I have incorporated a recap of individual rider performances just below my original pontifications.
Because we are using most of the same races as last year, the Pro Tour with it’s limited number of races doesn’t effect us that much. The biggest change comes from two important things the Pro Tour points system does. First, you don’t receive any points at the end of the year for your final standings in the World Cup. In the past, guys like Bettini, Friere, Dekker and Rebellin got a nice haul of points (almost equivalent to a high placing in a World Cup race). This won’t be the case this year. So it’s already going to be more difficult for these riders to get back all the points you spent on them. The other big change is the focus on winning, or at least a very high placing, in the final GC of stage races. Previously, a stage win in a GT or other stage race was worth ~10-15% of winning the race overall. It is now worth no more than 3%. This will be bad for guys who gained all their points in winning stages in big races without actually winning a lot of other races (e.g. sprint victory in a single day race). I personally think this will be very bad for Pettachi, Cooke, McEwen, etc. They can make it up by the fact that we have lots of single day races included and that the Worlds in Madrid are expected to end in a sprint finish. Indeed, this is the only reason I picked a guy like Boonen. I never liked all the points they gave a stage winner in the past but this is a little ridiculous. I think something like 5-6% of the overall winner’s points would be appropriate. The focus on winning or getting a high placing also hurts the real strong guys that might get a win or two during the season but are always around at the end (e.g. a bunch of top 15 placings in many important races). This will hurt guys like Knaven who are great riders that are fun to cheer for. The focus on having to pick those who will win versus those who are ‘just’ competitive forced me to focus on only 10-11 guys instead of the 20-24 I had last year.
Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
Lance Armstrong – He still won’t race much but because he is able to win the races he enters (at least in the past), he should get lots of points. Probably a solid bet to return much of what he costs. What does it mean that only 1 team picked him?
Armstrong turned out to be an average to below average pick, not because he retired after the Tour (he never gets points after the Tour any year), rather he didn’t do anything in the lead-up to the Tour. Normally he gets points in June too.
Igor Astarloa – Injuries and being on Cofidis who dropped out of the game for the 3 most important weeks of year for Igor last year ruined his season (and my team). He is a winner and inexpensive and would have been my single Spanish rider but he is stuck on a non-Pro Tour team so they will have to hope to be picked for the big races where he can earn his points.
Igor’s form was very haphazard, good at times but never great. As expected, he never got much of a chance to shine being on a Continental team.
Jose Azevedo – this good climber worked hard for Armstrong and finished in the top 10 at the TdF. He has never been a winner and was happy to work for Armstrong. It is my impression that Armstrong, Popovych and Savodelli will be the three leaders for the GTs. That leaves Azevedo with a difficult time in trying to get points. He got lots of points for his high finish last year, but how often does the team workhorse get into the top 5-10?
His points speak for themselves.
Magnus Backstedt - 90+ kilos and prays for rain the night before Paris-Roubaix. Has always been strong at Roubaix and had a great win last year after a 2nd place at Ghent-Wevelgem 4 days earlier. He can do well again, but I don’t think he can outsprint van Petegem or Weseman and he certainly can not out sprint pure sprinters in other races. He is definitely a cool pick but I don’t think he can win very many things. Of course, he could retire now and be remembered forever.
Magnus didn’t do much of anything though he was strong for Paris-Roubaix and GW before he crashed with Pozatto. He didn’t underperform, he’s just not a good pick value wise. Still a cool bike rider.
Michael Barry – MvM’s “homey”. Did I use that correctly? Sneaks into the top-10 here and there. Will he ever get his own chances being on Discovery?
Did he race this year?
Ivan Basso – Had him on my team since his under-23 Worlds championship when he, DiLuca and Figueras were going to tear the peleton apart for years to come. His passivity when it came to attacking finally got on my nerves enough that I dropped him from my team last year. Followed wheels again last year to get lots of TdF points and was in the mix at Lombardy but whereas guys like Bettini and Dekker are there to smash the peloton apart, Basso is going to ride consistently. He’ll get high placings and lots of points, but that just doesn’t excite me. Could get a podium position in two different GTs this year which will make him a solid pick for your team.
Only Riis can keep him from winning the Giro AND TdF next year. It would be great to see a rider go for more than one GT per year.
