Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Saur-Sojasun

Posted on June 29, 2012 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Despite failing to win a stage last year, Saur-Sojasun was likely invited back to this year’s Tour de France for the simple reason that the team contains one of the most promising your French stage racers not named Pierre Rolland. I’m referring of course, to Jerome Coppel.

Coppel finished 14th in last year’s Tour de France, a result that likely would have made him the first Frenchman in many of the Tour’s most recent editions. This year though, the 25-year-old might find himself a bit higher up the general classification by the time the race ends—and perhaps wearing the white jersey as Best Young Rider as well.

A two-time world time trial championship medalist as a U23, Coppel has performed well in several stage races thanks to his ability to race against the clock. His resume is full of high finishes in minor stage races, most of which came as a result of Coppel’s performance in a time trial—and the mountain stage coming either before or after. So while it’s still much too soon to call Coppel a grand tour contender, a top-10 finish and the white jersey are realistic goals.

As for the rest of the squad, supporting Coppel while getting into as many breakaways as possible is the French team’s modus operandi—look to see at least one of the team’s riders in the breakaway when TV coverage goes live each day.

Man of the Hour

Coppel is by far the team’s best rider and one of the most talented young Frenchman in the race.

Up-and-Comer

Julien Simon turned heads when he won two stages at the Volta a Catalunya. He now has four wins on the season and heads to his first Tour de France hoping to score an upset in one of the race’s sprint finishes.

On the Hot Seat

Brice Feillu won a stage in the Pyrenees during the 2009 Tour de France and then dropped off the face of the earth. Well not entirely, but back-t-back decisions to sign for a team with little chance of getting a Tour invite (Vacansoleil, 2010) and another with an absolutely stacked squad (Leopard Trek, 2011), might explain the Frenchman’s absence. That said, missing two consecutive Tours means Feillu missed out on two years of progression, something he might regret during this year’s race.

Unsung Hero

Riding for a French Professional Continental team is somewhat synonymous with the term “unsung”, but each year, Jimmy Engoulvent manages to score an impressive win or two. This year, the 32-year-old won a stage and the overall title at the Four Days of Dunkirk, before winning the Prologue (and holding the leader’s jersey for four days) at the Tour of Luxembourg. A stage win at the Tour de France would be the crowning achievement of an already impressive season.

Follow Whit on Twitter at @whityost

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Radio Shack-Nissan

Posted on June 29, 2012 by

Photo courtesy Radio Shack-Nissan-Trek

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for RSNT so far this year as injuries, poor results, abandons, and a new doping investigation have the team limping into the Tour de France.

That said, there are still some bright spots on a team that could perform better than the drama surrounding it might indicate. Let’s take a look:

First, there’s Frank Schleck, the third-place finisher from last year’s race. Schleck began the season slated for the Tour, started the Giro, abandoned the Giro, and is now heading to the Tour. Despite what anyone says, he is his team’s captain for the French grand tour. As his second-place in the Tour de Suisse two weeks ago indicates, he’s in-form and ready to battle.

The question remains as to how Frank will perform without younger brother Andy. I think he’ll do pretty well actually, although the course doesn’t do him any favors. Were I Frank, I’d shoot primarily for stage wins and maybe a chance at the polka dot jersey. Sacrificing opportunities at stage wins for the sake of a top-6 finish is not the best approach for a team desperate to save face after the embarrassment of the last three months.

Next we have Fabian Cancellara, a rider who looked as if he would challenge Tom Boonen in the cobbled classics before a broken collarbone in the Tour of Flanders ended his spring. Cancellara is back and racing the Tour, but he was beaten twice in time trials at the Tour de Suisse. While not terribly ominous, being defeated in one’s signature event—on home turf—is not the ideal scenario heading into the Tour and the Olympics.  That said, Cancellara lost a lot of time due to his injury, while he might not win Saturday’s Prologue, I suspect he’ll race himself into shape for Stages 9 and 19.

Let’s forget RadioShack’s very own Mutt and Jeff, Andreas Klöden and Chris Horner. (If I were a rich man, I would pay the team to make them roommates—and then film it for TV.)  Both riders crashed-out of last year’s race, and both return this year looking for some revenge. As for the object of their anger, well, that’s anyone’s guess, but expect inspired performances and some interesting tweets.

