# Where Would TeJay Rank on Team Sky?



## squid046 (May 22, 2016)

I'm thinking fifth or sixth?


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## BCSaltchucker (Jul 20, 2011)

not that it matters, but he hasn't been much use as a domestique, let alone anything more this year. He just seems to be there so the murricans have someone to wave a flag at

albeit h is having a bad year. He has had flashes of talent in past years. This year he belongs on the north am circuit


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## jlwdm (Nov 7, 2009)

I don't think Tejay would make the Tour team for Sky.

Jeff


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

Nowhere they would never hire him. 

He is to prima-donna-ish to ever ride for someone else (his first tour with BMC proved that). Add to that the fact that he just dosn't deliver often enough.


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

32and3cross said:


> Nowhere they would never hire him.
> 
> He is to prima-donna-ish to ever ride for someone else (his first tour with BMC proved that). Add to that the fact that he just dosn't deliver often enough.


Off to the glue factory with both TJvG and Quintana!!


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## EDUC8-or (Jan 2, 2009)

He has the talent to be a Super Domestique, if you look at someone like Wout Poels he has lost 1:03 to Froome. Ride easy in some of the difficult non-mountain stages and TT's to save the legs and then help out in the mountains.

Whether or not he'd be willing to be on a team and not be the leader/co-leader remains to be seen.


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## Skewer (Sep 13, 2011)

Overrated by Murricans like Nairo is overrated by the announcers.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Skewer said:


> Overrated by Murricans like Nairo is overrated by the announcers.


well. 
one has won a GT. 
And two TdF podiums.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Skewer said:


> Overrated by Murricans like Nairo is overrated by the announcers.


Unlike Tejay, Quintana will very likely win the Tour someday, so I would say he's overrated _this year_. Tejay is good at shorter stage races and should stick with that. He could possibly win a Vuelta, but Giro and Tour are out of his capacity.


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## MoonHowl (Oct 5, 2008)

I believe it was Robbie McEwen that was suggesting Tejay gets below his ideal weight to ride the TdF. Therefore, at the lower body weight he is unable to maintain his energy for a three week stage race. His conclusion was the same is burgrat's.


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Tejay just can't consistently handle the three week tours. Plenty of other stuff he can excel at. He is an elite talent- just not a potential GT winner. Would be excellent to target at things like Tour of California.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Coolhand said:


> Tejay just can't consistently handle the three week tours. Plenty of other stuff he can excel at. He is an elite talent- just not a potential GT winner. Would be excellent to target at things like Tour of California.


he could probably aim quite a bit higher than that.


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## Handbrake (May 29, 2012)

Where would you guys have ranked Froome, before Froome joined Sky?


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

The guy has two top 5 finishes at the TdF and a white jersey, he would probably be a top lieutenant like Porte was and like Thomas, Henao, and Roache are now. He would also probably get to ride some lesser/U.S. races for himself each year like those guys do. Tejay isn't having a great TdF/year, but make no mistake the guy is good. Same could be said for Talansky. Neither will probably ever win a Tour/grand tour, but they are still quality GC men and capable of being team leaders on smaller teams. Team Sky's depth for GC races is ridiculous, so a number of quality GC men on other teams would only be lieutenants there.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

9W9W said:


> Off to the glue factory with both TJvG and Quintana!!


Not at all what I said.


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

After today's stage 19, Porte is 5th overall @ +5:17 and has a slim chance at podium, while Van Garderen has totally collapsed at 58:46.

Yet, I don't recall seeing Van Garderen doing any work for Porte. Is TJV sulking & pouting? Seems a "good" way to _not _get offered a new contract. 

Regardless, seems Porte will be BMC's designated GT leader going forward


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## BCSaltchucker (Jul 20, 2011)

tom_h said:


> After today's stage 19, Porte is 5th overall @ +5:17 and has a slim chance at podium, while Van Garderen has totally collapsed at 58:46.
> 
> Yet, I don't recall seeing Van Garderen doing any work for Porte. Is TJV sulking & pouting? Seems a "good" way to _not _get offered a new contract.
> 
> Regardless, seems Porte will be BMC's designated GT leader going forward


On the face of it it seems very shameful for not even being able to expend himself on final climbs in support of Porte.

But we do not know what has happened to TJ this year. Could be an honest problem like an illness, or some misguided Team USA plan to get him rested for Rio (is he even on Team USA this year - I dunno)?


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

32and3cross said:


> Nowhere they would never hire him.
> 
> He is to prima-donna-ish to ever ride for someone else (his first tour with BMC proved that). Add to that the fact that he just dosn't deliver often enough.


Everyone at Sky has a job to do. They do exactly that job. Kiri, Stannard and Rowe drag the peloton along until they blow up, they don't try to win stages unless told to. G and Poels stick with Froome up the climbs, they don't take off to try and grab a stage for themselves.
There is no room for prima donnas who want to do their own thing: hence the exits of Wiggins and Cavendish. 
Sky is all about the team.
TvG would not fit in there scheme at all.


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## BCSaltchucker (Jul 20, 2011)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Everyone at Sky has a job to do. They do exactly that job. Kiri, Stannard and Rowe drag the peloton along until they blow up, they don't try to win stages unless told to. G and Poels stick with Froome up the climbs, they don't take off to try and grab a stage for themselves.
> There is no room for prima donnas who want to do their own thing: hence the exits of Wiggins and Cavendish.
> Sky is all about the team.
> TvG would not fit in there scheme at all.


after this season, he might be lucky, chastened and happy to fit into a team like Sky as a worker bee. Lest he not get any contract or invite to the Tour. Though Sky do not seem short on enough talent to do very well without him.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

BCSaltchucker said:


> On the face of it it seems very shameful for not even being able to expend himself on final climbs in support of Porte.
> 
> But we do not know what has happened to TJ this year. Could be an honest problem like an illness, or some misguided Team USA plan to get him rested for Rio (is he even on Team USA this year - I dunno)?


