Team Previews
Ag2r
Christophe Moreau may one day be a contender if we keep eliminating every quality rider. He’s the great French hope, and is a legit podium contender given the state of the field. But he’ll make some absurd bid for the dots and lose to Rasmussen and lose the yellow as well. (Once again, pretend we’ve discussed how terrible the King of the Mountains scoring system is).
Jason: I can’t believe I’m defending Moreau, but the guy has never shown devotion to the KoM. I doubt that he’ll start now. Your point about eliminating the elite to give him a chance is funny, but, let’s face it…he’s riding well. But he’s 36 and his team is weak.
Agributel
Stephen: Maybe they will win a stage again. Mercado had a fairly decent Tour last year before dropping out. They contribute next to nothing.
Jason: They don’t have to do much to improve upon last year.
Astana
Stephen: Kloden finally gets a team of his own. Only to find Vinokourov there. The two best riders in the field, and they are on the same team. It always worked out so well for T-Mobile, why won’t it work now? Really, the only thing that should hold Vino back from winning this thing is either a crash or his team imploding. But there is such a thing as too much star power. Salvodelli should know his role and will be great in support, but I’m going to miss Kessler, who is sitting this Tour out.
Jason: Well, I don’t think anyone thinks this is Kloden’s team, but he and Vino have made that “support the stronger rider” pact that has failed repeatedly. Since this team is not run by Telekom’s management, there is a chance they will not cut off their nose to spite their face. Besides, Vino will probably attack Kloden early and assert himself.
Barloworld
Stephen: Robert Hunter is South African. I bring that up now because there will be no reason to talk about this team once the race starts, and I wanted to point out the African in the field. This is his sixth Tour. He’s finished exactly one (he finished 97th). He is the top rider on the team.
Jason: Both Astana and Barloworld are wild card teams. Astana’s roster doesn’t reflect that. Barlo’s does. Well, it’s nice that the Tour decided to invite wild card teams not from France. (These are Swiss and British.)
Bouygues Telecom
Stephen: Thomas Voeckler has deluded himself into believing he is a contender after once spending a week in yellow. In a way, I like his tenacity in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence. And while they won’t win anything, the French teams attack like mad and might pull out a stage or something. Which is always fun.
Jason: Bogus Telekom doesn’t have any bullets in the chamber, but I’m also hoping they give an entertaining effort.
Caisse d’Espargne (always Banesto on this page)
Stephen: Absolutely loaded team. This hasn’t worked out well in the past (T-Mobile, LeMond and Hinault), but I don’t think Pereiro is going to try and vie for team leadership. Karpets is a great domestique, but this is Velverde’s team. He’s a legit contender and I think the team will work for him. He just has to finally finish.
Jason: I agree that this is supposed to be Valverde’s team, but you hit the nail on the head in questioning if he’ll finish. As for Pereiro, I like him, but he’s a paper tiger. He’s had three consecutive top 10 finishes, but in two of them he duped the contenders by making up 10+ minutes on one breakaway after he was “out of it.” If he’s allowed to lurk in the shadows, he can be dangerous. If he’s a marked man, it’s a whole different game.
Cofidis
Stephen: They will win a stage or two but not contend for a jersey or anything. A good, solid team. They earned their bid but they aren’t world beaters. I can’t think of anything else to say about them. They are the blandest team in the peleton.
Jason: As we often say, they have “peloton” written on their foreheads.
Credit Agricole
Stephen: THOR! We have some favorite riders around these parts, but rarely have they actually won anything. We tend to like the insane domestiques (Voigt), gutty back of the peleton guys (Dekker), and guys who fall off their bikes (Kessler). I make an exception for Hushovd. He’s my guy. I will root openly for him. Also, they have a couple of guys who are a real threat to win a stage. I’m beginning to really like the mid-level French teams. By the way, my love for riders named Thor does not make me delusional, his green jersey in 2005 was a fluke.
Jason: They are like the talented version of Bogus Telekom. They’ll attack a lot and have a much greater chance of success.
