2011 Team-By-Team Season Preview – Number 17

Posted on February 3, 2011 by


http://equipecyclistefdj.fr


For second year running, we’re previewing the the 2011 season with a countdown of the teams we consider to be the top-20 in the sport.  We started yesterday with #’s 20 and 19; and continued earlier today with #18.  Here’s the next team on our list:

#17 – FDJ

Of all the French teams in this year’s peloton, FDJ is probably the best.  But the fact that they’re still only #17 in this ranking accentuates how far French teams must come in order to catch-up to the rest of the world’s best teams.  That said, if FDJ’s any indicator, things are looking up for the French.

Perhaps more so than any other team, FDJ benefitted from the uncertainty surrounding BBox, scooping William Bonnet, Steve Chainel, and Pierrick Fedrigo from the transfer market.  Bonnet and Chainel should bolster FDJ’s classics squad immediately, teaming with Anthony Geslin, Yoann Offredo, and Frederic Guesdon to give FDJ a nice northern contingent.  Bonnet enjoyed quite the productive spring last year with a stage win at Paris-Nice and top-15’s in the Omloop, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the E3 Prijs, and the Ronde.  He’s a handy little rider to have around for Grand Tours too—he always manages to find himself in a race-winning break or two.

But FDJ’s real prize this past off-season was Fedrigo, who won last year’s Criterium International and Stage 16 of the Tour de France in Pau.  Coupled with Sandy Casar, Fedrigo gives FDJ two riders who have proven they’re capable of winning races in July.

Overall, with a solid core of veterans, some talented youngsters, and a management and infrastructure that’s been working together since the 1990’s, FDJ’s probably one of the most well-rounded and professionally run teams in the sport—a fact reflected by the national lottery’s decision to support the team for another four years.  My wish for FDJ: another win in Roubaix for Madiot and a fitting reminder of Guesdon’s surprise victory almost 14 years ago.

Man of the Hour: Fedrigo’s a proven champion and someone FDJ can count on for an important win or two each season.  He’s won stages in Dunkirk, the Dauphiné, and the Tour; he’s also a former French National Road Race Champion—FDJ hasn’t had one of those since 2002.

On the Hot Seat: To be honest, with Remi DiGregorio and Christophe Le Mevel gone and a 4-year contract extension with the team’s sponsor there are few FDJ riders on the Hot Seat—for now, at least.

Up-and-Comer: Few can say they won their first race as a professional, but Geoffrey Soupe can add his name to the list following his Stage 1 victory at the Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon last month.  (A win’s a win, right?)  Soupe can time trial and he’s performed well in the U23 Roubaix—he’s someone to watch in April.

Best Pick-Up: Steve Chainel was last year’s Up-and-Comer for BBox—this year he moves to FDJ where I’m hopeful Marc Madiot will help him contend in the cobbled classics.  A stage-winner in the 2010 3-Days of DePanne, Chainel has the talent and the demeanor necessary to contend in the northern classics.

Biggest Loss: Jussi Veikkanen was always good for a win or two, especially in the early season when teams are desperate for headlines.  His transfer to Omega Pharma-Lotto won’t doom FDJ to irrelevance, but they might miss him for the next week or two.

And there’s #17—share your comments below!

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2011 Team-By-Team Season Preview – Number 18

Posted on February 3, 2011 by


Fotoreporter Sirotti


#18 – Team Saxo Bank & Geox-TMC (tie)

A year ago it would have been hard to believe that we would be mentioning Saxo Bank and the team that was Footon-Servetto in the same breath—and in the bottom quarter of our Season Preview.  Unfortunately, professional cycling is a fickle, “what have you done for me lately?” sport, and both Bjarne Riis and Mauro Gianetti—the general managers of these two hard luck organizations—can’t seem to get a break.

Let’s start with Bjarne Riis.  By the end of last April, it appeared as if Saxo Bank had all the makings of a dynasty.  Fabian Cancellara won Flanders and Roubaix, Frank Schleck and Andy Schleck were on track to challenge for victory in the Tour de France, and everyone seemed happy.  But by the start of the Tour in July, it was clear an exodus was afoot, with the announcement of Bryan Nygaard’s Luxembourg Cycling Project.  It didn’t help that Riis—once again—was struggling to fill the holes in his own budget.

The Schlecks, Cancellara, Breschel, Voigt, O’Grady, and Fuglsang are just a few of the names to have left the Danish squad; they have been replaced by Nick Nuyens—the team’s new captain in the cobbled classics—and Alberto Contador.  At the time, Contador’s transfer seemd a savvy move, effectively responding to the Schlecks’ snub by signing the rider who defeated Andy in the last two Tours de France.  It took most of his budget to do it, but Riis appeared to have protected Saxo Bank’s relevance.  But now, with at least a one-year suspension looming for Contador, Riis seems lost again, with little to do other than offer public support for his newest star.