Man of the Hour

Frank Schleck doesn’t have to worry about younger brother at this year’s Tour de France—but he will have to worry about a race that doesn’t suit him. That said, Frank’s always seemed to have more of a killer instinct than his brother, and should make things interesting in the mountains.

Up-and-Comer

Tony Gallopin proved to be one of RadioShack’s most consistent riders throughout the cobbled classics and now heads to his second Tour de France. While the field sprints at this year’s Tour might be a bit over the young Frenchman’s head, he could challenge for a stage win from a breakaway during the second and third weeks.

On the Hot Seat

Klöden and Horner have done a lot of talking prior to this year’s Tour de France—now they have a chance to put their money where their mouths are.

Unsung Hero

RadioShack’s best bet for a high GC finish might actually come from Belgium’s Maxime Monfort, a rider who quietly finished sixth in last year’s Vuelta. Monfort can climb, but more importantly in a race like this year’s Tour de France, he’s a rather handy time trialist when he needs to be. Assuming things go south for RadioShack’s big guns, don’t be surprised if Monfort ends the race as the team’s best finisher.

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Rabobank

Posted on June 29, 2012 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Rabobank’s endured a bit of a tough season so far.  In fact, Rabobank (the company) admitted that it hesitated before renewing its sponsorship agreement with the squad. But success at the Tour de France has a funny way of healing all wounds and Rabobank comes to this year’s race with several riders capable of at least some measure of it.

Robert Gesink’s performance at May’s Tour of California might have saved his captaincy at the Tour de France after a 2011 ruined by bad luck, injury, and poor form. If all goes as planned, a mountain stage win and a possible top-5 finish are well within the Dutchman’s grasp. The polka dot jersey is a realistic possibility as well.

What has been most impressive about Gesink’s return to form has been his improvement against the clock. He finished fourth in the Bakersfield time trial at the Tour of California—only 39 seconds behind TT-specialist David Zabriskie—and then fifth in the long time trial at the Tour de Suisse—only 27 seconds off the winner’s pace and 25 seconds behind Fabian Cancellara. So clearly, he’s improved—and just in time for a Tour de France that emphasizes it.

Bauke Mollema and Steven Kruijswijk, two young Dutchmen who have displayed grand tour potential of their own in recent seasons, join Gesink at the Tour. Mollema rode his first Tour de France last year, the highlight of which was his second-place finish in Stage 17 from Gap to Pinerolo. But the youngster followed his Tour de France with a stunning fourth-place finish at the Vuelta a Espana and a victory in the Spanish grand tour’s points competition. It’s likely that Mollema rode last year’s Tour simply to get a taste for it. This year he returns to make a bigger impact: first by helping Gesink in the mountains; second by winning a stage; and last but not least, by becoming a GC candidate himself should Gesink falter.

As for Kruijswijk, he rides his first Tour de France this year following two impressive rides at the Giro d’Italia. Only 25-years-old, Kruijswijk is likely to follow the same progression as Gesink and Mollema, which means he’s riding this year’s Tour to learn, to help, and to try and win a stage. He’s certainly old enough and experienced enough to become a dark horse GC contender in his own right, but with not one but two riders ahead of him in the Rabobank food chain, a lot would need to happen for him to find himself as captain of the squad.

Aside from these Drie Musketeers (excuse the pun), Rabobank will be looking to place Mark Renshaw in field sprints and Luis Leon Sanchez in breakaways, with the latter being a better bet to grab a stage win than the former.

Man of the Hour

Robert Gesink finished sixth in the 2010 Tour de France and looks ready to contend for a similar result this year. If he really has improved his time trialing, he has a better than average chance at landing himself on the final podium in Paris.

Up-and-Comer

Bauke Mollema and Stephen Kruiswijk are perhaps a year or two away from contending for the overall title at the Tour de France, with Mollema being a year older and a year closer to it than his younger teammate. That said, several stages in this year’s race suit the Dutchmen; losing a bit of time early might give them the leashes they need to take a prestigious victory.

