We are hardly done with the transfers of this season, but the danish media BT, appears to know that most teams are all done. Atleast down to the number of where the leaders are safe in position.
Let's have a look.
..::Bacardi - Ignis::..
Star riders: Riccardo Ricco, Martijn Keizer, Marcus Burghardt.
Key riders: Gert Steegmans, Michael van Stayen.
Looking through the team is seems like a very harmonic unit, with strong capabilities in almost every terrain. Going into the depth though we see a severe lack of GC riders. Riccardo Ricco is without a doubt amongst the very best, but as the team have no real backup in the hills we are very likely to see Ricco being captain there aswell. That leaves a big probability of 2 Grand Tours for Martijn Keizer, and looking at his past he does not seem ready for that. He is a super domestique, and a great Timetriallist, but we are yet to see his big breakthrough.
In the cobbles this team is amongst the very best. Having both Marcus Burghardt and Gert Steegmans makes us believe that this will be their terrain this season. It takes very little of bad luck to turn this team out of course though, as the best helper in the long drag towards those 200+ km stages is fairly blue-eyed Mathieu Heijboer and perhaps Kruopis.
For the sprints everything seems to rely on Michael van Stayen and whether he will be strong enough to pose a serious threat on the big names in the pack is yet to be exposed. We believe he will be one of the stronger sprinters this season, but he is no match for the likes of Boonen etc.
In the overall picture we have a fairly strong team, with some very obvious threats in terms of depth. But as a newly promoted team this is a very strong setup, and we cannot see them as a relegater, but a team roaming around the 10-15th is very likely.
Key riders: David Abal, Jaime Alberto Castañeda, Leonardo Duque.
This is a team gambling on a two-horse game. Whether or not that will be too bold is yet to be discovered, but having such a big bet on just two riders could end up disastrous.
For the obvious upsides of this team is the best rider this world have seen for quite some time: Damiano Cunego. His main targets this year is most probably the hilly classics, but rumours are also roaming that he will move out of his comfort-zone in order to ride the Tour de France. It seems like a very bold move seeing that his team is much weaker than in previous years. He will receive almost zero help in the hills, and in the flat stages of a Grand Tour he could also be shaken up real good. He does have a good domestiques list going up into the sky though, Alex Ardila Cano, Francisco Perez Sanchez and Sebastien Ivars are the most notably ones. A free role is likely to be given to spaniard David Abal. He has been a very strong rider in the Contintental Tour, but lacking the ability to go flat out in the flat stages, and pose a threat in the hills, makes him very vulnerable in the Pro Tour. He might come on top of some smaller races with few mountains and a solid Timetrial, but the Pro Tour pack is just SO strong in these races.
The team is no-where in the cobbles, with just Joly having a slim chance of succes, and the main sprinter is Castañeda. It seems unlikely that he will be up there with the big guns, while Leonardo Duque could, however in the right terrain, do some damage.
Another big star of this team is moving in together with Cunego, Michael Rogers. Rogers has been an icon in the Timetrials in recent years, but in all fairness he seems to be going down in quality somewhat. Still he shouldn't be underestimated and has got a very very good shot at making some Top 10's in the smaller GC's, and also going for stagewins in the TT's. But having riders such as Zabriskie, Coppel, Cancellara and Phinney in the Pro Tour he is likely to be heavily fought in every TT he enters.
I can see this team relegate if not Cunego hits his normal level, and trying to go for the Tour de France rather than the Giro this year, could really make or break the teams outcome in the final rankings.
Another team gambling on a very slim amount of captains. Basically down to huge sallaries sent in the direction of Cancellara and Taaramäe this team could be in serious troubles, come the end of the season. But let's have a look.
In the GC's the team is very reliant on Taaramäe to perform, and seeing he is yet to hit his ultimate level also makes him impossible to train. This is a huge problem as I see it. He is ready to make top results for sure, but how will he cope with the competition of Phinney, Cunego, Spilak and the likes of those? I can't see him come out on top there, no matter how well he performs. And getting some 6th-7th places in smaller GC's will not give the sufficiant points for the team to survive in the long run. Jaime Suaza and Óscar Solis might do top 10 in one small tour each, but it's very unlikely and they should primarily be seen as helpers.
In the cobbles this team has an amazing fit. Cancellara being boosted away by the likes of Lhotellerie, Jacobs and Aulas will no doubt put pressure on any team to defend themselves. Cancellara has been a shade of himself in the past couple of seasons however, so we are very eager to see what he can do. If he hit's the level we know he has he could also be an amazing rider for small tours with a Timetrial and some hills. The Nothern Europe Tour is also build for him - Should he save the team?