As for Nick Nuyens, a change of scenery might do him well, but Saxo Bank’s roster for the classic falls far short of the competition.  Should the Belgian rise to prominence once again, he’ll have to do it largely on his own.  Nicki Sorensen’s an underrated talent for sure, but don’t expect to see 5 or 6 Saxo Bank riders spread across the front of the field at this year’s Ronde or Paris-Roubaix.

For Mauro Gianetti and Geox-TMC, things haven’t been much better. Rejected by the UCI’s ProTeam decision-makers, Geox was not invited to the Tour, leaving the Giro and the Vuelta as the team’s best chances for big time glory—but those invitations are not safe bets at this point.  Denis Menchov is already rumored to be looking for safer pastures, while Carlos Sastre has to be wondering how he found himself in such a dismal situation.

But then again, all bets are off once the racing begins and should they find themselves in the Giro—a race largely dominated by Menchov and Sastre as recently as 2009—Geox could surprise us all.

Man of the Hour: Ironically, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Denis Menchov spend time riding for both of these teams this season.  He claims he’s staying put with Geox, but should the team prove unable to earn an invitation to the Giro d’Italia and/or the Vuelta a Espana, look for Menchov to jump ship midstream for a guaranteed Grand Tour ride with Saxo Bank.

On the Hot Seat: If I were Alberto Contador, I’d take the suspension and start training for the Vuelta.  He’ll do more damage to his reputation by fighting his positive; if he cooperates he stands a chance of having his suspension begun retroactively, getting him back on his bike by the end of this season.  And don’t forget Nick Nuyens—the 2005 winner of the Omloop has underwhelmed of late.

Up-and-Comer: Richie Porte turned heads with a top-10 result in the 2010 Giro d’Italia, but I think his late-summer results are more indicative of his talent.  Let’s see what he does this year in races such as Paris-Nice, Romandie, and the Dauphiné before we permanently stick him with the “future Grand Tour Contender” label.

Best Pick-Up: Brian Vandborg comes to Saxo Bank from Liquigas. A talented rouleur, the Dane should help the team in the classics and the Tour, offering much needed support and depth to a roster severely depleted by off-season transfers.

Biggest Loss: This is probably the greatest no-brainer in the history of no-brainers: Andy and Frank Schleck, Fabian Cancellara, Stuart O’Grady, Matti Breschel, Jakob Fuglsang, and Jens Voigt are just a few of the riders who left Saxo Bank in 2010.  Could it be any worse?

That’s it for #18—look for #17 later today.

And share your comments below.

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International Cyclocross Weekend Preview

Posted on February 3, 2011 by


Photo courtesy of Tim Van Wichelen

On the tails of this week’s Power Rankings, here’s this week’s Weekend Preview.

This weekend’s big race is Saturday’s edition of the Gazet van Antwerpen series, the Krawatencross Lille. It is the penultimate race in the GvA series. Sven Nys has won this race six times before, dating back to 2000, and Bart Wellens and Niels Albert each have two wins there.

Nys’s lead in the GvA series is confident but far from a done deal. Kevin Pauwels and Zdenek Stybar are both close enough in the series classification that Nys will have to call upon his legendary consistency in order to clinch the series victory. A win in this year’s GvA Trophy would be the eight for Nys, and the seventh consecutive GvA win for him – Wellens’ series victory in the 2002/2003 series is the only interruption to Nys’s incredible string of dominance.

On Sunday, the riders will head to Hoogstraten for the penultimate race in the Superprestige series. Again, Nys holds a strong but not untouchable lead over Pauwels, Stybar, and Albert.

It’s entirely possible that these two big races back-to-back this weekend could see some unpredictable finishes, as riders recover from their build-ups to Worlds, and last weekend’s race itself. As the season enters its waning weeks, there could be no better end to the season than some surprise late-season victories by perpetual top-ten performers.

I’ve got high hopes for strong finishes from some of my favorite riders. Who are yours? Share them below!

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The Sticky Bidon – February 2, 2011

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, February 2, 2011

Seen any cool links we missed? Share ’em in the comments below!

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2011 Team-By-Team Season Preview – Number 19

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti


#19 – Ag2r – La Mondiale

The only French team to have made the UCI’s list of ProTeams, Ag2r hits our list at #19.  That said, if a few of the team’s key riders can improve upon their performances from last year, the team might end the season ranked much higher.

Ag2r enjoyed a successful 2010 season with wins in the Tour de Med, Four Days of Dunkirk, and a stage win in the Tour de France.  But all eyes were on the Irishman Nicolas Roche and his 15th-place in the Tour de France and his seventh-place in the Vuelta a Espana—signs which indicate he might have more in common with his father than just a last name.

