The biggest winners/losers in the 2011 Tour de France?
- Thread starter steve
- Start date
From a team perspective, the obvious winners are;
BMC: Stage wins and GC winner (budget 7m euro)
Garmin: Stage wins, several days in yellow, teams winner (budget 6.5m euro)
Europcar: 10 days in yellew, stage wins inc. alpe d'huez (budget 6.5m euro)
Each team has the 5th, 4th and 3rd smallest budget and had spectacular results.
Rabobank and Katusha each with 15m euro budgets have nothing to show.
BMC: Stage wins and GC winner (budget 7m euro)
Garmin: Stage wins, several days in yellow, teams winner (budget 6.5m euro)
Europcar: 10 days in yellew, stage wins inc. alpe d'huez (budget 6.5m euro)
Each team has the 5th, 4th and 3rd smallest budget and had spectacular results.
Rabobank and Katusha each with 15m euro budgets have nothing to show.
What's funny to me about this is that going into this year's tour, they had no stage wins and I don't think they'd ever had anyone in yellow. Add Thor - presto! He gets the yellow jersey, wins two stages himself, and leads out Farrar for HIS stage win.
If I'm Vaughters, I sit in dread of a knock at the door from Hushovd - "hey boss, howsabout a raise?"
I hadn't heard that but you are correct - http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/6501/Hushovd-confirms-he-wanted-a-better-contract-with-Garmin-after-world-championship-win.aspx - but it sounds as though it was a pretty congenial negotiation. It isn't as though the Hushovd family was starving on $1.6 million this year.
RadioShack was a non-player, if not an actual "loser" in this year's Tour.
I would've liked to have seen how Horner could've fared in the mountains.
Janez, Kloden, Horner all crashing out, Levi not on great form, etc...
I would've liked to have seen how Horner could've fared in the mountains.
Janez, Kloden, Horner all crashing out, Levi not on great form, etc...
HTC. 6 stage wins but failed miserably in their asperations to have a guy up there on the GC.
Vacansoleil and FDJ got a fair amount of exposure due to their riders being out on breaks for many of the stages.
Steve,
Rabobank got a stage win with Luis Leon Sanchez. True, you'd expect more from the Dutch squad but a stage win is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Vacansoleil and FDJ got a fair amount of exposure due to their riders being out on breaks for many of the stages.
Steve,
Rabobank got a stage win with Luis Leon Sanchez. True, you'd expect more from the Dutch squad but a stage win is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Leopard/Schleck lost out on utilizing team strategy because of Contador. They were not able to pace out with Their strong guys beacuse of AC's early attacks. Only Frank and Andy were able to hang in.
I am guessing they had to adjust their plan a bit.
I am guessing they had to adjust their plan a bit.
Great thread!
Winners:
Team Garmin Cervelo - Great tour for them and demonstrated ability to build on the foundation (providing they can keep Hushovd!).
Cadel Evans - Obviously the winner of the tour is a "winner", but I think this victory is especially sweet given his luck in previous attempts, his heart, and his long history in cycling. Let's not forget how big this win is for Australian cycling too. I am happy to see him win, probably the most deserving of the GC contenders IMO.
Team Omega-Pharma Lotto - Greipel provded he beat Cavendish (at least once per tour), Phillippe Gilbert rode like a mad man in the first week, and newcomer Jelle Vanedert proved to be a force in the mountains. All this with their top GC contender taken out in a crash. This team is finally rallying together.
Losers:
Team Radioshack - Levi not in good form (must have spent himself like Contador in the previous grand tour win), Klodi and Brakovich out, Horner out... can't ask for worse luck.
Team AG2R La Mondiale - Ungly uniforms. Uglier performance.
Alexandre Vinokourov - Really unfortunate for his career to end the way that it did. He's had his controversial moments but he was really riding with heart and should have had the chance to end his career on 2 wheels. I hope he goes on to be a Director Sportiv or something.