Last year Jurgen Roelandts was among the best sprinters in the Pro Tour, and we believe this one will be no different. Getting leadout from Caethoven, Weylandt and Peeters is bound to give results. But he needs to scrape some significant wins to help the team secure themselves.
I can't really see how this team should be able to survive this season. It's down to a lot of performance, some luck, and other teams striking bad luck aswell. That is a major puzzle that needs to fit into the empty pieces, and I can't see that happen.
..::Domina Vacanze::..
SHIRT NOT AVAILABLE
Star riders: Andy Schleck, Vincenzo Nibali, Janez Brajkovic, Nick Nuyens
Key riders: -None-
Domina is probably the team with the fewest changes compared to last season and seeing how some teams have manouvered around the Transferperiode, and due to the lot of promotions, that might be a good decision. The team is compiled around 4 riders making their enterance into most races. One clear leader and 7-8 helpers.
For the Grand Tours and the smaller GC's this team has any shelf to pick. For the races with the least Timetrialling and a lot of climbing Andy Schleck is among the very best in the world. If you need some more Timetrialling and less climbing then Brajkovic and Nibali is the obvious selection. One thing all three have in common is their likelihood to do well. Almost every race they enter they will turn the head in the direction of the podium. The team is based around them and some decent helpers such as Naibo and Eibegger is always there to support them.
In the cobbles Nick Nuyens is still one of the very best in the game. He will be supported by Danilo Wyss and David Deroo, but basically he is alone and will try to pick the right wheel, whenever the race get's tough. And that is exactly how he likes it.
The team cannot TT and cannot sprint, and as such we cannot see the team win the overall competition. They are, however a very clear bet for the top 10 or perhaps even the top 5 overall Pro Tour. In order to take the last step they need a captain for the classics, one to compete with Cunego, Ricco and so on. As they have no one to do that, we cannot see them move any higher.
..::Festina - Conec::..
Star riders: Alberto Contador, Markus Fothen, Filippo Pozzato
Last season the Swiss, now German, team was up there all season, but some bad luck, primarily in the Vuelta got the hopes of top 3 Pro Tour go blank. This season they are yet again in the run to be up there with the word "Team" as a very important key.
Looking at the hills the team has a very strong setup, but lacks a real leader. Both Pozzato and Ulissi has what it takes to sprint for the win if the very best doesn't get the lead from attacking, but probably lacks the strenght to go for wins. The combination of the two, however could become very destructive for the other teams. And as they are both very fast finishers there will be pressure on the other teams to shake them both off, before the finish line. Swedish Jonas Ljungblad has been signed to place the captains well before the real show starts.
In the cobbles the team does lack a true superstar, but belgian Geert Steurs have showed his talent on previous occassions, and being supported from the likes of Pozzato, Sentjens and talented Østergaard he should be protected well going into the difficult sections of the race. It's very unlikely that he will win though, and the team will be looking to force his way into the top 10 of the cobbled classics.
The sprinting talent of the team is also looking at Pozzato, but there is a limit to his racedays, and planning his season will be very important for the team. In smaller tours Dan Holloway might be able to perform, while it seems very unlikely that riders such as Anthony Lavoine will manage to put in a deadly sprint, even with the support from strong leadoutmen such as Reynes and RodrÃguez Segarra. This team is also one of the few that has some strength going into the Team Timetrials of this year. But like last year it will primarily be to defend timelosses for the captains.
A team looking at the top 5 once more is likely, but a top 3 will be difficult, if not impossible
Looking at the team from the distance, you might fairly quickly jump to the next, as they don't seem al that strong, but this is actually one of those teams, where further looking is necessary.
At the Grand Tours no one can claim that Gesink is not among the favorites. No matter what race he enters he will be a favorite for the podium. Both in Grand Tours, small tours and classics. Also Ruben Plaza seems to be in the shape of his life, being very very consistent going up, and ever so strong in the Timetrials. He will never lose contact with the favorites so badly that he cannot recover in a Timetrial. He doesn't ever go into the red, and never loses his grip on reality. A very very strong rider for the spanish races of this season. Late season assignment Mauricio Ardila is a very strong helper, which he showed the last two seasons at the Giro d'Italia. He might get his own chances from time to another, but I believe he is bought primarily to support the two leaders.
Gesink will get the best possible support in the hills from Sylvain Chavanel, whom might get a chance or two himself to ride a small tour. In the cobbles the team is pretty good overall, but as they don't have a leader we might just aswell scratch them from the allignment. Michel Kreder might be able to stay in the pack long enough to make a stagewin from time to another, but otherwise the final perspective of this team is what could make them be unique.
Team Timetrials! This team can feature a team concerning Posthuma, Cornu, Van Winden, De Kort, Donald, Vandewalle and Vaugrenard - And seeing that their captains are both superb at this level I simply can't see any team threaten this one in the Team Timetrials. And THAT might be the key this season. Atleast one of the Grand Tours include a heavy TTT, and the two first races of the season is most likely being decided from it, so already very early in the season Jack Wolfskin might have a serious gap on the competition.
