I might ignore the TdF this year

[The Suit]

Well, definitely not cheering for the Shack.

Johann Bruyneel & team RadioShack announced that Chris Horner isn't going to be on their Tour squad. WTF?

[Dickeymotto]

I haven't given a shit for a few years now. Fuck pro cycling.

[Long Duck Dong]

I was angry at first too, but here is the other side.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/...ecision_223554

Apparently, Radio Shack gave Horner a very clear indication that to be considered for the Tour, he would have to ride one of the pre tour warmups (Suisse or Dauphine) and that Horner said he wasn't ready. Either way, it is a shitty situation. Horner is 41 and has never really had a chance to lead a team in the TdF. If you remember, in 2010 when he finished 9th he really only had the second half of the race to race for himself once it was clear that Lance was not contending. It is a bit sad that Horner spent so much time as a domestique. I would have also liked to have seen Van de Velde ride for himself earlier in his career. I think he could have been a podium rider. I hope Timmy Duggan finds himself leading a team in a grand tour soon too.

[TBS]

It's tough for him, but Shack/Trek/Nissan is so stacked with talent that it's unlikely Horner would have made their TdF team even if he was healthy

Of the 14 guys picked, five will be cut. As I see it, the following guys are "sure things" to be on the TdF team:
Fabian Cancellara
Linus Gerdemann
Andreas Klöden
Maxime Monfort
Andy Schleck
Fränk Schleck
Haimar Zubeldia

Which leaves two saddles open. Popovych, Rast & Voigt have all been riding better than Horner this year. Of those three, I'm guessing Popovych will be cut too.

As much as I respect Horner's accomplishments and attitude, he has never had much success racing in Europe - certainly not a Grand Tour team leader material (nor is Leipheimer IMO)...

[XtrPickels]

Horner has always seemed like a cry baby to me.

[huckbucket]

Horner never could have been a TdF GC contender. Wasn't gonna happen. The US had their star (LA) and there simply wasn't room for another (read FL). Plus, he's too fat to climb with the likes of AC.

Vande Velde got some religion after 2008 and 2009 when he was likely hitting the sauce. Has still put in some stunning performances after that time (the most recent Giro comes to mind), but I doubt he's committed to the "program" any more. And Tim Duggan? Really? Fine domestique, but GC contender? C'mon.

The guy I'm waiting to hear got popped is Sagan. HOLY SCHMOLEY is he making everyone look slow. Like Boonen earlier in the year and Gilbert last year.

Barring crashes, malfunctions, etc. I think Wiggens takes the tour this year. Other than Evans, who's can possibly out TT and outclimb him? The whole of the Sky team look stellar (in a suspicious way).

[L7]

I haven't seen this anywhere else here and this seems an appropriate spot.

[Long Duck Dong]

Guys, I think your standards are pretty high. I guess that is a consequence of having watched Armstrong win 7 TdFs in a row. Horner and Levi are not Grand Tour leader material? Really? There are 22 teams that get invited each year, and I would guess that at least 15 have a leader with GC aspirations. (Maybe more, but certainly some are just there for stage wins and sprints). Horner has finished 15th and 9th in the TdF without ever having freedom to pursue GC for himself. Leipheimer is a former U.S. National TT Champ, and has finished on the Vuelta podium twice, been 5th in the Giro, and has TdF finishes of 8th, 9th, 6th, 12th, 3rd, and 12th. That isn't a Grand Tour leader? Yikes.

I will concede that Duggan is a bit of a reach. I mean, he is already 29 years old. I just like his comeback story after a horrific crash that damn near killed him. Was stoked to see him win the U.S. Road title after all the work he did in the ToC for Sagan.

I have shared similar suspicions about Christian VdV being on the sauce. Seems like such a good guy though. And yeah, Sky is frightening. The images of Wiggins climbing mountains with his team around him entirely intact was pretty impressive. Not sure how Cavendish fits in with their TdF plans though. That plus Sagan looking like a world beater (who can get over medium mountains with the peloton) might spell doom for Cav in the Tour.

[Cyber Cop]

What about Tyler Hamilton? He's a GC contender, right?

[Sessiøn]

This years tour is about Brad Wiggins, Cadel Evan's, and MAYBE one of the Schlecks if they pull their heads out of their asses. Chris Horner would have just been a domestique. In any case others are riding better.

[Toofus]

Not sure how Cavendish fits in with their TdF plans though. That plus Sagan looking like a world beater (who can get over medium mountains with the peloton) might spell doom for Cav in the Tour.

Sagan is a beast.... It'll definitely be interesting to see how he does in the TdF.

[Long Duck Dong]

Looks like brother Andy is deciding to skip the tour this year, citing injuries sustained during the Dauphine TT. Broken vertabrae? Really? Sounds suspiciously like the team is trying to save him the embarassment of a former tour "champion" getting trounced. His form has been pretty bad this year, and this tour is not designed for climbers at all anyway. But the Schlecks have always seemed a bit soft to me. Shit, Johan practically called brother Frank a pussy after his mystery withdrawl from the Giro earlier.

