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Fantasy Cycling

Leopard-Trek weak for the Giro?

by rcs500
Tue, May 03, 2011 14:06
8

I just looked over the Leopard-Trek team for the Giro, and it strikes me as rather odd. I know the team had planned to go for the points jersey with Bennati, and now they can't. Their Giro team seems to be composed of super-domestiques rather than standout leaders. Even though they're not targeting GC, I would expect them to have a clear leader for the mountains, the sprints, etc. Leopard-Trek for the Giro: Dominic Klemme, Tom Stamsnijder, Bruno Pires, Thomas Rohregger, Fabian Wegmann, Olivier Zaugg, Brice Feillu, Davide Vigano, Wouter Weylandt Leopard-Trek's inability to commit to supporting a single Schleck brother in the Ardennes races didn't work well for them. Are they going to run into the same problem here? It seems like a gamble to allow the strategy for a Grand Tour to be "whoever feels good on the day." Finally, I was surprised L-T didn't field Linus Gerdemann for the Giro. It seems to me he could target GC here and still have the legs to be a good lieutenant for the Schlecks at the Tour. Thoughts?

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8 comments

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erland | 13 years ago
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Where is Rohregger in the cycling fantasy game ?

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thefatcyclist | 13 years ago
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Not the only weak team in my opinion, for what looks like a weak field in general, on a course that looks very difficult. Shame. Looks like Nibali or "the meat eater" to me.
Slightly off topic, but I think that the Schlecks will be nearly men until they split up and go to separate teams.

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handlebarcam | 13 years ago
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You say "super-domestiques." Even Brice Feillu stretches the definition of "super" in my opinion. Still, good luck to them, and you never know who might shine in the absence of an established team leader. I mean, who had heard of Richie Porte before last year's Giro?

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cat1commuter | 13 years ago
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Brice Feillu won a stage of the Tour, and is a super skinny climber. He was the one who forgot to zip his jersey before he crossed the line in celebration, "treating" us all to a view of the pale skin which never sees the sun stretched over his ribcage.

He may do well in this year's super mountainous Giro.

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TrekBikesUK | 13 years ago
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Hi all,

You might find some answers here:

http://www.leopardtrek.lu/calendar/amgen-tour-california

The team is sending some big guns to the Tour of California.

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rcs500 replied to TrekBikesUK | 13 years ago
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You have a good point here. I think this is another indication of just how much the team is focusing on the Tour, clearly at the expense of the other Grand Tours. I wonder if the Giro organizers are at all insulted.

I didn't mean to imply that I thought L-T's team for the Giro is weak overall, just in comparison to what it could have been.

If the team wasn't so blindly focused on the Tour, their Giro line-up could have been: Brice Feillu, Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck, Fabian Wegmann, Linus Gerdemann, Maxime Monfort, Wouter Weylandt, Stuart O'Grady, Jens Voigt

The team would work for Frank or Gerdemann on GC. Andy would act as a super-domestique for his brother instead of going all out and still have the legs for the Tour. It's compared to that L-T "fantasy" lineup that the current one for the Giro looks "weak" to me.

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Gkam84 | 13 years ago
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I cant see to much wrong with the team, ok there is no stand out leader, but thats a decent "weaker" team to be able to field

With Wegmann, he'll try and get in every break and attack all over the shop

Klemme is the one i would bank on being the best place finisher for L-T decent all rounder and doesn't seem to have a pain threshold, he just keeps going

Vigano and Weylandt are decent sprinters

When you take that team and compare it to other teams who are fielding their top riders, then you see the strength L-T have in their ranks. BUT i still dont like them as a team 19

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dave atkinson | 13 years ago
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I'd still back them to put in a tidy team time trial. But no, it's not a stand-out squad, and without Bennati it's difficult to see what their game plan will be.

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