Who will win the Green Jersey?

[pmcg76]

And your piont is??

Just highlighting the hypocrisy of criticising Cav for not finishing GTs when your own hero done the same thing and nobody in their right mind would have even predicted LA winning 7 Tours based on his career at the same age as Cav.

Cav wont be a GT contender but he could develop into a major Classics contender, he is already the Top sprinter and finished his first major GT, Giro d'Italia last year so the possiblities are limitless and I am not a Cav fan.

Besides, lets keep this about the Green jersey contenders please. You just slated the current top sprinter and definite contender without offering any alternatives .

 

[blaxland]

C'mon the answer is SO obvious.

Boonen!

Remember there's a white line at the of the race!

(too easy but I couldn't resist)

Well Said>>>>>>>>My Choice is Haussler for Green

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Tom boonen

 

[auscyclefan94]

cavendish or friere in green

friere is definetly the most consistent rider and can get other some tougher climbs and win in the sprint finish. firere is always in the top 4 in a sprint stage so should be a good bet afain this year for the green jersey. thier are not too many pancake flat stages for cavendish which will make it harder for him to pick up stages but definetly win one stage such as Marseille to La Grand Motte. Cervelo's ambitons for stage wins/green jersey with Hushovd and Haussler plus yellow jersey for sastre will make it hard for them to win either classification because going for the sprints will negate their chances for stage wins. In modern day cycling you can't ride for yellow and green jersies because you need a full team to do one or the other.

 

[Anonymous]

WHAAT??? He's only good in the last 200 meters of a flat stage! The real complete sprinter was Bettini and is Bonnen Hushovd, good in cobbles, sprints, TT's! Cav is a joke of a complete rider!

Cav chickenned out of all the GT so far, so much for the most complete rider

he'll win the green... period!!

after the tour it will be time to start talking about him in terms of ending up the greatest sprinter of all time..... he can smoke any sprinter from any era.

and no he's not going to become a classics rider.....pure sprinter baby.... pick one thing... do it very very well.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Having watched the Tour of Swiss stages, I have to say I wouldn't write off Oscar Freire.
Cav's had the perfect lead out, for his wins, but Oscar is matching his speed, after the initial acceleration. He's actually closed the gap, but has been too far off Mark's rear wheel, when it's kicked off.
Plus, he's riding "a la McEwen", virtually on his lonesome.

He'll definitely pop out from behind someone's wheel and pinch a stage or two.

It's whether or not Cav is prepared to compromise stage wins to contest the vest.
He may have to contest the sprint bonuses, if Freire is climbing well and taking a lot of spare points in the middling stages.

Hushovd is in the mix, too, but seems to be a fair bit off the pace, at the moment.
Haussler, so far, has been anonymous.

 

[sportzchick]

I would love it to be Thor but realistically its going to take somthing extra specal to see Cavendish not win it

 

[Jasper]

Having watched the Tour of Swiss stages, I have to say I wouldn't write off Oscar Friere.

Bennati however, was virtually invisible in Switzerland. I saw his team bringing him in front a few times in the last 3 kilometres, but when the actual sprinting began, he was nowhere to be seen. Now this was his first big stage race after his injuries, so you couldn't really expect him to already smoke Cavendish and Freire. But I would like to have seen him at least actually sprinting, just to indicate where his form is at right now. Whatever it is, it doesn't look particularily good for the Tour and the green jersey in particular.

 

[Belokki]

he'll win the green... period!!

after the tour it will be time to start talking about him in terms of ending up the greatest sprinter of all time..... he can smoke any sprinter from any era.

and no he's not going to become a classics rider.....pure sprinter baby.... pick one thing... do it very very well.

Armstrong mentality so many seem to hate!

 

[Kazistuta]

friere is definetly the most consistent rider and can get other some tougher climbs and win in the sprint finish. firere is always in the top 4 in a sprint stage so should be a good bet afain this year for the green jersey. (....). Cervelo's ambitons for stage wins/green jersey with Hushovd and Haussler plus yellow jersey for sastre will make it hard for them to win either classification because going for the sprints will negate their chances for stage wins. In modern day cycling you can't ride for yellow and green jersies because you need a full team to do one or the other.

A contradiction, don't you think? If Freire on Rabobank (with Menchov) can compete for the green jersey, so could Big Thor or Haussler. My personal beet would indeed be Freire in front of Cav and one of the two Cervelo guys (when they've found out who to back).

 

[auscyclefan94]

Oscar for green!

A contradiction, don't you think? If Freire on Rabobank (with Menchov) can compete for the green jersey, so could Big Thor or Haussler. My personal beet would indeed be Freire in front of Cav and one of the two Cervelo guys (when they've found out who to back).

Oscar friere has been able to do it alone before with not any help. Hushovd and or haussler need a few men to help out. they might be able to challenge cavendish but i doubt it. oscar doesn't need much help to win because he can feed off others teams trains. he's very fast but not the fastest but oscar is the smartest and toughest

 

[Mellow Velo]

Armstrong mentality so many seem to hate!

