# Who is having the worst tour?



## awesometown (May 23, 2005)

As we enter the twilight stages of the tour, lets look back and ask: Who is getting the s**t end of the stick this year? Milram, Lampre who've ridden anonymous tours or Rabobank that's seen its tour hopes go down in flames?

I vote for Lampre.... Its better to have tried and blown apart than not at all....


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## godot (Feb 3, 2004)

Cadel
Menchov


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2009)

I going to say Silence Lotto, the Tour has just been a continuation of an overall horrible season for them.


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## culdeus (May 5, 2005)

was considering starting a thread saying how half the teams this year seem to just be showing up for the start and then vanishing.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

godot said:


> Cadel
> Menchov


Rabobank. Quickstep and specifically Boonen. Cofidis. Francaise des Jeux (sp?). Lampre. Milram. Silence-Lotto. Skil-Shimano. Possibly Garmin-Slipstream (if Wiggins misses out on podium). 

In other ways: Leipheimer, Hincapie, Voigt.

In yet another way: Sandy Casar. Tyler Farrar. Egoi Martinez. Whoever finishes 4th on GC. Whoever finishes 2nd in Paris sprint.


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## zosocane (Aug 29, 2004)

Good topic.

I would say Lampre wins. No results of any type and very, very few guys getting "sponsor time" in breaks. And remember they did NOTHING at the Giro either. Tomorrow's course is tailor-made for Alessandro Ballan, let's see if he finds his form.

Quick Step would be runner-up. I don't think they've done squat either.

Skil-Shimano has been gritty in many breaks (especially the first week), Cofidis had Samuel Demoulin in a very long break and one of their riders was knocking on the polka dot jersey door for a while, at least that's something. Rabobank at least has Freire who finished a close 2nd in Barcelona and still has a good shot in Paris. And Silence has that young Belgian that has been doing well in the mountains, riding close to Pelizzotti.


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## Sojourneyman (Jun 22, 2007)

I would think Lampre and Milram have been most unsuccessful. They've hardly been mentioned, for either good or bad. Any publicity is good publicity, and at least Denis Menchov and Rabobank are providing that. Silence Lotto was worst off financially after last week, and I'd say that the tour has been a bigger dissapointment for them, since they came in with higher hopes.

I would argue that Skil-Shimano is having one of the most successful Tours out there, if only because they came in with minimal expectations. If you viewed this Tour with a blank slate, you probably know more about Skil than most other teams. They've been in some breaks, got most of their team in Columbias break, and Kenny Van Hummel is perhaps the most romantic character to come out of cycling in recent memory.


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

Lampre are taking a break. After all, they have been in cycling since '91.

Worst tour? Jens Voigt.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

Milram is racing?


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## awesometown (May 23, 2005)

Maximus_XXIV said:


> Milram is racing?


exactly... if you can't even get some good camera time, what's the point of showing up? I'd like to get paid to ride in the pack too... but I'd hope racers have bigger goals in life.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

Quickstep is the biggest loser, IMO. The two biggest hypes on the team (Chavanel and Boonen) couldn't deliver squat. Massive PR damage on ejecting Davis in favor of the coke snorter.

Single rider would be Cadel, just awful performance and he hinged everything on the TDF this year. Regardless of the excuse, mental or physical, doesn't ignore how he's tanked the hardest of all GC riders. Menchov at least won the Giro so he's earned the paycheck for Rabo this year and really the TDF would've just been icing, plus he's likely sat up the last week to rest for the Vuelta where he has a history of doing better in (unless Contador enters).


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## fast ferd (Jan 30, 2009)

Sastre seems to blow up on every little climb. Not a good show for a returning champ.

Lampre and Milram race like juniors, as Cav would say.


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## nims (Jul 7, 2009)

fast ferd said:


> Sastre seems to blow up on every little climb. Not a good show for a returning champ.