We have them for a top 3 this season. It's very very exciting!
..::Milka - Vittel::..
Star riders: Sam Bewley, Jerome Coppel, Sergio Luis Henao Montoya
Key riders: Aleksandr Efimkin, Thomas Rohregger, Juan Pablo Forero
One of the promoters this year is the chokolade company Milka, and there distinct purple colors. It will be a very interesting team to follow this year, as they have some very distracted riders, tactical imbicile riders some might say.
Looking at the GC's this team will suffer from the very start to the never ending finish. Henao Montoya might do a honorable Grand Tour and do very well at the Tour of Colombia, and some other decent results, but he lacks both timetrial abilities and true strength to survive the tough, and long stages normally inserted in the Grand Tours. Thomas Rohregger is a very strong helper, but in the Pro Tour he will be overmatched wherever he turns.
In the hills Efimkin is very alone, and he might be lucky enough to chose the right place to attack, but normally he would be played around by the big guns here, and will be ever struggling beat the remains in a final sprint. So he will definately need to jump away when the moment seizes.
Looking at the cobbles this could be a very interesting team. Mini-Boonen, Sam Bewley is all grown up it seems, and he is a true powerhouse. I wouldn't rule him out of the very big classics for the win, and even Milano-San Remo could be one for him. This is the rider to watch in this team. He could solely make the team survive, and with Evert Verbist by his side in the cobbles he should have every chance to do well. Paris-Roubaix might be a little bit to tough for him, but top 3 there is not impossible.
Obviously Bewley is also the teams big sprinter, but Forero and on a good day Vanderaerden could also take a win. We don't see them as being huge pointcollectors though and that makes us turn to the final chance for this team to survive: Jerome Coppel. This young timetriallist is everything the fading stars is not - Great! He will be looking to take the yellow jersey early on in the Tour de France, and he could be a very good bet for the Paris-Nice or similar races this season. He is very reliant to be placed in the right races though, as to tough and he's wasted. This is also another team who might do decent in the TTT's which could help a rider like Bewley to win the Tour of Qatar.
Will they relegate? Nah probably not, but they could come very close if they aren't planning everything down to the smallest detail.
Star riders: Vladimir Karpets, Tom Boonen, Ivano Lo Cicero
Key riders: Stefan Denifl, Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver, Jacob Fiedler, Michel Sibilla
Another interesting team with a broad variaty in the qualities. Unfortunately the real stars is lacking, and it will be a tough team effort to perform well this year - Or will it?.
In the Grand Tours Vladimir Karpets is very very good, on paper, but he might lack the final notch to really touch the skies, and this dog is too old to learn any new tricks. He is very consistent though and might be able to get a top 5 from any of the three Grand Tours. He will be supported by Stefan Denifl, who might be given his own chances, but like Karpets he needs just that little bit to be up there with the big ones. He is a rider suitable for some training though. Also the team will be supported by Yeison Delgado, Jocelin Maillet and Danilo Di Luca which could be important.
In the hills Joaquin Rodriguez might not be the star rider, but he is still rock solid, and with support from Denifl and Di Luca and might be able to provide a good result from time to another. He would be the best at supporting a stronger leader though and will need to time his jumps just right every time. But we know he can do exactly that.
The team isn't necessarily good, nor bad at Team Timetrials but Jacob Fiedler and Hugues Motting could do a great individual result if placed in races not suitable for the very best. The top 10 might be too hard for this team, but a relegation seems out of the picture.
..::Pearl Addidas::..
Star riders: Jan Bakelants, Romain Vanderbiest
Key riders: Tiago Machado, Peter Velits, Tanel Kangert, Jukka Vastaranta, Enrico Franzoi, Wim de Vocht, Petar Panayotov
Politics and sports doesn't add up! We have to say. And this does look like a political decision. Last seasons superstars of Pearl Addidas has been thrown around the world only two of the teams great riders from last season is still to be found: Jan Bakelants and Romain Vanderbiest
But taking a bit of look into the team it's actually quite interesting. Machado, Velits, Kangert and Panayotov are all very strong riders for small tours. They do need to receive intense training in order to win anything, but placed in the right races they could all break into the top 10 of those races. I cannot see them making a good Grand Tour this season, and there are lots of points to be won, and LOST there.
In the classics this team is Quite amazing though. Jan Bakelants should be the best of the best this season, and a team around him including Machado, Velits, Kangert, Vastaranta and Samoilev is absolutely fantastic. I have a hard time seeing how the other teams should be able to shake Bakelants as the team should be able to put significant pressure on every contender who dares to attack a bit too soon. And seeing Bakelants is one of the fastest finishers of the puncheurs it should be very interesting to see how he is threatened this year.
