Who are future GT winners?

[jaylew]

Assuming Armstrong and Pereiro are retired next year there are now 10 current riders with GT wins:

Contador
Menchov
Basso
Vino
Garzelli
Nibali
Cunego
Sastre
Valverde*
Di Luca*

Contador, Menchov, Nibali, and Basso will be around a while longer. Valverde will be back. There will of course be new guys in the mix. Which of these guys who have knocked on the door do you see winning a GT before their career is done?

I find this rather hard, especially when trying to figure which GTs a rider is likely to enter. Cadel is running out of time. Will he and Schlecklet continue to do the Tour and butt heads with Contador? Will guys like VDB2, Gesink, Kreuz, etc...continue to focus on the Tour or go the Nibali route and do a Giro/Vuelta double one year, thus increasing their chances? Will the climbers on this list with relatively weak TTs improve enough against the clock to get a win?

I limited the list to guys who have shown the ability to be up there more than once (Anton was a bit of an exception, but I figure it was a given he'd have finished in the top 5 without his wreck this year).

Still had to leave some guys out. I figure the windows may have closed for Levi and Kloden. Vande Velde could have been on the list as well but I left him off b/c he seems most suited to the Tour and AC and AS will be around for a long time. Mosquera could have been included as well, but I decided to go with Anton instead. Anyway, we can discuss some of these other guys (or others) below.

You can vote for as many as you like.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

The list could be made very wide, considering situations as the starting field and the course, many could potentially win a gc.
I couldn't make a good list even if I tried.

 

[jaylew]

Agreed. Starting field and parcours are really important and we don't have that info. Thought we could give it a go anyhow.

 

[ultimobici]

Contador Agreed
Menchov - Can't see him improving, AS & AC need to fall off first
Basso - May have another Giro in him but not a Tour
Vino - No
Garzelli - Outside chance in Giro with same conditions as Menchov
Nibali - With Basso in the way at Liquigas it'll be hard in the Giro
Cunego - Nope has given up on GT
Sastre - Nope too old
Valverde* - Can't see him winning in France or Italy
Di Luca* - Nope never should have been a GT contender

Andy Schleck has to be on the list as does Kreuzinger.

 

[al_pacino]

I find this rather hard, especially when trying to figure which GTs a rider is likely to enter. Cadel is running out of time. Will he and Schlecklet continue to do the Tour and butt heads with Contador? Will guys like VDB2, Gesink, Kreuz, etc...continue to focus on the Tour or go the Nibali route and do a Giro/Vuelta double one year, thus increasing their chances? Will the climbers on this list with relatively weak TTs improve enough against the clock to get a win?

Thats looks like the key, A Schleck could push Contador close for the next 5 years(in the TdF) without getting a win. Would he want to race the Giro hard and potentialy harm his Tour chances though?

Edit - I only picked A Scheck and Igor Anton although S SAnchez and Gesink should've made my selection too.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Voted for Andy, Gesink, Ricco, Anton and Sammy Sanchez. Wanted to vote VDB2 as well but somehow misclicked. But you can count it as extra vote

 

[jaylew]

Contador Agreed
Menchov - Can't see him improving, AS & AC need to fall off first
Basso - May have another Giro in him but not a Tour
Vino - No
Garzelli - Outside chance in Giro with same conditions as Menchov
Nibali - With Basso in the way at Liquigas it'll be hard in the Giro
Cunego - Nope has given up on GT
Sastre - Nope too old
Valverde* - Can't see him winning in France or Italy
Di Luca* - Nope never should have been a GT contender

Andy Schleck has to be on the list as does Kreuzinger.

I'm guessing you started responding to my post before I got the poll up.

 

[For The World]

I think it's more likely that Frank and Andy could wind up becoming the next Poulidor in the Tour. The eternal second.

 

[The Hitch]

Sigh how many times we got to say this.

Make the polls transparent (that we can see who votes where). You get that option. I dont see any reason not to. It makes it more fun.

Andy Schleck Yes
Cadel Evans Doubt it
Roman Kreuziger Doubt it
Robert Gesink Maybe
Riccardo Ricco Probably
Igor Anton Yes
Samuel Sanchez Hopefully
Joaquin Rodriguez No
Frank Schleck No
Jurgen Van Den Broeck Hell no

As for future gt winners I think A Schleck Igor Anton and Ricco. Schleck for obvious reasons. Ricco because every year a different italian wins the giro. Once in a while a foreigner wins it, once in a while an Italian gets a 2nd giro. The rest of the time a new Italian is added to the club. Nibali will probably win it. Maybe Scarponi will get lucky. ricco is next in line.