Paolo Bettini – Can win any classic except Paris-Roubaix, maybe even PR. Michele Bartoli, about the same size, was second wheel right behind Museeuw as they entered the final 25 km at PR last year. Paulo could do the same if he really wanted (he’s probably not allowed as the two weeks following PR are the hilly classics which he excels in. Unless it’s a long alpine climb, climbers can’t drop him, and he can outsprint the others he’s with. Everybody seems to like him too. Without the ability to get World Cup points, the lack of a hilly Worlds course and no Olympics, he’s a bad pick value wise this year. Nevertheless, he has been, and will always, be on my team (same way Jay picks retired riders like Tchmil and Museeuw on his team).
He was hurt just before Flanders and missed all of the spring classics. Judging by his Merckx-like performances in the past month, Boonen, Vino and Di Luca should all be very happy he was hurt. In modern racing with so many strong riders so very close to each other in physical ability, you just don’t see guys ride away solo 40 km away. It was great to see it again.
Michael Boogerd – Always competitive in the classics but never, ever wins. He’s just not good enough to win from the small break away group that he is in. His consistency should allow him to get points though.
He must have read my original pontification.
Tom Boonen – With Museeuw’s retirement, he’s the undisputed leader in many of the team’s races. By the time he retires, he may have a similar palmares as Museeuw. Better all-arounder than the other sprinters (kind of Zabel-like). Speaking of Zabel, he had a great quote before the Tour of Flanders – “…after 240 km, I cannot do the power climbs like the real champions.”. Pretty egoless talk from someone with such a great career.
I expected just one of the three big victories. His performance is even better than Di Luca’s. Rider of the year.
Chris Brandt – ?
Fabian Cancellera – 23 or 24 years old. This former under-23 world TT champ was in the winning break last year in Paris-Roubaix. A future classics superstar?
Exactly.
Francesco Casagrande – Is his big head (physically) caused by all the human growth hormone and steroids he has taken his whole career? Way past his prime but was very good. A good value.
Wasting just 266 points, out of 11,000, is nothing.
Jimmy Casper – Not only is it a bad year for sprinters being able to earn points, but this guy has never been a very good sprinter for all the hype he has received over the years.
No matter how I seem, I really am not omniscient.
Pietro Caucchioli – His attacking nature got him a podium in the Giro a few years ago. When can you remember a GC contender really going on the attacks? Have to go back to the days of Hinault or Fignon. Injuries have kept him down the past two years but could be a good value pick.
Great performance in the TdF but then nothing else all year. I hate that riders think the racing season is 21 days long.
Sylvan Chavanel – Great French rider. The problem is the word “French”. Does well in French races but hasn’t really shone outside of France.
Still doesn’t shine outside of France.
Dario Cioni - ex-MTBer who time trials well for a climber. Has a UCI pass to go over the 50% hematocrit limit. Got his points last year in a 6 week period; if he rides more this year, he could be a good value.
Well placed early on in the Giro, but perhaps my biggest goof.
Baden Cooke – Looked to me to be the next dominating sprinter in 2003. Injuries held him back last year. This makes him inexpensive but puts him at the disadvantage that all the other sprinters have this year as well.
Performed even worse than expected even when racing against the big boys which he has previously shown he could beat. Perhaps he’s not as good as promised. It was his fault that he crashed in the Giro.
Ryan Cox - ?
?
Damiano Cunego – After a beautiful win at the Race of the Falling Leaves, he looks to be the real deal. Climbs and sprints well (a better long distance climber than Bettini). Can’t TT as well as Armstrong, Ullrich, et al but should rack up a bunch of points because of his ability, and lack of fear about attacking. Really expensive though.
Injuries hurt much of his season which really made him expensive in the long run. A great value for next year?
Erik Dekker – One of the most perfect guys in the peloton to cheer for. Doesn’t look like much physically but just keeps on attacking and winning. Has been doing it for years.
Wasn’t hurt that I know about and really was disappointing except for 2nd overall at the ENECO tour.
Thomas Dekker – 23 year old Dutch superstar-to-be. Rabobank has already said that they will take it easy on him this first year on the big Rabobank team (only reason I dropped him from my original group of 25-30 riders I was trying to work with on my team). He might not get that many chances to shine this year. Great pick for next year?
Rabobank gave him plenty of chances and he capitalized on them all. Good for him.
Danilo Di Luca – A lesser version of Bettini who had some injuries last year but still managed to get all his points back (has done so for the past 3 years). A safe bet to do it again with the hope that he finally has his breakout year.