For the cobbles the team is pretty strong, and having Franzoi as the leader they could be getting some very strong results here aswell. De Vocht, Joseph and De Haes are A-class helpers for Franzoi to stay behind. This will mean that he shouldn't be using up any unnecessary energy before the final. - This is the overall picture of the team, rock solid, and should they have a Grand Tour rider for the win they would have been very hard to crack.
Romain Vanderbiest is the best sprinter of this team, supported by a lot of semistrong sprinters. This should ensure that he will keep on performing this season. Overall the team is not good, and not bad - So a midfield position somewhere around 8-12 is the likely outcome. Depending on the amount of money to spend on trainings obviously.
..::Pendleton's Twicer::..
Star riders: Daniel Martin, David Zabriskie, Philippe Gilbert.
Key riders: Denis Menchov, Konstantin Siutsou, Borut Bozic.
The Pendleton's Twicer team seems ready for the competition of the Pro Tour this season, and we are looking forward to see how they will cope with the higher pace in the general ridings.
For the Grand Tours the team has got a very exciting rider in the Irish climber Daniel Martin. He seems to be ready to be a serious threat to many different types of races, but must surely lack the final touch in order to take the podium positions. He lacks a bit of strenght in the long run and here his weaker endurance and recuperation might be a problem. On another level the team have the former superstar Denis Menchov. He is not the rider he once was, but has still got the quality to chase top 10s of smaller tours. Konstantin Siutsou and Thomas Faiers will be supporting their two team leaders.
The teams hilly leader is the belgian powerhouse Philippe Gilbert, but whether or not he has the edge to take a win in one of the classics is a big question. He has a decent amount of help from the likes of Andrea Moletta, Ran Margaliot and Russell Downing. Gilbert is also a decent timetriallist which could make him rather useful in some of the smaller tours.
For the cobbles the brit Geraint Thomas was loaned from the Continental Tour. It seems very unlikely that he will be of significant quality to challenge the Pro Tour peloton, but he will undoubtly be able to find a good wheel in order to sprint for the low-end top 10's in cobbled races. Thomas will be supported by the strong belgian Pieter Mertens and the more doubtful Francis Mourey. Philippe Gilbert might be able to do a result in one of the cobbled classics aswell, but he will certainly be looking to do his plannings very tightly.
In the sprints only Borut Bozic seems to have the strenght to battle for positions, and even with him the team seems very unlikely to take stagewins in sprints. That will of course make this team very flamboyant and we are likely to see the teams shirt in almost every possible escape. Riders like Downing and Ladagnous should be perfect for that.
As a final touch the team has the american superstar David Zabriskie, and he will without any doubts be of great value for the team. Zabriskie is among Rogers, Phinney, Coppel and Cancellara one of the best timetriallists in the world, and he will compete for the win everytime a race is selected from a timetrial. He is surely one-to-watch! Overall the team is too good for relegation, but will also struggle to perform a top notch result, so a low mid-field result seems likely.
..::Santander::..
Star riders: Angel Madrazo, Justo Tenorio, David Arroyo.
Key riders: David Lopez Garcia, Francisco Ventoso, Óscar Guerao.
The all Spanish team Santander, is a very exciting setup. The team will feature in both mountains and sprints, but the team also have some obvious shortages.
For the Grand Tours we are very likely to be looking at a Vuelta-winning-team with the likes of Madrazo, Tenorio and Arroyo. Both Madrazo and Tenorio lacks the ability to place themselves well in the flat stages, but both of them are superior climbers and very strong timetriallists. Both are actually favorites for the overall Vuelta victory, while we are most likely seeing Madrazo as the captain this season. Also David Arroyo is a good bet for a top 10 GC rider, while his qualities will probably also stop there. In races with no timetrials the flamboyant rider Lopez Garcia will also be a strong bet for a good overall. This season he is likely to be the lieutenaint in most races with strong support from Rafael Valls aswell.
In the hills the four climbers could potentially do a decent result, but we are most likely going to see Francisco Ventoso as a captain in several hilly races. Ventoso is lacking the power to be a winning rider in the classics, but he is very fast and should be able to sprint for grabs in the small groups arriving shortly after the best. Jesus Del Nero will probably lead him out in both hills, cobbles and sprints, where the duo is also the best cards on the hand of Santander. A real shortage!
Another sprinter of the team Oscar Guerao should be a good bet for a couple of stagewins of the Vuelta a España, and he will also be able to feature in the sprintline of smaller races this season. He is not going to compete with the very best, but with a train including Del Nero, Merino Criado and Galdos could eventually place him in the right track.