I hope Cadel will get 1 more chance but i doubt it. I hope Samu and maybe the Vuelta next year he can.

 

[jaylew]

Voted for Andy, Gesink, Ricco, Anton and Sammy Sanchez. Wanted to vote VDB2 as well but somehow misclicked. But you can count it as extra vote

I went back and forth on VDB2, Gesink, and Evans. My heart wants Evans to get one, but I just don't know. I feel like I need to see a bit more of VDB2 to be sure. Will Rabo ever let Gesink skip the Tour? He has time on his side but maybe an injury at the right time (messing up his TdF training) is his best bet. I figure Andy is just too talented not to get one eventually, though who knows where it will be.

For me, Sammy is a good bet. I figure EE is primed for a Vuelta win and with the race returning to the Basque country, they're going to want their best squad there. JoRod will always be too weak in the TT, imo. I feel fairly confident Ricco will eventually get a Giro.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Voted A Schleck & Kreuziger.

TGBM will take everything else.

 

[jaylew]

Sigh how many times we got to say this.

Make the polls transparent. You get that option. I dont see any reason not to. It makes it more fun.

Probably should have. I wasn't sure which way to go with it. I like seeing who people voted for, but it also seems like you get more feedback when it's anonymous. I've noticed that there are several prolific posters who will almost never respond to a public poll, though they might still post in the thread.

 

[Parrulo]

voted on andy(obvious reasons) gesink cus he seems to be getting better each year and ricco for the same reasons as the hitch.

ofc tiago "kamikaze" machado should be added to that list for the simple reason of being portugawesome and sharing his first name with me

 

[Moondance]

Schleck, Sanchez and Anton.

The rest.... Meh. I'll believe it when it happens.

 

[ferryman]

Schleck (TDF and sooner than most on here think), Gesink and Anton (Vuelta).

Ricco, well we shall have to wait and see what he can bring clean

 

[staubsauger]

what's up with brajkovic machado popovych or any other rs rider who could suddenly benefit from the bruyneel-effect?

 

[El Pistolero]

I see Ricardo Ricco winning at least one Giro.

 

[jaylew]

Interesting that Anton is getting twice the votes Sanchez is. He can't TT with him, it's debatable if he can climb with him, and has shown a problem staying upright. My only guess is that people are assuming that SS will ride the TdF and Anton the Vuelta in coming years.

Next year is an odd year.

2007: 3rd
2009: 2nd
2011: ??

 

[ferryman]

I see Ricardo Ricco winning at least one Giro.

Idoubt it when Liquigas still have Basso and Nibs on the books.

 

[enrecul]

phinney?

could phinney ever do anything in the GC?
former TTers have done well in the past....Wiggo etc
can he climb?

 

[El Pistolero]

Idoubt it when Liquigas still have Basso and Nibs on the books.

I don't see Nibs beating Ricco at all.

And unless Ricco tests positive a second time I don't see him retiring before Basso =/

 

[roundabout]

Interesting that Anton is getting twice the votes Sanchez is. He can't TT with him, it's debatable if he can climb with him, and has shown a problem staying upright. My only guess is that people are assuming that SS will ride the TdF and Anton the Vuelta in coming years.

Next year is an odd year.

2007: 3rd
2009: 2nd
2011: ??

Anton is 5 years younger. That's his major advantage.

 

[PCutter]

Aldo Sassi (in the interview linked on another thread today), when asked who he saw as a possible GT winner of the emerging talents in cycling nominated Richie Porte without hesitation. He added Ricco's name, "if he does the right thing".

Though I presume he didn't consider AS, Cadel, SS, Basso, Nibali as 'emerging' talents

 

[Midnite]

My votes:

Andy Schleck - Will probably win the TdF in a near future, so would probably win a Vuelta or Giro if focused.

Igor Anton - He showed he could (and probably would) have won the Vuelta a España this year, so i see a very good possibility in the future.

Robert Gesink - Young rider, resistant on the climbs, could be a very strong overall contender in a major GT.

Jurgen van den Broeck - Well, voted for him as well, but thinking better i don't really think he will be strong enough to win a GT.

 

[jaylew]

I guess even the Aussies have given up on Cadel. I expected him to get a big bump overnight.