CSC
Stephen: Sastre finished fourth last year and his four top tens on the resume. And they have one of the deepest teams in the Tour, only without any question of leadership. That’s a pretty underrated advantage. He’s my upset pick (not much of one, I know).
Jason: How about Bjarne Riis being asked not to attend the Tour because of his admission that he was doping in his 1996 win? He wasn’t formally banned, more like asked to accept the ban voluntarily. In the case of Riis, we have an admission of guilt. We also have one in the case of Erik Zabel, who said he also took EPO that year. Yet, he is allowed to participate this year! Since the doping police are big fans of speculation in the absence of evidence, I wonder if Tour brass like Bernard Hinault or ex-chief Jean Marie LeBlanc ever took performance enhancing drugs. I mean, what are the odds that Hinault, who raced in the 70s & 80s would have taken dope in an era when pills were plentiful and testing was non-existent?
Yeah, CSC is decent. Sastre for GC, Zabriskie for time trials, Voigt and O’Grady for fun. Cancellera and Schleck ain’t chumps either.
Discovery
Stephen: Obviously, the loss of Basso hurts. Remember when Hincapie was billed as a contender? Not so much this year. And who is the guy? Danielson? Popovych? Leipheimer? It seems they will play a wait and see approach and decide who to ride for in the Alps. Not the best of strategies, but at least they have options. It’s strange for Disco not to be the dominant force in the race.
Jason: Well, tough noogies. I don’t think they can expect to win. I think Leipheimer has missed his window (but then, like Moreau, perhaps enough elite riders have been liquidated), and I think Popovych is still a bit to young. This team should aim for stages and the team competition.
Euskatel
Stephen: Zubeldia is the latest Spanish rider to be wasting his time with these guys. Mayo wasted the prime of his career, and now its Zubeldia’s turn. He’d have a shot on a different team, but with the Basque boys, he peaks as a top ten finisher.
Jason: I like Zubeldia because he rides better than Mayo and gets no pub. Yet, I can’t explain why he’s on this chump team instead of one that could support his talent.
FDJ
Stephen: Speaking of minor French teams, they are the standard bearers. It’s a weak team, but Casar’s always good for a decent Tour. I’m actually impressed by how they have established a niche for themselves in the Tour, but let’s not pretend they are contenders or anything.
Jason: One of the best ways to be an overachiever is to have an underwhelming roster.
Gerolsteiner
Stephen: Time for Fothen to step up and run with the big boys. He lost the white last year to Cunego, but there’s no shame in that. Still a year or two away, but a top ten would be a nice result.
Jason: Fothen showed promise, and at his age he can be excused for not being able to carry this team. Without Leipheimer and Totschnig on the team, it might be a miserable Tour for Gerolsteiner.
Lampre
Stephen: Cunego is taking the Tour off, so the only reason they are here is to maybe win Bennati a Green. He was 60 points out and in 3rd place when he withdrew late last year, so he should be factor if McEwen falls off his bike or something.
Jason: This should be the stereotypical Italian team that sends its bench to waste space at the Tour.
Liquigas
Stephen: Fillipo Pozzoto is the new team leader, fresh off of last year’s mesmerizing 133rd place finish, a mere three and half hours back. Luca Paolini finished in the top five in points last year and won’t ride this year. Apparently the team has dropped all pretense of trying to compete in the Tour.
Jason: Maybe they think Manuel Beltran is their leader, but I don’t think that’s going to work either.
Milram
Stephen: I’ve given up on Petacchi. He’s a terrific sprinter and there is no chance in hell he’s finishing this race. We’re talking about a guy who dropped out at the first sight of hills when he was wearing the Green Jersey. And he’s spared us the drama of when he will drop out by testing positive before the race. So he won’t even have to ride the flat stages.
Jason: Well, there’s no chance he’s finishing because the Italian anti-doping agency is having a hearing next week to ban him for a year for using asthma medication. They pin their hopes on Zabel and Andrei Grivko. Let me know how that works out, guys.
