Monday, February 23, 2015

The Spokes Man

...talking points from The Commish. 
GC Men
Too early for Tour talk?
A couple stage races so far, including TdU and the desert triumvirate.  However, the race that was probably the most exciting so far is one that doesn't even count in our league.  The Vuelta a Andulucia, also known by the flashier name Ruta del Sol, is only rated a 2.1 making it a middle tier race that involves a few big name teams and several pro conti teams.  So imagine you are say Dylan Groenewegen of pro conti  Team Roompot.  You think hey, I'm hot shit, I'm in good shape, it's early in the season, this is going to be fun,  Next thing you know Tour de France Champions are ripping the peloton apart and you are hanging on for dear life.  Contador goes, you lose 20 minutes, Froome goes, there goes another 20.  Big name guys are full on quitting but you can't, you do not have a guaranteed contract.  So much for fun in the sun.  Sorry Dylan Groenwegen, but hey, you finished.

So why am I getting so excited about this?  I know it's only February but if this little scuffle between Froome and Contador is any indicator the Tour is going to be bomb.  Could this year be the most exciting GC battle ever?  I will have to defer to Patrick, our resident cycling folk historian, but I can not think of another Tour with so many past winners in their prime, not to mention a few other grand tour winners as well.  Yeah, I know, a long way to go and anything could happen between now and then.  And even if all the contenders line up it doesn't mean they will finish, but come on, humor me.

Let's break this down.
Top favorites:  Contador, Froome and Nibali.  All former winners, all great climbers.  In addition, each has a team that is stacked.  Is it me or are these teams getting better?  They all have at least one guy who could be a legitimate contender on their own.

Just a step behind: Quintana and Valverde.  Both former grand tour champions and both on the same extremely strong team.  Can they blow things up with a little "you go, then I go" action?

Outsiders:  When you get to the outsiders and you are mentioning a former podium finisher like JRod you know this Tour is stacked. Due to the climby nature of the course all of these up and coming french GC guys will be in the mix. And maybe the Americans can make a play for the jersey with a well timed move.

Do I really think TVG or some frenchy is going to win this year's tour? No. But my point is that this Tour will probably have more grand tour champions fighting it out then ever before.  I mentioned 5 that I can think of without researching it and shit maybe Hesjedal and Scarponi show up to pump those numbers up a bit.

So what do you think?  You ready for some Alpe d'Huez action?  




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3 comments:

  1. gregarioFebruary 23, 2015 at 3:20 PM

    I agree. However, Contador and Froome have proven to be inferior bike handlers to the likes of Vincenzo Nibali. This makes him the man to beat as well as the reigning champion. I would also put Quintana in as one of the top favorites and would move Valverde down to a outsider. This is Le Tour not the Vuelta.

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  2. Team WiskotaFebruary 23, 2015 at 3:40 PM

    If we are talking only about who can win, yeah I spose I'd move Valverde down. Hes much more of a podium threat than an overall threat. I have the movie start guess as second tier because they have not won a Tour. However, the more I think about it the more I like Movistar's chances. If they go into the final week with both Valverde and Nitro in contention they will have an advantage none of the other teams can match. If Nitro attacks the big 3 would have to follow.
    Side discussion: has a triple crown winner(like Contador and Nibali) ever gone against another in the Tour? Most decorated grand tour peloton ever?

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  3. Team WiskotaFebruary 23, 2015 at 3:41 PM

    Is there auto correct on this shit? *Moviestar Guys

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