The team does not have any real Timetriallists this year, and the lack of versatility could be a problem in the overall competition, but this team will grab a ton of points from GC results, and we are very likely looking at a safe top 10 team.
..::Sony Ericsson::..
SHIRT NOT AVAILABLE
Star riders: Yuri Trofimov, Alessandro Ballan.
Key riders: Bernhard Kohl, Walter Pedraza, Robin van der Hugenhaben, Santo Anza, Sebastian Lang, Rául Granjel Cabrera.
The swedish winners of last years Pro Tour edition are back for more. Having lost the Italian rider Marco Marzano, and with Ballan looking slightly worse than last year, we are probably going to see Sony Ericsson struggle to win the Pro Tour by the same margin as last year, but they are certainly not far off.
For the Grand Tours, and smaller GC's Bernhard Kohl and Yuri Trofimov are good bets for strong results. Especially Trofimov seems very very hardheaded, and will knock on any chance to win a race. He does lack the power to win on the high mountains, but he is very strong on hills, and he is a timetrial powerhouse. Add to that a fast sprinter and a tactical genious and you have what could potentially end up on the first step of pretty much all races. Bernhard Kohl is not in the same league, but he is fairly strong and could easily end up in the top 10 of the Grand Tours, given the right guidance is provided, and there is no shortage of help in this team. Pedraza is a very strong rider himself, but is also a superb domestique, and with new signing van der Hugenhaben and Serge Pauwels the team seems ready to hit the tinder.
In the hills Santo Anza seems ready for another strong season, but there is no doubt that Trofimov is the one to watch. He is yet again among the very best, and could potentially win every hilly classic in the Pro Tour this season. Also van der Hugenhaben seems to be an atleast adequate helper for the two strong riders.
In the cobbles last years man Alessandro Ballan seems, if not out of shape then atleast with a top level of some percentages of what he was performing at last season. But seeing how superbly he was providing the team with win after win, you cannot take him out of the equation and we believe he will win atleast one classic this year. Fouquet, Muravjev and Martin Mortensen will provide decent support, but Ballan is normally strongest on his own, and thus the support will mainly be there for cheering him on.
Sprinting with the likes of Granjel Cabrera and Grillo and you might turn out as the loosing side. Neither are the strongest in the peloton, but they have a way of moving around the peloton and finding the right wheel. Also Australian Cameron Meyer might be able to get a good result from time to another.
And if that was not enough this is probably in top 3 of the Teamtimetrial competition. Sebastian Lang will lead the way with riders such as Danacik, Wetterhall, Renäng, Johansson and Pauwels - And should it be required Yuri Trofimov. There is no match to Jack Wolfskin, but they are in a very good position to fight for 2nd or 3rd.
..::Team B&O::..
Star riders: Aleksandr Pluchkin, Edvald Boasson Hagen
Key riders: Domenik Klemme, Nico Keinath, Andrei Grivko, Andre Steensen, Kobe Vanoverschelde.
Team B&O have been a favoriteteam of many cycling fans in the past, and that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. The team is doing what they do best, finding young riders, and making them into their absolute best.
In the high mountains Aleksandr Pluchkin is the only man to really pay attention to, he is among the very best though and does have a very decent team around him such as Rasmus Guldhammer, Martin Hacecky, Domenik Klemme, Nico Keinath and Andrei Grivko. All of these riders are very strong moving up the mountains, but they will all drop fairly early on in the final climb, which could potentially be a shortage of the young Moldovian.
In the cobbles this team will struggle. Not only to get a top result, but also to get what would be considered a decent result. Jempy Drucker is the best chance of ssucces, but there seems to be at a similar chance at pissing in a bottle from 12 feet away blindfolded. It's just not going to happen. Steven Kruijswijk is a very strong allrounder, and could potentially do decent in a race like the Tour of Nothern Europe, but the real cobbles is not for him either.
The sprinter of the team is Kobe Vanoverschelde, and while his belgian nationality should make him a clever finisher you might aswell look at his first name and think that he is a kamikazee-pilot. He is all over the place, and you never know where you have him. So no chance of a rider chasing the points competition, but given the right wheel (Given, as in Given!) he could win races. Track rider Alex Rasmussen might be the best leadout rider for Vanoverschelde, but looking at a hill will make him call in sick, which is a big problem.
On the positive side, and there are lots of them - This is yet again one of those teams capable of picking the Team timetrials with Steensen, Faerk Christensen (Former maglia rosa wearer), Stenersen, Jørgensen and the already mentioned Keinath, Grivko and Pluchkin.
This team is all about two leaders and a bunch of strong, but subtop - at best - lieutenaints. It could be a serious problem as the lieutenaints are not guarantee of succes, but in previous seasons they seem to come out ontop of the problem, and is likely to be at 12-14 this season.
