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Elite Men's Team Time Trial Preview |
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Since being introduced for trade
teams in 2012 the TTT has become a popular event. The number
of teams that specialised in the discipline is not great but
those that do put a lot of effort in usually making a close
fight for the win.
There are a lot of World Tour points on offer (for team only).
This year points has less significance but strong performances
will could see a few teams move up the rankings.
Previous Editions
2012
1 Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2 BMC Racing Team +3
3 Orica-GreenEDGE +47
4 Liquigas-Cannondale +1:04
5 Rabobank +1:08
6 Movistar Team +1:18
7 Team Katusha +1:18
8 RadioShack-Nissan +1:21
9 Team Sky +1:32
10 Garmin-Sharp +1:35
2013
1 Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2 Orica-GreenEDGE +0.81
3 Team Sky +22
4 BMC Racing Team +1:02
5 RadioShack-Leopard +1:17
6 Astana +1:21
7 Cannondale +1:28
8 Garmin-Sharp +2:01
9 Team Saxo-Tinkoff +2:14
10 Movistar Team +2:31
The Route
The Contenders
Start order and times with rider list available
here.
Omega Pharma-QuickStep
Have won the past two years and are one of the two dominant
teams at the discipline. However much like
Specialized–lululemon the team has lost a number of key
riders, with Kristof Vandewalle and Sylvain Chavanel both
having left at the end of last year. The riders they have
included in their place are strong but on paper the team
doesn't look anywhere near as strong as it has the past two
years. The team won the opening TTT at Tirreno-Adriatico but
only Martin and Kwiatkowski were in the team then and at
18.5km it is only around a third of the distance. The team
finished second at the Giro but again the distance was less
than half. Without their big engines they could suffer. The
main power comes from Tony Martin, while the best in the world
hasn't seemed his absolute best this year. Niki Terpstra,
Michael Kwiatkowski and Tom Boonen are also strong against the
clock but Pieter Serry and Julien Vermote both have big shoes
to fill.
Orica-GreenEDGE
Since formation in 2012 Orica-GreenEDGE has had the TTT as a
big target and has not disappointed. Finished third in 2012 on
a course that didn't overly suit them. Last year they finished
less than one second behind Omega Pharma-QuickStep. Over a
50km course one second can be won or lost many times over with
a tiny mistake. Won the Tour de France TTT last year and the
Giro this year. As expected they bring there A team that has
been specifically preparing in Girona for several weeks. Every
one of the six riders is a TT specialist. Luke Durbridge is a
former U23 champion, Damien Howson is the current U23 World
Champion, Michael Hepburn an U23 medallist, Svein Tuft is a
former Elite TT World Championship medallist. Jens Mouris and
Brett Lancaster also add a huge amount of firepower.
BMC
Second in 2012 and fourth last year. On their day they are
competing for the podium positions but the team is often
inconsistent. Finished 9th at the recent TTT at the Vuelta but
it wasn't their strongest squad. The absence of Taylor Phinney
due to injury is a big disadvantage. Rohan Dennis is a huge
engine and one of the best against the clock. Dennis came out
of the Vuelta flying and would have won the final stage ITT if
not for rain coming down at the end of his run. Tejay van
Garderen also adds significant power to the squad as do Peter
Velits and Manuel Quinziato.
Trek Factory Racing
The team under previous names finished eighth in 2012 and
fifth last year. Fabian Cancellara while less focused on time
trials than he used to be but he is still one of the best in
the world. Joining the team is Kristoff Vandewalle who was
part of the winning Omega Pharma-QuickStep team in 2012 and
2013. Jesse Sergent has proven his talent against the clock
again this year and his TP background on the track is an added
plus. Markel Irizar and Yaroslav Popovych are also good
against the clock.
Team Sky
Sky finished third last year just 22 seconds behind but it is
a different team. There is no Froome, Porte or Boasson Hagen.
The inclusion of Bradley Wiggins is a big boost but the team
will need to work well together. TT specialists Geraint Thomas
and Kanstantsin Siutsou were both part of the team last year.
If the team has a good day they could be challenging for the
medals potentially even the win if other teams don't get
everything 100%
Other teams to watch: Movistar and Tinkoff-Saxo. |
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