froome,Porte,Sivtsov but Rabobank has Kruijswijk,Gesink,Mollema and even Ten Dam and Luis could stay close. You can't rule out Garmin(Hesjedal,Vandevelde,Martin) and Radioshack (Horner,Monfort,Klöden,Schleck,Zubeldia,Popovych) though

 

[The Hitch]

Nl postal with kgm.

though the way porte rogers ebh are going on sky together with natural climber froome, they have more depth to make up for bad days.

 

[The Hitch]

Thanks for all the replies and votes guys. I'll look into some 'cheap' Rabobank, RSNT, Garmin and Sky riders for my tour competition as just being on the 'winning' team is worth 2/3 as many points for a rider as winning a stage (and being on the 2nd team is worth as much wearing yellow for 2 days..)

Just to clarify is it the best three riders cumulative time overall at the end of the race or best three each day with 'points' toted up? I thought it was the former hence my (not especially novel) idea that its more likely to be won by teams with GC contenders. I realise Garmin won it last year but I think the extra TT favours the GC teams and not surprisingly Sky.

Its the latter. 3 on each day not 3 overall.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I voted: RSNT

 

[cineteq]

I voted: RSNT

Are you serious????

 

[l.Harm]

Contador rode there.

 

[SafeBet]

It's gonna be Astana.