Breakout year, say no more. What he did this year is what he is best at, focusing on the Giro only next year is disappointing and he will not win.
Viatcheslav Ekimov – This old geezer is still and shape and still competitive. Should get his points back but is there to help others mostly. His expertise at winning individual stages in stage races is not rewarded in the new UCI points system.
Out for most of season with broken pelvis/ribs,etc.
Cadel Evans – Injuries and team decisions to not let him ride the big tours (the only place he can pick up points) last year kept his point total low. That makes him a great value this year, unless he blows big time again and loses 15+ minutes and the leaders jersey.
Performed as predicted (boring).
David Etxebarria – Once or twice a year this guy would win a couple big stages in a variety of stage races. Seems to disappear then reappear at different points during the season. Haven’t heard from him much the past year or two. I vaguely recall his name coming up when it came to the Spanish doping scene (and not in a good way).
Giuliano Figueras – Initially thought to be as good as Basso and DiLuca but always on a division 2 team (Panaria). Riding with a ProTour team now, his time is running out and he needs to show what he can do. A teammate of Nathan O’Neills when he first went to Italy. I’ve been waiting for Figueras to be on a big time team so at the Maysville store stop Nathan told me when I cryptically asked about how good Figueras really was – “….he’s got the talent…”.
Injury ruined most of his season but even when he was showing decent form, he wasn’t doing much.
Antonio Flecha – Another sign of the Armageddon? A second Spainard (with Astarloa) that loves the classics. Only 25 years old and very good. Will win some big races after he gets a few more years of experience.
Underperformed points-wise but continued to show that he is a very good classics rider. He could win Paris-Roubaix one year (might have been this year if Cancellera could have held on longer). Gent-Wevelgem final 500 m was exciting.
Oscar Friere – Graham Watson is an idiot. Friere is a great classics rider and deserves everything he has won. He reminds me a lot of Eric Zabel but will have more monumental victories than Zabel by the time they are both retired. Like Bettini and Rebellin, he loses a chance at WC points but might take a FOURTH rainbow jersey this year. Just a little too expensive for me this year.
Expensive because of his injuries (complications from saddle sore surgery) but started the year with great form.
Dario Frigo – Former doper and a dumb one at that (bought fake (I don’t mean artificial) hemoglobin at the airport and was busted). He is good though and I think he is a great pick as he is cheap and can still be a major force in the short stage races.
“Say no to drugs”.
Stefano Garzelli – getting a little old but a lot like Frigo above (perhaps a little less explosive). He costs over twice what Frigo costs so I don’t see him as a good value.
Underperformed as well as not being a good value.
Philippe Gilbert – Along with Nuyens, this all-arounder could become one of Belgium’s future classics stars. I had to pick between him, Nuyens and Cancellera. These young guys might have to wait a few more years for their chance to be the big team leaders in important races.
I nailed him pretty good.
Aitor Gonzalez – Cheap. Probably was juiced when he won the Vuelta, but everyone else was too so he must be talented. A gutsy, solo stage win at the TdF last year. Maybe he’ll show some form again this year.
After his really great performance in Switzerland, I expected even more.
Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano – a few years ago he looked like he could be a very good stage racer (short and long tours) but he seemes to always have one bad day. Doping doesn’t really get me angry like it does some people as the dopers aren’t taking money directly out of my pocket and I am just interested in the competition. That said, I am somewhat cynical when young riders show great potential and then show no consistency or nothing ever again. I tend to think that those early results might be the result of doping and not talent and racing skill. Igor fits in that category.
Decided to retire. I think he was a doper when he was getting good results.
Fabrizio Guidi – getting old now but 7-8 years ago he was an up and coming sprinter/rouleur. Never really did much in the big races, don’t think he ever will either.
Lost a few months because of a positive A sample but wasn’t doing much anyway.
Jose Gutierez – don’t know much about him. I think he’s a TT specialist, no?
Tyler Hamilton – This emaciated, lying scumbag doesn’t even have a team this year.
Please don’t let him get off on a technicality. He got his bag switched with his teammate.
Roger Hammond – He says he loves the northern classics which is cool but I’m still not sold on him being able to win much. His podium placing last year was a fluke in my opinion (top 15 more appropriate). Discovery has a truly fabulous team for the northern classics (Het Volk, GP E3, KBK, Ronde, GW, and PR) but will Hammond be told that he has to work for Georgie, Leif, Max, Eki or Lance instead?
