Following the Pros - 2012

Morrisseeee

Not sure about the interest on this, but sure I'll give it a bash anyways.....

The idea is to pick 3 Pro cyclists, mainly partaking in the UCI World Tour events, that you admire and would have an interest in, ie. their performances throughout the year. Then at the end of the year, I'll check & add up their points and declare a winner. Now, the idea is not to pick the 3 biggest names in cycling (altho I'm not against it) to see who gets the most points, just select 3 guys that you admire and would like to follow for the year, if those 3 do well, and have the most points, then consider it a bonus, get it/An dtuigeann tú/comprende ?!

Also pick a wildcard, ie. an outsider, an oldie, someone less well known, a rookie, or an Irish person, etc. This will be used in the event of a tie-breaker.

Ok.....my 3:

1. Daniel Martin
2. Nibali
3. Froome
WC. P. Sagan

Close of entry will be 4th March for the points winner, start date of Paris-Nice, any entries after this will be ignored (by me), as I'm not going to look up the UCI points scale and make deductions etc, but feel free to make selections after this date, have discussions about selections, and their performances etc.

On my 3, I picked Dan the man as I'd like to see him go for the Tour, get a stage win or KOM, and also maybe a Classic. Nibali, because I like his work ethic, his attacks, and I believe he's a clean rider. Froome, because he was so exciting in the Vuelta, I was reading about his condition, something he picked up abroad, a parasite that attacks his red blood cell count, and how he is overcoming it, he can climb & TT well so this years Tour would suit him but Wiggins will probably be No 1. Sagan, because he's an up-and-coming sprinter, had good results last year, but still has a bit to learn to compete with the big boys.

Inquitus

1. Dan Martin
2. Cav
3. Nico Roche
WC. Froome

These are 3 I follow on twitter etc.

Obv Dan came soo close to his first classic win in the Giro Di Lombardia and this could be a season where he has alot of chances to claim a massive victory....hayfever aside

Nico seems to have lost his best form in recent times, here's hoping for a good season in 2012.

Cav is Cav, I like the guy.

Froome would probably have won the Vuelta if he wasn't made babysit Wiggins, although that form seemed to come from nowhere, if he carries it into 2012 he will be a threat in the major stage races.

ednwireland

cavendish
phillip deignan
Maxime bouet

w.c Mickaël Buffaz

ROK ON

Very hard to rank.
Last year I had not heard of Mitchel Docker and Blel Kadri, however both had very good maiden classics seasons and were prominent in breaks in semi classics. Will be interesting to see if they carry this through.

For the classics, Tom Boonen appears to have had a decent start to the year. His past two years will have hurt him. It will be interesting too see can he carry that through to Flanders and ROubaix. If not I susupect it will be Gilbert and Cancellara.

My dark horse for the year is Alejandro Valverde. Whatever you may think about him, he has had a very successful past. He will go to Ardennes week and the TDF with a very strong team around him. By all accounts he is in great shape and super motivated. It cant have been easy for him watching Gilbert lord it over everyone last year.

The tussle this year in Ardennes week with Gilbert, Valverde, Sagan and hopefully Dan Martin could be absolutely stunning. Given that the Schlecks could struggle in the Tour, I would imagine that they will go out in the early season with a bigger appetite for success than in prior years. The throw in the fact that it will be Vino's swansong, it promises to be a great year.

Caroline_ie

1. Tom Boonen
2. Dan Martin
3. Gilbert
WC. Vino

Quite interested to see what Boonen can do this year in the spring.
Dan Martin keep getting better and Gilbert just to see if he can be as good as he was last year.
Vino, just because I've to watch him ride and I am happy to see him back on the road.

But yes, they all have lovely bottoms of course. :rolleyes:

Morrisseeee

So..............who's your 3 ROK ON ?!

Caroline_ie wrote: »

1. Tom Boonen's lovely bottom of course. :cool:

FYP

Do you follow the Womens Pro Tour, and are there any Irish women mixing it with the Big Girls ? There isn't much coverage of their Tour on TV, and I'd imagine you'd have to be a real fan to follow it.

ROK ON

Morrisseeee wrote: »

So..............who's your 3 ROK ON ?!

Valverde
Cancellara
Sagan

mcgratheoin

Tough one to pick 3 to follow - I'd tend to keep an eye on Nico, Dan and Cav as the guys I like but in terms of intrigue then I'd probably go with some others.

