End of Tour team grades
A
A: Jumbo Visma. The dominant team in cycling, dominated again. They may be disappointed with just one stage win
A: Alpecin. Four stage wins. It’s what they came to do. Van de Poel didn’t even have to try
A: Cofidis. They haven't won a stage for 15 years. They were a joke. Now they’ve won two stages. Let’s hear it for the ‘Dis.
A: UAE. I originally went with a B. Three stage wins and two podium places but not the main prize. I think we have to consider the LBL crash and Yates on the podium elevates the grade.
A Bahrain. Three stage wins and a 6th place coming off a tragedy,
B
B. Bora.Two stage wins and a top ten. The bookies had Hindley on the podium, so maybe he was a disappointment.
B Ineos. Two stage wins and fifth on GC. It’s not the Sky days, but still a respectable performance.
B Lidl. KOM is a very middle aisle prize. Ciccone really earned those spots. Pedersen also got a win.
B Israel PT. If you are a non WT team and you get a stage win, you get a B minimum. And it was a great stage.
C
C: Soudal-QS. They eventually got a stage, but they were largely unnoticed.
C AG2R. Stage win. And Felix Gall is a breakout star
C: Jayco. No headline performance, but Yates came 4th (Although Jimmy Ormond’s sledge to Mark Waugh comes to mind)
C; Lotto. Campanaerts got the Super Combativity prize. Also divorced Caleb Ewan.
C: Groupama-FdJ. Sneaked into 9th place with someone that came 4th last year. No-one in top three in stages
D
D. Arkea. Got a combitvity award.
D. Movistar. Got a combativity award. Mas crashed.
D. Total Energies. Got two combitvity awards
D. EF. Powless provided some fun. Carapaz crashed.
E
E: Uno X. Little expected. Little delivered
E: Astana. It could have been so different with Cavendish who got one second place.
F
F: DSM - thanks for coming. No-one in the top three in any stage.
F: Intermarche - Same as DSM
Comments
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If EF are a D so are Astana. Cavendish ensured they got plenty of mentions despite not achieving anything and even after he stopped being relevant - how's that different to Powless?0
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Lanterne_Rogue said:
If EF are a D so are Astana. Cavendish ensured they got plenty of mentions despite not achieving anything and even after he stopped being relevant - how's that different to Powless?
Powless wore the Polka dots for 11 stages. That's half the race. I'm starting to think they should be a C.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Yeah, Lotto & FdJ are punching there.
I find it interesting that OPQS are trying to become this big new GC team, but their only win came from the most "classics hardman" stage there was! Stick to what you're good at Pat...We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
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C for AG2R seems a bit harsh, a stage win; a couple of top threes for Ben O'Connor and Gall was 8th on GC is above par, I'd argue.0
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You can't give Cofidis an A just because they have historically been terrible and this year they weren't. C+ or B-0
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That’s a decent stab. Im struggling to see how FDJ and AG2R get the same grade though.0
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They didn't win a stage so they're going to lose all their sponsors; heard it on Netflix.RichN95. said:Lanterne_Rogue said:If EF are a D so are Astana. Cavendish ensured they got plenty of mentions despite not achieving anything and even after he stopped being relevant - how's that different to Powless?
Powless wore the Polka dots for 11 stages. That's half the race. I'm starting to think they should be a C.================================
Cake is just weakness entering the body0 -
If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos.
Groupama very lucky to get C having left behind an in form sprinter for a charity pick and building the rest of the team around a 9th place finish.0 -
An in form sprinter? You don't mean Arnaud Demare, surely? He's ridden 24 WT race days this season and his best result is a single second place.kingstongraham said:If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos.
Groupama very lucky to get C having left behind an in form sprinter for a charity pick and building the rest of the team around a 9th place finish.0 -
or add a "team budget" factor? In which case Ineos is more C with some individual great rides. Pidock is probably dissapointed following his breakout win in the mountains last year.kingstongraham said:If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos..
BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
Instagramme0 -
He beat Jordi Meeus in sprints in that second place and his win a week earlier - in the two races just before the TDF which sounds like decent form. Last GT he raced he won the points jersey and three stages. He's the best rider they have.andyp said:
An in form sprinter? You don't mean Arnaud Demare, surely? He's ridden 24 WT race days this season and his best result is a single second place.kingstongraham said:If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos.
Groupama very lucky to get C having left behind an in form sprinter for a charity pick and building the rest of the team around a 9th place finish.0 -
According to the UCI rankings, he's the fifth best rider they have.kingstongraham said:
He beat Jordi Meeus in sprints in that second place and his win a week earlier - in the two races just before the TDF which sounds like decent form. Last GT he raced he won the points jersey and three stages. He's the best rider they have.andyp said:
An in form sprinter? You don't mean Arnaud Demare, surely? He's ridden 24 WT race days this season and his best result is a single second place.kingstongraham said:If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos.
Groupama very lucky to get C having left behind an in form sprinter for a charity pick and building the rest of the team around a 9th place finish.0 -
And that tells you what you need to know about uci ranking points.andyp said:
According to the UCI rankings, he's the fifth best rider they have.kingstongraham said:
He beat Jordi Meeus in sprints in that second place and his win a week earlier - in the two races just before the TDF which sounds like decent form. Last GT he raced he won the points jersey and three stages. He's the best rider they have.andyp said:
An in form sprinter? You don't mean Arnaud Demare, surely? He's ridden 24 WT race days this season and his best result is a single second place.kingstongraham said:If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos.
Groupama very lucky to get C having left behind an in form sprinter for a charity pick and building the rest of the team around a 9th place finish.0 -
https://www.procyclingstats.com/rankings/me/all-time
Was quite taken aback by how high Demare ranks on the Pro Cycling Stats all time list - some big names below him. He must have won a lot of races over the years.0 -
That's a separate discussion. The point is that he's not justified a place in the Tour team this year based on his results. He can complain all he likes, but for a sprinter to go to the Tour, they have to be getting results.kingstongraham said:
And that tells you what you need to know about uci ranking points.andyp said:
According to the UCI rankings, he's the fifth best rider they have.kingstongraham said:
He beat Jordi Meeus in sprints in that second place and his win a week earlier - in the two races just before the TDF which sounds like decent form. Last GT he raced he won the points jersey and three stages. He's the best rider they have.andyp said:
An in form sprinter? You don't mean Arnaud Demare, surely? He's ridden 24 WT race days this season and his best result is a single second place.kingstongraham said:If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos.
Groupama very lucky to get C having left behind an in form sprinter for a charity pick and building the rest of the team around a 9th place finish.0 -
Arkea way less visible than uno.x who I would give a D or even C repeatedly.got in the stage winning breaks even on big days johannessen was right in the action
Wanty are better than arkea too... D"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 pm1 -
DSM had a mare
Ag2R were mixing it up with the big boys once they found the right guy . There team performance on the queen stage was superb"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 pm0 -
He was more likely to win a stage than Pinot.andyp said:
That's a separate discussion. The point is that he's not justified a place in the Tour team this year based on his results. He can complain all he likes, but for a sprinter to go to the Tour, they have to be getting results.kingstongraham said:
And that tells you what you need to know about uci ranking points.andyp said:
According to the UCI rankings, he's the fifth best rider they have.kingstongraham said:
He beat Jordi Meeus in sprints in that second place and his win a week earlier - in the two races just before the TDF which sounds like decent form. Last GT he raced he won the points jersey and three stages. He's the best rider they have.andyp said:
An in form sprinter? You don't mean Arnaud Demare, surely? He's ridden 24 WT race days this season and his best result is a single second place.kingstongraham said:If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos.
