Pro Tour Punditry
Guru
I predict a riot.
2014 predictions
- Thread starter thom
- Start date
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SteCenturion
I am your Father
- Location
- The Dark Side of the Moon.
TdF - Richie Port - yellow.
TdF - Cavendish - green - (the train it is a rollin') !!
(Froome has major troubles & forced to Super Domestique for him).
Vuelta - Rodriguez
Giro - Quintana
Don't know enough about the classics but I expect Boonen & Cancellara to get one each.
TdF - Cavendish - green - (the train it is a rollin') !!
(Froome has major troubles & forced to Super Domestique for him).
Vuelta - Rodriguez
Giro - Quintana
Don't know enough about the classics but I expect Boonen & Cancellara to get one each.
You'd get good odds on that....
He's team leader at the giro so I doubt he'll be in contention for the tour.
SteCenturion
I am your Father
- Location
- The Dark Side of the Moon.
Watched him pile it on at le Tour last season & at times looked stronger & more powerful than Froome Puppy.
tug benson
Survived the Tour O the borders 2013
- Location
- Alloa
I think you watched a different race from me then.
SteCenturion
I am your Father
- Location
- The Dark Side of the Moon.
Just not a Froome Dog (Puppy) fan.
2nd & 3rd choices would be Valverde & Purito.
SteCenturion
I am your Father
- Location
- The Dark Side of the Moon.
I am a relative newby - so probably not the best judge or most well informed -
& I like a wildcard.
& I like a wildcard.
what i saw at the tour was porte constantly burrying himself to help keep froome at the head of the race, therefore froome was fresher legged when it was needed
porte is a super domestique of the most awesome kind.
I actually liked him in the Vuelta '11 and Tour '12 much more than the Tour '13 (must be the underdog role that attracts my fancy)... I'd still prefer him over Contador, Valverde (& Wiggo)... but indeed the talent or the way I try to view a race doesn't get changed with my personal preference. Froome was strongest last year, the only time Porte was stronger was the last 3 km of the 2nd Alpe d'Huez climb when he had his "hunger knock"
This year, yes, I wouldn't go so far as never, but he does indeed need to get still a bit stronger and probably have some luck that there comes a year that other favourites (Nibali, Froome and/or ???) either miss the tour of have some bad fortune
Still... I like the balls to go for the underdogs
(yes, Cav will really be an underdog for Green)
Yeah, but if the helper is really stronger it shows much more clear (think TJ VG vs. Evans in Tour '12, Froome vs. Wiggo - on the climbs - in Vuelta '11 and Tour '12, or - thinking about the dark ages - Ullrich vs. Riis in Tour '97)
No denying, Porte was indeed a great domestique
and froome still wouldn't have won the tour in 2012 cause wiggo destroyed them all in the time trial............still think porte would be a good bet, if the team behind him, is as good as the team was behind froome and wigginsI actually liked him in the Vuelta '11 and Tour '12 much more than the Tour '13 (must be the underdog role that attracts my fancy)... I'd still prefer him over Contador, Valverde (& Wiggo)... but indeed the talent or the way I try to view a race doesn't get changed with my personal preference. Froome was strongest last year, the only time Porte was stronger was the last 3 km of the 2nd Alpe d'Huez climb when he had his "hunger knock"
This year, yes, I wouldn't go so far as never, but he does indeed need to get still a bit stronger and probably have some luck that there comes a year that other favourites (Nibali, Froome and/or ???) either miss the tour of have some bad fortune
Still... I like the balls to go for the underdogs
(yes, Cav will really be an underdog for Green)
Yeah, but if the helper is really stronger it shows much more clear (think TJ VG vs. Evans in Tour '12, Froome vs. Wiggo - on the climbs - in Vuelta '11 and Tour '12, or - thinking about the dark ages - Ullrich vs. Riis in Tour '97)
No denying, Porte was indeed a great domestique
SteCenturion
I am your Father
- Location
- The Dark Side of the Moon.
Got to agree in the main with you jowwy - porte did bury himself many times over & Froome took his wheel.
Refering back to my original post I suggested this would be 'if' froome did have a 'mare of some type.
If the team had to support Porte instead of Vice Versa then it is at least 'possible' if not at all probable.
Again (for all) I am a relative newbie (2009) is when I got the bug, and I do not profess to be any kind of expert.
As regards to Cav - he has every chance - the train is complete & only Kittel/Shimano stand in his way - he does need those intermediate sprint points though that have served Sagan so well.
OP
OP
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
That is impossible to tell, particularly in light of Wiggins' occasional mental fragility - so opinions differ on that assertion
Hont
Guru
- Location
- Bromsgrove
I can't see Porte doing anything in the Tour if he rides the Giro to win it. No-one in the blood-passport era has even approached doing the double and only Contador has managed consecutive top 5s (prior to being stripped of the Giro win). Evans, Basso et al went AWOL in the Tour after decent Giros.