Predictor-Lotto
Stephen: The great thing about McEwen is that he almost holds his own team in contempt. He doesn’t use lead outs and his team doesn’t control the peleton for him. They are just there so he can be in the race. He just finds his closest rival, stalks him, and then destroys him. He’s awesome, even at age 36. Cadel Evans has a shot at the podium, coming off last year’s fifth place finish. The team might as well ride for Evans, McEwen doesn’t need them.
Jason: I disagree. McEwen can win that way (and did a few years ago), but he’s been using his lead out men more and more. Why not take Freddy Rodriguez’ wheel?
Quick Step
Stephen: Boonen is the biggest threat to take the Green from McEwen. The team rode well for him last year and he’s taken some stages, it’s just that he can’t seem to get over the hump. McEwen has to slow down, right? And Boonen’s luck has to turn, right?
Jason: Yeah, Boonen had a great Tour in 2005, but still couldn’t overtake McEwen. I’ll believe it after I see it.
Rabobank
Stephen: My favorite team. I have a weakness for the Dutch. Just a well-balnced team that can do everything. Menchov will compete for yellow and finish top ten. Freire will compete for green and finish top five. Boogerd will offer quality support. And Rasmussen will win the dots. Not a bad month.
Jason: A few years ago I remarked that they were slipping in terms of winning hardware. They fixed that problem.
Saunier Duval
Stephen: Millar is the team captain. He’s a great bet to win the prologue, held in London. He’s a great time trialist riding in front of the home crowd. Then he should fall off his bike (and find a way to blame it on his teammates). But not before Mayo does. I have stage 10 in the pool.
Jason: Having Mayo and Millar on the same team is just farcical. They also have David de la Fuente, who wore the polka dot jersey a lot last year. I doubt he’ll beat Rasmussen, but he might be their bright spot.
T-Mobile
Stephen: Oh, how the might have fallen. Rogers finished top ten last year. Sinkewitz is a solid contender. Eisel has a shot at the green. But this all lacks the luster of Ullrich and Zabel, eh?
Jason: Rogers is better off without the Ullrich drama and their butt-headed team manager.
Christophe Moreau may one day be a contender if we keep eliminating every quality rider. He’s the great French hope, and is a legit podium contender given the state of the field. But he’ll make some absurd bid for the dots and lose to Rasmussen and lose the yellow as well. (Once again, pretend we’ve discussed how terrible the King of the Mountains scoring system is).
Jason: I can’t believe I’m defending Moreau, but the guy has never shown devotion to the KoM. I doubt that he’ll start now. Your point about eliminating the elite to give him a chance is funny, but, let’s face it…he’s riding well. But he’s 36 and his team is weak.
Agributel
Stephen: Maybe they will win a stage again. Mercado had a fairly decent Tour last year before dropping out. They contribute next to nothing.
Jason: They don’t have to do much to improve upon last year.
Astana
Stephen: Kloden finally gets a team of his own. Only to find Vinokourov there. The two best riders in the field, and they are on the same team. It always worked out so well for T-Mobile, why won’t it work now? Really, the only thing that should hold Vino back from winning this thing is either a crash or his team imploding. But there is such a thing as too much star power. Salvodelli should know his role and will be great in support, but I’m going to miss Kessler, who is sitting this Tour out.
Jason: Well, I don’t think anyone thinks this is Kloden’s team, but he and Vino have made that “support the stronger rider” pact that has failed repeatedly. Since this team is not run by Telekom’s management, there is a chance they will not cut off their nose to spite their face. Besides, Vino will probably attack Kloden early and assert himself.
Barloworld
Stephen: Robert Hunter is South African. I bring that up now because there will be no reason to talk about this team once the race starts, and I wanted to point out the African in the field. This is his sixth Tour. He’s finished exactly one (he finished 97th). He is the top rider on the team.
Jason: Both Astana and Barloworld are wild card teams. Astana’s roster doesn’t reflect that. Barlo’s does. Well, it’s nice that the Tour decided to invite wild card teams not from France. (These are Swiss and British.)