Number 1 overrated rider by P & P.
George Hincapie – Solid in the northern classics for 5-6 years and just getting into his prime as far as these races go. He’s still not as good as his competition. Seems like a good guy with his head on his shoulders just right. Admitted last year that he is not good enough to fight out the finish of a classic based on strength alone. No matter what Phil and Paul say, he has always had a pretty decent team at the start of the classics to help him out. Discovery is even better and maybe having Hoste with him at the end might allow for either of them to get away and win against stronger riders like PVP and Wesemann.
Great season even better than I predicted.
Roberto Heras – (written before someone modified their team and yanked him out) The ultimate “girly man”? Sure can climb well and will be on a podium somewhere bringing in the points. Mountain stage wins and high placings in stages don’t get you many points this year (remember that the points come mostly from overall placings). He’ll need to win more than he has in the past to get back all his points but he’ll continue to win a stage race or two every year.
Tristan Hoffman – solid domestique but haven’t paid much attention as to whether he’ll be a big points winner.
Decided to retire after the season.
Chris Horner – I was not impressed when he made his first foray over to Europe with FdJ. Joined a big team late last year and did very well (top 15) in both the worlds and at Lombardy. He’s obviously strong enough to hang in there with the big boys and he’ll have a whole season to rack up points. Probably a good pick.
I thought that he would do better. Anyone second guessing his decision in that one TdF stage?
Leif Hoste – Comes out of nowhere to place 2nd at Flanders and initiate the jump across to the Boonen/Hincapie break at the end of Roubaix? The cynical might be suspicious but he looks to be just plain good. He’s the guy who got the Flemish flag tangled up in his rear wheel on the pave at Cysoing. This locked up his rear wheel and he went sideways at 25 mph. He was able to keep his feet in the pedals and still stay upright! Unbelievable bike handling skills these pros have. After his performances last year which are better than Hincapie has ever shown, I consider him to be the appropriate team leader for Discovery in the northern classics. Actually, he and Hincapie will make a formidable duo. They will need to work together as neither of them can beat van Petegem or Weseman on their own.
Injured and missed a good part of the year.
Frank Hoj – A**hole. This is the guy who thought it was funny when he was on Motorola to blow a bunch of snot into his cap and give to a little kid/fan on the side of the road. Unfortunately, he is performing better and better each year in the northern classics. I’m not religious so can only hope that he never wins a classic.
The jerk got what he deserved – zero points.
Robbie Hunter – Because he speaks English, P&P gush over him and have been doing so for many years. He still doesn’t beat the good guys in the sprints.
Good call Mike.
Thor Hushvod – In photos he looks more muscular than Backstedt (almost like a track sprinter). He has a cool name, is young and continues to get better and better. Hard to tell at this point how sprinters will fare points-wise this year but probably not good.
Frankly, he was disappointing in his races against the other sprinters.
Jorg Jakshe – Solid all-arounder. Can’t win classics or big stage races but can win everything in between. Will do well in our contest with all the extra races but won’t do that well in the Pro Tour only classification.
Another good call? Looked real strong at the worlds.
Tim Johnson – Was on a Pro Tour team (Saunier Duval) last year but is not this year. Don’t know where he’ll get his points from or what he’s good at.
Bobby Jullich – I don’t seem to have written anything about him originally, but from the beginning I said the short stage races in the Pro Tour were great for him. His is one of the top 10 TTers in the world and one of the top 20 climbers. He’ll never win a hard one day race but his consistency keeps him in stage races and he can win when the other stage racers are saving themselves for other focus races (e.g. Armstrong taking it easy except for the TdF). Jullich seems like one of the nice guys without an attitude and he races all season. I admire him for what he does even though he is a stage racer only.
Vladimir Karpets – help me so I don’t have to look him up. Already picked up some points.
Very quiet year.
Matthias Kessler- Solid, young rider on T-Mobile. Still has to work for Zabel, Weseman, Ullrich, etc but will get his chance in the future.
By future I meant 2006 and beyond.
Servais Knaven – Great domestique that can capitalize when the opportunity arises. That is cool to see but doesn’t get you a lot of points, although he is cheap.
Great guy hurt by ProTour rules as expected.
Karsten Kroon – cool name but that’s all I got. Help me out here.
Just retired.
