Agreed, Menchov could be strong at the TT as well. And ofcourse the riders that Bobke mentioned: Floyd, Levi, Hincapie. Botero won't start (see my post at the Saiz thread).saluki said:Vino has done some good TT's as well.
Agreed, Menchov could be strong at the TT as well. And ofcourse the riders that Bobke mentioned: Floyd, Levi, Hincapie. Botero won't start (see my post at the Saiz thread).saluki said:Vino has done some good TT's as well.
saluki said:There is no one on the list stronger than Basso. But other than Basso, the list is stronger than the line-up for th Giro.
I made a wild pick in post #5 that Menchow would win it. While he may not be the strongest TTer or the strongest climber, he is near the top in both. Again, just a wild pick, because there are several people that could win.cyclingheroes said:Agreed, Menchov could be strong at the TT as well. And ofcourse the riders that Bobke mentioned: Floyd, Levi, Hincapie. Botero won't start (see my post at the Saiz thread).
It's just an opinion Dimos. Like they say in the stock market, "Past performance is no guarantee of future results." But let's do this - after the TDF let's see if more top 10 riders came from the Dauphine group or the Giro group.Dimos said:!!!!!
From that list can you tell us how many GT have they won these riders? On the road that is, not afterwards.
You can say there are enough young prospects there but it's very subjective that this line-up is stronger than Giro's one.
Much as I love George, and as much as he is owed by Discovery, I honestly can't see him as a top GT performer. I think Popo and Savoldelli are better prospects. But I have a difficult time seeing either of them break into the top 5. I'm praying that Bruneel can pull a transformation on Popo, but I'm not much of a religious man.JRMDC said:If DS is serious about Hincapie being a GT leader, why not make him leader for this one and see if he can win it? He's a strong rider, but I would want some indication of GT potential (besides 3 Days of DePanne ) before I fully protected him in the Tour.
White Jersey (since 1986) -> eventual TdF Winner: Pantani, Ullrich (same year as his second white jersey)Eldrack said:I'm not sure Popo needs a transformation. He's podiumed in a GT already (Giro) and won the white Jersey at lasts years TdF. If he continues improving he could well win a GT maybe even next year.
Hope you are right. But that white jersey didn't produce a very high placement. And wasn't some other Russian kid in front of him in that competition until he had to drop out due to injury or illness.Eldrack said:I'm not sure Popo needs a transformation. He's podiumed in a GT already (Giro) and won the white Jersey at lasts years TdF. If he continues improving he could well win a GT maybe even next year.
As a preface, I woudn't pick Popovich for a GC podium spot this year, but I don't think you can use his 2005 placement as a gauge of what he might accomplish if given the green light. Don't forget -- like everyone on DC, he was on the team for one purpose only -- get Lance into yellow, and keep his jersey clean. When you take that into consideration, it's a minor miracle that he finished 12th (I have to take issue with your claim that 12th isn't a "very high placement"), and that he won the white jersey. I think it was Karpets he was competing with for the youth jersey for awhile -- I don't remember why Karpets faded back to almost an hour and a half back -- all I know is that Popo stayed strong for the duration of the event. I don't know if Popo's healthy these days, or even if he's on the TdF squad this year, but if so, I wouldn't be surprised if he developed into a team leader and broke solidly into the top 10.saluki said:Hope you are right. But that white jersey didn't produce a very high placement. And wasn't some other Russian kid in front of him in that competition until he had to drop out due to injury or illness.
Popo is on the squad this year. As I understand it he will either be leader or co leader with Savoldelli.rejobako said:As a preface, I woudn't pick Popovich for a GC podium spot this year, but I don't think you can use his 2005 placement as a gauge of what he might accomplish if given the green light. Don't forget -- like everyone on DC, he was on the team for one purpose only -- get Lance into yellow, and keep his jersey clean. When you take that into consideration, it's a minor miracle that he finished 12th (I have to take issue with your claim that 12th isn't a "very high placement"), and that he won the white jersey. I think it was Karpets he was competing with for the youth jersey for awhile -- I don't remember why Karpets faded back to almost an hour and a half back -- all I know is that Popo stayed strong for the duration of the event. I don't know if Popo's healthy these days, or even if he's on the TdF squad this year, but if so, I wouldn't be surprised if he developed into a team leader and broke solidly into the top 10.
Wow, now there is a man that is not shy about going out on the Lim. Punlimerickman said:I am going for Norwegian CSC rider Arvesen to win the Dauphine.
saluki said:Wow, now there is a man that is not shy about going out on the Lim. Pun
Okay, good. Let's get some more picks.
I hear that Vino had some kind of special winter conditioning program this year. I'm very curious to see how that pays off for him. Again, let's hope that the Liberty Seguros problems don't effect him. I also think that he will place high.Andrija said:Vino
Bigot!whiteboytrash said:...and the race is on EuroSport. I'm sure many of our American friends will enjoy the texts updates and then claim to know every inch of the race... LOL !
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