Quintana....TDF loser...or future winner?

[Yo-Yo]

Quinata failed hopelessly. I can't see him doing better than a podium.

 

However IMO, someone who has serious potential challenging Sky is our very own Meintjies.

 

Now give that man a better team and we'll see a Pure African wearing yellow! 

 

Would have been nice to see him attack at least once. Good result but as so many were, just following wheels and trying to hold their position in the final GC. 

[khm4252]

This dual captain stuff has never worked... if your own team do not 100% believe in you and back you 100%, then how are you supposed to believe in yourself?

 

Tejay will be a support rider next year or be on another team. Porte although he still seems to come up a little short, doesn't lack belief or ability - essential ingredients for the GC battle. It's not always about talent, it's about ticking those many boxes

 

I don't think Tejay will leave BMC.  It is an American team and there are no other really good American GC contenders around.  I can see Porte being the leader next year and maybe Tejay being given the Giro and Vuelta.

[Andrew Steer]

Then, much to my amazement through discussion with friends in central Europe, i discovered that road cycling is a fringe sport. Sure, everyone rides a bike and the the most fanatical fans in the world can be found in these parts, but they are the vocal minority. In reality, your average European thinks the road racing calendar is built around the Tour. You race for 3 weeks, chasing fame and glory, and then spend 51 weeks preparing for the Tour.

 

This mentality is probably what drove Postal and what drives Team Sky. Hit your main target every year (TdF) and everything else can be treated as a little bonus  beyond the mainstream spectrum of the sport (LBL).

 

At least thats my understanding.

 

It's not a fringe sport in Belgium and Holland though... hence those nations obsession with the classic one day races too.

[madbradd]

DD walk out of the tour as winners.. the pile of points Cav and Cummings got them (provided both stay next year) will help a whole lot considering the reforms coming.

 

Agreed - 5 stage wins and came 22nd team overall? Alot better than Lotto Soudal who came in 21st with only 2 stage wins. Hell I'd say even better then Etixx with their 1 win and 13th team, especially with Kittle throwing his wheels around on the Champs'.

 

For me team with the best results has to be Tinkoff with 3 stages and 2 Jerseys - But Sagan got more than half of that on his own so not the best performing team.

 

Back to topic - until another team can provide an "armada" to match Sky, they will continue to dominate. Quintana was in the same boat as Sagan, use everyone around you but you're pretty much on your own. Valverde will support you when he's near you, but he's free to do his own thing.

 

if Izaguirre was riding for team Sky, he wouldn't have left Froome on stage 20. And I think that's the difference - Quintana was left on his own..... again. Had Froome not crashed he would have been forced to sit Froome's wheel again. If Quintana had crashed he probably would have had to wait for the team car.

 

Quintana (or Yates, or Porte, or Louis, or <insert name here>) will be only win TdF if he doesn't have to take on a team like Sky by himself.

 

As an aside.... Bring back the Team Time Trial!

[Gen]

I think this is by design. When Team Sky was announced in 2009, Brailsford explicity stated that the goal was domination over the Tour, everything else would be secondary.

 

This conformed to the US Postal model of TdF before all else. The reason for that? The sheer popularity of the Tour, the manner in which the Tour has marketed itself, and the fact that winning a stage on the Tour can and has catapulted careers. I previously thought this was simply because English speaking nations didnt know much about cycling and therefore their gaze was fixated on the publicly accessible Tour.

 

Then, much to my amazement through discussion with friends in central Europe, i discovered that road cycling is a fringe sport. Sure, everyone rides a bike and the the most fanatical fans in the world can be found in these parts, but they are the vocal minority. In reality, your average European thinks the road racing calendar is built around the Tour. You race for 3 weeks, chasing fame and glory, and then spend 51 weeks preparing for the Tour.

 

This mentality is probably what drove Postal and what drives Team Sky. Hit your main target every year (TdF) and everything else can be treated as a little bonus beyond the mainstream spectrum of the sport (LBL).

 

At least thats my understanding.

Yes I get that it is by design. But one would think at some point if not the team but the riders would start saying.. you know to be considered amongst the best ever we need to start targeting other big races too.. and really target them.. not just send a team because we promised one of the other guys a chance at a GC.. but actually go after the other GT and Monuments.

 

 

Else l they will be remembered for only being a TDF team and not being able to deliver all year round.

 

 

There is a reason such a fuss is made of Hinault. He pretty much won everything except Flanders I think.

[pe3nguin]

DD walk out of the tour as winners.. the pile of points Cav and Cummings got them (provided both stay next year) will help a whole lot considering the reforms coming.