Bouygues Telecom
Stephen: Thomas Voeckler has deluded himself into believing he is a contender after once spending a week in yellow. In a way, I like his tenacity in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence. And while they won’t win anything, the French teams attack like mad and might pull out a stage or something. Which is always fun.
Jason: Bogus Telekom doesn’t have any bullets in the chamber, but I’m also hoping they give an entertaining effort.
Caisse d’Espargne (always Banesto on this page)
Stephen: Absolutely loaded team. This hasn’t worked out well in the past (T-Mobile, LeMond and Hinault), but I don’t think Pereiro is going to try and vie for team leadership. Karpets is a great domestique, but this is Velverde’s team. He’s a legit contender and I think the team will work for him. He just has to finally finish.
Jason: I agree that this is supposed to be Valverde’s team, but you hit the nail on the head in questioning if he’ll finish. As for Pereiro, I like him, but he’s a paper tiger. He’s had three consecutive top 10 finishes, but in two of them he duped the contenders by making up 10+ minutes on one breakaway after he was “out of it.” If he’s allowed to lurk in the shadows, he can be dangerous. If he’s a marked man, it’s a whole different game.
Cofidis
Stephen: They will win a stage or two but not contend for a jersey or anything. A good, solid team. They earned their bid but they aren’t world beaters. I can’t think of anything else to say about them. They are the blandest team in the peleton.
Jason: As we often say, they have “peloton” written on their foreheads.
Credit Agricole
Stephen: THOR! We have some favorite riders around these parts, but rarely have they actually won anything. We tend to like the insane domestiques (Voigt), gutty back of the peleton guys (Dekker), and guys who fall off their bikes (Kessler). I make an exception for Hushovd. He’s my guy. I will root openly for him. Also, they have a couple of guys who are a real threat to win a stage. I’m beginning to really like the mid-level French teams. By the way, my love for riders named Thor does not make me delusional, his green jersey in 2005 was a fluke.
Jason: They are like the talented version of Bogus Telekom. They’ll attack a lot and have a much greater chance of success.
CSC
Stephen: Sastre finished fourth last year and his four top tens on the resume. And they have one of the deepest teams in the Tour, only without any question of leadership. That’s a pretty underrated advantage. He’s my upset pick (not much of one, I know).
Jason: How about Bjarne Riis being asked not to attend the Tour because of his admission that he was doping in his 1996 win? He wasn’t formally banned, more like asked to accept the ban voluntarily. In the case of Riis, we have an admission of guilt. We also have one in the case of Erik Zabel, who said he also took EPO that year. Yet, he is allowed to participate this year! Since the doping police are big fans of speculation in the absence of evidence, I wonder if Tour brass like Bernard Hinault or ex-chief Jean Marie LeBlanc ever took performance enhancing drugs. I mean, what are the odds that Hinault, who raced in the 70s & 80s would have taken dope in an era when pills were plentiful and testing was non-existent?
Yeah, CSC is decent. Sastre for GC, Zabriskie for time trials, Voigt and O’Grady for fun. Cancellera and Schleck ain’t chumps either.
Discovery
Stephen: Obviously, the loss of Basso hurts. Remember when Hincapie was billed as a contender? Not so much this year. And who is the guy? Danielson? Popovych? Leipheimer? It seems they will play a wait and see approach and decide who to ride for in the Alps. Not the best of strategies, but at least they have options. It’s strange for Disco not to be the dominant force in the race.
Jason: Well, tough noogies. I don’t think they can expect to win. I think Leipheimer has missed his window (but then, like Moreau, perhaps enough elite riders have been liquidated), and I think Popovych is still a bit to young. This team should aim for stages and the team competition.
Euskatel
Stephen: Zubeldia is the latest Spanish rider to be wasting his time with these guys. Mayo wasted the prime of his career, and now its Zubeldia’s turn. He’d have a shot on a different team, but with the Basque boys, he peaks as a top ten finisher.
Jason: I like Zubeldia because he rides better than Mayo and gets no pub. Yet, I can’t explain why he’s on this chump team instead of one that could support his talent.
