Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Euskaltel-Euskadi

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

Photo courtesy of Fundacion Euskadi Ciclista

A few months ago it looked as if this year’s Tour de France might have been the last for Euskaltel-Euskadi. Luckily, while Euskadi appears to be moving on, Euskaltel is reportedly stepping-in to fund the World Tour squad for a few more seasons. Crisis averted—at least for now.

As to the race itself, Euskaltel-Euskadi comes to the Tour de France with a “To Do” list similar to that of the past two editions: mountain stage wins; a podium finish for Samuel Sanchez; and perhaps the polka dot jersey.

The key to the team’s success is Sanchez, a rider who seems to have found the right formula for success in July with a third-place finish, a fifth-place finish, a stage win, and the polka dot jersey in the last two editions of the Tour. If he has indeed recovered from rib injuries he sustained during a crash at the Criterium du Dauphiné earlier this month, there’s little reason to believe he won’t achieve similar results this July. (Note: that’s a big “if”.) One thing in his favor: the lack of a team time trial means he won’t be playing from behind in the mountains—although three individual tests aren’t exactly ideal. And while fewer summit finishes might hurt a climber of Sanchez’s stature, remember that he’s one of fastest descenders in the bunch—he’ll excel on stages ending after a long, technical descent.

Sanchez is joined by Mikel Astarloza, a rider who returns to the Tour after winning Stage 16 and finishing 11th overall in 2009 (results that were subsequently erased following a failed drug test). While the positive test sheds a different light on the Spaniard’s performance, it’s at least worth mentioning that he finished ninth, 16th, and 11th overall in the three Tours before his suspension—a rather impressive (or unbelievable) string for a rider who was in his twenties at the time.

As for the rest of the squad, the usual group of Basques and Spaniards fills out the roster including Gorka Izagirre, Egoi Martinez, Ruben Perez, and Amets Txurruka. Assuming they all make it through the first week’s flatter stages unscathed, expect to see them on the attack throughout the mountains.

Man of the Hour

If healthy, it goes without saying that Sanchez is the best of the bunch at Euskaltel—and maybe one of 3-5 best riders in the entire race. That said, rib injuries are painful and can take a long time to heal.

Up-and-Comer

Gorka Izagirre is the youngest rider on Euskaltel’s Tour roster this year. The 24-year-old finished 22nd at the recent Tour de Suisse, a decent result in a difficult event. He also finished both the E3 Prijs and Ghent-Wevelgem this spring. (Which has absolutely nothing to do with how he’ll fare at the Tour but is interesting to report nonetheless.

On the Hot Seat

This year, skeptics will keep a close eye on Astarloza to determine just how “authentic” his Tour de France performances from 2007 to 2009 really were.

Unsung Hero

While he has yet to win a stage at the Tour de France, Egoi Martinez reminds me of poor man’s (Spanish) version of Cofidis’ David Moncoutie. A talented climber, Martinez frequently features in the King of the Mountains competition at important stage races. A valuable mountain domestique, the 2003 winner of the Tour de l’Avenir could win a stage should the team’s plans for Sanchez falter early in the race.

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Europcar

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Just about every French team preview  includes some variation on the line “Team X comes to the Tour de France hoping for a stage win or two and maybe a top-10 GC-placing for Rider Y.”

At last year’s Tour de France, Europcar set a new standard with Pierre Rolland winning a stage atop Alpe d’Huez and the white jersey as Best Young Rider, and Thomas Voeckler finishing fourth in Paris (along with 10 days in the yellow jersey). Excuse the cliché, but the Frenchmen’s exploits truly captured the hearts of French fans, giving them hope that a home rider might once again be a factor in his home tour.

Rolland and Voeckler will lead the way in 2012, with the former a better (albeit it uncertain) bet for success than the latter. Rolland started the season with a stage win at the Etoile de Besseges, and has since spent his time preparing to defend his white jersey and better his tenth place finish in last year’s Tour. While high finishes have been few and far between, he appears to have put the knee injury that kept him out of Paris-Nice behind him. He’ll start the Tour healthy, but a bit under-form.