Yeah that's just sad. I was pulling for him since he sounds like a nice guy but he's not able to stick with the big guys at the front this year. Sorry to say it but he's not really countering lance's comments about last years tour.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

nims said:


> Yeah that's just sad. I was pulling for him since he sounds like a nice guy but he's not able to stick with the big guys at the front this year. Sorry to say it but he's not really countering lance's comments about last years tour.


Sastre, Evans, VadndeVelde, Menchov. Freire in sprints. It's like everyone who did well in 2008 is cursed. Except Schleck who got white jersey.

was Kohl disqualified officially, and if so, Sastre won king of the mountains last year too. 
Pop-quiz: When was the last time someone won both yellow and polka dot?


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## bubbha70 (Aug 8, 2004)

Cadel
Menchov
Sastre


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## Travis (Oct 14, 2005)

Cadel and Sastre have been pouting their way around France since their teams gave up so much time in the TTT. Sastre is just flat out not trying and Cadel has gone mental again. I am sure Sastre will go hard on Ventoux... he's been tanking for the last week saving it for saturday.
Worst team: Quickstep for obvious reasons

I can't see Vdv on the list, they guy was in a major crash several weeks ago and has really been helping Wiggo climb in the high alps
Menchov must be cleaning up his passport .... I think he has developed a UCI shadow since his performance at the Giro


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## nsw2516 (Jul 21, 2009)

55x11 said:


> Sastre, Evans, VadndeVelde, Menchov. Freire in sprints. It's like everyone who did well in 2008 is cursed. Except Schleck who got white jersey.
> 
> was Kohl disqualified officially, and if so, Sastre won king of the mountains last year too.
> Pop-quiz: When was the last time someone won both yellow and polka dot?


Ain't sure..but did Pantani manage to do it??...if so, I'd suggest he'd be the last one.


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Evans
Sastre
Boonen
Lampre
Garmin "management"
Both Belgian teams

Menchov-Rabobank won the Giro, so he's fine.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

nsw2516 said:


> Ain't sure..but did Pantani manage to do it??...if so, I'd suggest he'd be the last one.


I don't think Pantani did it in 1998, Virenque dominated that period. I think you may need to go back all the way to 1970 - Eddy Merckx.


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## bigmig19 (Jun 27, 2008)

I _would_ say Boonen because he didnt even contest a sprint, but at least _he_ went home. Cadel is having a terrible tour but is still heaving his arse up climbs, and doing painful TT's. Same for Menchov but add multiple pile-ups. VDV is probably tickled to be 8th considering.


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## Snakebitten (Jun 26, 2008)

Levi Lipheimer "hands down" 

Honorable mention: Sastre, Cadel loom highest in my mind of those still in the race.


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## kmac (Feb 13, 2007)

Cadel. Poor performance and confirming his reputation as a sourpuss. Although, I'm biased. I don't like the guy so I'm somewhat enjoying his fall from grace. I can't get over seeing that picture of himself he has over his fireplace.


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

- Cadel Evans
- Daniele Bennati
- Oscar Freire
- Milr... Milsomething... you may not have heard about that team.
- Lampre too have been invisible until Ballan in the break today.
- Quickstep. Will Lefebvre fight to get Boonen in next year when he once again test positive for magic powder and ASO say he's not welcome?


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## bmxhacksaw (Mar 26, 2008)

The name that just really sticks out for me is Cadel.


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## cityeast (Sep 16, 2004)

bmxhacksaw said:


> The name that just really sticks out for me is Cadel.


Certainly Cadel is certainly gets the award for the most outstanding performance in a romantic comedy.

Jens Voigt is definitely a late contender for Worst Tour, and he probably has the x-rays to prove it.


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## svrider (Jan 14, 2009)

bmxhacksaw said:


> The name that just really sticks out for me is Cadel.


I can't say he's having the worst tour. Maybe unimpressive results. Or failure to live up to expectations. But who's fault is that?

Levi had the worst tour. He was up in the GC and riding well. Look at where Kloden and Armstrong are. He could have been on the podium.

Jens for the sheer brutality of that crash. 

