ASTANA Tour team will be UNBELIEVABLE

[EvilJediJ]

1)Vinokourov
2)Kloden
3)Kashechkin
4)Savoldelli
5)Mazzoleni


All 5 of those guys have either won or podiumed in a grand tour in the last two years.


Discovery would have had a rival team with Basso, but now ASTANA is clearly the dominate team going into Le Tour.

 

[Andrija]

1)Vinokourov
2)Kloden
3)Kashechkin
4)Savoldelli
5)Mazzoleni


All 5 of those guys have either won or podiumed in a grand tour in the last two years.


Discovery would have had a rival team with Basso, but now ASTANA is clearly the dominate team going into Le Tour.

Don't forget their doctor... He's the one who really makes the difference. Who is he?

 

[Ullefan]

Don't forget their doctor... He's the one who really makes the difference. Who is he?

Borat
"a great success"

 

[Klodifan]

Borat
"a great success"

LOLOLOL!!!

 

[Wayne666]

Don't forget their doctor... He's the one who really makes the difference. Who is he?

Well there are the reports in the media from Lefevere and Manzano that Fuentes is back in business?

 

[Eldrack]

Don't forget their doctor... He's the one who really makes the difference. Who is he?

Surely he'll be some Kazak doctor, I'd imagine that they don't have any anti doping laws in Kazakhstan (only France, Italy, possibly spain at the moment?). Also it's a long way for the UCI inspectors to go to perform tests, unless they go and recruit people out there.

 

[Frigo's Luggage]

They might be too good. Do you really think any of these guys are going to ride tempo to control the race so that Vino can win? Which of these guys are going to go back to the car for the bottles? Maybe Mazzoleni. Too many generals and not enough foot soldiers.

1)Vinokourov
2)Kloden
3)Kashechkin
4)Savoldelli
5)Mazzoleni


All 5 of those guys have either won or podiumed in a grand tour in the last two years.


Discovery would have had a rival team with Basso, but now ASTANA is clearly the dominate team going into Le Tour.

 

[vitamin s]

They might be too good. Do you really think any of these guys are going to ride tempo to control the race so that Vino can win? Which of these guys are going to go back to the car for the bottles? Maybe Mazzoleni. Too many generals and not enough foot soldiers.

savodelli has proven to be pretty unselfish in his support for mazzoleni at the giro. kash helped vino to win in spain without any blowouts. dont know about mazzoleni. no idea what kloden may do if hes in good form.

any way you look at it, i predict the next tour winner will be from astana.

 

[Raketmensch]

If they can ride as a team, and if Mazzoleni and Falco aren't toasted from the Giro, then Astana is surely the team to beat at the Tour. They were dominant at the Vuelta last year, and that was mostly just Vino and Kash. It all comes down to discipline and teamwork. We'll see.

 

[Powerful Pete]

They might be too good. Do you really think any of these guys are going to ride tempo to control the race so that Vino can win? Which of these guys are going to go back to the car for the bottles? Maybe Mazzoleni. Too many generals and not enough foot soldiers.

I disagree. Mazzoleni and Savoldelli will work for the team in the TdF - the conditions were always clear - free reign at the Giro, work for the other boys in blue for the TdF and Vuelta.

Then, of course, team tactics will be modified as required (as in the Giro when Savoldelli was unable to ride for the GC).

 

[Rolfrae]

If they can ride as a team, and if Mazzoleni and Falco aren't toasted from the Giro, then Astana is surely the team to beat at the Tour. They were dominant at the Vuelta last year, and that was mostly just Vino and Kash. It all comes down to discipline and teamwork. We'll see.

Savo doesn't have it in him to win the Tour, he'll do his work then hopefully get free reign for a stage. Mazzo has his Giro podium and has a proven history riding for others. Kash will be team leader for the Vuelta in return for his services. Kloden is the only doubt - but he's a useful doubt to have on your Tour team.

 

[The Double Zero]

Savo doesn't have it in him to win the Tour, he'll do his work then hopefully get free reign for a stage. Mazzo has his Giro podium and has a proven history riding for others. Kash will be team leader for the Vuelta in return for his services. Kloden is the only doubt - but he's a useful doubt to have on your Tour team.

They will be riding for Vino, don't forget who is paying their salarys.

 

[Jan the man]

Savo doesn't have it in him to win the Tour, he'll do his work then hopefully get free reign for a stage. Mazzo has his Giro podium and has a proven history riding for others. Kash will be team leader for the Vuelta in return for his services. Kloden is the only doubt - but he's a useful doubt to have on your Tour team.

Agree:

Vino - Team Leader (Will start the tour as the leader and will have support)

Kloeden - Joint Leader/Free Role (Will not be required to do any water carrying, has been in great form, will follow the wheels whilst vinokourov attacks. If Vino has 'un jour sans' will be team leader).

Kash - Super Domestique/Free Role (If Vino and Kloeden struggle then Kash will be their man, otherwise will be the last man to set up tempo in the mountain stages especially the steep pyreneean climbs)

Savoldelli - Super Domestique (Will do the water carrying on the tough mountain stages and will pull the peloton along in the aid of Vino and Kloeden. May be allowed to go for a stage win. Will be excellent at ridding tempo over the long not so steep Alpine passes, not as effective in the pyrenees).

Mazzoleni - Super Domestique (Will ride tempo in the mountains, particularly the alps also do the water carrying in the mountain stages).

Kessler - Super Domestique (Will go for a transition stage win, but will also be effective in driving the peloton on. Will be a mountain stage 'Gregario' and will be particularly effective on the steep pyreneean climbs where his explosiveness could split the field, ie the Alpe in '06)

Those are the 6 i guess who will be guaranteed a ride in the tour, but even the other 3 could be effective if they wanted other climbers then Colom/Iglinsky are very very handy. They would then need a couple of flatlanders I suppose to push the pace along, they may go for say a Hasselbacher/Raast/Koen De Koert. Either way they should have a very strong team for the Tour. Probably on paper the strongest!

 

[Doctor.House]

EvilJediJ nearly nailed it.

I love these prerace predictions!