FDJ
Stephen: Speaking of minor French teams, they are the standard bearers. It’s a weak team, but Casar’s always good for a decent Tour. I’m actually impressed by how they have established a niche for themselves in the Tour, but let’s not pretend they are contenders or anything.
Jason: One of the best ways to be an overachiever is to have an underwhelming roster.
Gerolsteiner
Stephen: Time for Fothen to step up and run with the big boys. He lost the white last year to Cunego, but there’s no shame in that. Still a year or two away, but a top ten would be a nice result.
Jason: Fothen showed promise, and at his age he can be excused for not being able to carry this team. Without Leipheimer and Totschnig on the team, it might be a miserable Tour for Gerolsteiner.
Lampre
Stephen: Cunego is taking the Tour off, so the only reason they are here is to maybe win Bennati a Green. He was 60 points out and in 3rd place when he withdrew late last year, so he should be factor if McEwen falls off his bike or something.
Jason: This should be the stereotypical Italian team that sends its bench to waste space at the Tour.
Liquigas
Stephen: Fillipo Pozzoto is the new team leader, fresh off of last year’s mesmerizing 133rd place finish, a mere three and half hours back. Luca Paolini finished in the top five in points last year and won’t ride this year. Apparently the team has dropped all pretense of trying to compete in the Tour.
Jason: Maybe they think Manuel Beltran is their leader, but I don’t think that’s going to work either.
Milram
Stephen: I’ve given up on Petacchi. He’s a terrific sprinter and there is no chance in hell he’s finishing this race. We’re talking about a guy who dropped out at the first sight of hills when he was wearing the Green Jersey. And he’s spared us the drama of when he will drop out by testing positive before the race. So he won’t even have to ride the flat stages.
Jason: Well, there’s no chance he’s finishing because the Italian anti-doping agency is having a hearing next week to ban him for a year for using asthma medication. They pin their hopes on Zabel and Andrei Grivko. Let me know how that works out, guys.
Predictor-Lotto
Stephen: The great thing about McEwen is that he almost holds his own team in contempt. He doesn’t use lead outs and his team doesn’t control the peleton for him. They are just there so he can be in the race. He just finds his closest rival, stalks him, and then destroys him. He’s awesome, even at age 36. Cadel Evans has a shot at the podium, coming off last year’s fifth place finish. The team might as well ride for Evans, McEwen doesn’t need them.
Jason: I disagree. McEwen can win that way (and did a few years ago), but he’s been using his lead out men more and more. Why not take Freddy Rodriguez’ wheel?
Quick Step
Stephen: Boonen is the biggest threat to take the Green from McEwen. The team rode well for him last year and he’s taken some stages, it’s just that he can’t seem to get over the hump. McEwen has to slow down, right? And Boonen’s luck has to turn, right?
Jason: Yeah, Boonen had a great Tour in 2005, but still couldn’t overtake McEwen. I’ll believe it after I see it.
Rabobank
Stephen: My favorite team. I have a weakness for the Dutch. Just a well-balnced team that can do everything. Menchov will compete for yellow and finish top ten. Freire will compete for green and finish top five. Boogerd will offer quality support. And Rasmussen will win the dots. Not a bad month.
Jason: A few years ago I remarked that they were slipping in terms of winning hardware. They fixed that problem.
Saunier Duval
Stephen: Millar is the team captain. He’s a great bet to win the prologue, held in London. He’s a great time trialist riding in front of the home crowd. Then he should fall off his bike (and find a way to blame it on his teammates). But not before Mayo does. I have stage 10 in the pool.
Jason: Having Mayo and Millar on the same team is just farcical. They also have David de la Fuente, who wore the polka dot jersey a lot last year. I doubt he’ll beat Rasmussen, but he might be their bright spot.
T-Mobile
Stephen: Oh, how the might have fallen. Rogers finished top ten last year. Sinkewitz is a solid contender. Eisel has a shot at the green. But this all lacks the luster of Ullrich and Zabel, eh?
Jason: Rogers is better off without the Ullrich drama and their butt-headed team manager.
posted by Poseur at 10:36 AM
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