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PRE-TOUR TECH AND NEWS: TOUR DE FRANCE CHEAT SHEET
Road Bike Action and AFP
July 3, 2008
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Agritubel (FRA)
As a non-Pro Tour team, Agritubel will focus on getting sprinter Romain Feilleu on the podium for a stage win (he had three top ten stage finishes in his 2007 Tour debut). Agritubel is led by Christophe Moreau.
AG2R (FRA)
AG2R will be on the hunt for stage wins. Russian Vladimir Efimkin, former yellow jersey wearer Cyril Dessel, classics specialist Martin Elmiger and climber John Gadret in the race, AG2R will be focused on getting into as many breakaways as possible.
Barloworld (GBR)
After a great 2007, Barloworld will hope for a similar 2008 from South African Robert Hunter and Mauricio Soler. Hunter claimed his and South Africa's first ever stage win in 2007 and got in the mix for the race's green jersey. This year, Hunter will have Australian Baden Cooke to work with in the sprints, while Colombian climber Soler will be out to defend his King of the Mountains polka dot jersey.
Bouygues Telecom (FRA)
Bouygues' stellar recruiting of Russian Yuri Trofimov, who secured his ticket for his first Tour by winning a stage of the Dauphine Libere earlier this month, should pay off. With no real yellow jersey contenders to speak of, Trofimov - a former mountain biker - will join former stage winner Pierrick Fedrigo, Thomas Voeckler and Jerome Pineau in aiming to secure stage wins.
Caisse d'Epargne (ESP)
The Spanish team won one yellow jersey - Oscar Pereiro - in 2006,
after American Floyd Landis was disqualified This year's team leader
Alejandro Valverde has a good chance to win the Tour de France. His experience in stage races, climbing prowess and recently improved time trial speed will help. If his team can assist him in the mountain stages, he just may be wearing yellow in Paris.
Cofidis (FRA)
Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel leads the popular French team. Coming off a great classics season, Chavanel is coming into the Tour confident. Stage wins are the aim for the Cofidis team who come to this years Tour with four rookies.
Credit Agricole (FRA)
Thor Hushovd is the race favorite for the green jersey (Boonen's exclusion in the race helped). Most of the Credit Agricole team will be working hard to impress new potential sponsors and to assure Hushovd's green jersey win. Look for Australian Simon Gerrans to get into some early breakaways.
Team CSC-Saxo Bank (DEN)
Carlos Sastre is CSC-Saxo Bank's yellow jersey hopeful, but look for the Schleck brothers (Andy and Frank) to be in the shotgun position should the opportunity arise. The experienced Stuart O'Grady, Jen's Voigt and Fabian Cancellara will surely stack up stage wins on their way into Paris. Bjarne Riis has a strong team to contest this year's Tour.
Euskaltel Euskadi (ESP)
The orange and passionate Basque team will be very comfortable in the Pyrenees and the Alps and are hoping for some GC success with Haimar Zubeldia (5th in 2003 and 2007). Also, watch the experienced Mikel Astarloza.
Francaise des Jeux (FRA)
Frenchman Sandy Casar and Belgian star Philippe Gilbert are the riders to watch. Casar came through with a Stage 18 win in 2007 and Gilbert is leaving FDJeux and will most likely go for a stage win.
Garmin-Chipotle (USA)
The American team is led by former stage winner David Millar, Magnus Backstedt and Christian Vandevelde. Julian Dean will be contesting the sprints and 23-year old Martijn Maaskant wil be making his Tour debut as will American's Will Frischkorn and Danny Pate. Many young American cyclists will be watching this team with hopeful eyes.
Gerolsteiner (GER)
The German outfit has some talented riders in Fabian Wegmenn, Stefan
Schumacher, Markus Fothen and Heinrich Haussler. Gerolsteiner's last stage was in 2005, so watch for this team to try and pick one up.
Lampre (ITA)
Damiano Cunego is Lampre's star. The former Giro d'Italia winner is in the hunt for overall victory in Paris. In only his second Tour (in his first he won the white jersey for best U-25 rider). Cunego skipped the Giro this year in order to train for the Tour. His only concern will be keeping up with Evans and Valverde in the time trials. If he can do that, he could win the Tour.
Liquigas (ITA)
Not known as a climbing team, watch Liquigas come out strong early with Daniele Bennati focusing on bunch sprints. Filippo Pozzato won a stage last year and Bennati won two, so expect Liquigas to hope for the same in 2008.
Milram (ITA)
The 38-year-old Erik Zabel is the rider to watch with Team Milram with Brett Lancaster in a supporting role. Watch for Zabel to grab a stage win.
Quick Step (BEL)
Without Tom Boonen, Quick Step's focus has changed. Gert Steegmans will go for more stage wins and Tour of Flanders winner, Stijn Devolder will be attempting to create some magic for the Belgian team in his first Tour de France.
Rabobank (NED)
Russian Denis Menchov is the yellow jersey contender for Rababank. Oscar Friere, the Spanish sprinter will be looking for some stage wins in the first week, then will focus on helping Menchov in the GC. Menchov can time trial and with Juan Antonio Flecha by his side, could pull off the overall victory.
Saunier Duval (ESP)
Italian Riccardo Ricco's second place in the Giro could slow him down for the Tour, but the responsibility of being considered the cycling heir to Marco Pantani should keep him motivated. Leonardo Piepoli will help Ricco in the mountains where he has a good chance of snatching at least one stage win.
Silence-Lotto (BEL)
Silence-Lotto will be going for the overall win with Australian star Cadel Evans. Robbie McEwen (also from Australia) will be sprinting solo in the bunch sprints as the team is focused on getting Cadel to Paris in yellow. Ukranian Yaroslav Popovych and Belgian Mario Aerts will be focused on helping Cadel in the mountain stages.
Team Columbia (USA)
Team Columbia (formerly High Road) have plenty of talent and well-balanced Kim Kirchen could be in the hunt for the yellow jersey. Britain's Mark Cavendish will look to repeat his stage win success at the Giro d'Italia, with the help of German sprinter Gerald Ciolek. Kirchen, who finished seventh overall in his third Tour de France in 2007, has the support of tour veteran, American George Hincapie, Belarussian Kanstantsin Sivtsov and Swede Thomas Lovkvist. Look for Hincapie to grab a stage win, possibly on Stage 1 on Saturday.
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