So, now who is Radio Shack left with? Fuglsang, Voigt, Monfort, Cancellara, Gerdemann, Zubeldia, Rast, brother Frank. . .What exactly is this team? Do they have a sure thing top 5 GC that they will be working for? Not with this tour course, and not with brother Frank's form. So what are they? A bunch of stage chasers? Not really. Shit, even Fabian isn't likely to win a TT with Martin and Wiggins riding the way they are this year. So why not bring Horner? You are an American team with an American sponsor trying to get the attention of Americans in a French race. For God's sake, bring an American! Particularly one as popular as Horner. Or, go to the race, place Frank 7th in GC, win zero stages, and essentially be pack fodder for 3 weeks.

[supermodel159]

Sagan will be the one to watch. Hopefully the can keep up with the hype.

[XtrPickels]

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/...is-fine_223336

Some Gems:
Throughout his career, Horner has been in the running, but overlooked, for Olympic selection — first back in 1996, and again in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Horner said he spent Monday afternoon emailing his most recent power files to Jim Miller, USA Cycling’s vice president of athletics, to prove that he is race-fit and worthy of Olympic selection.

“I’ve had great results this year. I was top 10 at the Tour of the Basque Country, and I was third on the hardest climbing stage at Basque,” Horner said. “I was second overall at Tirreno, and in California I was clearly one of the best riders. I know I had a bad time trial; I was there, I remember it well. But if you look at the Mount Baldy stage, it was epic, there were three teams destroyed chasing me, I had a one-minute lead at the bottom of the Baldy climb and only four guys caught me by the finish"

Who points out how good they are by pointing out how many people caught him after he had a 1 minute lead?

[TBS]

Horner and Levi are not Grand Tour leader material? Really? There are 22 teams that get invited each year, and I would guess that at least 15 have a leader with GC aspirations. (Maybe more, but certainly some are just there for stage wins and sprints). Horner has finished 15th and 9th in the TdF without ever having freedom to pursue GC for himself. Leipheimer is a former U.S. National TT Champ, and has finished on the Vuelta podium twice, been 5th in the Giro, and has TdF finishes of 8th, 9th, 6th, 12th, 3rd, and 12th. That isn't a Grand Tour leader? Yikes.

<snip>

And yeah, Sky is frightening. The images of Wiggins climbing mountains with his team around him entirely intact was pretty impressive. Not sure how Cavendish fits in with their TdF plans though. That plus Sagan looking like a world beater (who can get over medium mountains with the peloton) might spell doom for Cav in the Tour.

Horner has never been more that a domestique in Yurp. Leipheimer is 38, his last Grand Tour podium finish was in 2008, and he broke his leg in April. His ship has sailed. Chavenal is the Omega Quick Step team leader. I'll be amazed if LL even finishes this year's Tour.

Agreed that Sky is an awesome team. Cav is there to win sprints, and is a well-known, Rainbow-Jerseyed Brit on a Brit team. Will see how he does in the Tour without Renshaw leading him out this year. Hasn't seemed to bother him so far, despite that wreck in GdI.

And L7, that vid is hilarious.

[Long Duck Dong]

I actually think Velits is the best GC rider on the Quickstep team. Chavanel is a stage hunter. By "team leader" it is generally meant rider that the worker bees work for and try to protect in terms of GC standing. I wouldn't be shocked at all to see Velits turn in a top 10 performance. I think it is fair to say that Horner and Leipheimer are not threats to win a Tour de France anymore, but how many guys in the world are? Probably 2 this year. There are a lot of teams going into the Tour this year that would like to have Levi as their GC team leader this year.

[supermodel159]

No Andy this year

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/47794793/ns/sports/

[Long Duck Dong]

Horner made the team.

Might even be the GC leader if what brother Frank says is true (he doesn't want to be the leader due to fatigue).

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/horn...de-france-team

[huckbucket]

I'll be amazed if LL even finishes this year's Tour.

That's a dumb comment. If Levi goes from podium in the TdS to getting dropped at the tour without losing some skin along the way, I think I'll shit myself.

No one is talking about the Spaniards in general and Movistar in particular. They've got lots of angles to play for stages wins and the overall. Despite this, I still think Wiggens takes it and that he dominates the TT's so much that it turns into a yawner.

[Long Duck Dong]

Wiggins is definitely the favorite, but a lot can happen in 3 weeks. The strongest guy on paper doesn't always win.

And I don't really get the Levi bashing (as I have said). He is still recovering from a broken leg and just snagged a TdS podium. He kept up with the likes of Schleck, Gesink, Valverde, Kreuziger, Danielson, etc. Those are guys that are going to be top 10 in the Tour this year. When you are top 10 in a grand tour, you are a team GC leader. But I've made that point a number of times now.

[The Suit]

Hooray for Horner! I'm psyched to see him race, hopefully with a green light to go for an individual result. I don't think he's a podium threat, though.

Levi rode pretty well at the Tour de Suisse. I don't think he's a podium threat, either.

Don't be counting out Evans.

[Elkhound Odin]

How am I going to get my TDF fix if Versus isn't broadcasting each stage 4x a day?