Tour Startlist (under construction)

smithy21

Pross wrote:

Froome was starting to show a bit of climbing form so I'm also surprised he isn't there.

Agree. Also decent TT at the TdS so would have been useful for the TTT.

milton50

Pross wrote:

Froome was starting to show a bit of climbing form so I'm also surprised he isn't there.

I agree. The fact that they've gone for EBH and Swift suggests to me that they're hedging their bets more towards stage wins than getting Wiggins on the podium.

iainf72

Milton50 wrote:

I agree. The fact that they've gone for EBH and Swift suggests to me that they're hedging their bets more towards stage wins than getting Wiggins on the podium.

If they were doing that, I'd suggest they'd have guys like Henderson there. There is fairly good climbing support in there, including Biggles-Holden if he puts his chubby little Nordic face on the front on a mountan.

It looks like a slightly above average Grand Tour squad to me.

milton50

Yep, don't get me wrong it's a solid squad with good climbing support. Just seems like given that EBH was on the podium twice in his first Tour that their sprinting ambitions would be covered and they could afford to have another climbing domestique in there.

Maybe they're thinking of giving EBH a few rest days before he's needed on the climbs?

FJS

I think Milton50 is right, especially because they went for Swift instead of Henderson. This TdF has very few flat finishes, and those will be prime target for Cav, and if not him Farrar, Greipel, etc. and only an outside chance for Henderson. On the other hand, there are plenty of hilly stages or flat ones with an uphill finish, and both EBH and Swift can do the hills reasonably well and stand a good chance there.
Wiggins got the mountain support he needs for his GC potential

StefanP

Here is Lottos team:

http://www.omegapharma-lotto.be/

Gilbert will be riding. I did immediatly think that stages 1,4,6 and possibly 8 would have been good for him.

frenchfighter

They could have cropped the shot for Wggins' modesty
Getty

RichN95.

^^^The sight of Bradley's belly sticking out isn't encouraging.

frenchfighter

StefanP wrote:

Here is Lottos team:

http://www.omegapharma-lotto.be/

Gilbert will be riding. I did immediatly think that stages 1,4,6 and possibly 8 would have been good for him.

He wants to wear yellow and think there is a very good chance he will.

takethehighroad

frenchfighter wrote:

He wants to wear yellow and think there is a very good chance he will.

Hushivd Stage 1, Cav 2 and 3, Gilbert 4

LangerDan

frenchfighter wrote:

They could have cropped the shot for Wggins' modesty
Getty

When a job description includes the the requirement to be able to get your wing-wang out and have a pee from a moving bike, "modesty" is probably a luxury you can do without.

Mind you, who thought this was a good look?:



It keeps reminding me of

iainf72

"Team Sky are styled by Matt Lucas"

Doobz

Astana:

Alexandre Vinokourov, Dmitriy Fofonov, Andriy Grivko, Maxim Iglinskiy, Paolo Tiralongo, Tomas Vaitkus, Andrey Zeit, Remy Di Gregorio, Roman Kreuziger

josame

iainf72 wrote:

[including Biggles-Holden if he puts his chubby little Nordic face on the front on a mountan.

josame

Any news on skinny leotard

RichN95.

josame wrote:

Any news on skinny leotard

Nothing official, but Monfort told the press that it was the Tour de Suisse team +1.

So: Fabian Cancellara, Andy and Fränk Schleck, Jakob Fuglsang, Linus Gerdemann, Maxime Monfort, Stuart O'Grady and Jens Voigt. (+1, best guess seems to be Posthuma)

RichN95.

Leaky Gas:

Ivan Basso, Daniel Oss, Alessandro Vanotti, Paolo Longo Borghini, Fabio Sabatini, Sylvester Szmyd, Maciej Bodnar, Maciej Paterski and Kristijan Koren


In other news, EBH has managed to get shingles and is a doubt for the Tour.

Pross

He doesn't have much luck does he - shame as he is looking in excellent form.

inkyfingers

Thats a shame about EBH, he's never really had the chance to prove himself in the last couple of years.

Wonder who Sky will bring in instead?

lucybears

A spokesman from Team Sky “As a precautionary measure, Edvald has withdrawn from the national road race this weekend due to illness. We are monitoring the situation with him, at this stage though there is no change to the Tour de France team.”

Doobz

you can cross Boasson Hagen off the list as he has Shingles...

blazing_saddles

Doobz wrote:

you can cross Boasson Hagen off the list as he has Shingles...

Yup.
Biggles-Holden probably out of the Tour.
http://www.vg.no/sport/sykkel/artikkel. ... d=10096000

iainf72

For someone who's touted as a tough classics guy (not by me), he certainly seems to be a delicate flower.

cogidubnus

I'd love to see them put Peter Kennaugh in if EBH is out, though having ridden the Giro might not be wise

Doobz

I reckon they'll lash froomey in..

lucybears

Cogidubnus, Doobz try google translate....

As late as Thursday were Kurt Asle Arvesen told that he is not taken out of the Sky Team squad for the Tour de France. Now the summer's peak bicycle slip for compatriot Boasson Hagen.

frenchfighter

LangerDan wrote:

Mind you, who thought this was a good look?:

RichN95.

lucybears wrote:

As late as Thursday were Kurt Asle Arvesen told that he is not taken out of the Sky Team squad for the Tour de France. Now the summer's peak bicycle slip for compatriot Boasson Hagen.

Well that clears everything up.

frenchfighter

Cogidubnus wrote:

I'd love to see them put Peter Kennaugh in if EBH is out, though having ridden the Giro might not be wise

Giro then Tour not a good idea at his age and stage. They dont use drugs these days to keep them going. He rode the Giro hard enough too.

LangerDan

frenchfighter wrote:

LangerDan wrote:

Mind you, who thought this was a good look?:

That second photo looks like a civil partnership ceremony.