2012 Pro-cycling season thread

Uran, Froome and Porte could be a good set of domestiques in the mountains come the tour.

Porte did nothing last year, but maybe he was burned out after the giro.

There were a number of issues that could have affected Porte's motivation and form last year. He was, by all accounts, still on the same salary from the year before, was somewhat dismayed when Riis signed Contador (that turned out well, heh?) and had already had his head turned by Sky, who tried to sign him at the end of 2010.

I wonder if Sky will have too many chiefs and not enough Indians this year, they are so strong on paper it's hard to see who'll want to do the grafting.

If they can balance it out by letting different riders lead different events it could work very well. Interview with Jeremy Hunt on Cycling tips suggested the tour team will include Wiggins, Cav, Edvald, Rogers, Froome, Porte, Eisel plus two. Uran and Flecha? Could that team allow them to compete sprints and GC?

I don't know if its a real consideration but will sky want to include as many of Cav's Olympic leadout in the tour as possible. It would limit them in the GC but get Geraint Swift well drilled.

Endless permutations and combinations.

Swift and Thomas won't be part of the road team for the Olympics, they'll be riding the track and are riding the Giro as preparation rather than the Tour.

JTL does it again and beat PhilGil?? Wiggins on a TT tip too,

Swift and Thomas won't be part of the road team for the Olympics, they'll be riding the track and are riding the Giro as preparation rather than the Tour.

Combination of:

• adjusting to a new team,
  
• more competitive sprinters around,
  
• dual leadership in pro team with mixed objectives,
  
• GB riders prioritising track over road,
  
• pressure to repeat last years form
  
  

Mean I think Cav is set for a tough year. If he comes away with meaningful results he will have overcome a lot.

JTL video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAYVnlM-Z7U

Combination of:

• adjusting to a new team,
  
• more competitive sprinters around,
  
• dual leadership in pro team with mixed objectives,
  
• GB riders prioritising track over road,
  
• pressure to repeat last years form
  
  

Mean I think Cav is set for a tough year. If he comes away with meaningful results he will have overcome a lot.

Have to agree to a degree. Really don't see how SKY can support both Cav and Wiggins at the tour. Brailsford was interviewed on the BBC earlier talking about how the team pusuiters have to commit to that and not the road because if you try and do both (road and track) you spread yourself too thin, yet that seems to be exactly what he wants to do with SKY.

On the subject of SKY, good win for Wiggins over Tony Martin today, granted it's early days but stil a good scalp to get.

Privately I'd imagine Sky (and Cav) aren't really focused on the Green jersey at the TdeF this year. Cav will ride it as prep for the Olympic RR, with Sky focussed on Wiggo and Yellow.

Cav's goals will be MSR and the Olympic RR, any GT stages will be a bonus. Get these and he'll have done the rainbow bands proud.

Agreed that is likely (and I think Wiggins has indicated as much). Cav will probably have a weaker team for the Olympic road race than he had at the world's last year though, and the course is more likely to favour a selection.

JTL video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAYVnlM-Z7U

that climb up to the finish looks painful!
nice race that one - stage 1 is in full linked on steephill tv - french commentators pleased to hear JTL speaking french in interview

Just read this from Gilbert which amused me, particularly:

The problem is that you can't really compete with the guys that have Haut-Var as an objective," Gilbert explained. "Take the Brit who won: I don't know the boy, and I may not ride against him again this year."

Predictions for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad? I'm going to say Boonen, given Gilbert's tip.

I'd say Boonen is a good shout. He has quite a nack for blowing his custard before the monuments recently.

Lance will win it.

Phil Anderson will come second.

Just read this from Gilbert which amused me, particularly:

It's funny how over excited some people are getting about Tiernan-Locke. He's just won what are, essentially, a couple of early season training races yet I've seen some people suggesting he'd win Liege and is the best candidate GB have to defend the rainbow jersey?

Let's face it, if he wasn't British everyone would be speculating as to which wonder drug he was on, especially when the team he rides for is not part of the biological passport programme and, from what I understand, there was no drug testing at either the Tour of the Med or Haut Var.

Predictions for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad? I'm going to say Boonen, given Gilbert's tip.

Recent history suggests a second rank rider from a big team. So someone like Chavanel or Stannard or Haussler.

I was thinking the same about JTL. If you are going to question Sagan winning, then surely Locke is far more dubious?

At the same time, I hope he is clean and I am impressed by the wins. I just don't think it gives him a shot at a classic or the world champs.

I keep sticking fingers in my ear and going la-la-la whenever someone questions Sagan, the current Liquigas team (with Sagan, Nibali, Basso, Oss et al) is probably my favourite pro tour team.

He's just won what are, essentially, a couple of early season training races

We're going to need to get used to the whole "Brits winning things" a bit more often so "a Classic or GTFO>>>>" is a healthy way to avoid over-excitement.

Some gimp on Cycling Weekly suggested in their comments section that JTL was a future Tour winner.

Get a fucking grip.

No doubt you disabused him of this ill-conceived notion with some suitably industrial language.

Good luck to Tao Geoghan Hart (aka LFGSS member #4349) for the Junior KBK on Sunday.

first of the northern classics this weekend - Omloop Het Nieuwsblad saturday and kuurne brussels kuurne on sunday

Recent history suggests a second rank rider from a big team. So someone like Chavanel or Stannard or Haussler.

I'd love it if it was Stannard. I really like him as a rider.