Monday, 27 June 2011

#TDF The Teams 5 - Vacansoleil-DCM

Vacansoleil-DCM are making thier debut in the Tour and indeed only one of their riders has riden the Tour before.

201 Roman Feillu (Fra) 27 The French sprinter has started three Tours but has yet to finish, but he had three top ten finishes in his first Tour won. He also managed to pull on the Yellow Jersey (along with the White Jersey) after stage three of the 2008 Tour. But both were short lived. He won three stages in this years Tour Méditerranéen. He doesn't have the raw speed of some of the top sprinters but if he can get into a break away that stays away he may have a chance of picking up a stage win.

202 Borut Božič (Slv) 30 The Slovenian has won the 6th stage on the 2009 Vuelta a España. He has also won a stage on this years Tour de Suisse. Having won the Tour de Wallonie in 2007 and 3rd in Paris-Tour in 2009. He is another sprinter on this team, so may also pick up a stage through a breakaway move, as he has done to get some of his most sucessful finished in classics.

203 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) 24 The young rider won the Mountain Classification in the 2009 Tour of Britain. This yeaar he has stages wins in the Tour de Suisse (7th) and Paris-Nice (1st) as well as the Circuit de Lorraine (3rd) in 3 which he took overall honours.

204 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) 28 This rider in last year's Tour de Pologne claimed both the Sprinters and Mountain classifications. His Grand Tour experience includes a 12th in the 2009 Vuelta a España. He should be the highest placed of the team. Though may not be even in the top 20 come Paris.

205 Björn Leukemans (Ned) 33 Has had a number of top ten finishes in recent classics 7th Amstel Gold 2011, 9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2011, 6th Paris-Robaix 2010. With the first week of this weeks Tour being like some of those classic races you may well find him trying to race away from the field on some of the stages with the tougher finishes.

206 Marco Marcato (Ita) 27 Yet another sprinter on this team selection. With various stage podiums and performances in one day classics, 8th in the 2010 Amstel Gold Race. Likely to be used as a lead out man for Feillu.

207 Wout Poels (Ned) 23 The young Dutchman was the best Young Rider in this year's Tour Méditerranéen coming 3rd overall. A star for the future, though having also cocme 4th in this year's Vuelta a Murcia he may well be in contention for the White Jersey.

208 Rob Ruijgh (Ned) 24 A utility rider for the team who has yet to make his mark on any race. Though came 8th on stage one of this year's Dauphiné Libéré.

209 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) 28 The time trialist in the team having picked up a number of prologue wins in his career, this year's Tour of Belgium and the 2009 Tour de Picardie. Although he also picked up the Mountain Classification in the Three Days of De Panne while riding to second overall earlier this year.

With an inexperienced team with none having completed this tour it will be hard for Božič to make an impression but with sprinters looking to set up Feillu, or maybe with guys looking to get into breakaways on days that the psrinters teams aren't going to give chase they may pick up the odd stage win.

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