Which team has had the worst Tour?

Lichtblick
Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
edited July 2012 in Pro race
On various grounds......

BMC - dashed hopes for a repeat
Lampre and Vacansoleil - lost 5 riders

Seemingly so many other teams with a "not a good year this year" end of Tour report?

Katusha, Saxobank, Astana, Omega, Orica Greenedge, Argos
Ag2R, Cofidis, Saur, Euskaltel (lost 4 riders)

(Modus: I've left out teams with stage wins/jerseys)

Comments

  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    Got to be Cofidis surely?
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  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Yikes. Just realised BMC have BYR. Sorry about that.
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    I'd go for Argos... after losing Kittel they have done absolutely nothing and every time I see one of them in the pack I think 'oh yeah, forgot about them!'.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    Greenedge. Went there looking for sprint wins and got beaten by various riders every time they had a chance. Rabo have to be grateful to LLS as they would have had a disaster otherwise, not just on results but on the amount of riders they lost.
  • rebs
    rebs Posts: 891
    Greenedge was kind of expected seems to happen to all new well funded teams. they did give up the fight abit when tehy decided to not chase the sprints which was all they were geared to compete in.

    Cofadis certainly had the worst tour by a long way. Amazing the sponders have remained in the sport after so long and so much drama.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Katusha - they were the worst last year too.

    Nobody expects Cofidis and Saur to do anything and Euskaltel and Argos are basically a one man teams and they were injured.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • MrTapir
    MrTapir Posts: 1,206
    nweststeyn wrote:
    I'd go for Argos... after losing Kittel they have done absolutely nothing and every time I see one of them in the pack I think 'oh yeah, forgot about them!'.

    I'd say that about Lampre, the first post that said Lampre actually reminded me there was even a team. Oh yeas Petacchi had a hand in that big crash didn't he.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Vaconsoleil.
    _
  • luckao
    luckao Posts: 632
    Astana had Kessiakoff battling Voeckler.
    Sorensen's single-handedly been getting Saxo some air time.
    Cofidis at least had Taraamae fighting for the young rider classification (shame he dwindled).
    I'd give Omega some leeway for losing Martin.

    Others have been covered.

    I'd probably go for Katusha. Unlike others who showed up, tried and failed, I can't remember them doing anything. They've been Sky's guide on how not to do everything. I know they'll play to their strengths with Freire and Rodriguez at the Vuelta. It doesn't really excuse just how poor they've been.
  • Lichtblick
    Lichtblick Posts: 1,434
    Luckao wrote:
    Astana had Kessiakoff battling Voeckler.
    Sorensen's single-handedly been getting Saxo some air time.
    Cofidis at least had Taraamae fighting for the young rider classification (shame he dwindled).
    I'd give Omega some leeway for losing Martin.

    Others have been covered.

    I'd probably go for Katusha. Unlike others who showed up, tried and failed, I can't remember them doing anything. They've been Sky's guide on how not to do everything. I know they'll play to their strengths with Freire and Rodriguez at the Vuelta. It doesn't really excuse just how poor they've been.

    You are absolutely right in every respect. I did make up that list with a somewhat poor m.o.

    I also thought Katusha, when I started on the list.
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    Katusha without doubt. The worst because they were non-descript. Again. How do they get an entry ticket? Movistar and Rabobank also pish but saved by their respective wins.

    FWIW, I think OGE were here to pick up tips from Sky regarding logistics/organisation etc and on that basis I'd give them a solid 6/10. If they get a few quid behind them, they may be good.
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    BelgianBeerGeek wrote:
    Katusha without doubt. The worst because they were non-descript. Again. How do they get an entry ticket?

    They made ASO an offer they couldn't refuse. The team held a gun to Prudhomme's head, and the DS assured him that either his brains or Katusha's name would be on the startlist.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • sing_for_absolution
    sing_for_absolution Posts: 1,908
    Have to disagree with Katusha. Menchov has been about. This would've been a good race for Denis Galimzyanov too but urrr..we know what happened to him. And he was on his own.


    My ones are Euskaltel and Argos-Shimano. Both losing key riders early (Samu and Kittel). Felt like partially decapitated chickens since.
  • esafosfina
    esafosfina Posts: 131
    Personally I think Orica/Green-Edge have had a solid 'first' tour... my one cavaet would be I expected more from Gerrans. Argos/Shimano have underwhelmed as have, unfortunately, Lampre and Euskatel (again!)... difficult though in a race where there have been dominant performances by SKY and Liquigas.
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 4,023
    Any team with the taint of a doping problem has had the worst tour, no? Or are we talking just in terms of racing? :twisted:
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    I'd forgetten about Lampre - what happened guys?
    Dreadful tour, best forgotten. All I can hear is Phil/Paul saying: "There's Scarponi, hanging on..."
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    esafosfina wrote:
    Personally I think Orica/Green-Edge have had a solid 'first' tour... my one cavaet would be I expected more from Gerrans. Argos/Shimano have underwhelmed as have, unfortunately, Lampre and Euskatel (again!)... difficult though in a race where there have been dominant performances by SKY and Liquigas.
    Euskatel have had a lot of bad luck, but you're right, they should have performed better this tour. Another victim of the Sky super scientific approach, maybe?
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Luckao wrote:
    Sorensen's single-handedly been getting Saxo some air time.

    Harsh on Morkov.
  • luckao
    luckao Posts: 632
    ThomThom wrote:
    Luckao wrote:
    Sorensen's single-handedly been getting Saxo some air time.

    Harsh on Morkov.

    Always liable to miss somebody, sorry. That was a great solo effort on stage 13. It gives us more ammo to tick Saxo off the list of candidates.
  • dw300
    dw300 Posts: 1,642
    I duno about worst team, but has any rider been off his bike more than Tyler Fararr? I mean, that can't just be coincidence can it?
    All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
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  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    The Euskies. They always seem to ride like the Denis Menchov school of bike handling and considering they all live on the side of mountains you'd think they'd be able to put a marker down when the road goes uphill.
    @JaunePeril

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  • hstiles
    hstiles Posts: 414
    In terms of rider abandons, etc... Argos Shimano, Garmin Sharp and Radobank have had poor tours, but two of them have stage wins and in the case of argos shimano have at least been visible in breakaways.

    For me it has to be Lampre. Hardly noticeable throughout the tour and, it would appear, mostly responsible for the crash that took out so many riders and undoubtedly had a huge impact on the overall outcome.
  • luckao
    luckao Posts: 632
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    The Euskies. They always seem to ride like the Denis Menchov school of bike handling and considering they all live on the side of mountains you'd think they'd be able to put a marker down when the road goes uphill.

    I've often wondered about this. Maybe they think the roads in France are a bit too horizontal. They look like somebody rubbed kryptonite on their spokes.
  • PBo
    PBo Posts: 2,493
    dw300 wrote:
    I duno about worst team, but has any rider been off his bike more than Tyler Fararr? I mean, that can't just be coincidence can it?

    It's not.....

    Here's why...
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    Orica and Argos, 21st and 22nd in the team competition respectively and neither with a rider in the top 70. Feel a bit sorry for Argos who were hamstrung by the illness and subsequent withdrawal of Kittel but the Aussie team have been a major disappointment to me.

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