doddy13 wrote:
For the gazillionth time.
This will be Lance's last tour.

fenian_1234 wrote:
There are some generous each way odds available on quite a lot of riders capable of the podium.

Alberto Contador 4/7
Andy Schleck 4/1
Lance Armstrong 10/1
Bradley Wiggins 16/1
Ivan Basso 16/1
Robert Gesink 20/1
Vincenzo Nibali 20/1
Cadel Evans 25/1
Denis Menchov 25/1
Levi Leipheimer 25/1
Andreas Kloden 33/1
Carlos Sastre Candil 33/1
Christian Vandevelde 40/1
Fränk Schleck 40/1
Roman Kreuziger 40/1
Alexander Vinokourov 50/1
Michael Rasmussen 50/1
Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez 50/1
Tony Martin 80/1
Damiano Cunego 100/1
Franco Pellizotti 100/1
Luis Leon Sanchez 100/1

CrueTrue wrote:
As every year, Saxo Bank has announced a press conference on the 1st of July.

Other than Tour talk, I'm also quite sure that a new sponsor will be presented.

raz wrote:


Unfortunately too late

CrueTrue wrote:
Even if Riis had secured a sponsor months ago, it wouldn't have mattered. It was revealed yesterday that the Schlecks have known about the new team since January.

Besides, it's not new that team leaders change teams. Evans left Lotto, Wiggins left Garmin, Armstrong, Leipheimer and Klöden left Astana, etc. Sastre, Hamilton and Basso are also examples of previous leaders at CSC / Saxo Bank who've moved on - yet the team still exists.

Obviously, with the Schlecks and Fuglsang gone, Riis needs to find a new "project". I guess it could very well be Kreuziger or another talented young rider. It also depends on the country origin of the new head sponsor. If it's Sungard (I'm pretty much 100 % sure that they will be co-sponsoring the team. The name is all over the Saxo Bank website, and they now have a much more prominent spot on the team bus), they might want an American, perhaps Van Garderen.

Either way: If the team continues - and much seems to point in that direction - yes, it'll be a weakened team. But you can be sure that it'll still be Pro Tour, and with the Schlecks out, there'll surely be some room in the budget for a new top guy. Also keep in mind that Cancellara is on contract with the team, including the 2011 season.

raz wrote:
https://www.cyclin...p-for-riis

"...The sponsor for the new team, according to the Swiss publication Blick, is to be French retailer Auchan, which runs thousands of hypermarkets, supermarkets and small stores around the world..."

So,Auchan Team for Schlecks?

issoisso wrote:
I was called unreasonable so many times over the past year and a half, every time I said it was obvious from Andy Schleck's words that they weren't staying

CrueTrue wrote:


I can assure you: It's fun to be at the Danish forum these days. Posts like "betrayal", "you can't do this to us!!!!", "fire them immediately!" and the best of all, the Comical Ali approach: "Don't worry, they are not leaving", etc. are flying around.

mangoman164 wrote:
Joaquim Rodriguez and Robert Gesink will be Contador's two biggest rivals in the mountains, only to lose three minutes each in the final tt, and sacrificing their podium positions to Ivan Basso and Denis Menchov. Egoi martinez takes the polka dots, Freire the green, and Gesink the white. Armstrong will finish top 6-10, while Wiggins and S. Sanchez will be the dissapointments of the tour. The Schleck bro's will also finish top 10, but Frank will beat Andy. But what the hell, outside of Contador winning, the tour is impossible to predict, so this is probably all wrong.

mangoman164 wrote:
Joaquim Rodriguez and Robert Gesink will be Contador's two biggest rivals in the mountains, only to lose three minutes each in the final tt, and sacrificing their podium positions to Ivan Basso and Denis Menchov. Egoi martinez takes the polka dots, Freire the green, and Gesink the white. Armstrong will finish top 6-10, while Wiggins and S. Sanchez will be the dissapointments of the tour. The Schleck bro's will also finish top 10, but Frank will beat Andy. But what the hell, outside of Contador winning, the tour is impossible to predict, so this is probably all wrong.