Floyd Landis – Lucked out that Phonak got in as a Pro Tour team. Being at the front when your team is controlling the race for the leaders is not the same as having to be the leader. We’ll see how good he is. It’s neat when he shows off his BMX bike-handling skills on the road.
Didn’t do well at any races and hardly raced after the TdF.
Bjorn Leukman – no idea at all.
Levi Leipheimer – Rabobank got sick of him being able to hang with the big boys but not being able to do anything about it. I’ve never been that impressed and am tired of the press he gets in the English/American bike press.
If he didn’t win the Tour of Germany, he would have been nowhere as far as victories go but still had a nice collection points. He turned out to be a good value but you saw him at his best as far as his caliber of victories goes.
Iban Mayo – I have the sneaky feeling he is a doper. He is good even though he exploded in front of the whole world in the TdF last year. I’m surprised he cost so much, but is a good pick (unless he explodes again).
Biggest bust of the year (exploded again). I strongly suspect “physiological preparation” was responsible for his early career successes.
Robbie McEwen – Great sprinter in stage races (mostly). Stage race sprinters are at a disadvantage this year. Him and Pettachi seem like a very expensive gamble this year (they have to clean up in as many single day races as possible).
Sprinters, except for Boonen and his classic victories, were poor values but McEwen still brought in plenty of points. His weakness is clearly when a race gets over 200 km.
Brad McGee – The Pro Tour could be made for a guy like him Could get a lot of points doing well in all of the 1 week stage races that are on the schedule. A potentially excellent pick if he has an extended period of peak form.
I don’t think he was injured and he had a terrible year. A bad prediction on my part?
Denis Menchov – Solid climber. Good for a top 10 in a big tour but no more. Still young.
Got a top 10 in the Vuelta (posium?), nothing else.
Axel Merckx – Nice guy, famous dad, hangs out in America, lives in BC. Not too good. He’ll be lucky to get his points back.
Like I said, not too good.
Maxime Monfort – Don’t know her.
Very young Belgian rider showed promise for the future.
Johan Museeuw –(picked by Jay) Has retired as he now has entomophobia.
JP Nazon – The best French sprinter? There’s that word “French” again.
For a second class sprinter, he did OK.
Isidro Nozal – Relative inexpensive and might get a lot of points in a stage race or two. Still young and has not had time to show any consistency.
Poor pick. Was he also a product of “physiological preparation” in 2004?
Nick Nuyens – Along with Gilbert, these two young, Belgian all-arounders look to be future stars. They have shown the talent now but can they get points in the big races or do they work for the current leadership.
Got some chances but still working for the team leaders. Will only get better.
Stuart O’Grady – Solid rider for a long time. Not afraid to attack and becoming a better sprinter and classics rider as he ages (improving more than Hincapie who is an appropriate peer). Likes races the harder the better. He’ll win a big classic or two before he retires but it will be tough to improve on last year. A little too expensive for my tastes this year but should guarantee you some points.
Really bad year and I’m not sure why. Great pick for next year (if you like him)?
Nathan O'Neill – Darn nice guy. Already has points from winning the Australian TT championship. He told us that he regrets not having previously had a chance to ride the northern classics, but from the Navigators website it looks like they will be over there in March and early April. Have fun.
Winning the Australian TT in January gave him half his points. Actually, not bad for a Continental team rider. We’ll get the lowdown from him this winter.
Luca Paolini – Bettini’s buddy. Very good classics rider but on the wrong team. Injuries hurt him last year and he would have been a great pick this year if he hadn’t picked up several hundred points by sneaking onto the podium last year at the Worlds.
Injured again this year early on, but showed great strength in the late season. Leaves his pal Bettini for a new team and surely more responsibility. A tough guy in the vein of Knaven.
Santiago Perez – Comes out of nowhere to almost win the Vuelta (can climb and TT). Busted for blood transfusions. I don’t think he is even on a team this year. Bad pick.
Got Tyler’s blood.
Andrea Peron – Been around a long time as a decent rider but not a winner.
Neither a winner or point getter.
Allesandro Pettachi – Expensive pick because of sprinters disadvantages this year. Unlike Boonen, or perhaps McEwen, Sandro hasn’t shown the ability to win any big one day races yet. Will get his sponsor’s name in the pictures a lot during stage races but that doesn’t get him many UCI points.
Winning MSR made him an OK pick for a sprinter. Like McEwen, a difficult finishing 40 km can be his undoing. This is the place where Boonen shines (i.e. between 240-270 km).
