My Man 2017

joelsim

Ridgerider wrote:

As per my signature...

A mix of experienced riders with something to prove, and young riders with something to prove.

Sums up Jumbo I suppose!

Can you count?

ridgerider

In advance of UCI new reduced team numbers...

Wanted to pick Dumoulin as he is from Maastricht, but that would be too easy!

joelsim

Throw in Lobato at least.

yourpaceormine

I shall be watching Tao G-H with interest next season. A season of learning longer, faster, harder probably, but I would like to see him testing his legs out in a break or two. Same for John and Pain too. Hope Sky let them off the leash

Edit: Pain= Owain. Flipping autocorrect

dish_dash

yourpaceormine wrote:

Hope Sky let them off the leash

Good luck!

ridgerider

Joelsim wrote:

Throw in Lobato at least.

Spanish...He was in earlier. Need to check his bio passport first. Still stung by the garate saga, although he did deliver a Ventoux victory for me.

kleinstroker

final selections


Renewed:
Julian Alaphilippe
Romain Bardet
Ritchie Porte
Mikel Landa - last minute reprieve
Tony Gallopin

In:
Jarlinson Pantano
Pierre Latour
Jerome Cousin
Alberto Contador



Out:
Tom Dumoulin, Zdenek Stybar, Alejandro Valverde, Mikael Cherel

rick_chasey

2016:

Boonen - In. Do I get a mid-way replacement when he retires?

Terpstra. - In. Now that I know we have a shared 2 Unlimited love.

Bram Tankink - In. Obviously.

Pozzovivo. Out.

Dumolin - In

Thomas de Gendt - Out - As much as I like him, I didn't get particularly excited by any of his rides. Ventoux was overshadowed unfortunately.

Gesink - IN - Good lad.

Sep Vanmarcke - In - just because I like his pig-headedness.


Kruiswijk - In.

So 2 replacements.

2017 replacements:

IN - Pantano. One of the most exciting riders of the 2016 Tour, and someone who makes it stick downhill.

IN - Alaphilippe - prodigious talent - lays it on the line every time - love how annoyed he gets when he loses.

dish_dash

Alright then, My Men for 2017:

STAYING
Sep Vanmarcke - Maybe the Cannondale move will give him the result he so deserves. Though unfortunately any win won't be on a Bianchi
Alexander Kristoff - Last year wasn't great. But I'm hoping that he feeds off the rejuvenated team.
Esteban Chaves - Irresistible... that smile which masks steel determination. Class...
Toms Skujinš - Delivered with another ToC stage win last year, and will go on to bigger things.
Svein Tuft - Love this guy and he has a great back story... 39 and keeps going...
Andriy Grivko - Keeping the Ukrainian flag flying in the peloton.
Adam Hansen - 16 GTs on the trot and clearly wired differently.

NEW
Ilnur Zakarin - The Stork of Tartarstan. I like the outsider and am developing a soft spot for him.
Tom Dumoulin - Who can resist, eh?

OUT
Michal Kwiatkowski - I'm putting him on the naughty step for failing to deliver last year. Thanks Team Sky. And I don't have massive hopes for this year. Still have a space for him if he starts riding with some class again.
Joaquim “Purito” Rodriguez - Retired.

WAITING IN THE WINGS
Scott Thwaites, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Nairo Quintana, Julian Alaphilippe

Richmond Racer 2

ok, the RR My Man line-up for 2017:



Boonen - come on, one final hurrah
Benoot
Doull
Chaves
Pinot
Cummings
Latham
Cav
Warbasse

dish_dash

Larry eh?

Richmond Racer 2

dish_dash wrote:

Larry eh?

Si. Decent writer. I likes.

joelsim

Right. I have to put Esteban in I'm afraid, after this.

https://twitter.com/estecharu/status/816420176056946688

smithy21

Retained

Steve Cummings
Rigoberto Uran
Peter Sagan
Simon Gerrans
Rui Costa

New

Roman Bardet
Wout Poels
Tony Gallopin
Luke Rowe

Out

Geraint Thomas
Ian Stannard
Vasil Kiriyenka
John Degenkolb

rick_chasey

Speaking of my men, this is how to train like a pro in the winter.

https://twitter.com/RGUpdate/status/816753897515663367

rick_chasey

Rick Chasey wrote:

2016:

Boonen - In. Do I get a mid-way replacement when he retires?

Terpstra. - In. Now that I know we have a shared 2 Unlimited love.

Bram Tankink - In. Obviously.

Pozzovivo. Out.

Dumolin - In

Thomas de Gendt - Out - As much as I like him, I didn't get particularly excited by any of his rides. Ventoux was overshadowed unfortunately.

Gesink - IN - Good lad.

Sep Vanmarcke - In - just because I like his pig-headedness.


Kruiswijk - In.

So 2 replacements.

2017 replacements:

IN - Pantano. One of the most exciting riders of the 2016 Tour, and someone who makes it stick downhill.

IN - Alaphilippe - prodigious talent - lays it on the line every time - love how annoyed he gets when he loses.

Alright. A change.

He'd slipped my mind but I was loving him in the Tour.

Dumolin OUT - Groenewegen in.

RichN95.

OK, here's my list for 2017

Geraint Thomas - Cardiff
Luke Rowe - Cardiff
Owain Doull - Cardiff
Chris Froome - I'm not as big a fan as some make out though
Miguel Angel Lopez - The Next Big Thing
Sam Oomen - The next Next Big Thing
Sam Bewley - because I like him on Back Stage Pass
Juraj Sagan - I'm genuinely happy when he gets a good result

And for my final pick due to having 95 in my username (my old school locker number BTW), I have decided to back whoever starts the year 95th in the UCI World Rankings. And that is.....

Arthur Vichot

joelsim

RichN95 wrote:

Juraj Sagan - I'm genuinely happy when he gets a good result

I was under the impression that 95 was your IQ, but I'm genuinely happy you've picked Juraj, it brought a little smile to my face Rich.

Richmond Racer 2

RichN95 wrote:

OK, here's my list for 2017

Geraint Thomas - Cardiff
Luke Rowe - Cardiff
Owain Doull - Cardiff
Chris Froome - I'm not as big a fan as some make out though
Miguel Angel Lopez - The Next Big Thing
Sam Oomen - The next Next Big Thing
Sam Bewley - because I like him on Back Stage Pass
Juraj Sagan - I'm genuinely happy when he gets a good result

And for my final pick due to having 95 in my username (my old school locker number BTW), I have decided to back whoever starts the year 95th in the UCI World Rankings. And that is.....

Arthur Vichot

The Whats Arthur Seen thread needs new life breathed into it

yorkshireraw

Mix of guy's I'd like to see take a win, and some guys I seem to have a theme tune for.

Boonen (one last P-R)
Van Avermaet (Flanders)
Chavez
Rowe
Samu Sanchez (want to see him have fitting end to his career after that awful Vuelta TT footage)

Uran Uran (Muppets theme tune)
Bardet (genuinely had SL2 'on a ragga tip' in my head before ITV used it when he won his 2015 stage)
Quintana (Terminator theme tune - when he's on it, not in '16 tour form).

and

Sagan, P - my OH loves him so I pretend he's in every race that's being shown on TV (in our house he DNFs or is off the back a lot more than PCS suggests).

bobmcstuff

RichN95 wrote:

Sam Bewley - because I like him on Back Stage Pass

I saw him at the Revolution Champions League in Manchester in December - tweeted him and he was friendly. Also like him on Backstage Pass, that clip of him wobbling up the mountain in a world of pain after doing loads of work on the front endeared him to me as well.

m.r.m.

Isn't Juraj Sagan only in the National Jersey because Peter let him because he himself has the rainbow stripes? Doubt he will be getting results for himself.

Also, all the Fernando Gaviria love seems to have died away.

jam1e

Final MM2017,

Porte
G
Rowe
Yates
Dombrowski
Bardet
Kiry
Chavez
Swift

RichN95.

M.R.M. wrote:

Isn't Juraj Sagan only in the National Jersey because Peter let him because he himself has the rainbow stripes? Doubt he will be getting results for himself.

How dare you. He came second in a stage the Tour of Langkawi last year. It's going to be a big year for Ruprecht

m.r.m.

Reality shall bow before the might of your cycling mind. I retract my former statement!

takethehighroad

2016 was Cav, Swifty, Tomekke, Valv, Eddy Bos, Spartacus, Styby, Nibbles, G.

Well Cancellara’s retired and Boonen is about to retire. Swift’s career is plateaud but he will still come 3rd in Milan San Remo and who knows where Stybar has got to.

But otherwise I’m pretty happy with this, and I’ll transfer in Degenkolb when Tomekke retires.

hanshotfirst

The lads for 2017:

Esteban Chaves
Dan Martin
Greg Van Avermaet
Peter Sagan
Steve Cummings
Julian Alaphilippe
Joe Dombrowski
Romain Bardet
Chris Froome

salsiccia1

Here you are then. No left-field choices, just my favourite riders:

Mark Cavendish - still the man

Esteban Chaves - just love him, so likable and a fine, fine cyclist

Alberto Contador - lots of affection for him, the best GT rider of his generation and one of the mentally toughest riders for many years

Chris Froome - despite others' issues I just really like him, he always seems like a great guy and he's a winner

Adam Hansen - on a GT run extraordinaire, and the nicest man in cycling

Steven Kruijswijk - brave rider who's usually always there or there abouts (and he scores 35 in scrabble)

Jarlinson Pantano - throwback to the old days of attacking climbers, goes all out repeatedly and has an amazing first name

Luke Rowe - good Cardiff boy, looking for something big from him this year

Peter Sagan - he's the bol1ocks, no more need be said

joelsim

M.R.M. wrote:

Also, all the Fernando Gaviria love seems to have died away.

Pah, never!

kleinstroker

I find giving reasons to why I picked someone almost as hard as showing my "working out" when doing maths questions.