..::Team Spyker Cars::..
Star riders: Thomas Dekker, Vladimir Gusev.
Key riders: Patrick Sinkewitz, Stijn Devolder, William Bonnet.
Season after season we have been looking at this team wondering when they would be going to win, so this year we are going to be slightly more cautious. And that isn't really hard to do, as they seem slightly weakened after the transferseason.
In the biggest races of the season Thomas Dekker will be there. No doubt about that. He is an amazing Grand Tour rider, and picks his stages carefully, and rides very consistent in the others. In the past he has been picking one stage of most Grand Tours kissing the asphalt, but given that this is not the case this year should be a great one for him. Aging Tour winner Stijn Devolder is looking good, but he will not win any of the big races this year. He is a good bet for a top 10 in one of the Grand Tours given his great versatility, but he lacks the final touch, he once had.
In the hills German Patrick Sinkewitz has been fairly good in some seasons and disastrous in others. There is a HUGE amount of quality hilly riders this season in the Pro Tour, and that might cause Sinkewitz to perform below-key, but unlike most Sinkewitz is horrible at sprinting, which could potentially threaten him to attack from far out, which could actually turn out to be a good idea. Dutch Maurice Schreurs seems to be acing and will be a very strong domestique rider for Sinkewitz.
The cobbled russian Vladimir Gusev is still a very strong contender for the cobbled races, but he is probably going to struggle taking the win overall, but with support from Stijn Devolder this team is an absolute monster in the Tour of Northern Europe. If they somehow fail to win that race, it's the duty of everyone in the world to point fingers from then on and till the season ends.
For the sprints.... well... ehh... Martin Pedersen is - Nah screw that! They don't have any sprinters and while Martin Pedersen COULD theoretically win a stage somehow, the strongest rider in the flat terrain is the french timetriallist William Bonnet and danish allrounder Lars Bak. None of those are going to win in a sprint, but they are likely to take a win from an attack at some point.
Moving towards the positioning of this team we are going to be fairly cautious and rate them anywhere between 10th and 15th this season.
Key riders: Andrei Amador, Florentino Marquez, Michael Albasini, Maximiliano Richeze
The swiss promoters UBS - La Pierre is a very welcome addition to the Pro Tour. The team seems very well equipped and ready for the task. They are not going to pull a Sony Ericsson for sure, but they could be surviving this first tough year.
For the GC's Gomez Marchante and Amador should be able to do well, while the young spaniard Florentino Marquez is somewhat a lottery ticket. We have no clue whether or not he will be able to adapt to the faster races. Amador could be a very strong rider, given a bit of extra power up the mountains, but already at this point in his career he could be doing well. Gomez Marchante is the classic spanish rider - Great punch up the mountains, and slightly poor at positioning himself in the flats. Christophe Riblon should be a strong helper, perfectly suited for the races that Marchante also likes.
In the hills the Pro Tour are welcoming back the German Stefan Schumacher. You never know where he is, but on paper he could be able to win the classics. He is also a very strong timetriallist, which makes him perfectly suitable for the Pro Tour, and the many combinations of hills and timetrials. Michael Albasini is a strong helper, whom could potentially ride his own chance at some point aswell.
We are fairly interested in seeing whether or not UBS will bother to show up at the cobbled races. Given that Schumacher will probably have a tight schedule the best cobbler of the team is Kevin Lalouette. - Who? You might think - Right!
Maximilian Richeze is a decent sprinter, but ultimately we cannot see him pose a threat in the sprints with the big guys. This is a team that will be needing to look very careful at the plannings this season. Picking a bit lose, and they could go back down where they came from, but given the right structure a survival is definately possible.
..::Vesuvio - Accumalux::..
Star riders: Rigoberto Urán, Beñat Intxausti, Frank Schleck, Ben Swift
Key riders: Maxim Iglinskiy, Johnny Hoogerland, Dietmar Mehr-Wenige, Marcel Kittel, Michael Ford
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the team to beat. Only looking at the star riders would make any team shiver. And moving through the helpers makes it even worse. Say what?! Damn straight!
At the GC's Rigoberto Urán and Beñat Intxausti are both among the very best. Last season Intxausti would have won the Vuelta if he hadn't crashed late on in the race. And he is the worst of their three Grand Tour riders! Rigoberto Urán is better on paper, and Frank Schleck is a former Tour de France winner, and a winner of just about every hilly classic out there.
Which brings us the the classics. Schleck is in a league of his own. Only Cunego and Bakelants should be able to threaten him. Obviously we know that is not entirely true, but he should be able to point out a handful of races and win them fairly effortless. And seeing his improved support he will be a tough man to dance with. Iglinskiy has been helping him for years, but this year also Johnny Hoogerland, Maciej Paterski and Dietmer Mehr-Wenige (Disqualified for being strong enough to ride two races at the same time last year) will be of support. Any team would want those three.