Don't forget the mainman EBH. He has over 1000 points already this season. Several top 10 places this tour would have chipped in with some value. And I definitely think Cummings will stick around. He seems to have a new lease on (cycling) life since leaving BMC

 

DDD are still bottom of the team world tour rankings though ;..;

[SwissVan]

Quinata failed hopelessly. I can't see him doing better than a podium.

 

However IMO, someone who has serious potential challenging Sky is our very own Meintjies.

 

Now give that man a better team and we'll see a Pure African wearing yellow!

Seriously?

There can only be one winner

Quintana had a bad tour and still finished on the podium beating LM by 5 places .....

 

Definetly not hopeless

[Gen]

Don't forget the mainman EBH. He has over 1000 points already this season. Several top 10 places this tour would have chipped in with some value. And I definitely think Cummings will stick around. He seems to have a new lease on (cycling) life since leaving BMC

 

DDD are still bottom of the team world tour rankings though ;..;

I see now the new team rankings are out I was sure they would've gained a spot or 2..

[pe3nguin]

I see now the new team rankings are out I was sure they would've gained a spot or 2..

Yeah. Rather disappointing. I see the current standings were last updated 17 July. Any chance of DDD jumping 10 spots with the revised edition?

 

Hopefully the team can announce some juicy signings on 1st August.

[Gen]

Yeah. Rather disappointing. I see the current standings were last updated 17 July. Any chance of DDD jumping 10 spots with the revised edition?

 

Hopefully the team can announce some juicy signings on 1st August.

Individual rankings will probably be out tomorrow..

 

Will definitely be interesting to see what happens come August 1.

[Bateleur1]

NQ was not on form and as said in poor form.  Even in poor form he ended on the podium.  What I do think he must learn out of this tour is that he did the "marketing" before the tour and also in the tour that it is his year.  Maybe he took one or two life lessons home in that your PR might need to be managed differently.

[Capricorn]

I think this is by design. When Team Sky was announced in 2009, Brailsford explicity stated that the goal was domination over the Tour, everything else would be secondary.

 

This conformed to the US Postal model of TdF before all else. The reason for that? The sheer popularity of the Tour, the manner in which the Tour has marketed itself, and the fact that winning a stage on the Tour can and has catapulted careers. I previously thought this was simply because English speaking nations didnt know much about cycling and therefore their gaze was fixated on the publicly accessible Tour.

 

Then, much to my amazement through discussion with friends in central Europe, i discovered that road cycling is a fringe sport. Sure, everyone rides a bike and the the most fanatical fans in the world can be found in these parts, but they are the vocal minority. In reality, your average European thinks the road racing calendar is built around the Tour. You race for 3 weeks, chasing fame and glory, and then spend 51 weeks preparing for the Tour.

 

This mentality is probably what drove Postal and what drives Team Sky. Hit your main target every year (TdF) and everything else can be treated as a little bonus  beyond the mainstream spectrum of the sport (LBL).

 

At least thats my understanding.

 

this is reflected in their annual earnings. Even top swimmers make top cyclists earnings look paltry in comparison.

[Pure Savage]

this is reflected in their annual earnings. Even top swimmers make top cyclists earnings look paltry in comparison.

 

I thought swimming was a hobby not a sport

[MTBeer]

I thought swimming was a hobby not a sport

no, that's golf.

[rattlesnake]

Quintana grew up at altitude and probably has a natural haematocrit level of 50.... not a great candidate for blood doping with EPO or GAS6.....

 

Hence unlikely to win the TDF..... (tongue and cheek) but may have an element of truth in it.

[Shebeen]

I think this is by design. When Team Sky was announced in 2009, Brailsford explicity stated that the goal was domination over the Tour, everything else would be secondary.

 

This conformed to the US Postal model of TdF before all else. The reason for that? The sheer popularity of the Tour, the manner in which the Tour has marketed itself, and the fact that winning a stage on the Tour can and has catapulted careers. I previously thought this was simply because English speaking nations didnt know much about cycling and therefore their gaze was fixated on the publicly accessible Tour.

 

Then, much to my amazement through discussion with friends in central Europe, i discovered that road cycling is a fringe sport. Sure, everyone rides a bike and the the most fanatical fans in the world can be found in these parts, but they are the vocal minority. In reality, your average European thinks the road racing calendar is built around the Tour. You race for 3 weeks, chasing fame and glory, and then spend 51 weeks preparing for the Tour.

 

This mentality is probably what drove Postal and what drives Team Sky. Hit your main target every year (TdF) and everything else can be treated as a little bonus  beyond the mainstream spectrum of the sport (LBL).

 

At least thats my understanding.

Which is why signing cavendish was such an odd move. surprise surprise it never worked out.

 

Astana had a decent backup team, apart from nibbles who was on his own mission, aru just didn't show up.