Each year, Pavé previews the upcoming road season with a countdown of the top-20 teams in the sport. Last week, we entered the top-5 with Garmin-Cervélo, Rabobank, and Liquigas-Cannondale. Here’s #2.
#2 – HTC-High Road
Heading into 2010, many of us were unsure as to just how well HTC-Columbia would perform following the losses of talented stars such as Edvald Boasson Hagen and George Hincapie. But after a season in which HTC’s new recruits—and a couple of reliable stand-bys—handled the slack (and then some), it’s no wonder Bob Stapleton is smiling heading into 2011.
And with a roster brimming with talent from A to V, it’s easy to see why:
A is for Albasini: Michael Albasini typifies the riders that form the core of HTC: smart, reliable, and always good for a win or two. He’s not the flashiest, and he’s certainly not the most well-known. But in week long, hilly stage races, he’s always a safe bet for a stage victory. Cavendish can’t win 62 races by himself—riders like Albasini are what make HTC the deepest team in the sport.
C is for Cavendish: Mark Cavendish enjoyed another stellar season in 2010, even after a start that had many wondering if karma had caught-up to the Manxman. After five individual stage wins at the Tour and another three at the Vuelta, Cavendish and the team will come to the Tour de France in 2011 hoping to win Cav the green jersey that has eluded him so far. He’s also riding the Giro and the Vuelta—multiple stage wins in all three tours are a distinct possibility. Then of course, there’s a flat course waiting at Worlds in Copenhagen, where it will be interesting to see how Cav fares without his HTC lead-out.
E if for Eisel: A popular rider within the peloton, many were pleased to see Bernhard Eisel take a well-deserved win in last season’s Ghent-Wevelgem. A critical piece of HTC’s lead-out train and cobbled classics squad, Eisel’s win underscored the depth of the squad—on any given day, any one of the team’s riders has the talent to take an important win.
G is for Goss: The progression of Matthew Goss was one of the main reasons why HTC could afford to let Andre Greipel depart after last season. At 24-years-old, the Australian sprinter has also shown potential in difficult one-days races—look for him to be HTC’s best man in the cobbled classics as well as Australia’s captain at Worlds in Copenhagen, possibly giving the Aussies their second rainbow jersey in three years. A stage-winner in last year’s Giro as well as the winner of the Pro Tour event in Plouay, France, Goss could be one of this season’s biggest revelations. And who knows, if he performs well enough, he might give Stapleton reason to pause before re-signing Cavendish to what will likely be an expensive contract extension.
M is for Martin: Tony Martin’s long been one of the sport’s most up-and-coming Tour contenders—especially since wearing the white jersey for 12 days in the 2009 Tour de France. One of the world’s best time trialists, Martin’s weakness has always been his climbing, something he appears to have improved after winning last month’s Volta ao Algarve in Portugal. He heads to Paris-Nice as a top contender for the title this weekend, and from there will look to continue his fine season with a win at the Tour de Suisse and a top placing in the Tour de France. And he’s only 25.
P is for Pinotti: If you’re putting together a Fantasy Squad for this year’s Tour of Italy, go ahead and pick-up Marco Pinotti. Always good for a top-10 placing and sometimes a stage win in his home tour, the Italian’s one of HTC’s most consistent, yet under-the-radar performers—and similar to Albasini in his value to the team.
V is for Van Garderen: Tejay Van Garderen performed well in his first Pro Tour season—his best result by far was his third-place in June’s Criterium du Dauphiné, confirmation of the American’s grand tour potential. 2011 is off to a flying start as well as Van Garderen finished second to teammate Tony Martin in Algarve. Now he’ll join Martin at Paris-Nice before heading to Spain, the Ardennes, and the Tour of California (where he’ll be a top favorite). Atop-25 finisher in last year’s Vuelta, Van Garderen will likely return to the race this year—perhaps with a chance for a top-10 finish.
V is for Velits: Peter and Martin Velits left Team Milram for HTC at the end of the 2009 season, a quiet move overshadowed by other transfers. But after Peter won the time trial and finished third at the Vuelta last September, it’s safe to say any anonymity has officially worn-off for the Slovakian. The best part: Velits was originally known for his one-day exploits—he won the U23 World Championship in 2007 and should be a contender in classics such as Milan-San Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Is the best yet to come for the 26-year-old?
Overall, the average age of HTC’s five biggest stars—Cavendish, Goss, Martin, Van Garderen, and Peter Velits—is 24.5-years-old. Clearly, the best is yet to come for what is quickly becoming the sport’s model for success.
Man of the Hour: It’s hard to choose between Tony Martin and Matthew Goss as both will be given equal opportunities this season to become superstars—Martin in stage races (the most important of which is the Tour de France) and Goss in one-day events (especially the Classics and Worlds).
On the Hot Seat: Peter Velits earned HTC its first place on a grand tour podium at least year’s Vuelta. Now he needs to prove his third-place finish was more than just a one-race wonder.
Up-and-Comer: John Degenkolb won Stage 2 at the Volta ao Algarve in February, defeating Tyler Farrar, Michael Matthews, and Philippe Gilbert to take his first win as a professional. The runner-up in last year’s U23 World Championship, the German joins Rabobank’s Matthews at the head of a new class of field sprinters—and his 12th-place finish in last weekend’s Omloop indicates he’s a future classics star as well.
Best Pick-Up: For a while it seemed as if Scott’s heart just wasn’t into supplying bikes to a program as large and as deep as HTC’s. With a squad that big and talented, one expected more innovation—and publicity—from their bike sponsor. Enter Specialized, a brand more than happy to use its athletes as its primary testing ground. Enjoy your Shiv, Tony—and your Roubaix, Bernie.
Biggest Loss:  Andre Greipel won over 20 races for HTC in 2010—about one third of the team’s total. Whether or not his transfer to Omega Pharma-Lotto will prove he’s overrated, Greipel’s wins will be missed.
And that’s it for #2—look for #1 soon!
Share your comments below.
You should add an S for Stapleton. High Road is just so well run. The way the develop talent and balance that talent with experience is really impressive. It seems like everyone on that team gets at least a win or two. They really provide a framework for all their riders to be successful. Seeing the footage of their lead out train in "Chasing Legends" was just awe inspiring. They have been a winning machine without a hint of doping at a time when doping is always in the headlines. High Road is really the class of the sport.
There should also be an R for Renshaw, he's already won the Tour of Qatar, proving that he's not just a leadout man for Cav. With the rumours around Cav moving to Sky, it's quite possible that Renshaw will either a) be part of the deal for Cav's move or b) take on the role of sprinter for HTC.