I can't feel sorry for poor riding or results. Bad luck and crashes suck.


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## rockstar2083 (Aug 30, 2005)

The guy I most feel sorry for is Kenny. He sufferred hard to bag the Lantern Rouge only to lose it on a crash.


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## LeDomestique (Jan 17, 2007)

Worse tour:
- Cadel (Im just he's wishing he would crash out of the race)
- Boonen (wha? was he ever on the race?)
- Milram (really...are they racing at all?)


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

To Milram's credit, they have been invisible all year long, not only in the Tour. At least they are consistant!


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## bigmig19 (Jun 27, 2008)

We have to exclude people who crashed out right? Among the living, it has to be Cadel. The guy is killing himself everyday and falling farther down, and waking up to 10 questions every morning about why he's sucking. That sounds miserable to me.

BTW: Bennati raced? 
So Milram is a better choice than LPR brakes! Hey, maybe Danilo rides for The Shack next year.


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## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

Menchov. How could Menchov follow all of Di Luca's attacks and blow by some of them and then come to the Tour and be such a disaster?


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

dagger said:


> Menchov. How could Menchov follow all of Di Luca's attacks and blow by some of them and then come to the Tour and be such a disaster?


peak in May. Pay for it in July.


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Dan Gerous said:


> To Milram's credit, they have been invisible all year long, not only in the Tour. At least they are consistant!


Turn out filling the water bottles with the sponsor's product backfired!

Mmmm, warm milk. . .


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## rroselli (Jan 2, 2003)

55x11 said:


> In other ways: Leipheimer, Hincapie, Voigt.



.. yup one more for George not getting the stage after a lot of hard work and dedicated efforts and Levi for just plain bad luck


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## ti-triodes (Aug 14, 2006)

Cadel and Sastre, proving last year was a fluke.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Maximus_XXIV said:


> Milram is racing?


No. They were just in the TdF.


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## PRB (Jun 15, 2002)

55x11 said:


> I don't think Pantani did it in 1998, Virenque dominated that period. I think you may need to go back all the way to 1970 - Eddy Merckx.


Hinault won both jerseys in '82. Virenque didn't win the KOM in '98, that was the year of the Festina debacle.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Boonen, Cadel and Menchov.


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## PhatTalc (Jul 21, 2004)

PRB said:


> Hinault won both jerseys in '82. Virenque didn't win the KOM in '98, that was the year of the Festina debacle.


Hinaoult won a green and yellow together (1979), but never the Polka dot jersey. In that year he was 2nd in the mountains... quite a performance.


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## PRB (Jun 15, 2002)

PhatTalc said:


> Hinaoult won a green and yellow together (1979), but never the Polka dot jersey. In that year he was 2nd in the mountains... quite a performance.


I stand corrected. I somehow read Bernard <i>Vallet</i> as Bernard Hinault when looking through the results.







It looks like 53x11 was right that the last person to win the yellow and KOM was Merckx.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

Freire really bad for the sprints this year. It seems he couldn't even get up to the front of the group on many occasions. Don't know what happened to him, not his usual self. Stage 19 should've been an easy victory for him if he had attacked on the climb but seems no energy for that.


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## illuminatus (Nov 12, 2007)

Jens Voigt and Tom Boonen


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## awesometown (May 23, 2005)

With the tour over my picks have to be:

Person: Boonen. He beats out sastre and evans because they at least "tried" somewhat to live up to their superstar expectations. I don't count Jens just because a crash is a different kind of bad from the tom boonen "I showed up for no particular reason" bad. Luck vs. Laziness.

Team: At first it was a tie between Lampre and Milram. But I think in the end its out and out Lampre. No trying of any kind any where at any point. So why show up? At least milram was in a break here and there. I was going to add quickstep to this list but I reconsidered it based on chavanel's various runs at a breakaway, as minimal as they were. 

Maybe they can all just take july off next year, eh?


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## jibboo (Jan 1, 2008)

Gotta be Menchov. Seems like he had a fall almost every stage.


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