Going for yellow

[dirtbikedude]

Just wondering, teams like Disco trained (at least that is how it seems) for one reason/rider. Why would they only have one rider who may ride away with the MJ. They do, as some other teams, have more riders cappable of doing so but they put all their effort to help one rider win.

Why not work for at least two riders? If LA goes down for any reason, crash or illness, then the team is realy screwed. They may get someone to the podium but I do not see that happening since I would think the other teams would realy kick it up a notch. Could they not keep one rider close enough to LA that if needed he could step up and take the win?

:beer:

[hollow]

There are examples of teams that have ridden for multiple riders. Most recently T-Mobile last year. They had two in the top four (Kloden & Ullrich). If you listen to many other GC riders and what their objectives are you'll hear anything from top ten to podium positions.

With Discovery/USPS there has been no doubt that their goal is the top spot. It's hard to be guaranteed of that unless you are willing to dedicate everything to one rider. They have never cared about any other jersey, they don't bring any sprinters and they don't care about the team competition. That's the great thing about the Tour, there are many reasons teams have for being there: GC, Green Jersey, Polka Dot, Team Comp, stage wins.

There are probably only about 5 teams there to ride for there GC men. T-Mobile is one, but they can never figure out who to ride for. Remember last year when Jan asked Lance to help him chase down Kloden? Doesn't build a lot of unity in working for your teammates.

T-Mobile have 3 GC men and Discovery probably have 4, but Savoldelli, Popovych and Azevedo are will to put their aspirations aside, for various reasons.

[skinnyone]

You gotta be a super freak to be a legit GC contendor... Very few are...

[kubla khan]

There are examples of teams that have ridden for multiple riders. Most recently T-Mobile last year. They had two in the top four (Kloden & Ullrich). If you listen to many other GC riders and what their objectives are you'll hear anything from top ten to podium positions.

With Discovery/USPS there has been no doubt that their goal is the top spot. It's hard to be guaranteed of that unless you are willing to dedicate everything to one rider. They have never cared about any other jersey, they don't bring any sprinters and they don't care about the team competition. That's the great thing about the Tour, there are many reasons teams have for being there: GC, Green Jersey, Polka Dot, Team Comp, stage wins.

There are probably only about 5 teams there to ride for there GC men. T-Mobile is one, but they can never figure out who to ride for. Remember last year when Jan asked Lance to help him chase down Kloden? Doesn't build a lot of unity in working for your teammates.

T-Mobile have 3 GC men and Discovery probably have 4, but Savoldelli, Popovych and Azevedo are will to put their aspirations aside, for various reasons.Which teams are there for the Team Competition? I didn't know anyone cared about that...

[MasterSezFaster]

There are examples of teams that have ridden for multiple riders. Most recently T-Mobile last year. They had two in the top four (Kloden & Ullrich). If you listen to many other GC riders and what their objectives are you'll hear anything from top ten to podium positions.

With Discovery/USPS there has been no doubt that their goal is the top spot. It's hard to be guaranteed of that unless you are willing to dedicate everything to one rider. They have never cared about any other jersey, they don't bring any sprinters and they don't care about the team competition. That's the great thing about the Tour, there are many reasons teams have for being there: GC, Green Jersey, Polka Dot, Team Comp, stage wins.

There are probably only about 5 teams there to ride for there GC men. T-Mobile is one, but they can never figure out who to ride for. Remember last year when Jan asked Lance to help him chase down Kloden? Doesn't build a lot of unity in working for your teammates.

T-Mobile have 3 GC men and Discovery probably have 4, but Savoldelli, Popovych and Azevedo are will to put their aspirations aside, for various reasons.


I am speaking of Disco primarily because a few teams have multiple contenders and others are gunning for different titles but for a team whose main goal is dedicated to the top spot then why not have two riders with one riderer being "the man" and the other as a back up in the event of a problem with the number one rider. Yeah the back up rider would need to control his desire for the win and being close enough to do so would be tempting but if they had the wright attitude do you not think it could work?

I guess if Disco's main objective is to get Lance the win then no need for a "second".

:beer:

[Dolomiti]

Yeah the back up rider would need to control his desire for the win and being close enough to do so would be tempting but if they had the wright attitude do you not think it could work?


Wouldn't it just be a waste of a strong helper for Armstrong?
Obviously they have great riders, but none can compare to Armstrong's ability in the Tour. If Armstrong has trouble, they have little chance at winning the GC so it makes sense to have all of them work for him. It's not like Armstrong has shown himself to be inconsistant with injuries or anything... I mean he was won the last 6 Tours you know.

[collegeskier]

Disco races for Lance cause that is where the cash is. Discovery pays for Lance to win just as USPS used to. In the US the marketing power comes from Lance winning. None of their other GC contenders on Discovery are American or have the back story that Lance does not giving them the same marketing power.

[collegeskier]

Which teams are there for the Team Competition? I didn't know anyone cared about that...

CSC and T-Mobile compete for the team competition usually. The best chance of winning is to do exactly what those teams do. You have to put someone, actually helps to be a different person, every chance you get. Then you have to have 1 to 3 gc men to compete when you get to the mountains and finish highly. There is pride in winning this and come the last few stages you will see CSC and T-Mobile begin to fight it out more clearly. It just does not get much attention from the US audience or announcers