Professional Cycling For the Fans - CSC team leader?

Any word on who Riis might have has his team leader? Zabriskie? Julich?

Guessin Dave Z. Not sure Bobby has it in his legs. Maybe even Sastre? Is he riding?

Julich or Sastre.. once they hit the mountians they'll decide

Julich did get 3rd in the last "drug bust" shruken TdF in 1998

first day in the mountains will decide b/n Julich and Sastre.

I'm betting Sastre, but it will be sastre or julich. David Z will be a threat to win a TT, but not a Gc rider.

Dave z would be able to be a GC guy in the future if he worked on his climbing. once that guy learns to climb, he'll be killer.

How old is he? 26? he can still become a GC guy, but i'll take a few years.

Bobby. Can't imagine how Dave could be considered a TDF GC contender.

I don't think they'll have to decide until the mountains, but Julich is no slouch in a time trial and there are two long-ish ones. Sastre is a strong climber. It will be interesting to see what he does not having to tow Basso.

CSC sans Basso is a really strong team for defending a yellow jersey, but they'll have to get it first.

OLN guys keep talking like it will be Bobby, but according to this from Procycling.com, they have chosen Carlos Sastre to be the guy.
http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=2225

OLN guys keep talking like it will be Bobby, but according to this from Procycling.com, they have chosen Carlos Sastre to be the guy.
http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=2225


too bad Bobby isn't 5 years younger...... He would have had a great chance... but at 35 I'm afraid he might be too old. Especially since he hasn't been training to ride GC but just a supporting domestique.

saw zabriskie fetching water today on oln.... surprised me in that i reckoned that would normally be a chore of a 'lesser' domestique?

saw zabriskie fetching water today on oln.... surprised me in that i reckoned that would normally be a chore of a 'lesser' domestique?


Zabriskie IS a domestique.

Zabriskie IS a domestique.

Frank Schleck says Sastre is leader, but hopes to show he can be a leader if he feels well in the mountains.

Julich must be incredulous; working for Basso when he could have been training to be a GC leader. I can see him now, "Bjarne, I can do this! Let me lead."

I would think the new man will be Sastre and even procycling.com says it. However, I read Bobby Jullich's diary on espn and he says that the new leader will be decided after the first time trial. Maybe that is what he's hoping, or he's just writing that to get more Americans interested in the tour.

I think it will be a fluid situation until one or the other of them steps up or falls behind. Riis doesn't sound totally set on Sastre in the Procycling article. I'm sure Bobby will give it his best effort in Sunday's TT in hopes of a shot at the yellow jersey. But he will also need to be strong in the mountains to be the team leader. I think it will be clear a week from now.

Zabriskie IS a domestique.
thanks - i thought maybe that some of the more notable domestiques were kind of 'first among equals' and might not be expected or required to haul water?

thanks - i thought maybe that some of the more notable domestiques were kind of 'first among equals' and might not be expected or required to haul water?

Almost every rider hauls water. Anyone recall the disco rider who was in yellow and still hauled water to Lance? Caused a bit of a stir.

I'm not even sure I'd call Dave a super-domestique.

Almost every rider hauls water.

I'm not even sure I'd call Dave a super-domestique.


100% correct on both counts.

Almost every rider hauls water. Anyone recall the disco rider who was in yellow and still hauled water to Lance? Caused a bit of a stir.

I'm not even sure I'd call Dave a super-domestique.
that's where my thinking/ignorance was coming from: saw Z wear yellow last year and reckoned that once you had been on a team for some years and had worn yellow maybe your water carrying days were over... nice to learn that the teams are more egalitarian than that...

I think we'll know by the end of the first mountain stage. Julich is no slouch in a time trial, but lately it was Sastre pulling Basso up the big passes.

that's where my thinking/ignorance was coming from: saw Z wear yellow last year and reckoned that once you had been on a team for some years and had worn yellow maybe your water carrying days were over... nice to learn that the teams are more egalitarian than that...

This is only his second year with CSC, after a couple of years with US Postal.

It wasn't certain that Z would even make the Tour squad until his performance in the Dauphine. Winning the prologue and ITT stage there, plus hanging on pretty well in the mountain stages, clinched his position for the TdF.

That said, I am glad to see that CSC is finally starting to treat him with a little respect regarding his time trialing, by giving him the final slot in the Prologue (whereas last year he was the first or second CSC rider to go).

Its an american so its obviously Zabriskie. Here is another question;
doesn't Stuart O' Grady like good in a CSC jersey?

Schleck crashed yesterday 3 kms from finish and lost 2'07". 2 leaders left now, Sastre and Julich, TT will decide who will be protected first.

My guess is, that in the first mountain stage Schleck will go for an early break to test the peloton, one of his team mates will benefit form such a tactics (...if Schleck fit enough of course ). Result of this would be to force other teams to show their cards in the mountain, test the opponents and, maybe win a mountain stage. Just not sure if Spaniards would accept alliance with a CSC guy.

I dream of a big breakaway with Mayo in the Pyrenees, aaaaaaaaaahhh

Almost every rider hauls water. Anyone recall the disco rider who was in yellow and still hauled water to Lance? Caused a bit of a stir.

I'm not even sure I'd call Dave a super-domestique.

probably Victor Hugo Pena.

Should be Sastre.

Any word on who Riis might have has his team leader? Zabriskie? Julich?

Carlos Sastre !

According to the cervelo website, it is indeed Sastre.