Team Leopard - Pressure?

pedro118118
pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
edited March 2011 in Pro race
Another weekend of racing goes by (I know we're not even into March yet!) and no wins for TL (True Racing). At what point does the pressure start to mount in terms of getting their first win on the board?

The likes of HTC, Liquigas, Sky, Lampre, Garmin-Cervelo etc all raging ahead with good results/strong performances, but Leopard don't seem to have got going (Bennati's placings aside).

Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Just wait till there is a normal TT....
    _
  • Down the Road
    Down the Road Posts: 949
    Pressure will be felt after APRIL when the real season kicks in and after that after a small race in france in JULY.

    These are the objectives not the pre season giggle races that SKY do well in
    Racing is life - everything else is just waiting
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    I think they're doing fine so far, showed quite a bit out in the desert and I suspect they will hit peak form for the start of the Classics.
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    By "normal", do you mean flat and with TT bikes?

    I suppose we'll see, but Tony Martin (amongst others) is getting better all the time and I'm not convinced Chinny dominance against the clock is a foregone conclusion this season.

    A Schleck only really races (usually for second place) for 3 weeks in July and it's only a matter of time before F Schleck ruins his season with a crash and there are a lot of very punchy riders for the hilly classics.
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    S'okay.
    Jens is merely resting.
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    I appreciate that KBK, Oman, Down Under etc are not "big objectives", but with 26 (expensive) riders on the roster, I would expect them to acheive resutls outside of the first two weeks in April and the three weeks in July?

    What if Flanders and/or Roubaix don't go to plan - disaster............
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    Teams are created on the road, not on paper.

    It's rare for new teams to gel early on and start delivering results (I can only think of the Cervelo Test Team in recent years) so it is to be expected, especially given the relative inexperience of the team management, who've worked for others but have never run their own teams before.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Leopard is a Tour de France-focused team, with some room for Cancellara to play outside in April. With their set-up, (or how they want to portray it), a group of mates with a wealthy backer, I really don't think they care, even if April doesn't go according to plan.
    Astana, BMC and Saxobank don't have any victories either. In different ways much more pressing
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    It'll be interesting to see what Cancellara does. Is he a Flandrian again or is he losing weight for Liege? The risk is he falls between two stools but then again when he targets something he usually wins...
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    Kléber wrote:
    It'll be interesting to see what Cancellara does. Is he a Flandrian again or is he losing weight for Liege? The risk is he falls between two stools but then again when he targets something he usually wins...

    The former. No Liege this year due to need to win for new team!
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • donrhummy
    donrhummy Posts: 2,329
    FJS wrote:
    Leopard is a Tour de France-focused team, with some room for Cancellara to play outside in April.

    That is a definite misrepresentation. Cancellara's classics' victories (the ones he'll get this year) are pretty damn important to that team. They're not just time for him to "play."
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    donrhummy wrote:
    FJS wrote:
    Leopard is a Tour de France-focused team, with some room for Cancellara to play outside in April.

    That is a definite misrepresentation. Cancellara's classics' victories (the ones he'll get this year) are pretty damn important to that team. They're not just time for him to "play."
    definite, eh.
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    Perhaps the Schlecks will go all out in the Ardennes Classics to try and avoid the 'eggs in one basket' issue that Sky had last year. I'm sure FC will continue to target PR and Flanders, but I genuinely think the strength of the other other teams will count against him. He will be the most marked of marked men. As for the Tour, rather depends on Bertie to an extent, but can A Schleck cope with being 'favourite'?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    pedro118118 wrote:
    but can A Schleck cope with being 'favourite'?

    Absolutely.

    Can't find any evidence to suggest otherwise.
    _
  • Gingerflash
    Gingerflash Posts: 239
    Jan and Feb are for the lesser teams and riders to shine and get some wins. Cav not winning, but Goss and Renshaw. It'd be a worry if Cancellara and the Schlecks were winning now, which would suggest that they'll have nothing left for the big races latrer in the year.

    I doubt the team is worried that they didn't win the Trofeo Magaluf or whatever. They'll be more interested in whether the riders are heading for good form for the big races.

    After all, Saxo's success last year wasn't measured by bagging a load of little victories, but by winning RVV, PR, coming 2nd in the Tour etc.
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    Surely with a squads of 30+ riders, WorldTour (or ProTour?!) teams should be competing for wins all year round?! You mention HTC winning with Goss/Renshaw, but that shows the strength in depth that Leopard don't seem to have.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    pedro118118 wrote:
    Surely with a squads of 30+ riders, WorldTour (or ProTour?!) teams should be competing for wins all year round?! You mention HTC winning with Goss/Renshaw, but that shows the strength in depth that Leopard don't seem to have.

    Leopard are going to absolutely dominate US Postal style in the Tour if they all pull their weight, and should be totally in control in the Ardenne if they give it some effort.

    Look at the other GC contender teams - there aren't many teams (basically Liquigas) who have a chance of outgunning Leopard on a big important TdF stage.

    Unless someone is about to prove me wrong, obviously.
    _
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    There is some confusion over pressure here I think - are we talking about fans' and general cycling public expectations of a team, or internal pressure from those pulling the financial strings? Outsiders/fans might have expected some Cervelo'09/Sky'10-style early surge, but Leopard seems to have a different financial structure and rationale, and probably also objective. As of yet I don't think the sales figures of leopards are down because of poor results...
  • TMR
    TMR Posts: 3,986
    FJS wrote:
    As of yet I don't think the sales figures of leopards are down because of poor results...

    You do know that Team Leopard has nothing to do with Leopard the bike manufacturer right?
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    The Mad Rapper wrote:
    FJS wrote:
    As of yet I don't think the sales figures of leopards are down because of poor results...

    You do know that Team Leopard has nothing to do with Leopard the bike manufacturer right?

    I'm pretty sure FJS knows that. He was referring to the proper leopards the team advertise.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Benjamin Hall
    Benjamin Hall Posts: 608
    That might relieve pressure a bit, good chase.
    http://ifonlyiwerebelgian.wordpress.com/

    https://twitter.com/#!/IOIWBelgian
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    http://www.leopardcycles.com/ - never heard of them. Wicked colour scheme though

    Anyway, it's all irrelevant. Win in GP Le Samyn. Their year is complete, no more worries and sleepless nights for Fabu and his mates

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