As for Voeckler, his season began with a string of high finishes in the classics including a win in the Brabantse Pijl and top-10’s at Flanders, Amstel, and Liege. Unfortunately, a knee injury of his own forced him to withdraw from the Criterium du Dauphiné, the Route du Sud, and the French National Championships – a title he’s won twice. He’s starting the Tour de France, albeit with tempered expectations.

Man of the Hour

After a terrific April, it really is a pity that one of the greatest stories from last year’s race might be grounded by injury. Best-case scenario: Thomas Voeckler rises to the occasion and scores a valiant stage win while helping Rolland to another white jersey and top-10 overall finish. Worst-case scenario: He abandons the race after the first weekend due to the lingering effects of his injury.

Up-and-Comer

Cyril Gautier finished 43rd at the Tour last year and at 24 years of age is a dark horse contender to wear the white jersey as Best Young Rider for a few days—a jersey he won at this year’s Criterium International.

On the Hot Seat

Pierre Rolland finally confirmed the promise he displayed several times early in his career. Now he faces the much more difficult task of proving that his performance last year wasn’t just a flash in the pan. More of a climber than a time trialist, a high finish in a Tour with three individual tests will prove that Rolland is truly something special.

Unsung Hero

Aside from winning the “Turkish Beauties” competition at the Tour of Turkey last season, Christophe Kern won a stage and finished sixth overall at the Criterium du Dauphiné (and looked to be on target for a solid the Tour de France). Unfortunately, knee tendinitis (anyone else think the team needs a new physical therapist?) ended his race after Stage 5. This year, Kern is healthy, fit, and ready to make up for lost time.

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Cofidis

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

Photo copyright Cofidis Cycling

Cofidis created a bit of a stir Monday when it was announced that team manager Eric Boyer had been fired after months of rumors. (Why they waited until the week before the Tour is anyone’s guess.) Fair or not, the decision to fire Boyer sends a powerful message to the nine riders chosen to represent Cofidis at the Tour de France: Get results—or else.

But like many of the French teams in this year’s race, Cofidis heads to the Tour with a ragtag group of escape artists and fringe top-10 GC-contenders. Of them, Samuel Dumoulin, David Moncoutie, and Rémy Di Gregorio are the team’s best chances for stage success. Moncoutie has skipped the Tour in past years to focus on the Vuelta, but management changed his mind last year in an effort to get the team’s best stage winner in a situation to grab headlines in the race that matters most.

As far as the GC is concerned, Rein Taaramae will once again be given a chance to prove that he’s a stage race contender. (After several year’s spent on many pundits’ “Rider to Watch” lists, it’s hard to believe that Taaramae is still only 25.) An above-average time trialist, Taaramae could thrive in a Tour that goes easy on the mountains and heavy on the clock. Taaramae missed last year’s white jersey by 46 seconds—he should challenge for this year’s title.

Man of the Hour

David Moncoutie is one of the most successful opportunists in the sport. With two stage wins in the Tour de France and stage wins in each of the last four Tours of Spain (incredible for a non-sprinter), the 37-year-old clearly knows how to find the “right” breakaway. Moncoutie could also ride himself into the polka dot jersey early in the race, thus granting his beleaguered team a few days in the spotlight.

Up-and-Comer

Jan Ghyselinck was once one of the most successful U23 riders in the sport, hence his first professional contract with HTC-HighRoad. Despite still being winless as a pro, the Belgian rides his first Tour de France this year and could certainly turn things around with a fine performance.

On the Hot Seat

Considering the precedent set by Boyer’s firing, just about everyone.

Unsung Hero

Believe it or not, Cofidis (the French credit company) is one of the longest-running title sponsors in the sport right now. (Heck, this is the team that signed Lance Armstrong before he had cancer.) In a day and age when title sponsors come and go from one to season to next, it’s nice to see some companies sticking with their squads through thick and thin.