Groupama very lucky to get C having left behind an in form sprinter for a charity pick and building the rest of the team around a 9th place finish.1 -
The only time I noticed uno x was when their guy I'd picked on my velogames team caused a crash on the racing track.1
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Agree with this, Uno-X very harshly treated there - got a couple of top 3 stage places, animated breaks, were generally active and visible (no kit jokes please) all race. For a wildcard team in their first Tour they'll be pleased with their performance.mididoctors said:Arkea way less visible than uno.x who I would give a D or even C repeatedly.got in the stage winning breaks even on big days johannessen was right in the action
Wanty are better than arkea too... DWarning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
Maybe a discussion in its own right but Pidcock / INEOS need to decide whether or not to go "all in" as a Grand Tour GC contender. He rallied well in the final week after struggling on the Loze, which suggests he might have the requisite recovery powers. But he'll have to ditch the MTB stuff to train properly for GTs (his MTB and 'cross training are obviously pretty good!) one would think, which might not suit him.davidof said:Pidock is probably dissapointed following his breakout win in the mountains last year.
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I think most of the teams rode pretty well on occasion. The maligned Fdj rode with a plan a plan a number of number of times . Didn't come off . Gaudu was shit .
To get any sort of result stage or otherwise was largely a team effort on the day .. teams are more important than ever now .running counter to the narratives teams are unnecessary
"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 pm0 -
I completely forgot Movistar were even in the tour this year.0
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I'd say there's a spot of grade inflation going on there.
UAE I'd give a B - their main aim was to win the Tour and they failed.
Ineos - C - big budget team with a largely invisible rider in 5th. Pidcock has pretty much confirmed himself as never going to be a GC rider. C is a pass - couple of stages is a pass but they won't be satisfied.
Lotto & FDJ - maybe I'm being unfair - I don't know their budget - but I can't remember what they did in the race so I'd drop them both a grade.
Movistar - aren't they a decent budget team? Again I can barely remember them other than the Mas disappointment - I'd be tempted to give them an F but again I may be wrong in thinking they have a good budget.
[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
I'd move Uno X up a grade, they had most of their team in breaks in the final week and Johannessen had 3rd, 5th and 6th place stage finishes from being in long breaks with the 3rd place being behind the big two at Cauterets. In fact, I think I'd move them up two grades if Cofidis are an A based on not being as bad as expected. FDJ getting a C, presumably on the basis of Gaudu in 9th on GC is generous.0
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I would dispute that Rodriguez was "largely invisible" - he won a mountain stage!DeVlaeminck said:
Ineos - C - big budget team with a largely invisible rider in 5th. Pidcock has pretty much confirmed himself as never going to be a GC rider. C is a pass - couple of stages is a pass but they won't be satisfied.
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Yeah, definitely harsh. He was quite often the last non-UAE or Jumbo rider left in the group and the best of the rest on a couple of mountain stages.r0bh said:
I would dispute that Rodriguez was "largely invisible" - he won a mountain stage!DeVlaeminck said:
Ineos - C - big budget team with a largely invisible rider in 5th. Pidcock has pretty much confirmed himself as never going to be a GC rider. C is a pass - couple of stages is a pass but they won't be satisfied.0 -
Pinot has three Tour stage wins to his name, Demare has two.kingstongraham said:
He was more likely to win a stage than Pinot.andyp said:
That's a separate discussion. The point is that he's not justified a place in the Tour team this year based on his results. He can complain all he likes, but for a sprinter to go to the Tour, they have to be getting results.kingstongraham said:
And that tells you what you need to know about uci ranking points.andyp said:
According to the UCI rankings, he's the fifth best rider they have.kingstongraham said:
He beat Jordi Meeus in sprints in that second place and his win a week earlier - in the two races just before the TDF which sounds like decent form. Last GT he raced he won the points jersey and three stages. He's the best rider they have.andyp said:
An in form sprinter? You don't mean Arnaud Demare, surely? He's ridden 24 WT race days this season and his best result is a single second place.kingstongraham said:If you're judging Cofidis in comparison how they've done in the past, you should do the same for Ineos.
Groupama very lucky to get C having left behind an in form sprinter for a charity pick and building the rest of the team around a 9th place finish.0 -
