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Deutschland Tour Discussion
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 26-11-2013 18:26
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Figured I would get the discussion running on the penultimate stage race of the ProTour season - and the last to feature a Mountain stage. The Deutschland Tour returns to the ProTour with its classic route, after a gap year in CT with a completely different course.
Top sprinters here include:  Swift,  Van Heerden and a trio of Germans  Mohs, Degenkolb and  Ciolek.
With a TTT and an ITT, the race against the clock will have great importance here. Again some Germans specialists stand out in  Fiedler and  Schadlich, with  Posthuma a strong candidate too.
But the main focus if of course on the GC. Giro d'Italia winner  Taylor Phinney heads the field as he looks to give Wikipedia a massive boost in their push for ProTour glory. But Robert Gesink could be a massive threat if he can take advantage of the hill stages.
Two times previous winner and home favourite  Markus Fothen will have his chances, while  Rigoberto Uran is a strong bet after being runner up in 2011.
 Brajkovic,  Van den Broeck,  Popovych,  Martin, Pedraza and  Keinath will all be targeting the Top 10 at a minimum.
There are more hill stages than mountain stages though, and so the leading puncheur pair of  Bakelandts and  Schumacher could certainly cause some havoc amongst the expected GC contenders.
Edited by SportingNonsense on 26-11-2013 18:41
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| jt1109 |
Posted on 26-11-2013 18:32
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Gotta think Phinney(though he isn't the TDF Winner ) could take this with the amount of time on TT stages versus hill stages even though his advantage over Gesink is only slight it shoulkd be enough over 20km TT with both teams looking similar for the TTT. |
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| alexkr00 |
Posted on 26-11-2013 18:44
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As long as he stays on the bike, Gesink should deliver a top result here
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| Smowz |
Posted on 26-11-2013 21:11
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If Van Heerden wants a new contract he needs a win here, or at the very least consistent podiums on the opening days.
Should be a good GC battle between Gesink and Phinney. Wikipedia could land a big blow in the race for the title.
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| cio93 |
Posted on 26-11-2013 21:49
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It's not the penultimate stage race with ToNE and Tasmania still to come
Our TTT team is atrocious compared to most others, so we have to limit our losses there early on.
On the other hand, being in the lower GC positions might make VDB attack more on the hilly stages where he needs to take time back, but limit his losses to the puncheurs.
That said, we saw at AToC what can happen if a single mountain stage isn't decisive enough, and Schumacher obviously looks like a big threat for a Cancellara-esque surprise.
I'm relieved there aren't more Top10 contenders than possible riders in there, so even if VDB lacks a bit and Keinath and/or Martin overperform, the points difference shouldn't be too high.
I'll be looking forward to what Nerz can do in his home race after a slightly worrying Colombia as well.
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| ember |
Posted on 26-11-2013 21:50
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I have absolutely no expectations at all for this one. Absolutely none. Thus, I must say I cheer for Keinath and B&O, I really hope their captain can pull off a top 5 here to give them hope of surviving.
Should also be a very interesting fight for yellow, if Phinney ends up in yellow on stage 3 or 4, he must be the favourite for the overall win. |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-11-2013 06:30
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Metinvest finally in the WT, big opportunity to show our colours to the whole world, thnaks for that chance. 
I think we have a nice team here, solid TTT squad even for WT standards, Hoffman for some surprises and Popovych for possible top10, i heard from Wiggle manager that he likes riding in Deutschland.
Good luck to all.
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| SotD |
Posted on 27-11-2013 11:41
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I really fucked up here. I didn't read the first TT as a TTT, so Fothen doesn't have any decent support, and will likely lose 2 minutes or so already there. Too bad really, as he would have had a shot at podium here.
Top 5 is the goal, but seing how shitty he has been for the past two seasons straight, nothing is to be expected. No sprinters either, so I'll lean back and enjoy losing valuable points.
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| Roman |
Posted on 27-11-2013 12:52
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I should probably bring in a better TTT squad when I see the course and when I know PCM12 AI. But well, still I am hoping for a good result, at least in the top 5 of GC for Uran.
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| dave92 |
Posted on 27-11-2013 16:38
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Huge race for my title chances. Everything's built around Phinney here, but I am wary of the hill-specialists.
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| niconico |
Posted on 27-11-2013 18:14
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Go on NK! Me no wanna relegate!
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| beagle |
Posted on 27-11-2013 19:05
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I´m curious to see, how Mohs & Degenkolb will perform in their homeland.
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| Levi4life |
Posted on 27-11-2013 19:34
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I think Brajkovic can do pretty well here.
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| Rin |
Posted on 27-11-2013 22:28
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I have to hope for a stage win and that is pretty optimistic, everything else is completly impossible.
De la Fuente might shine like at the Vuelta a Colombia but 2 TT stages are 2 too much.
Lloret is also here and much better at TTs but at the climbs he is even as good as de la Fuente alaways finishing worse than him.
I hoped for some weaker sprint competition so that Ciolek might be able to pull off something at the 2 sprint stages but with 3 top sprinters here well...
 Team Bianchi - 2012 Man-Game ProContinental Tour Champions
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| Sykkel_Freak |
Posted on 28-11-2013 14:56
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Without a chance at a decent GC placing, I expect our team to be aggressive. Dan Craven has won from a break away one time before this season. It would be nice for him to win another one before the winter break.
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| mb2612 |
Posted on 28-11-2013 23:42
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I'm breakaway hunting again I guess.
 [url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182] Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
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| alexkr00 |
Posted on 01-12-2013 19:48
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What? A crash? And Gesink wasn't in it? Time to celebrate 
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| mb2612 |
Posted on 01-12-2013 19:54
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5th is not bad I guess
[url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182] Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
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| rjc_43 |
Posted on 01-12-2013 20:37
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I had been looking forward to the TTT. Not so much now. What a waste of a race.
[url=cleavercycling.co.uk]  [/url] |
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| ember |
Posted on 01-12-2013 21:09
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Well done by Stake Laengen to get in the break, fight for the mountain points, and then hold on to the peloton after being caught.
Third place overall will definitely be our best provisional overall placing in this race, as we'll loose several minutes in the upcoming team time trial. Fingers crossed we can keep up attacking on the coming stages as well.
Shame to see wild card rider Popovych being out of it already, tough luck for Metinvest-Emirates. |
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