Who's your favourite team and why?

[Kazistuta]

Well, got to admit the national bias comes in play here as well. As a Dane it was a treat to get a Danish pro team back in the days (Jack & Jones) and the riders joining were almost all likeable. I root for Saxo Bank in all races these days, but have a lot of riders from other teams that I'll love to see succeed.

Actually even though three of my favourite riders are employed by Liquigas (Basso, Nibali and Sagan) I still don't consider them a fave team, but they tend to get a lot of great names.

Well, I'll just try and release my favourite (Danish based) team for 2010:

Leaders: Kirchen, Cancellara, Basso, Nibali

Backers: Seeldraeyers, Voigt, Breschel, Fuglsang, Goss,
Danielson, Vansummeren, Flecha

Opportunists/youngsters: Sagan, Michael Matthews, A. Rasmussen, Malacarne, Bobridge, Guldhammer, Trofimov, De Gendt.

Yeah, just twenty riders, but they should be able to compete in every terrain.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Pretty simple question really. Thoughts?

Molteni, Bianchi/Campagnolo.....

 

[Cobber]

Hmmm..... I think now I just just have least favourite riders. Anyone but Armstrong and anyone but Cav.

If I had to pick favourites it'd be Boonen, Haussler and Evans. In years gone by, my favourite riders were Cippo and Ullrich.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Jan was the best to support, i miss him

Rabobank and dutch riders aside, I really do like Vino and Basso a lot despite their history. Cunego and Gilbert are a couple of my favorites too.

 

[AcesRomello]

Bahati foundation!

My favorite team is the newly formed Continental team called Bahati Foundation co-owned by the U.S. National Champion Rahsaan Bahati, a true strategist and methodical orchestrator of the sport of cycling. I like the philosophy of the Team in their efforts to reach out to the city youth in encouraging and supporting their their development and upward mobility through the sport of cycling. Matt Rice from Austrailia and Hilton Clarke are just a few of the highlighted stars on this formidable 21 man roster. Kicking the 2010 season off at the U.S. Merco Classic, the Bahati foundation made a 3 man sweep of the podium amidst top contenders nationwide.
check them out!!

Rome
Major Motion

 

[Tugboat]

I'm another who tends to have a loyalty for following the riders moreso than the teams themselves. Being a kiwi they're spread out a bit so it's...

Colombia-HTC (Roulston)
Sky (Henderson)
Garmin-Transitions (Dean)
FDJ - (Gudsell)
Radioshack (Bewley)

...and now little old Endura with Jack Bauer!

 

[timturpinfleck]

I got into cycling back in 87/88 so always liked Fagor with the likes of Elliott, Yates and Roche. I have never really supported a team more the riders, but I do look out for Sky's results and want them to do well as this will help raise the profile of cycling in the UK. But being a true Brit I've always liked the underdog and the megabucks of Sky goes against that, so with the our UCI continental becoming more professional I am hope to see the likes of Raleigh, Endura and Rapha competing in bigger races on the continent over the next 2-3 years and any team with Malcolm Elliott has my interest.

I would always support a British rider ahead of foreign rider on a British team, so if Cav was up against EBH I'd obviously want Cav to win.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni... For the beauty of the Name. The All-Time-Best-Name. Sad they only operate as Androni Giocattoli in 2011.

 

[The Hitch]

Was Vacan until Ricco went down. Otherwise i tend to support minor teams whose sponsors know they arent getting into grand tours but continue to sponsor the team. Or like TT1 who say their aim is getting into the Giro.

Nice contrast to companies who set up the sponsorship solely with the aim of riding the Tour.

But if we are limiting it to PT then i like that Lampre have been in the sport for so long. Liquigas loved the way the entire team pushed it for BAsso in the Giro and riders coming in 9 minutes down celebrating as they hear on RR that Basso is back in pink.

BMC because their riders arent all PT material but get the experience and i like that ACF supports them so much and feel happy for him when they win.

Euskatel i like the fans in the Vuelta and Pyranees.

And Astana for bringing all these Kazakhs into the sport.

So after much deliberation, in a toss up between Lampre (Cunego, Scarponi Niemiec), and Astana, even though i liked them more when they had Contador, Astana is probably just about my favourite team, as they dont have any huge guns other than Vino in his last season, and i like it when underdogs win. Or when Vino wins.

 

[Eric8-A]

Jamis Sutter Home: They at first caught my eye with Seba Haedo. In the end, Luis Amaran ended up being one of my favorite riders. I think Sebastian should make this team all Argentinians

Garmin-Cervelo: I've been following Garmin since I got into cycling which was back in '09. I think they have a great squad assembled, especially with the merger.