On the Hot Seat

Thank goodness that Mark Renshaw was relatively quiet about his signing with Rabobank. Had he shot his mouth off like others might have, his lack of results this season would have looked all the more embarrassing. He was indeed the finest lead-out man in the world, but was foolishly convinced into thinking that he could also be one of the best sprinters as well. It’s a shame to see riders convinced they are something they are not.

Unsung Hero

Laurens Ten Dam will forever be remembered as the rider who crashed on his face, almost had his nose ripped off, but got back on his bike to finish the stage. Incredible!

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Orica-GreenEDGE

Posted on June 28, 2012 by

Photo courtesy Orica-GreenEDGE

Like any team new to the World Tour and the Tour de France, Orica-GreenEDGE brings a roster full of stage contenders to Liege. In fact, five of the nine riders on Orica’s roster have Tour stage wins on their resumes, led by Stuart O’Grady with three.

Stage 1 is likely to be the team’s first target, with Michael Albasini and Simon Gerrans both licking their lips at the 2-kilometer, Category 4 climb to the finish. Stages 3 and 7 are probably also highlighted in both riders’ race books, with Peter Weening perhaps looking closely at the Stage 7 finish to La Planche des Belles Filles as well.

Australian sprinters Matthew Goss and Baden Cooke will have their chances during the first week’s flatter stages, with the former likely to have the latter at his service in Stages 2, 4, 5, and 6. As more of a hybrid sprinter than a pure field sprinter, look for Goss to excel on days with more selective finishes—days in which men like Peter Sagan and Oscar Freire are likely to be his chief rivals.

As for weeks two and three, Orica riders will simply take turns covering breakaways, hoping that at some point one or two of them will stick. Gerrans and Weening both have stage wins during the second week at the Tour and can be expected to try and add to their tallies this year.

Overall, the team would love to reward its backers with a stage win in the world’s biggest race. But (if they were smart) team management likely told its sponsors that victories at the Tour could still be 2 to 3 seasons away as it often takes quite a bit of luck and timing to achieve success. After all, it took Garmin and Sky some time before the teams won their first Tour stages. Orica-GreenEDGE could be in for much of the same.

Man of the Hour

Take your pick between Goss, Gerrans, or Albasini. They are the team’s best chances for a stage win.

Up-and-Comer

Seven riders on the team’s Tour roster have won stages at a grand tour and the youngest of the team’s Tour roster is Matthew Goss at 25.  He’s hardly an up-and-comer anymore, but he’s youngest of the bunch!

On the Hot Seat

It was about a year ago that Sebastian Langeveld told anyone who would listen that he had signed a contract with GreenEdge—as if he were the greatest thing to hit Australia since sliced bread and Marmite. He hasn’t won a single race since. Doh!

Unsung Hero

Brett Lancaster has been quietly doing his job for about 10 seasons now by winning a few races along the way, but mostly by being a good teammate.

Follow Whit on Twitter at @whityost

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Omega Pharma-Quick Step

Posted on June 28, 2012 by

Omega Pharma-Quick-Step/TDW Sport

After all the hype surrounding the pick-ups made by Omega Pharma-Quick-Step this past off-season, the team’s biggest results this season have so far been earned by riders who were already on the team. But with classics stars such as Tom Boonen and Niki Terpstra staying home to prepare for the Olympics in London, the Belgian super team finally has a chance to let new recruits Tony Martin and Levi Leipheimer do what they were hired to do.

Let’s start with Tony Martin. Ever since he wore the white jersey as Best Young Rider for 12 days during the 2009 Tour de France, the German has been tipped to be the sport’s next Jan Ullrich. Winning Paris-Nice last year seemed to intensify the expectations heaped upon the German’s back, but here’s the thing: he can’t climb. Yes, he’s arguably the best individual time trialist in the world, but this only means he able to contend in weeklong stage races where his prowess against the clock is enough to overcome whatever mountains the race might offer. But in a 3-week grand tour, Martin has proven unable to withstand the sustained mountain stages that a race such as the Tour de France offers.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that Martin enters this year’s Tour focusing on the event’s three time trials. A day or two in the yellow jersey and three stage wins would be an impressive haul for any rider. Martin deserves credit for tempering his expectations in favor of more attainable goals.