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: BMC

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

Fotoreporter Sirottu

Team BMC comes to the 2012 Tour de France with a simple goal: win the race. With defending champion Cadel Evans healthy, confident, and fit, the team has a very good chance to do so. Few changes have been made from last year’s squad. Tejay Van Garderen has been signed to help Evans in the mountains while gaining valuable experience for a Tour-assault of his own one day. And of course, Philippe Gilbert was signed this past off-season and will ride the Tour de France hoping he can once again animate the Tour’s first week like last year.

These two riders join Steve Cummings as the only new additions to BMC’s roster  from last year’s Tour—the team is clearly taking the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to this year’s race by bringing six of last year’s nine to the start in Liege. (Management dodged a bit of a bullet thanks to Thor Hushovd’s sickness—otherwise another domestique’s spot would have been sacrificed to accommodate the double-stage winner from last year’s race.)

But aside from Gilbert’s first week and a possible stage win in front of his Wallonian compatriots during the race’s opening weekend, this team is all about Evans. And why not? The Australian rode a terrifically consistent race last year, claiming victory on the penultimate day after a hard-fought battle from the first stage to the last.

This year, things won’t be as easy. First of all, no one seemed to take Evans all that seriously last year—at least not until it was too late. After a career filled with near-misses, everyone expected the Aussie to have at least one bad day—or that his relatively underwhelming BMC teammates would prove unable to defend their captain’s placing when it mattered most. They won’t surprise anyone this year. Second, Evans faces a rider in Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins who appears to be riding at a level above his peers—with a talented team that has fine-tuned the art of protecting a race lead in Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandie, and the Criterium du Dauphine. Wiggins and his teammates pose a threat that is likely to be larger than any he faced last July.

And while this year’s course looks tailor-made for Evans, it’s equally appealing to Wiggins—a rider who took 2 minutes out of Evans during the Dauphine’s long time trial. Overall, one gets the sense that Evans is once again an underdog at the Tour de France—even a year after he won it. Of course, this isn’t always a bad thing.

Man of the Hour

Despite a slow start to the season, Evans is ready to defend his title. While it’s not quite his race to lose, he’s certainly one of the 2 or 3 riders most suited to this year’s course.

Up-and-Comer

Tejay Van Garderen rode his first Tour de France last year with HTC-HighRoad and almost won a stage (he also spent a day in the polka dot jersey). This year he returns as one of Evans’ key mountain lieutenants, while perhaps being given a bigger taste of what it will take to contend himself one day.

On the Hot Seat

This time last year, Philippe Gilbert had won more than 10 races and was well on his way to recording one of the most successful seasons of the modern era. This year’s been a different story though, as the Belgian has struggled mightily. That said, winning heals all wounds and Gilbert will have a chance to do so on a Stage 1 course that seems to have been made for him.

Unsung Hero

This spot was originally reserved for Brent Bookwalter—but he’s not riding the Tour this year. Instead, the honor goes to Manual Quinziato, one of the more interesting (and Twitter-friendly) riders in the peloton. Originally hailed as a future classics star, Quinziato has become one of the most experienced and trusted domestiques in the sport—like an Italian version of his teammate, George Hincapie.

Follow Whit on Twitter at @whityost

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Astana

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

Photo copyright Pro Team Astana

Astana has recorded some rather unexpected results so far this season—for better and for worse. On the bright side, Enrico Gasparotto and Maxim Iglinsky won the Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, respectively. On the other hand, Roman Kreuziger underwhelmed at the Giro d’Italia, failing to contend for the overall and instead having to settle for a “too-little, too-late” stage victory.

Kreuziger’s taking a planned break in his season, and will be skipping the Tour – but enfant terrible Alexandre Vinokourov will be riding.  After crashing out of last year’s race, Vino is back for what should really be his final Tour de France. Then again, we’ve heard riders say that before, and Vino loves the limelight. Vino’s done little to indicate he’ll be a factor at this year’s Tour de France—which is a shame in a way, as the parcours actually suits his riding style and skillset. Instead, we’ll likely see the 38-year-old working for Janez Brajkovic while targeting a few stages for himself—all in preparation for the Olympic games later this summer.