 

[Havetts]

Rabobank, might not really come as a surprise to some of you . I've been a fan of Menchov when I saw him win on Pla de Beret and a year later Rasmussen was out of league for anyone, keeping clinic reasons out of the thread. Also its because Rabobank is 'the' dutch team when it comes to cycling, all respect to Vacansoleil.

Also because Im a big fan of Gesink .

 

[Njbb1995]

Pure Black Racing!

 

[biopass]

Euskaltel, mainly because they´re Basque and Basque country wants independence like Greenland, which is where i come from. Then theres danish continental team Condordia, the team Ricky Enø Jørgensen rides for. The only rider in the peloton who was born in Greenland as far as i know. Another favorite rider is Nibali, especially with the way he handles his bike. A relaxed and streched upper body which reminds me of Ullrichs position. May be its because i also position my self on the bike like Ullrich did

 

[Trevor FCR]

My favourite team is Liquigas-Cannondale, no doubt! I generally just like individual riders, but I like Liquigas' approach, and they seem to have a confident, yet humble outlook. I love Nibali as a fresh promising face of cycling, and Basso brings that classic feel.

I support Contador.

 

[Ferminal]

Androni, Liquigas, Katusha, Astana, Rabo.

I find it easier to list teams you dislike... Actually I don't hate that many teams, maybe only Garmin-Cervelo and Lay-o-Pard.

 

[Eric8-A]

I have a slight hate towards HTC

 

[Parrulo]

i love all the teams with long term sponsors. their dedication to the sport deserves all of our love <3

i can't really chose one. . . not even 5 tbh

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Teams I like:
Movistar, Euskaltel, LA-Antarte-Rota dos Móveis, Diadora-Pasta Zara, FDJ, Farnese Vini, Europcar, Caja Rural, Colnago-CSF, NetApp, CCC Polsat-Polkowice, Colombia es Pasión, MCipollini, Orbea, Plussbank-Cervélo, Saur-Sojasun...

Teams I dislike:
HTC-High Road, Radioshack, Sky, Leopard Trek

 

[Motion]

Astana, because it is always drama & big stars

2006 Saiz
2006 No Tour
2006 Vuelta Double (1-3)
2007 Early season total domination
2007 Tour, falling, positive, etc
.........................................

 

[RedheadDane]

Answering OP:

SaxoBank Sungard. Well, it's Danish! I like the team philosophy. And the stuff from the annual team building camps is just hilarious!

 

[sublimit]

Team Garmin, The Shack,

(kidding)


Seriously, no real favourites but probably Vacansoliel, Sky, also Quickstep and
Topsport another one I like to see do well.

 

[El Pistolero]

It seems like every team Contador enters or is in turns into gold.

2007: Astana in big trouble. Next year Contador and his slaves enter the team and BOOM, one of the best seasons a modern team ever had.

2010: the super Astana team is destroyed, only Contador remains. The rest goes with the Shack. What happens? Astana did even better than in 2009 even though they were a lot weaker. Shack did crappy compared to Astana even though they were practically Astana of 2009.

2011: Contador joins a decimated Saxo. What happens? The team so far has done even better than Saxo last year! Leotard, while some very nice podiums, don't have a lot of good wins so far(still far better than Garmin though)

So, I gues right now Saxo is my favorite team. I like the jersey, I like the riders on it and Bjarne Riis is one of the best team managers in cycling and I've always liked him. At least had the guts to admit he doped in the Tour. Unlike a certain Ulrich.

 

[jaylew]

Hard to have a favorite as teams appear and disappear so frequently and riders sign such short contracts, but I guess I'd say Movistar as I've been a fan of several of their riders in the various incarnations of the team.

 

[veganrob]

It seems like every team Contador enters or is in turns into gold.

2007: Astana in big trouble. Next year Contador and his slaves enter the team and BOOM, one of the best seasons a modern team ever had.

2010: the super Astana team is destroyed, only Contador remains. The rest goes with the Shack. What happens? Astana did even better than in 2009 even though they were a lot weaker. Shack did crappy compared to Astana even though they were practically Astana of 2009.

2011: Contador joins a decimated Saxo. What happens? The team so far has done even better than Saxo last year! Leotard, while some very nice podiums, don't have a lot of good wins so far(still far better than Garmin though)

So, I gues right now Saxo is my favorite team. I like the jersey, I like the riders on it and Bjarne Riis is one of the best team managers in cycling and I've always liked him. At least had the guts to admit he doped in the Tour. Unlike a certain Ulrich.

Agreed. Always was a fan of Bjarne Riis teams, till last year. Then when he sent home "mommas boy" from the Vuelta, I thought that was awesome.

100% correct on Contador. He quietly elevates the entire team when he joins. Too bad for the +, oh well, but, he is first class.

 

[Cimber]

Teams I like:
Liquigas, Rabobank, Movistar, HTC, Saxo Bank-Sungard.

Teams I dislike:
Katusha, Garmin-Cervelo, Astana