On the other hand, Levi Leipheimer is a proven grand tour contender. And despite his relatively advanced age (he’s 38-years-old) the American might find himself challenging for a spot on the podium at this year’s Tour de France.  Last year, Leipheimer came to the Tour fatigued following a first half to the season that had been built around the Tour of California. Yes, he won the Tour of Switzerland, but it’s clear from his performance at the Tour de France that his week in Switzerland came near at closing of his window of good form.

But this year, the broken leg he sustained while training in Spain might have helped Leipheimer stay fresh for the Tour. His third-place finish in Switzerland is a promising reminder that the veteran has a few good rides left in his legs. Solid time trialing and a few good days in the mountains should keep him in contention through the final weekend where the penultimate day’s time trial will determine his final outcome.

Man of the Hour

On paper at least, there has never been a Tour de France more suited to Levi Leipheimer.

Up-and-Comer

While he’s not particularly young (relatively speaking, of course), Dries Devenyns is a rider who seems due for a break-out result.

On-the-Hot Seat

No one really, Quick-Step’s fantastic spring (and Boonen’s National Championship victory) has satisfied sponsors and fans. Martin and Leipheimer are confident, healthy, and the team doesn’t have to worry about supporting a sprinter in the first week. It’s a rather ideal scenario if you ask me.

Unsung Hero

Sylvain Chavanel is unsung only in the sense that we have not mentioned him until now. After winning two stages in 2010, Chavanel went winless at last year’s Tour de France. Thanks to his improved his time trialing, look for Chavanel to challenge for the yellow jersey by the end of the Tour’s opening weekend—a short TT and an uphill finish could land the Frenchman in the maillot jaune.

Follow Whit on Twitter at @whityost

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Movistar

Posted on June 28, 2012 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Movistar heads to this year’s race with a deeply talented roster full of riders who will challenge for stage wins and one or two who might score a high overall finish in Paris.

Movistar will likely spend the first week trying to nab a stage win for Jose Joaquin Rojas while positioning the talented sprinter to challenge for the green jersey, a competition in which he finished second last year. With Mark Cavendish being very open about his disregard for the green jersey this year, Rojas has a legitimate chance to become the first Spaniard to win it since Oscar Freire in 2008. That said, it’s hard to win green if you can’t win stages and Rojas might find his team lacks the firepower to help him make the jump from finishing second to finishing first.

Next we have Portugal’s Rui Costa, a rider who has made quite a name for himself after taking a fantastic win in the Tour de Suisse two weeks ago. North American fans will remember Rui Costa as the rider who cunningly defeated Tejay Van Garderen to win Stage 8 to Super-Besse in last year’s Tour and then took his first World Tour one-day race victory with a win in Canada’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal. That said, it remains to be seen if Costa is a serious grand tour contender or simply a talented one-day rider who has enough ability win a short stage race when things go his way.

And last but not least, this year’s Tour de France offers the grand tour return of Alejandro Valverde. While he was once hailed as a future Tour champion, Valverde’s best Tour finish was (only) sixth place in 2007. With a course that does not suit the Spaniard (too few summit finishes, too many time trials) don’t be surprised if Valverde focuses more on stage wins than a high overall finish. After all, this is his first 3-week race following a two-year suspension.

Man of the Hour

This year could give Rojas his best and maybe only chance to win a green jersey in an era dominated by men like Cavendish, Greipel, and Kittel.

Up-and-Comer

Costa is likely hunting for more stage wins in the Tour, but on a team that lacks a serious GC contender, he could find himself riding for a high GC finish as the race progresses. At only 25 years of age, we might not have seen the best he has to offer.

On the Hot Seat

Juan José Cobo came out of nowhere to win the Vuelta last year—and has promptly returned to anonymity. He’s raced a very abbreviated schedule this season and has almost as many DNF’s as he does results. Look for him during the Tour’s third and final week once the race hits the Pyrenees—if he makes it that far.

Unsung Hero

Vasil Kiriyenka is the type of rider that should find his way onto your Velogames Fantasy roster as he has a knack for finding the perfect breakaway. With two stage wins from the Giro on his resume, Kiriyenka would love to add one from the Tour.

Follow Whit on Twitter at @whityost

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