As for Brajkovic, the Slovenian joined his new teammate in crashing out of last year’s Tour before we had a chance to see how he would handle himself in a grand tour. Remember: this is the rider who simply dominated the 2010 Criterium du Dauphiné before being sent to the Tour in order to support Lance Armstrong in his final Grand Boucle. This year, Brajkovic has enjoyed a quiet string of high finishes in his Tour build-up, including top-10 rides at the Tour of Romandie and the Dauphiné before taking the overall victory in his home tour less than 10 days ago. Assuming he can avoid the bad luck he experienced last season, Brajkovic could easily finish inside the top-10 in Paris.

In the end, stage wins and a top-10 GC finish would be the ideal scenario for Astana, a team that might look to transfer market to find a true GC contender to fill the void created by Alberto Contador’s departure two seasons ago.

Man of the Hour

No matter what anyone ever says, this team is all about Alexandre Vinokourov—at least when he races. While a challenge for a high GC finish is unlikely, there are several stages that have likely been dog-eared in his Livre du Course. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t win at least one stage.

On the Hot Seat

Brajkovic created quite a stir when he defeated Contador and stacked field to win the 2010 Dauphiné. Unfortunately, he’s done little since. This year he’s healthy, in-form, and has the full support of his team. There should be nothing stopping us from seeing what he’s really capable of doing.

Up-and-Comer

Robert Kiserlovski finished tenth for Liquigas in the 2010 Giro d’Italia—at 23 years old. After moving to Astana with Roman Kreuziger last season, the young Croat failed to repeat the result, perhaps because more was expected of him as Kreuziger’s lieutenant. This year he rides his first Tour de France and could find himself as his team’s best GC candidate if Brajkovic falls short.

Unsung Hero

Andriy Grivko is usually happy to ride for others—except during the last weekend in June—at his National Championships, that is. This year the Ukranian rider doubled-up, winning both the road race and time trial in Bila Tserkva.

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Argos-Shimano

Posted on June 26, 2012 by

Photo by Jeremy Rauch


Argos-Shimano (formerly Skil-Shimano) returns to the Tour de France this year after a two-year absence following its abysmal debut in 2009. That said, while the guts of the team remain more or less unchanged, the Dutch team has good reason to believe it won’t walk away empty-handed.

After all, Germany’s Marcel Kittel has proven over the past year that he’s truly one of the fastest sprinters in the sport. Perhaps more importantly, he has already won races at the expense of all of the men he’ll face at the Tour de France—including two victories at the recent Ster ZLM Toer ahead of Mark Cavendish. Kittel is young, confident, and fast. With Team Sky likely to take a few days to work out its chemistry, he would do well to strike early—especially since an early abandon is likely.

It’s therefore no surprise that Argos comes to the Tour de France with a team built around winning field sprints. Only after Kittel abandons can we expect to see Argos riders racing for themselves.

Man of the Hour

It’s “Kittel Or Bust” for Argos-Shimano. He won a stage at last year’s Vuelta and hasn’t missed a step so far this season. Can he contend at the Tour?

Up-and-Comer

Patrick Gretsch won the Prologue at last year’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado and could be a dark horse contender for a high finish Saturday in Liege—and on the Tour’s longer time trials in the second and third weeks.

On the Hot Seat

Being your team’s “chosen one” has to come with a bit of pressure. Like a star quarterback without a Super Bowl ring, Kittel needs a Tour de France stage win to avoid hearing “Yes he’s fast, but—”.

Unsung Hero

Tom Veelers is just the type of rider a team like Argos-Shimano needs in the Tour de France. Strong, powerful, and experienced, the Dutchman will prove invaluable to Kittel in his first Tour de France.

Follow Whit on Twitter at @whityost

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