Winners:
Team Garmin Cervelo - Great tour for them and demonstrated ability to build on the foundation (providing they can keep Hushovd!).
Cadel Evans - Obviously the winner of the tour is a "winner", but I think this victory is especially sweet given his luck in previous attempts, his heart, and his long history in cycling. Let's not forget how big this win is for Australian cycling too. I am happy to see him win, probably the most deserving of the GC contenders IMO.
Team Omega-Pharma Lotto - Greipel provded he beat Cavendish (at least once per tour), Phillippe Gilbert rode like a mad man in the first week, and newcomer Jelle Vanedert proved to be a force in the mountains. All this with their top GC contender taken out in a crash. This team is finally rallying together.
Losers:
Team Radioshack - Levi not in good form (must have spent himself like Contador in the previous grand tour win), Klodi and Brakovich out, Horner out... can't ask for worse luck.
Team AG2R La Mondiale - Ungly uniforms. Uglier performance.
Alexandre Vinokourov - Really unfortunate for his career to end the way that it did. He's had his controversial moments but he was really riding with heart and should have had the chance to end his career on 2 wheels. I hope he goes on to be a Director Sportiv or something.
Petacchi was a non-issue in the sprints. Other than Cunego hangin' around, Lampre seemed to be another non-player...
AG2R a loser??? Really???
AG2R's Jean Cristophe Peraud was a definite winner in this Tour. You've got a 30something road bike racing newb (relatively speaking), first-time Tour, and top 10 finisher. Obviously the guy's mega-talented (world champ mountain bike racer, ala Cadel), but to dust-off so many seasoned veterans in your first Tour is pretty remarkable.
AG2R also placed 3rd(!!!) in the team standings. I guess you could make a stretch and say they were the 2nd loser of the team comp/img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif...
Prior to his somersault-heard-round-the-world, I had noticed him - he was doing a good job getting out in the breaks and animating the race. I'm not sure what sort of future he may have, but he certainly was fun to watch BEFORE the crash, and inspiring afterwards.
Winners: Thomas Voekler, Pierre Rolland and Europcar.
Thor Hushoved and Garmin Cervelo. Also Tommy D for a 9th place in his first tour
Philippe Gilbert. Proved to be a contender for the green jersey competition
Edvald Boasson Hagan with 2 stages and nearly a third, but was beaten by his fellow countrymen
Race organizers. Very exciting tour, the incoorporation of a few slight uphill finishes on flat stages added extra drama, imo.
Losers: Saxo Bank and Alberto Contador. The double proved too much, and he didn't seem to have much team support
Radio Shack. Plagued by crashes, which was unfortunate because they were going in with momentum
Fabian Cancellara, only because I expected him to have a stage win
The driver of the French TV car who took out Hoogerland and Flecha
Thor Hushoved and Garmin Cervelo. Also Tommy D for a 9th place in his first tour
Philippe Gilbert. Proved to be a contender for the green jersey competition
Edvald Boasson Hagan with 2 stages and nearly a third, but was beaten by his fellow countrymen
Race organizers. Very exciting tour, the incoorporation of a few slight uphill finishes on flat stages added extra drama, imo.
Losers: Saxo Bank and Alberto Contador. The double proved too much, and he didn't seem to have much team support
Radio Shack. Plagued by crashes, which was unfortunate because they were going in with momentum
Fabian Cancellara, only because I expected him to have a stage win
The driver of the French TV car who took out Hoogerland and Flecha
He's proven he's got the legs but does he have the head to deal with the added pressure of being a team leader?
I'd put Andy Schleck down as a loser this Tour. His single goal was to win the Tour - he didn't and as great as finishing second is, it isn't first. He did put in some great performances and if he'd had the legs he'd have won it. If he hadn't of cracked 5km from the end of the mountain top finish on the Galibier and lost close to 2 minutes of his lead he'd have won the Tour but his legs turned to jelly just like they'd done in the Tour of California on Mt Baldy. A brave effort and a great stage win - but he knew what needed to be done before the final TT and he didn't do it.
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