Franco Pellizotti – very good climber. Could be his breakout year (said that last year too). I don’t see him beating the other big stage race stars (Cunego, Basso, Popovych, etc.).
Hardly raced after the Giro. Kind of like Cioni where he looked OK at the Giro and then nothing else all year.
Evgeni Petrov – Under-23 World champion on the road and in the TT. I had him last year and he disappointed me. If he doesn’t show himself to be a star in both stage races and one day races this year, he’ll never be much of anything. Perhaps his DS already knows that and that is why he was, more or less, a worker for Cunego, Simoni and DiLuca. Of course, he is inexpensive and potentially great bargain.
Had a positive >50% hematocrit test but was quickly back on the team. I don’t think he will ever live up to the potential he showed as an U23.
Olaf Pollack - TT specialist. Because most TTs are stages in a stage race, the TT specialists won’t get very many points this year.
His zero points speak for themselves.
Yarpslav Popovych – Former amateur world champ has been slow to progress in my opinion. Should be good at both single day races and GTs, but seems to be only focusing on GTs. Needs to start showing his ability to dominate on all types of terrain as he is not getting any younger.
Would have been a terrible pick if not for Catalunya win. He needs to step up big time next year as TdF leader.
Fabio Pozzato – young Italian superstar in 2003. Had injuries in 2004. Should be a good value unless he spends all his efforts helping Bettini and Boonen.
Great year with big victories in Hamburg and Rome (Giro del Lazio). Looked great at Gent-Wevelgem until the crash. Bad rock star hair.
Michael Rassmussen – “the chicken” because of extremely skinny legs. Former MTBer is a very good climber, but perhaps like that other former MTB champ who went to Mapei’s road team, they are not destined for many overall wins in stage races and will need to focus on stages.
His mountains jersey at the TdF wasn’t worth many points so I don’t know where he even got the ones he did. The peloton won’t let him get away as easily as they did this year, but his TT skills are laughable so I don’t see him actually winning any big stage races.
Davide Rebellin - has been in the top 5-10 of the UCI rankings for the last 5-6 year due to his consistency. Everybody knew he was good but last year he won the races he normally only placed 2nd or 3rd in previously. Should be a solid pick this year as well.
Always a great pick because of consistency (3rd overall in Pro Tour) but didn’t get as many victories as in 2004 (Di Luca of 2005 was the Rebellin of 2004). Which rider’s accomplishment was greater? Rebellin winning 3 straight huge races in one week was slightly better than Di Luca winning 2 of those 3 plus a small stage race and 4th in the Giro. This is arguable.
Fred Rodriguez – The best American sprinter. Will win once out 20-25 sprints against the big boys like Pettachi and Cipollini (that’s still pretty good). I think he was on a little team last year and wasn’t able to garner a lot of points. He should be a decent value but may suffer the same fate that lots of sprinters will suffer this year points-wise.
Suffered like other sprinters and was nowhere in the single day races. I don’t know if he and McEwen were riding the same races together or not.
Michael Rogers – Good, solid young rider for the short stage races. Might do very well in the Pro Tour format.
Did a decent job getting his points back but bores me. I thought he would be like Jullich and Leipheimer when it came to all the short stage races. He is overrated by P & P because of he speaks English.
Carlos Sastre – Very good, but not great, climber who will place in the top 5-10 of a GT or two. Looked idiotic if you ask me when he put the baby pacifier in his mouth during that one mountaintop stage win a few years ago. Did he think he was at a rave?
Didn’t show any form until the end of the year (Vuelta till the end) which was too late to make up for the lack of early and mid-season points. Form at a second GT would have made him a good pick.
Paolo Savodelli – The TV motorbikes are better in the Giro vs. the TdF. Following him down some of the Giro’s climbs was some of the most thrilling, vertigo-inducing footage I have ever seen. Injuries have hurt him since his Giro victory but he is obviously talented and the way he attacks a mountain descent is awesome. With Armstrong now doing the TdF, maybe he’ll be co-leader with Popovych during the Giro.
Basso was stronger at the Giro, but Salvodelli was smart and strong against everyone else. Great year and no reason why he can’t do it again next year as long as Basso focuses on the TdF only.
Michele Scarponi – Very good, young climber. Hasn’t shown himself as a force in one day hilly classics but can be with the great climbers on alpine climbs. Might end with a podium placing in a GT somewhere this year.
