Pro Cycling

[pels]

Stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana is live tonight at 11:30pm on SBS.
This is what the riders have to look forward to, nasty stage will be fun to watch

[pels]

Stage 9 live on SBS tonight at 11:30
GC standings are

1 RODRIGUEZ, Joaquin KAT 32h 18' 16''
2 MORENO, Daniel KAT + 32''
3 FUGLSANG, Jakob LEO + 34''
4 NIBALI, Vincenzo LIQ + 45''
5 SCARPONI, Michele LAM + 51''
6 KESSIAKOFF, Fredrik AST + 54''
7 VAN DEN BROECK, Jurgen OLO + 56''
8 CHAVANEL, Sylvain QST + 1' 00''
9 MOLLEMA, Bauke RAB + 1' 00''
10 MONFORT, Maxime LEO + 1' 01''
11 BRUSEGHIN, Marzio MOV + 1' 09''
12 NIEVE, Mikel EUS + 1' 14''
14 ZUBELDIA, Haimar RSH + 1' 17''
16 BRAJKOVIC, Janez RSH + 1' 33''
17 COBO, Juan José GEO + 1' 41''
19 SIVTSOV, Kanstantsin THR + 1' 46''
21 WIGGINS, Bradley SKY + 1' 48''
22 MARTIN, Daniel GRM + 2' 03''
23 ROCHE, Nicolas ALM + 2' 06''
24 MACHADO, Tiago RSH + 2' 20''
27 MENCHOV, Denis GEO + 2' 54''
29 KRUIJSWIJK, Steven RAB + 3' 03'''
31 ANTON, Igor EUS + 3' 28''
32 SASTRE, Carlos GEO + 3' 28''

[pels]

Good stage on Sunday Night won by Dan Martin an Irishman, Wiggins ride was amazing along with his teammate Froome who leads the GC now.
Here are the GC standing after last nights TT, I reckon its a battle in 2 between Wiggins & Nibali(who reminds me a lot of evans rides within his limits and is a good allrounder) but plenty of mountains still to come anyone down to Rodriguez can still do some damage.SBS are showing live the stages on Fri/Sat & Sun night which is a killer

1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 38:09:13
2 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek 0:00:12
3 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:20
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:31
5 Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Pro Team Astana 0:00:34
6 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek 0:00:59
7 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:07
8 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Geox-TMC 0:01:47
9 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team RadioShack 0:02:04
10 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Team RadioShack 0:02:13
11 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Movistar Team 0:02:15
12 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:02:21
13 Denis Menchov (Rus) Geox-TMC 0:02:35
14 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 0:03:23

[brod]

September 1 - Matty Goss to sign with GreenEDGE ???

[pig_skin]

McEwen latest signing for greenedge... first as a rider then technical advisor.. excellent pickup...

[pels]

SBS are showing live 2 brutal mountain stages tonight & tomorrow night from 11:30pm

GC standing going into tonights stage

1 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 51:14:59
2 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:04
3 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:07
4 Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Pro Team Astana 0:00:09
5 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek 0:00:19
6 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:36
7 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek 0:01:04
8 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Geox-TMC 0:01:27
9 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team 0:01:52
10 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Team RadioShack 0:01:53
11 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team RadioShack 0:02:00
12 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:02:01
13 Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:02:14
14 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:15
15 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Movistar Team 0:02:22
16 Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:02:48
17 Denis Menchov (Rus) Geox-TMC 0:02:56
18 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team

this is what is in store

[brod]

Omega Pharma Quick Step confirmed that time-trial specialist Tony Martin will line-up the newly created Belgian outfit in 2012 on a three-year deal.

[pels]

Brutal stage coming up tonight, if Wiggins is in red tonight he will more than likely win

GC standing heading into tonights stage

1 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 55:54:45
2 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:07
3 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:36
4 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Geox-TMC 0:00:55
5 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek 0:00:58
6 Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Pro Team Astana 0:01:23
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:25
8 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek 0:01:37
9 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:02:16
10 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team 0:02:24
11 Denis Menchov (Rus) Geox-TMC 0:02:56

And this is what is in store

[pig_skin]

The Luxembourg-based Leopard Trek team has announced it will join forces with the American registered RadioShack squad for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Multiple TT champion Cancellara, TDF runner ups 2 x Schleks, Tour of Cali winner Horner, TDF runner up twice Kloden, National Champions Busche, Brajkovic, Oliveira, Wagner.

this is going to be a ridiculous team neaxt year....

[Grahaml]

The Luxembourg-based Leopard Trek team has announced it will join forces with the American registered RadioShack squad for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Multiple TT champion Cancellara, TDF runner ups 2 x Schleks, Tour of Cali winner Horner, TDF runner up twice Kloden, National Champions Busche, Brajkovic, Oliveira, Wagner.

this is going to be a ridiculous team neaxt year....

The Lotto team might have some strength behind it too. I heard they were possibly merging with Quick Step but not sure if that's actually going ahead or not. BMC adding some quality and with Sky falling over and their riders joining mostly established teams, there are going to be some very strong teams next year and I fear GreenEdge are lacking some real quality. Great experience for some of the young aussies though, getting a gig before they probably deserve it, but 2012 will be a tough year for them.

[am Bays]

The Lotto team might have some strength behind it too. I heard they were possibly merging with Quick Step but not sure if that's actually going ahead or not. BMC adding some quality and with Sky falling over and their riders joining mostly established teams, there are going to be some very strong teams next year and I fear GreenEdge are lacking some real quality. Great experience for some of the young aussies though, getting a gig before they probably deserve it, but 2012 will be a tough year for them.

