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smutchin

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
So, after 30 years of hurt, have the French finally got a few genuine contenders in their ranks? This has been on my mind most of this season with the great progress made by Thibaut Pinot - but there are a few other young (and young-ish) French riders who look like real prospects for becoming the next home-grown Tour winner. Here's my assessment...

Thibaut Pinot
Pros: Good enough at climbing to make it count in the big mountains, massively improved in time trials this year, looks like he has a decent team around him - and has the prospect of stability ahead, as he has reportedly just signed a new two year contract.
Cons: descending, consistency, temperament. Too damn French.

Romain Bardet
Pros: Explosive climber, fearless descender, seems tactically astute, knows when to attack and how to make it stick.
Cons: woeful contre la montre, weak team.

Julian Alaphilippe
Pros: excellent all-rounder, tactically astute, rides for a team with great strength in depth.
Cons: looks like he might develop into more of a Classics rider than a true GC contender, needs to lose weight if he wants to become a real climber.

Warren Barguil
Pros: great climber, great mental strength - seems unaffected by that horrible crash.
Cons: not so great time triallist, not the strongest team behind him.

Roger Latour
Pros: looks like a real climber in a similar mould to Bardet.
Cons: Very young and inexperienced, still a bit of an unknown quantity.

Alexis Vuillermoz
Pros: Strong all-rounder, punchy climber.
Cons: At 28, has probably already reached his peak.

Tony Gallopin
Pros: Good climber, good at most other things too - even time trials.
Cons: see Vuillermoz.

Pierre Rolland
Pros: finally with a halfway decent team who might give him the support he needs to be a GC contender.
Cons: has learnt too many bad habits from hanging round with Wee Tommy Voeckler, seems unlikely now that he'll ever to live up to his early potential.

Arthur Vichot
Pros: cheekbones.
Cons: rides like a moody teenager.

Any others I've missed?
 
HF2300

HF2300

Insanity Prawn Boy
So not satisfied with @rich p putting the kiss of death on Alaphilippe, you decide to do it to the rest of the French contenders.
 
OP
OP
smutchin

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
Marmion said:
Cannot see any of those listed winning the Tour.
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I'm sad to say it but I'm inclined to agree with you.

I'd love Bardet to win the Tour but the time trials will rule him out this year. The best bet for 2016 is probably Pinot, albeit only if Froome and Quintana both crash out. I reckon he could have the beating of the ageing Contador and the feckless Aru though.

Latour won't be at Le Tour this year anyway but could be one for the future.
 
C

Crackle

..
Bardet is the most exciting of the lot and it's not beyond imagination to see a tdf tailored to his strengths but as said, Froome, Quintana, Contador, Nibali, all have more qualities still. Time may yet change that.
 
Flying_Monkey

Flying_Monkey

Recyclist
Location
Odawa
Crackle said:
Bardet is the most exciting of the lot and it's not beyond imagination to see a tdf tailored to his strengths but as said, Froome, Quintana, Contador, Nibali, all have more qualities still. Time may yet change that.
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I think so too. Bardet looks like he could win a mountainous Tour. He needs to develop patience and tactics. He could have taken the overall at the Dauphiné had he worked with Pinot and allowed him to take the stage rather than trying to fight him.
 
rich p

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
brommers said:
Sorry Smutch, but who gives a toss about French cycling? :tongue:
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The French tifosi maybe, but they seemed happy enough gobbing on the Froomedawg.
 
HF2300

HF2300

Insanity Prawn Boy
Marmion said:
Cannot see any of those listed winning the Tour. The section you detailed their cons is spot on as to why.
Click to expand...

smutchin said:
I'd love Bardet to win the Tour but the time trials will rule him out this year. The best bet for 2016 is probably Pinot, albeit only if Froome and Quintana both crash out. I reckon he could have the beating of the ageing Contador and the feckless Aru though.
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Have to say I felt the same reading smutch's post. None of them really look like GT winners at the moment - the cons are just too significant. Lower half of the top 10 maybe, but I can't help feeling it'd need a lot of bad luck to befall the top contenders to put any of them on the podium, certainly on the top step.
 
OP
OP
smutchin

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
brommers said:
Sorry Smutch, but who gives a toss about French cycling? :tongue:
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I just think it's interesting that after 30 years of whining about other people coming along and bossing their race, they seem to be doing something about it at last. They've had riders with the potential to win the Tour during that period (eg Voeckler) but the reasons for their inability to compete at the top level are largely systemic. Look at the way FDJ have worked on their performance in time trials this year - finally you get the sense that they're giving the riders a chance to live up to their promise. That has to be good for the sport.

There's also the question of why the French, with a few exceptions, haven't been able to compete for most of the last 30 years. Christophe Moreau might have won the Tour in a different era but he just didn't have the right doctors (he was still a dirty cheat, just not as successful at it).

However, while I would like to see a French winner of the Tour, what The Sport Of Cycling probably needs more is more non-European winners - ideally from South America or Africa.
 
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