Clearly, at 26-years-old, Roche is Ag2R’s biggest GC hope in major stage races, and perhaps the best GC-rider on any French team currently—it’s just too bad he’s not actually French, otherwise Ag2r would have a commodity that’s proven harder to find than untainted Spanish beef.

Roche’s development will be a major component of Ag2r’s success in 2011.  The rest of the squad will look for wins in minor French stage and one-day races, with another stage win in the Tour de France an important goal as well.  A major question will be the team’s ability—and willingness—to support Roche’s bid for a place inside the Tour’s top-10.  (As John Gadret illustrated last July, many Frenchmen tend to ride for themselves in their home Tour.)  With Ag2r’s typically French mix of escape artists and opportunists, management will need to make their goals and expectations clear, perhaps choosing their rosters accordingly.

Man of the Hour: He’s proven me wrong on several occasions, but Nicolas Roche seems to be the real deal.  While a top-10 finish in this year’s is a likely goal for the Irishman, I’d also like to see him try and contend for victory in a shorter race, such as Paris-Nice.  His recent knee troubles might make that tough, but at some point he’ll need to start learning how to obtain and defend a leader’s jersey.

On the Hot Seat: John Gadret nearly rode himself off of Ag2r with a very public act of selfishness while refusing to give a wheel to Roche on the Port de Bales.  Gadret will need to be on his best behavior is he wishes to ride the 2011 Tour as it will likely be at the Irishman’s service.

Up-and-Comer: It went largely unnoticed, but Frenchmen Lloyd Mondory rode a very consistent cobbled classics campaign last year with top-15 finishes in Harelbeke, the Ronde, and the Scheldeprijs before finishing 17th in Paris-Roubaix.  Could Mondory be this year’s best French cobbler?

Best Pick-Up: At 33, Jean-Christophe Pereau’s a bit of a veteran, but he’s really only about 2-years-old in road years as he spent most of his career on a mountain bike.  He finished eighth in Paris-Nice and fourth in Pais Vasco last year, signs of the Frenchman’s talent.  If he can avoid crashes, sickness, and bad luck a bit better than he did last summer, he could prove to be a valuable ally to Roche in the Tour’s mountains.

Biggest Loss: José Luis Arrieta was a professional since 1993.  As one of Miguel Indurain’s most trusted domestiques, I think it’s safe to say that he learned a thing or two about how to win a bike race.  18 years of experience are tough for any team to replace.

That’s it for #19!  Two teams down, 18 to go!

Share your comments below.

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International Cyclocross Power Rankings, Week #19

Posted on February 2, 2011 by


Photo courtesy of Tim Van Wichelen


With the World Championship behind us, a handful of riders are going home to their spouses and dogs, but many are going to fight out a few last weeks while there remain races left in the GvA series and the Superprestige series. Going in to the wrap-up of those two series, here are this week’s Power Rankings, with each rider’s ranking from last week in parenthesis.

1. Zdenek Stybar (3) satisfied my questions about his form with a fine performance at the World Championship, his dominance only spoiled by the absence of…

2. Niels Albert (1), who suffered a flat tire early in the race and was unable to come back, ultimately finishing over 4 minutes down on Stybar. Make no mistake – considering his performance in January, he could sweep the remaining big races.

3. Sven Nys (4) is Mister Consistency, and though he complained of a flu around the Belgian National Championships in early January, his 2nd place at Worlds indicates that he bounced back and is ready to defend his lead in the GvA and Superprestige series.

4. Kevin Pauwels (2) has been a podium regular this past month and remains a threat to Nys’s lead in the GvA series.

5. Klaas Vantournout (5) might be credited with Pauwel’s 3rd place at worlds, perhaps answering some of the questions about Belgium’s ability to work together. Look for him to steadily finish in the top five. Is there a late-season win in his legs?

6. Francis Mourey (nr), the French Pocket Rocket. I had dropped him off the Top Ten last week due to some dismal performances after glimpses of brilliance. He had both in St-Wendel, falling off the pace of the chase group and then, in the final laps, clawing his way back up to Vantournout, Pauwels, Fontana, and Welsleben, and leaving three of them in his wake to finish fourth.

7. Philip Walsleben (nr) was a top-ten rider until he found a spark in his legs on his home turf in Germany. If he indeed peaked for Worlds in his native country, look for a few more strong finishes from him.

8. Marco Aurelio Fontana (nr), an Italian mountain biker with flair, has raced near the front of International races for a while. His 7th at Worlds was an impressive result.

9. Bart Wellens (9) took 2nd at the Belgian National Championships, which is enough to consider him a contendor for any subsequent race. However, he has yet to back up his performance at Nationals with a strong result since.

10. Christian Heule (n/a) was “the best of the rest” in St-Wendel, outkicking strong riders like Tom Meeusen, Gerben De Knegt, and Jon Page.

Dropped this week: Steve Chainel (8) and Gerben De Knegt (10), each of whom were thoroughly bested by their rivals at Worlds.

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