Can Gilbert keep his form going?
Will Cancellara go after the classics or will he try to regain lost ground on Tony Martin's TT ability.
Can Cavendish get over Box Hill close enough to the leaders to have a shot at the Olympics? Or can one of the Irish lads get into a break that stays away?
Who'll be the most entertaining attacker this year - can Johnny Hoogerland come back at 100% from last year.
How will the Tour unfold - looks very very open this year. Wiggins thinks he has a shot, Evans will still be at the front of everything and the Shlecks will be following every move before imploding in the TT.
I hope somebody from a smaller team gets out in yellow early on with a chance of staying there for a while. Really enjoyed Voeckler in yellow last year.

dave_o_brien

1. John Degenkolb
2. Dan Martin
3. Tom Boonen
W.C. Stijn Devolder

I think Degenkolb has bags of ability, and it'll be interesting to see how he performs this year, the races he picks and the tactics he deploys.

Dan Martin is probably the most talented Irish rider in a good while, and will it be KoM? Semi-Classics? Ardennes? GC on week long races and maybe the Vuelta? It's an exciting year for him if he can stay fit and allergy free.

Boonen is a class act. Great start to the year, but will this translate to a good classics season? He has all of the attributes and talent, but so do a load of others; Cancellara, Hushovd, Farrar, etc. Again, can he maintain his focus and form.

Stijn Devloder had a fairly mediocre 2011. I've always admired him as a big engine kind of guy, and hope to see more from him this year. To be honest, the wildcard could have gone to Kadri, Hoogerland, Sohrabi, Taramaae and a few others, all for different reason, but Devolder is an experienced, solid rider, and I'll be keeping an eye out for his results through the year.

Caroline_ie

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Do you follow the Womens Pro Tour, and are there any Irish women mixing it with the Big Girls ?

Ireland has only a handful of Pro's. Olivia Dillon in the US with NOW and Novartis for MS, Siobhan Dervan Horgan with Team GSD Gestion Based in France, Michelle Geoghegan in Belgium. The others are 'Good amateurs' or 'Full time cyclists' who race abroad.

If you ant to follow the women's pro tour you really have dig in for information and I don't that much time to do it...

I like the women racing scene in Ireland as it keep growing and getting better.

happytramp

1. Dan Martin
2. Peter Sagan
3. Marcel Kittel
W.C Joaquim Rodriguez

edit: Just read that Sagan won the Slovak Cup on his sisters supermarket bike. Brilliant!)

LCD

Who is Stijn Devolder riding with this season?

dave_o_brien

LCD wrote: »

Who is Stijn Devolder riding with this season?

Vacansoleil

Chips Lovell

Elia Viviani
Jelle Vanendert
Andrea Guardini

WC: Diego Ulissi

velo.2010

Interesting to see how Tiernan-Locke will get on this year. Distanced Garzelli and Navarro in the Med. Limited though by how many invites his team gets this year.

Fascinating to see how 'AC' will go when he returns. Wouldn't be surprised if he won every availible jersey to him in the Vuelta. I wonder if he'll do a couple of the big Alpine sportives this Summer to keep his eye in!

Fender76

1. Hushovd - Unfinished business in Paris Roubaix and Milan San Remo
2. Gilbert - Amazing form in 2011, even better in 2012..?
3. Evans - Tour win again
WC - Greipel & Dan & Cancellara

Hmm.. there is a pattern forming.... Damn it BMC, you can't do everything...!

bcmf

1) Boonen
2)Hushvod
3)Griepel
WC Gilbert

Boonen. Classiest rider in the peleton. If he can get form back he is a contender.
Hushvod. As as said above 'unfinished business'
Griepel. One of the few sprinters that can genuinley worry Cav.

Gilbert. Based on last year how can he be ignored.

pantani

1. alejandro valverde
2. nick nuyens
3. johnny hoogerland

valverde because i think he could have a big year (no contador)nuyens could pick up a classic or two and johnny cause he could just about any thing and oh yeah wc adam blythe.

drogdub

1. Gilbert
2. B. Eisel
3. L.L. Sanchez
WC Dan Martin

sy

Missed this post. Should be fun this season. Few guys due a little bit of luck and Matti Breschel is due some of that. DeVolder has to show some of that Gilbert style agression he produced a few seasons back when riding in Boonen's shadow and I think Valverde will have a thing or two to say in the Ardennes. Will we get a big showdown between Cancellara and Hushovd in Paris Roubaix. Will Cunego eventually show that he is really a classics rider and not a Grand Tour contender. Will Danny boy win his first Lombardia.... Bring it on, can't wait for March and April when the real racing starts.

