Panache p/b Gregario

From time to time featured writer Gregario Forza brings his signature panache to the Wiskota blog.

This is the third installment of a Gregario's 2012 team previews.  Feel free to comment.

2012 Preview: Teams 14-11

14. Astana

Additions: Paolo Tiralongo (Re-signed), Andrey Kaschekin (Lampre-ISD), Dimitry Muravyev (RadioShack), Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil-DCM), Alexandre Vinokourov (Re-signed), Janez Brajkovic (RadioShack)

Subtractions: Remi Di Gregorio (Cofidis), Simon Clarke (GreenEDGE), Tomas Vaitkus (GreenEDGE), Allan Davis (GreenEDGE)

Keys for 2012: I like the additions of Janez Brajkovik, Borut Bozic, and Andrey Kaschekin. Janez will improve an already strong grand tour and stage racing squad. He will join Vino and Krueziger as potential protected riders. This should be a big year for Roman Krueziger to add to his palmares. Nobody knows what Vino is going to do. I don’t think Vino knows but I wouldn’t count him out for some big results.  Muravyev and Bozic give Astana some credibility and depth in the classics.

13. Movistar

Additions: Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini), Pablo Lastras Garcia (re-signed), Juan José Cobo (Geox-TMC), José Joaquin Rojas (re-signed), Francisco Ventoso (re-signed), Jonathan Castroviejo (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Alejandro Valverde (cheater)

Subtractions: José Vicente Garcia Acosta (retired)

Keys for 2012: 2011 was a tough year for Movistar. However, I like this team to rebound in 2012. The Green Bullet, Valverde, already looks like he will be back to his old form. With the pickup of Cobo, the team has a Grand Tour threat.  The Spaniard will ride the Tour and the Vuelta in 2012. The team also added Giovanni Viscotti who rode well in last year’s Giro. Rui Costa, Benat Intxausti, David Arroyo, Francisco Ventoso, Jose Rojas, Vasil Kiryienka give this team lots of power and depth.

12. Lotto-Belisol

Additions: Jurgen Van den Broeck, Bart De Clercq, Adam Hansen, André Greipel, Jürgen Roelandts, Jelle Vanendert, Jurgen Vandwalle (all Omega Pharma-Lotto), Lars Bak (HTC-Highroad), Greg Henderson (Sky)

Subtractions:

Keys for 2012: This team underwent many changes in their sponsorship shuffle. No longer able to lean on the results of Phillipe Gilbert, Lotto looks to change its identity in 2012. Jurgen Van den Broek will be a protected rider at the Tour de France. He has the mustard to podium but has difficulty dealing with the Belgian press and the pressures of riding for a Belgian team. The team lost Jurgen  Roelandts for the classic season; bad news for a Belgium based team. Andre Greipel, the Vanilla Gorilla, will certainly have some results for this team. If the Gorilla and Hand-in-Cock fail it could be a very long year for Lotto-Belisol.

11. Katusha

Additions: Pavel Brutt, Joaquin Rodriguez (re-signed), Angel Vicioso (Androni), Alexander Kristoff (BMC), Oscar Freire (Rabobank), Denis Menchov (Geox)

Subtractions: Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini), Vladimir Karpets (Movistar)

Keys for 2012: Team Katusha should be call team J. Rod. El Purito will be asked for reults in the classics and Gran Tours alike. He is Gilbert’s biggest rival in the Ardennes and could potentially podium in the Giro or Vuelta this year. I like the addition of Freire to the team. I like Oscar to taste victory maybe one last time in this year’s tour. Denis Menchov, the Silent Assassin, could be player in this year’s tour. I feel like the parcours fits his riding style.  I still feel that this team goes as J. Rod goes.