We get the hopes up for a second looking through the cobbles. Phew. None! - And move quickly on to the sprints. In the past this team has been lacking a real sprinter, and this year? Bam! Ben Swift. Swift is inquestionably one of the best sprinter of the Pro Tour this season, and it will be very interesting to see which Grand Tour he targets for the points jersey. Our bet is the Tour de France, so be aware!
If the chills hasn't gotten you yet, let's look at the possibility of beating them in a Team Timetrial. We have already established that Jack Wolfskin is in another competion than the rest this season, but this is the 2nd best! Marcel Kittel, Michael Ford, Marcel Barth and Nick Clesen are all very strong Timetriallists, and both Urán and Intxausti is aswell! Even Stundzia could be a threat to most teams TTT-lineup.
Aw. We have the winner here. No question about that.
..::Warner Brothers::..
SHIRT NOT AVAILABLE
Star riders: Simon Spilak.
Key riders: Yannick Talabardon, Carlos Barredo.
Moving from one end of the scale to the other. Warner Brothers have been very reliant on the likes of Tom Boonen and Juan Antonio Flecha to perform in order to survive the Pro Tour. Last season also Simon Spilak joined the team, which made the team move into the light. Having lost Boonen seems to be the pattern of destruction for the team, however.
It will be a waste of time to go through the different sections of the team as there is really just one. Simon Spilak. He will receive great support from Talabardon, Barredo and several decent climbing domestiques, but we have a really hard time seing how Spilak should be able to make the team survive solely. The team might have some serious cash to throw around on trainings, but even spending 5.000.000 wouldn't make any of the riders of much use, and since both Coletta, Talabardon and Barredo are to old to train there must be one direction for the well liked Warner Brothers equipment.
We can simply not find what needs to be found in order to survive, and we would bet quite a hefty amount of money that this team will finish dead last this season.
..::Webeffect::..
Star riders: Emanuele Sella, Andrei Kashechkin, Jerome Baugnies
Key riders: Sergio Ghisalberti, Tom Danielson, Oscar Avelino
The former Lipton Ice Tea team is based around the same riders as last year, with Italian Emanuelle Sella, Kazakh Kashechkin and Belgian Jerome Baugnies.
In the GC races Kashechkin has been a very strong rider in the past, but also having a special love for the gravel has made him perhaps gain less points than deserved. He is, however, very difficult to look past as he is probably among the 15-20 best Stageracers around, and with a great fighters heart he is bound to produce several strong results. Emanuele Sella has been charging at Damiano Cunego, but still without luck at the Giro d'Italia. Having a go at the Giro one more time is a serious possibility, and rumours indicating that Cunego might be riding the Tour de France could open up for the small climbers day of glory.
In the hilly sections Ghisalberti once was a quality rider, but the lack of training, and the amount of icecream eaten has made him slightly heavier, and that could be a serious issue for the team. There doesn't seem to be a fit for the classics, while Sella could potentially do well in the toughest.
Jerome Baugnies is among the strongest cobblers in the Pro Tour, and it's not unlikely that he would finish all the cobbled classics around 5th place this season. Only Sven Nooytens seems to be strong enough to really support the Belgian though, and exactly that could be of some importance, chasing for glory.
The only sprinter of the team is portuguise Oscar Avelino, and you might be wondering how high his prizetag could've gone in this years transferseason, looking at the inflated prizes on regular portuguise riders. Still he is not off the team, but eventhough he is very fast, he will also lack the power to produce a good result continually in stage races, as he is simply to weak going uphill. Ricki Nelson could potentially lead him out this season, but it seems more realistic that Avelino will need to find the right wheel.
Overall this is a very nice team, and they will without a doubt be scoring a fair amount of money. We tip them inside the top 10, but much will depend on the absence or the opposite of Cunego at the Giro.
..::Wiggle - San Pellegrino::..
Star riders: Yaroslav Popovych, Simone Ponzi.
Key riders: Dario Cataldo, Timofey Kritskiy, Ian Bibby, Damiano Caruso, Luke Rowe, Matt Rowe
Welcome to the Pro Tour Wiggle! This is yet one of those promoted teams that have gotten a fair amount of succes from giving young riders the chance to develop. And this one could be quite good!
At the mountains Yaroslav Popovych will inquestionably be the teams leader, and he should be able to battle for top 3-5 every time he rides a small tour or even a GT. He has been very reluctant to attack in the past, thus looking to make up time from a steady powerperformance, and that has cost him dearly. At another note both Cataldo and Kritskiy might be able to fight for top 10s in smaller races, and it will be interesting to see whether the Italian team will go for Cataldo as their Giro Captain or if they are going for the optimal fit, with Popovych captain and Cataldo as a superdomestique. Ian Bibby, Aleksej Kunshin and Paolo Scarponi should provide adequate cover for the leaders.