Leaving out the obvious as the OP suggested my picks are


1 Matti Breschel
2 Boasson Hagen
3 Van Avermaet

WC Dan Martin

Chips Lovell

sy wrote: »

Matti Breschel

Good pick. Would love to see him back to his best.

niceonetom

1. Pierre Roland - because the French have to eventually find the next great French rider, don't they?
2. Peter Sagan - because he can win almost anything.
3. Bernie Eisel - because he's awesome.

WC - Boonen. Don't call it a comeback.

Rita1

1. Griepel
2. Dan Martin
3. Peter Sagan

WC Chris Froome

ROK ON

sy wrote: »

1 Matti Breschel
2 Boasson Hagen
3 Van Avermaet

WC Dan Martin

Van Avermaet is interesting - guy is very strong. Received wisdom would say that he may not get any chance with Gilbert and Hushovd there - but maybe that is his opportunity if they are marked (which they will be).
Gilbert and Van Avermaet have a history - with the latter leaving OPL to get away from the smothering presence of Gilbert. It is safe to say that they are not close.

niceonetom wrote: »

1. Pierre Roland - because the French have to eventually find the next great French rider, don't they?
2. Peter Sagan - because he can win almost anything.
3. Bernie Eisel - because he's awesome.

WC - Boonen. Don't call it a comeback.

Eisel is awesome - the only problem there Tom is that Cavendish also believes that. As Cavs shadow it is very difficult to see Eisel picking up any victories of his own.

Read an article on Sagan the other day - reckoned he is the most all round cyclists since Sean Kelly.

ontheditch2

1. Sagan
2. Martin
3. Rolland
WC Gilbert

sy

ROK ON wrote: »

Van Avermaet is interesting - guy is very strong. Received wisdom would say that he may not get any chance with Gilbert and Hushovd there - but maybe that is his opportunity if they are marked (which they will be).

I picked him for that reason. He is good enough to win nearly any race. Just look at his past record in everthing from Milan San Remo Flanders San Sebastian Gent Wevelgem Paris Tour and the early semi classics in Belgium. A complete one day man who might just make that step up this year (if he is let) Remember Gilbert huffed and puffed for a few seasons before he eventually nailed it. Matti Breschel is a real talent and hard as nails with a great kick. Expect him to win this Spring and will also be there in the Worlds again.
I agree with Sagan being a real Superstar in the making but Boasson Hagen will give him a run for his money.
Flanders (as always) Paris Roubaix and Liege are just going to be so competitive this year. Can't wait. In fact I think this is going to be one of the best Spring seasons in a long time as there is so much talent out there at the moment. Lets hope its clean.

Morrisseeee

Some interesting picks there folks. Sagan had a nice win in Oman, looks like his speciality, an uphill tough finish, but he still has a bit to find with Greipel\Cav\Kittel on a flat finish. I see Porte (& Roche) had a good finish in the Algarve, Froome/Wiggins doing the pulling, he looked in a 'mean' mood anyways, ie. a bit more agression in his demeanour than last year. Roland, what will he do this year, he showed last year that he can be the next French star! and what of Cobo? where is he now?!

Morrisseeee

.........bumping this in case anyone else wants to enter.

velopeloton

1. Dan Martin
2. Jelle Vanendert
3. Pierre Rolland
WC. Roche

Kannon

Three i'm looking forward to seeing how they get on this year:

Dan the man
Rolland
Blel Cadri

......and obviously Nico

Morrisseeee

So here's the top 10 (before we head into a 'busy' April) :

UCI World Rider Rankings
at 25 March
Team Pts
1 S Gerrans (AUS) Greenedge 210
2 V Nibali (ITA) Liquigas 182
3 A Valverde Belmonte (ESP) Movistar 167
4 T Boonen (BEL) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 166
5 O Freire Gomez (ESP) Katusha 140
6 P Sagan (SLO) Liquigas 129
7 M Albasini (SUI) Greenedge 112
8 B Wiggins (GBR) Team Sky 112
9 L Westra (NED ) Vacansoleil 92
10 S Sanchez (ESP) Euskaltel 88

buffalo

Damn, I was away when this thread started, so I never saw it. Trying not to be prejudiced by results here, but these are my three:

1. Dan Martin - read his column, and empathise with his hayfever and allergies. And the Irish factor of course.
2. Marcel Kittel - I'm interested to see if his results last year were some combination of anonymity and beginner's luck, or if he can carry his form into this year.
3. Geraint Thomas - livened up the TdF last year (after Wiggins crashed out), and I reckon he's got massive potential.
WC Hoogerland - does this need an explanation? What a champ!

joker77

1. Jens Voigt
2. Dan Martin
3. Matt Brammeier

Probably Roche as well...