Huh? I thought it was HTC (which have) are Sky going the way of the Dodo too? Quick Step and Lotto appear to be a done deal listening to the Veulta commentary for the last few nights.

Should be some talent our there then for GreenEdge to get hold off. With the number of current pro-teams deminishing their chance of a full licence increases.

[am Bays]

Reckon GEOX will get a pro licence next year given that they will most likely have the Vuelta winner points to substantiate their claim to move up from a Continental to a Pro licence.

[Grahaml]

The Lotto team might have some strength behind it too. I heard they were possibly merging with Quick Step but not sure if that's actually going ahead or not. BMC adding some quality and with Sky falling over and their riders joining mostly established teams, there are going to be some very strong teams next year and I fear GreenEdge are lacking some real quality. Great experience for some of the young aussies though, getting a gig before they probably deserve it, but 2012 will be a tough year for them.

Huh? I thought it was HTC (which have) are Sky going the way of the Dodo too? Quick Step and Lotto appear to be a done deal listening to the Veulta commentary for the last few nights.

Should be some talent our there then for GreenEdge to get hold off. With the number of current pro-teams deminishing their chance of a full licence increases.

Sorry, that was correct. Don't know why I was thinking Sky. Maybe the Cavendish link, but wasn't until I read the paper today about GreenEdge signing Goss I realised my mistake.

[pels]

Richie Porte signs for Sky, he would of been a good one to get for greenedge.
Could become a GT contender in the coming years, hopefully he stays away from races that his teammates Wiggins & Cav are in.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/porte-signs-for-sky

[pels]

brutal stage of the Vuelta on Sunday night, that climb was vicious .
Very enjoyable to watch the cyclist suffer while you are knocking back a few

Cobo has it won, can't see Froome 22 sec & wiggins 51 sec back getting back the time they need.

[Grahaml]

Richie Porte signs for Sky, he would of been a good one to get for greenedge.
Could become a GT contender in the coming years, hopefully he stays away from races that his teammates Wiggins & Cav are in.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/porte-signs-for-sky

Porte is a classics rider if I've ever seen one. They might want him to turn into a GC rider later on, but he's a class act in a one day event. Wiggins as GC, Cav in sprints and Porte in classics. Sky have a nicely rounded outfit. Question coming into events like the TDF is green jersey and stage wins with Cav or overall with Wiggins? Cav is unproven as the McEwen type scavenger rider picking his moments without a leadout while Wiggins will not win without a team behind him, he's simply not that great a climber to do it solo. Maybe Cav will be given free rein and Wiggins will get 7 blokes behind him, time will tell. That's probably how I'd manage it, but Cav will need to learn a new way and get used to not being top dog.

[brod]

Milan San Remo winner Matt Goss will ride for the quickly developing Australian GreenEDGE Cycling Team.

With a breakthrough 2011 season under his belt, Goss will head into the 2012 season as one of GreenEDGE’s leaders and its point man in the sprints.

“There’s going to be more pressure as a team leader but I work well with pressure. It’s not as if I’ve come from riding down the back of the bunch to all of a sudden being the protected rider,” he said.

“The reason I joined HTC-Highroad two years ago was to get a little more leadership responsibility and it’s slowly increased. It’s been a gradual process and I’m ready to take on more of a leadership role.”

[pels]

Awesone stage of the Vuelta last night 2nd paced Froome won the stage with race leader Cobo finishing 2nd, there is now only 13 sec between the two.
Stage 18 is live on SBS tonight at 11:40

[pels]

Porte is a classics rider if I've ever seen one. They might want him to turn into a GC rider later on, but he's a class act in a one day event. Wiggins as GC, Cav in sprints and Porte in classics. Sky have a nicely rounded outfit. Question coming into events like the TDF is green jersey and stage wins with Cav or overall with Wiggins? Cav is unproven as the McEwen type scavenger rider picking his moments without a leadout while Wiggins will not win without a team behind him, he's simply not that great a climber to do it solo. Maybe Cav will be given free rein and Wiggins will get 7 blokes behind him, time will tell. That's probably how I'd manage it, but Cav will need to learn a new way and get used to not being top dog.[/quote]

Its going to be interesting to see how Cav goes next year, there is not going to be 7 man train setting it up for him in the Tour especially seeing how good Froome & Wiggins have been going in the Vuelta. Froome has been a revelation as a GC rider in the Vuelta.

[Grahaml]

Porte is a classics rider if I've ever seen one. They might want him to turn into a GC rider later on, but he's a class act in a one day event. Wiggins as GC, Cav in sprints and Porte in classics. Sky have a nicely rounded outfit. Question coming into events like the TDF is green jersey and stage wins with Cav or overall with Wiggins? Cav is unproven as the McEwen type scavenger rider picking his moments without a leadout while Wiggins will not win without a team behind him, he's simply not that great a climber to do it solo. Maybe Cav will be given free rein and Wiggins will get 7 blokes behind him, time will tell. That's probably how I'd manage it, but Cav will need to learn a new way and get used to not being top dog.[/quote]

Its going to be interesting to see how Cav goes next year, there is not going to be 7 man train setting it up for him in the Tour especially seeing how good Froome & Wiggins have been going in the Vuelta. Froome has been a revelation as a GC rider in the Vuelta.

And nobody will chase breakaways for him on flatter stages. I think for the tour Wiggins will be #1 still, Froome looms as an excellent back up man though.