Dissapointing year but is still young. Anyone know what happened?
Oscar Sevilla – Has been nowhere since his splash onto the scene several years ago. I don’t think he’s tough enough to be a leader.
Didn’t cost a lot and didn’t do much.
Roy Sentjens – Solid rider without a lot of wins. Strong domestique whose name you see in the mix near the end but is setting up someone else on the team typically.
Like Sijmens below, not expected to get points and didn’t.
Nico Sijmens – Similar to Senjens.
Gilberto Simoni – Still got a nice tally of points even though he played second fiddle to Cunego. He’s undoubtedly a good stage racer and he’s relatively inexpensive. I’d say he’s better than Heras but not as good as Cunego, Armstrong, Ullrich. He does ride some one day events well but he has a bigger ego than he deserves.
Good year. One of the few GT riders with an attacking style. Great end of season form at Emillia and Lombardy which is nice to see in a GT rider. His career is not over yet and let’s hope he can find another Pro Tour team since Ferreti’s new team has collapsed.
Patrick Sinkewitz – Along with Gilbert and Nuyens, he is part of the future of Belgian cycling. Looks to be a strong 1 week stage racer. There’s a lot of 1 week stage races in the Pro Tour, so I went with him over Nuyens.
I was disappointed with his season performance. Part of this was because he announced early that he was leaving Quick-Step and Lefevre then decided to cut back his race schedule and put others in his place.
Nicki Sorensen – a familiar name, but I don’t know much about him.
Tom Steels – been around a long time and is clearly past his prime. He’s pretty tough though for a sprinter (often see him try and infiltrate a long break). He’s inexpensive and could be a good pick if he stays healthy (lots of illness over the years).
Didn’t stay healthy again.
Guido Trentin – A strong American that you never hear of. Helps direct the train for guys like Cipo and Pettachi. I think he has dual US and Italian citizenship.
Jan Ullrich – I don’t know where he picked up 1300 points last year. It seemed liked he hardly raced at all. If he races any more than last year, he should be good to get his points back. Probably the best GT contender (except for Cunego) that can actually win a big one day race in August (too bad the Meisterschaft von Zurich is now in October).
I still don’t know how he got so many points as he had even a shorter season than normal. He is one of the few GT racers that can actually win a single classic but he didn’t participate this year. If he does next year and wins the TdF he’ll be a great pick.
Stefan van Dijck – Another familiar name that I don’t know much about.
A few victories and high places in non-Pro Tour races allowed him to do well compared to other less well known riders.
Jurgen van Goolen – A non-familiar name that I don’t know much about.
Young Belgian moving to Discovery next year. He’s probably strong but will be a mule for others?
Max van Heeswijk – Good, fast and very strong. Frankly, he should have won more big races than he has (he does win smaller races with seeming ease). Ask Bob Kuhn to recount the story Adam Meyerson tells about racing with van Heeswijk as a junior. It goes to show how much stronger the good Euro-pros are than our own very good domestique riders.
Terrible year and not sure why. Does anyone know if he was hurt?
Wim van Huffel - ? It is a cool name.
OK value for an inexpensive young rider.
Peter van Petegem – Admittedly only targets a few races a year, but is a proven champion. I pick him to be on the podium, if not the winner, of both de Ronde and Roubaix. Chris, Cathy and I spent an afternoon in the bar that his fan club calls home. It’s loaded with cool pics, victory wreaths, drunk Flandrians, and a replica cobble PR trophy that you get to kiss just like the real winners.
Great form in the spring but without a big victory; Boonen’s escape in de Ronde was a counter to the third of van Petegem’s attacks. Had great form at the worlds where he closed a 10 second gap in the final 2 km to bring Boonen up to Bettini and Vino at 600 m to go. Why didn’t he go for any of his own victories in other races at the end of the year?
Romans Vainsteins – I really liked him 4-5 years ago when he well placed in many classics and then deservedly won the worlds. From what I can remember, the money he got afterwards really made him lazy (shades of Dario Pieri?). He’s talented, so can be a contender if he works at it. Probably past his prime though.
Must not have “worked at it” or been on the right team to compete.
Alejandro Valverde – Pretty solidly built for a Spainard. He can climb and sprint well. Has won lots and lots of small Spanish races over the past two years earning him tons of UCI points against limited competition. However, he has been in the mix in the last two world championships when the single day specialists have been there. Two things could happen this year, he may show that he really isn’t as good as his points suggest when forced to go up against the best or really turn out to be a Spanish version of Cunego. My one Spanish rider concession for the year.
Looked to be a great pick based upon his early TdF performance (outsprinted Armstrong on the first mountain stage) then withdrew with a knee injury. Showed great form at the worlds but didn’t pick up any other late season points. Disappointing overall.
Frank Vandenbroucke – A classic sports star f___ up! He really doesn’t look like much of an athlete but is clearly talented. Very few people who know how good he is/was are even willing to bother with him anymore. Not on a Pro Tour team and has already announced that he will not be in good shape for the entire spring classics campaign. He is cheap though.
His career is clearly over as far as I am concerned. Pretty amazing that the best years of a very good career occur when you’re 19-20 years old.
Rik Verbrugghe – Although he has had some injuries, I really don’t know what the deal is with guy. He won a Giro prologue with the fastest time in history and did a 25 km chase pulling the peloton behind him in Fleche Wallonne. After catching the break near the very last climb up the wall at Huy, he went straight past everyone to take the victory. Most impressive ride in past 4-5 years. Had been a disappointment on my past few fantasy teams. Could he have been on beetles and wasps during the year or two he looked like a future superstar?
Average year would have been much better if he didn’t completely crack at the end of the ENECO tour.
Alexandre Vinokourov – Talented and his attacking style make this all-arounder a great rider in all stage races and hilly single day races. Injuries kept his point total relatively low last year. Seems like the pick everyone should have on their team this year. There’s nothing not to like about him.
I nailed this guy as well. Winner of LBL and a fighter all season including the GTs. What’s not to like about him. He won’t ever win the TdF though.
Thomas Voeckler – No one ever heard of him until last July. He is young and won the French championship (a good sign). He got in a lucky break last year in the TdF. However outclassed he was, he was fabulous in trying to do everything in his power to ‘honor the jersey’. His not wearing a helmet and sunglasses made for great photos as he fought his way up the climbs on multiple days. I certainly don’t call it “courageous” or whatever nonsporting words are often used to describe a sporting event, but photos and video of him trying to “race a bicycle” are the kind of thing that’s gets people hooked on bike racing. He was a great thing for the Tour last year. I would never pick him until he shows that he can actually win or place consistently in good races. To my surprise, he showed himself to be strong in this year’s Het Volk – a great sign.
Likable fighter not good enough (yet?) to win Pro Tour single day races and not good enough at TTs or big climbs to win stage races.
Jens Voigt – This experienced rider is good, but not great, in some single day races and many week long stage races. He doesn’t do much for me, so I’d like to hear from someone who picked as to why.
Like I said, he’s very strong but he’s not, and never will be, a winner.
Steffen Wesemann – Has a win at Flanders and a second at Roubaix. He missed opportunities to win each of these on other occasions because of equipment problems (cleats) when he was clearly capable of being the winner. Speaks English and trains in Tuscon during the winter. A very similar rider to van Petegem but perhaps a little bit less quick in the sprint. Far and away, he and van Petegem are, on paper, the best riders for Flanders and Roubaix. Of course, the great thing about racing is that you never know how it’s going to play out.
Missed the big break in Roubaix and had to pull back the lead group by himself all afternoon long. He was clearly in shape in the spring and later in the year but didn’t pick up any points. Certainly, a disappointing year.
David Zabriskie – I believe he was the American who had the long solo stage win (ala Durand) in the Vuelta last year. I don’t think he’s very young so it isn’t like he’s going to be a superstar, but he is American.
and a very good TTer. He had a chance to win the worlds but decided to call the season quits. I expect a TT stage win or two every year but not much more. Don’t forget that next year, the UCI has already stated that stages will be worth more than this year.
Steve Zampieri - ?
Still a big question mark.
Haimar Zubeldia – A better TTer than Mayo and nearly as good on the climbs in 2003 made him a great pick for last year but he was nowhere. Because few Spainards race much outside of Spain, I don’t know why he had such a horrible year in 2004. If he’s truly good, he’s a great value. However if he looked great in 2003 because of the lax doping controls in Spain (I think the Spainish riders are the biggest dopers because it is easiest to get away with it in Spain), then he likely won’t be much better this year.
Nothing all year. Once again, all the Spanish prospects from a few years ago are very suspect as far as “physiological preparation” goes.