Morrisseeee

Update before the National Road championships & the one-&-only TDF !

UCI WorldTour rankings:

Riders:

1 (1) RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin, KATUSHA TEAM (KAT) 404
2 (2) BOONEN Tom, OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP (OPQ) 366
3 (3) WIGGINS Bradley, SKY PROCYCLING (SKY) 335
4 (4) NIBALI Vincenzo, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (LIQ) 272
5 (6) SAGAN Peter, LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (LIQ) 253
6 (5) SANCHEZ GONZALEZ Samuel, EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI (EUS) 252
7 (7) GERRANS Simon, ORICA GREENEDGE (OGE) 210
8 (8) HESJEDAL Ryder, GARMIN - BARRACUDA (GRM) 197
9 (9) ROGERS Michael, SKY PROCYCLING (SKY) 194
10 (17) KREUZIGER Roman, ASTANA PRO TEAM (AST) 189

IRISH:

20 (19) MARTIN Daniel, GARMIN - BARRACUDA (GRM) 132
133 (-) ROCHE Nicolas, AG2R LA MONDIALE (ALM) 4


Teams:

1 (1) SKY PROCYCLING (SKY) GBR, 803
2 (2) KATUSHA TEAM (KAT) RUS, 717
3 (3) LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (LIQ) ITA, 657
4 (4) OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP (OPQ) BEL, 630
5 (5) ASTANA PRO TEAM (AST) KAZ, 560

Other:

6 (6) GARMIN - BARRACUDA (GRM) USA, 475
16 (16) AG2R LA MONDIALE (ALM) FRA, 158


Nations:

1 (1) SPAIN, 1,112
2 (2) ITALY, 946
3 (3) BELGIUM, 791
4 (4) AUSTRALIA, 590
5 (5) GREAT BRITAIN, 489
6 (6) NETHERLANDS, 431

Other:

16 (16) IRELAND, 136

happytramp

Don't the national championship's start today?? Thought their would be a thread on it by now.

Any word on Martin, Roche et al and if they're taking part in the road race this year?

buffalo

I know the worlds are still to come, but thought I'd check in on my boys...

buffalo wrote: »

1. Dan Martin - read his column, and empathise with his hayfever and allergies. And the Irish factor of course.

I think his season has been below par, probably resulting form his Dauphiné crash. A few top tens - in Catalunya, LBL, Fleche Wallonne. An underwhelming TdF debut, I'd still back him as one to watch for next year.

buffalo wrote: »

2. Marcel Kittel - I'm interested to see if his results last year were some combination of anonymity and beginner's luck, or if he can carry his form into this year.

Grabbed a few stages in Oman, Eneco and Ster ZLM Toer, but had to abandon his TdF debut due to stomach problems - a huge pity.

buffalo wrote: »

3. Geraint Thomas - livened up the TdF last year (after Wiggins crashed out), and I reckon he's got massive potential.

Didn't know he was focussing so much on the Olympics when I picked him out, but he got a gold in that, so happy days for him.

buffalo wrote: »

WC Hoogerland - does this need an explanation? What a champ!

Wikipedia has 5th Overall Tirreno-Adriatico as his only result from 2012. boo-urns.

Morrisseeee

Thanks for the reminder buffalo, the update is here


Rank Prev. Rider Team (Code) Points
1 (1) WIGGINS Bradley SKY PROCYCLING (SKY) 601
2 (2) RODRIGUEZ Joaquin KATUSHA TEAM (KAT) 592
3 (3) BOONEN Tom OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP (OPQ) 410
4 (4) NIBALI Vincenzo LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (LIQ) 400
5 (12) VALVERDE Alejandro MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV) 394
6 (6) GERRANS Simon ORICA GREENEDGE (OGE) 390
7 (8) FROOME Christopher SKY PROCYCLING (SKY) 376
8 (5) SAGAN Peter LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (LIQ) 351
9 (7) FARIA DA COSTA Rui Alberto MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV) 309
10 (66) CONTADOR Alberto SAXO BANK(STB) 280
36 (30) MARTIN Daniel GARMIN - SHARP (GRS) 132
71 (88) ROCHE Nicolas AG2R LA MONDIALE (ALM) 63
&
244 (224) SCHLECK Andy RADIOSHACK-NISSAN (RNT) 0 :pac: