Tour de France Team Selections

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  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,701
    On the subject of stage threads, I am going to have very little time when I get back.
    Was wondering if anyone fancies taking on the Danish stages?
    That would give me a chance to make a start on the French stages…..
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,146
    blazing_saddles said:

    On the subject of stage threads, I am going to have very little time when I get back.
    Was wondering if anyone fancies taking on the Danish stages?
    That would give me a chance to make a start on the French stages…..

    Sounds like a perfect opportunity for our Danish correspondent to dish out local info
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,534
    Pross said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    On the subject of stage threads, I am going to have very little time when I get back.
    Was wondering if anyone fancies taking on the Danish stages?
    That would give me a chance to make a start on the French stages…..

    Sounds like a perfect opportunity for our Danish correspondent to dish out local info
    Would love to, but I'm afraid I'm far too busy, sorry, just got a seriously manic week ahead
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,160
    ES (and presumably GCN) :



    Similar to the Giro team, who managed to entertain despite several dull stages.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,447
    UAE announce their team. All in for Pogacar (although you never know with Soler), unsurprisingly.

  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,756
    I guess he's got Bjerg and Laengen in case of any echelon/cobble related problems, but seems very climber focussed.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    Mad_Malx said:

    ES (and presumably GCN) :



    Similar to the Giro team, who managed to entertain despite several dull stages.

    Hatch and Kirby are also commentating, but no Smith.

  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,447
    kingstongraham said:

    I guess he's got Bjerg and Laengen in case of any echelon/cobble related problems, but seems very climber focussed.

    And Trentin.
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,160
    thegreatdivide said:

    Mad_Malx said:

    ES (and presumably GCN) :



    Similar to the Giro team, who managed to entertain despite several dull stages.

    Hatch and Kirby are also commentating, but no Smith.

    :/
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,756
    andyp said:

    kingstongraham said:

    I guess he's got Bjerg and Laengen in case of any echelon/cobble related problems, but seems very climber focussed.

    And Trentin.
    I thought he would be there more as their halfhearted lone ranger sprinter type. I guess he'd be the cobbles guy though.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,146
    thegreatdivide said:

    Mad_Malx said:

    ES (and presumably GCN) :



    Similar to the Giro team, who managed to entertain despite several dull stages.

    Hatch and Kirby are also commentating, but no Smith.

    Aggh, I was going to comment that critically it wasn't showing CK as part of the team.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    ITV FTW!!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,870
    edited June 2022
    Pross said:

    thegreatdivide said:

    Mad_Malx said:

    ES (and presumably GCN) :



    Similar to the Giro team, who managed to entertain despite several dull stages.

    Hatch and Kirby are also commentating, but no Smith.

    Aggh, I was going to comment that critically it wasn't showing CK as part of the team.
    My hopes were raised too!

    Then I spotted no Hatch either, and realised it was the studio team/pundits.

    If they could hard code it so Kirby started the stages, and Hatch finished them, that I could kind of live with.

    I do like Millar's commentary, but the adverts would do my head in.
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  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,756
    Just switch to the Dutch commentary when he's on - it's much more informative.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    Mad_Malx said:

    ES (and presumably GCN) :



    Similar to the Giro team, who managed to entertain despite several dull stages.

    No Kirby! Praise be.
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,900

    I don't know if Froome has been messin with photoshop, but he looks an elbows out lean fighting machine here.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660


    🤞🤞🤞
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,447


  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,870
    I know I am not a master tactician or a team manager, but with no out and out GC contender, why not take 2 sprinters, and try and maximise your number of stage wins?
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,447
    At any race, having two sprinters is a problem, because the other riders aren't sure who to ride for. At the Tour, where there is far less margin for error, because everyone has brought their A team, it would be insanity.
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,787
    Surely a major function of a cycling team is to get exposure for the sponsors.

    Cav getting the record would be a bigger story than Jakobsen winning every sprint stage.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,756
    andyp said:

    At any race, having two sprinters is a problem, because the other riders aren't sure who to ride for. At the Tour, where there is far less margin for error, because everyone has brought their A team, it would be insanity.

    It's true that you can't have two riders both on Morkov's wheel through the last km.

    In theory, they could choose which one to ride for each day, like DSM were trying to do at the Giro. Be easier if they weren't suited to the same finishes.
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,900
    mrb123 said:

    Surely a major function of a cycling team is to get exposure for the sponsors.

    Cav getting the record would be a bigger story than Jakobsen winning every sprint stage.

    Yeah, I don't get that. What's the point of not using him and his exposure when he's clearly in form.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,523
    The other factor is that Cavendish doesn't provide much air resistance for people behind, so a conceivable approach would be him surfing wheels and Morkov leading out Jakobsen, but it would be a brave thing to try.
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 6,033
    Shame, but expected regards Cav, surprise JA dropped too.

    Would be great to have a non-team squad of riders not picked for their official teams, especially in Cav's case, there's at least three surprises of sorts this year of big name riders not picked.
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  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,900
    N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

    Shame, but expected regards Cav, surprise JA dropped too.

    Would be great to have a non-team squad of riders not picked for their official teams, especially in Cav's case, there's at least three surprises of sorts this year of big name riders not picked.

    JA's been injured, though. He was 13th in the Nationals.
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,900
    I wouldn't be happy as a sponsor regarding dropping Cav.
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 6,033
    focuszing723 said:

    N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

    Shame, but expected regards Cav, surprise JA dropped too.

    Would be great to have a non-team squad of riders not picked for their official teams, especially in Cav's case, there's at least three surprises of sorts this year of big name riders not picked.

    JA's been injured, though. He was 13th in the Nationals.
    Yeah, but 13th for first race back after such a massive crash looked respectable when I had a quick look at the times yesterday.
    ================
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    2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
    2016 Voodoo Wazoo
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,790
    blazing_saddles said:

    On the subject of stage threads, I am going to have very little time when I get back.
    Was wondering if anyone fancies taking on the Danish stages?
    That would give me a chance to make a start on the French stages…..

    I'll do one . But it won't be top quality ...
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,900
    N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

    focuszing723 said:

    N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

    Shame, but expected regards Cav, surprise JA dropped too.

    Would be great to have a non-team squad of riders not picked for their official teams, especially in Cav's case, there's at least three surprises of sorts this year of big name riders not picked.

    JA's been injured, though. He was 13th in the Nationals.
    Yeah, but 13th for first race back after such a massive crash looked respectable when I had a quick look at the times yesterday.
    “I can't say that I had a lot of fun on the bike, but it went better than expected. So I'm happy," said Alaphilippe post-race.

    Prior to racing on Sunday, the Frenchman had admitted to L’Equipe that he had felt nervous about his return to action. “

    “It’s not that I’m scared, but I think on some descents, some things may have changed a bit,” he said.

    “These may be things that will seem weird at first. That’s also why I’m here at nationals, to become automatic again [in racing], not just to see where I am physically,” Alaphilippe added.
    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/julian-alaphilippe-expected-to-miss-the-tour-de-france
    True.

    This might explain it better, perhaps he doesn't feel ready for three weeks of chaos.

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