In the hills many people are just clapping their hands for the young Simone Ponzi to arrive at the big scene. Having seen him blow away competition at the lower league, and perform at a very high level in the Wild Card races this could be his season. And he is not alone. The team surrounding the leader is of absolute highest class. Damiano Caruso, Marcello Pavarin, Tom Diggle, Tommy Zaini and Ian Bibby will be covering the youngsters back in order to secure maximum performance. And we should see that!
For the cobbles Andrew Fenn and Luke Rowe will be looking at whose got the legs from time to time. While Fenn is probably the strongest cobbler, Luke Rowe is by far the fastest, and the combination of the two could give a result now and then. We don't think this will be a major pointsharvest though.
Sprintingwise we are yet again looking at Luke Rowe, and also his brother Matt Rowe. Both are fairly strong riders, and have received Pro Tour experience from Wild Card races and loan spells last year, even producing several strong results. It will be interesting to see whether they have taken the experience to the next level, but they are not top sprinters just yet.
Overall this team is very nice, and while Mikhail Ignatiev could have helped to achieve top 5, we are going to be a bit more cautious, but are still gambling on a safe top 10 for the newly promoted talentmachines.
..::Wikipedia::..
SHIRT NOT AVAILABLE
Star riders: Taylor Phinney, Tejay van Gaarderen, Danny Summerhill, Matthew Goss.
Key riders: Juan van Heerden, Tyler Farrar, Jimmy Casper.
The all american sweethearts. The team that blew all competition aside going into the worlds, is back for another season of glory.
Having only Taylor Phinney for the GC's could be a bit of an issue, but we have to believe that Phinney can point out the races he wants to win, and go with it. He is just a supertalented guy, and we cannot believe that he is only 22 years of age. This is like watching Jan Ullrich! Phinney will be supported in the mountains by Christoph Mai, Mathieu Sprick and the very talented Thibaut Pinot.
For the hills it's really worth looking at just one rider: TEJAY VAN GARDEREN. Tejay rode last year with a nail up his left foot, which wasn't discovered until after the season. Still he managed to grab the biggest win of all, and be a very strong rider throughout the year. He doesn't seem to have much support though, with the best probably coming from another captain. Danny Summerhill.
And talking a bit more about him he is likely to be targeting the big cobbled classics this year. Kevin Eeckhout, Tyler Farrar and Juan van Heerden could provide decent support, while both Farrar and van Heerden is probably going to target their own chances in the sprints.
A new sprinter is in town, and it should be very interesting to see what Matthew Goss can give the team. He is one of the strongest sprinters in the pack, and should be able to fight for the win in almost every flat sprint there is. Also Jimmy Casper could be worth mentioning, eventhough he isn't likely to be going for many sprints himself. For the overall picture this is a very strong outfit, and they could easily end up in the top 5 overall!
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We have been trying to analyze our way through the Pro Tour season. Obviously a lot of things play in. Crashes for one, luck is another, tactical geniousness, and tactical imbicility is the the most important aspect, but looking solely on the teams, deducting tactics this is what we have come to terms with:
Fair evaluation of my team. The aim is to just scrape survival this season, then hope Taaramae's salary goes down next year and bring in some better riders.
I have been working on both Protour and CTour previews, I don't really want to release the CTour one until closer to the season start or at the very least C1 selections are in.
Just skimming through this, my protour thoughts don't entirelly agree with SotD's (but then again he is more of an expert than me in that matter) which should make for an interesting comparison
This is excellent work though really thorough reviews, nice one! Like others I would love to see a CTour review or two to rival mine gogogogo!
I might make one if I get to bored :-p But I got lazy about updating the dbs, so I still only got old versions of sotd and Romans, so don't even have a fully updated db
Good job with the preview, SotD. First off the mark.
I'm quite happy how I've got the Colombia squad set up - it was a deliberate decision not to have a cobbled squad and to have very little in the hills. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.
Edited by fenian_1234 on 05-07-2011 22:17
fenian_1234 wrote:
Good job with the preview, SotD. First off the mark.
I'm quite happy how I've got the Colombia squad set up - it was a deliberate decision not to have a cobbled squad and to have very little in the hills. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.
Same here, I guess I'll meet you in the mountains
[url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182]Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
The review of Spyker Cars is pretty accurate. I loaned out Bonnet, though, so I'm guessing he won't win much for the team this year
This year is a transition year, and as long as I stay in the Pro Tour, I'm pretty satisfied. I bought some great talents this year, so the future is looking good. On the other hand, the future is three seasons away, so ... patience is key
