2011 tips

[iAmiAdam]

With the beginning of the season getting ever closer and the tour only 178 days away, who's you're tip for 2011, who's going to stand out?

For me it's Matt Goss, he was great in the vuelta last year and I'd be surprised not to see him in the tour this year.

I feel Nick Roche will get a chance or two this year too.

 

[Skip Madness]

I suppose choosing Peter Sagan is a bit of an obvious one? I'm hoping for Bauke Mollema to nail on some big stage performances. I'm also super-excited about Rossella Callovi at her new team - I doubt she'll get a lot of wins but I have aspirations for some good showings. Eros Capecchi has been improving steadily and he might nab a couple of wins from breaks or late attacks.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Sagan is one most people will be watching. I think Daniel Oss will do very well this season, Boasson Hagan likewise (last year merely interrupted his progress). Despite the fact that I like him, I am not sure Nicholas Roche will get much better. Amongst the women, I hope Lizzie Armistead should really kick some ass this year.

 

[montage]

L.L sanchez even more so than last year if contador is out of the picture but that is an obvious call - 2010 saw a lot of the old tdf names as has beens. Brice Felliu will be the outsider to watch - showed big promise winning a huge stage in the 2009 tour de france. On the note of there being a change of GT contenders, one of two of the older guys such as sastre and vinokourov may well attempt a swansong, giving them some decent results if they decide not to concentrate on overall rankings.

Nibali has been improving every year, and with a 20t tdf result and 7th in the vuelta in 2009, and then a 3rd place in the giro last year and 1st place in the vuelta, who knows what he has to offer in 2011.

Agree with you about Roche FM, a few more stage wins maybe but not a GT contender, too many other stars in the way

 

[rich p]

Richie Porte will go well again I suspect.

 

[Dayvo]

Another Aussie for the reckoning!

It may be a year or two early, but Jack Bobridge is going to be a big name (IMO) in the very near future.

 

[yello]

For the TdF, I think it's still hard to look past Contador (yes, I think he will be riding) and Schleck Jnr. I personally will be looking out for Ryder Hesjedal; I was impressed with him last year and hopefully he'll add a bit of strength for this year's attempt.

I do think I'll be paying more attention to other events this year though. The giro and the classics for instance. Partly because the TdF is a world of its own but also because, in other events, I think we see a different set of riders altogether and, for me, a more interesting competition. That's beginning to interest me more these days.

 

[yello]

Oh, and I reckon with the green jersey rules changes, this could be Cavendish's best chance of victory. I can't see the changes staying for next year, I think there'll be too many comments about the changes suiting out-and-out sprinters (i.e. stage wins) rather than the more all round rider that, I feel, the points competition is supposed to reward. Stage wins are their own reward.

 

[iAmiAdam]

With Younger Schleck in his new team and Contador probably maybe out, it's his year.

 

[montage]

Oh, and I reckon with the green jersey rules changes, this could be Cavendish's best chance of victory. I can't see the changes staying for next year, I think there'll be too many comments about the changes suiting out-and-out sprinters (i.e. stage wins) rather than the more all round rider that, I feel, the points competition is supposed to reward. Stage wins are their own reward.

I've always seen the sprinters jersey as one which the best sprinters should have the best chance at getting, therefore the rule changes are fair play.

 

[montage]

Also, how could we forget Danny Martain?

 

[Shadow]

Geraint Thomas?

 

[oldroadman]

There's a lot of season before the TdF. Why the focus? Much more interesting before that will be the classics, plenty of other races just below that level, Tour de Suisse, Giro,etc.
Sorry but for me the TdF is NOT what it's all about, that's maybe a perception some people have, but ther is a helluva lot of racing besides that.
Tour contenders usually don't do so well now as in the days of people like Merckx, who could ride and win in all kinds of races. For me, the TdF has become too much about Tour "specialists" and less about superb all round ability.
That said, it's possible Cav may do well in the green competition, but then he wins a lot of other races as well - which is my whole point.

 

[iAmiAdam]

There's a lot of season before the TdF. Why the focus? Much more interesting before that will be the classics, plenty of other races just below that level, Tour de Suisse, Giro,etc.
Sorry but for me the TdF is NOT what it's all about, that's maybe a perception some people have, but ther is a helluva lot of racing besides that.
Tour contenders usually don't do so well now as in the days of people like Merckx, who could ride and win in all kinds of races. For me, the TdF has become too much about Tour "specialists" and less about superb all round ability.
That said, it's possible Cav may do well in the green competition, but then he wins a lot of other races as well - which is my whole point.

Focus on the tour because it's the most famous bike race in the world, why focus on F1 when there's a lot of other competitive motor racing? Because it's the pinnacle of the sport. My favourite grand tour is the Vuelta anyway so...


Anyone backing Wiggins for anything this year?

 

[rich p]

There's a lot of season before the TdF. Why the focus? Much more interesting before that will be the classics, plenty of other races just below that level, Tour de Suisse, Giro,etc.
Sorry but for me the TdF is NOT what it's all about, that's maybe a perception some people have, but ther is a helluva lot of racing besides that.
Tour contenders usually don't do so well now as in the days of people like Merckx, who could ride and win in all kinds of races. For me, the TdF has become too much about Tour "specialists" and less about superb all round ability.
That said, it's possible Cav may do well in the green competition, but then he wins a lot of other races as well - which is my whole point.

I've just re-read the previous posts and the only person to have mentioned the TdF was you, apart from Yello who said he wasn't going to pay it as much attention!!!