Why to do have to bring him onto the green jersey thread?
You are a one eyed, 3WF who seems to be around 52WOTY.


Bennati? I don't know whether he'll make peak form in two weeks. He could do with another stager, at least.
Having said that, like Friere, he can come into form fairly quickly and with the way this Tour is laid out, might at least begin to figure, later on.

 

[Bala Verde]

Having watched the Tour of Swiss stages, I have to say I wouldn't write off Oscar Friere.
Cav's had the perfect lead out, for his wins, but Oscar is matching his speed, after the initial acceleration. He's actually closed the gap, but has been too far off Mark's rear wheel, when it's kicked off.
Plus, he's riding "a la McEwen", virtually on his lonesome.

I agree, and as a I mentioned before, to haul in the green, you need to be the most consistent sprinter. You can even take it without winning a stage.

I seriously doubt that Cavendish will make the train (2-4 riders) steam up, if he doesn't feel too comfortable about taking the stage. No sprinter wants to make his team mates work like horses and then fail to make a profit.

On top of that, he could well hit the breaks in sprints he deems lost, and instead of taking some of the big points by being 1-5, he'll come in as >10. So if Freire, or even Hushovd/Haussler for that matter can wheelsuck Cav, and finish top 5 when he isn't in the mix, there is still some competiton. Intermediates then might come into play as well...

Perhaps in retrospect, it's a good thing Freire was unable to compete in the Classics. He's got more energy, is on form, and is motivated to turn this season into a success (by wearing green)

 

[COLIN LAING]

Green Jersey

I honestly think it will be Sean Kelly again no doubt about it...

 

[tifosa]

The competition for maillot vert should be between Freire, Hushhovd, and Cavendish. Should.

But...
Cavendish will not finish the Tour;
Freire will go for stage wins instead;
Hushovd will actually take the jersey;
and as much as it pains me to say this, O'Grady is no longer a Tour sprinter - he's now a "classics" man who hears the siren song of Roubaix cobble.

 

[Anonymous]

Having watched the Tour of Swiss stages, I have to say I wouldn't write off Oscar Friere.
Cav's had the perfect lead out, for his wins, but Oscar is matching his speed, after the initial acceleration. He's actually closed the gap, but has been too far off Mark's rear wheel, when it's kicked off.
Plus, he's riding "a la McEwen", virtually on his lonesome.

He'll definitely pop out from behind someone's wheel and pinch a stage or two.

It's whether or not Cav is prepared to compromise stage wins to contest the vest.
He may have to contest the sprint bonuses, if Friere is climbing well and taking a lot of spare points in the middling stages.

Hushovd is in the mix, too, but seems to be a fair bit off the pace, at the moment.
Haussler, so far, has been anonymous.

you are right, he hasn't been much for taking the bonuses... i still think he'll win most of the stages...

 

[Aapjes]

In modern day cycling you can't ride for yellow and green jersies because you need a full team to do one or the other.

Freire won last year's Green jersey while Menchov got 4th place. So it is possible.

 

[Outsprinted]

Freire won last year's Green jersey while Menchov got 4th place. So it is possible.

Yeah, some sprinters can make it on their own like Freire, McEwen and also Bennati. While others like to have a train like Cavendish and Petacchi.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Freire for Green

Freire won last year's Green jersey while Menchov got 4th place. So it is possible.

What i was saying that is friere is an exception to that. Friere is a crafty rider who can win by feeding off other teams trains or leadouts. Riders like Steegmans, Boonen, Cavendish, Hushovd, haussler and Bennati need at least a few riders or a lead out train to keep them in position. and get them up to full speed. Some of those riders won't have a train due to their teams having gc ambtions.

 

[Jasper]

Why do you insist on calling him Friere?

 

[toppermost]

experience!

The only things I can think to add .. not sure if anyone has brought this up:

1) Cav will have to finish the tour to win the jersey. It remains to be seen if he can do that.

2) with some very notable exceptions the Green Jeersey is almost always won by a very experienced rider. Cav may be fastest, but he surely is not the smartest. This doesnt mean is dumb, but still...

I agree with Bala! I am going with Freire or Hushovd.

I think Boonen is too moody and if he is in an unhappy place he wont perform well.... Ands that IF he gets to ride.

 

[toppermost]

also worth mentioning.... Cipollini never won a Green Jersey. He was unbeatable for a few years.

 

[39*23t]

also worth mentioning.... Cipollini never won a Green Jersey. He was unbeatable for a few years.

very true cav may be the quickest but will he be the quickest after the mountain when riders like Oscar Freire will emerge a bit fresher and maybe a bit faster. though his climbing has defintly improved from last year still think it will be a year or two before he wears green in paris.

 

[Ibanez]

Well he finished last years giro just fine, and that was ridiculously mountainous.

 

[39*23t]

Well he finished last years giro just fine, and that was ridiculously mountainous.

true but as cipo will tell you "the giro aint no tour" (but in italian)