BMC has made mistakes this whole Tour, especially leaving Porte isolated when he had his mechanical in the first few stages. He lost 1:45 because there were no teammates anywhere near him. He would be in 2nd place if he had that time back (hypothetically of course). Even today he had to wait a bit for team help. Compare that to Sky when Froome has an issue. They have him covered and up and running ASAP. I just don't understand how BMC thought having 2 leaders would work.


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## jaggrin (Feb 18, 2011)

TeeJay would be a force in a local cat 1/2 crit, nothing else.


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## BacDoc (Aug 1, 2011)

jaggrin said:


> TeeJay would be a force in a local cat 1/2 crit, nothing else.


Grand tour winner and 2 podiums in TDF and you say that?

Think the main thing TJ needs is mental toughness, not everyone has it and not everyone can learn it but seriously he is one of the best American cyclists ever.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

BacDoc said:


> Grand tour winner and 2 podiums in TDF and you say that?


He won a GT?


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

BacDoc said:


> Grand tour winner and 2 podiums in TDF and you say that?
> 
> Think the main thing TJ needs is mental toughness, not everyone has it and not everyone can learn it but seriously he is one of the best American cyclists ever.


Thqt was den on comparing Quintana and TJ. It's a very good point he makes... You can't compare a GT and 2 podium finishes to TJ, who has some very good results but nothing comparable to Nairo.


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## BacDoc (Aug 1, 2011)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> He won a GT?


My bad, he has not won a GT. He does have the best palmares for a US cyclist at this time.


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## BCSaltchucker (Jul 20, 2011)

jaggrin said:


> TeeJay would be a force in a local cat 1/2 crit, nothing else.


that's hyperbolic.

Teejay belongs in Europe, sure. He would make a great climbing domestique. Look at all those strong guys sacrificing their egos to help Froome - a truly magnificent team. TJ is easily in their league, just not Froome's and Quintana's league. Though I could see TJ taking podium in a Giro or Vuelta if the stars aligned like they did for Hesjedal in 2012.

TJ would also be a dominant US pro, if he chose to stay home. Trouncing the regional pros and cat 1 riders with ease. Europe is many times tougher and faster.

still in the end, the faltering of BMC this Tour is the fault of the management, I think. Not so much to TJ himself.


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## Migen21 (Oct 28, 2014)

Tejay has proven that he has what it takes physically to be a top grand tour rider. 

What he has failed to prove is that he has the mental toughness and determination to win one.


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## rufus (Feb 3, 2004)

TeJay should concentrate on maybe winning the the Tour de Suisse or Dauphine next year, no reason he shouldn't be able to win a big one week tour. 

Quintana I think is maybe suffering from the big contract/big money thing now that he's an established pro. Not sure if he's basing himself in Europe like most do, or still living in Colombia, but maybe he needs to get back home and train on the climbs that he used to before making such a huge splash in the pro peloton. Seems he's taken a bit of a step back, climbing wise.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

BacDoc said:


> My bad, he has not won a GT. He does have the best palmares for a US cyclist at this time.


probably says more about US cyclists at this time :thumbsup:
he has not won a single stage race on the european continent. not one. No real progress in years. Hard to see why a team would put much backing into that in the future.


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## jaggrin (Feb 18, 2011)

He's become Andy Schleck without the wreck


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

den bakker said:


> No real progress in years


Yes, he has reached his potential. He is not going to get any better.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Yes, he has reached his potential. He is not going to get any better.


Agreed. Could be a great domestique for climbing stages. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

He could win stages, he could win 1 week tours. He may have a chance at certain one day classics. 

He probably will never be a lead GC contender for a ProTour GT team going forward. Too much new younger talent coming up.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

BacDoc said:


> My bad, he has not won a GT. He does have the best palmares for a US cyclist at this time.


Maybe as far as the men go as far as all US cyclists he's not in the top 3.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

rufus said:


> TeJay should concentrate on maybe winning the the Tour de Suisse or Dauphine next year, no reason he shouldn't be able to win a big one week tour.
> 
> Quintana I think is maybe suffering from the big contract/big money thing now that he's an established pro. Not sure if he's basing himself in Europe like most do, or still living in Colombia, but maybe he needs to get back home and train on the climbs that he used to before making such a huge splash in the pro peloton. Seems he's taken a bit of a step back, climbing wise.


Great post... Nairo needs to commit fully. From what I've read he still spends a ton of time in Columbia with his Columbian coaches. Maybe that's speculation? He had great results at an early age. Now he's being held up against the very elite in the sport. Is he ready to make the sacrifices needed to earn that consideration? We will see. 

As as for TJ, he can definately win one week races and single day races that suit him to a "T" (haha). The Dauphine? Nope. Froomie is going to keep winning it as his warm up to winning TdFs. TJ is a good climber. Maybe not good enough to win a GT. But he could do well helping a top GC rider up hills and down descents. He could stay at BMC and do that for Porte? Movistar when Valverde retires? AG2R for Bardet? He would have to adjust his expectations of course.


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## jaggrin (Feb 18, 2011)

He should stick to Joe Martin and the Athens twilight crit


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

I believed in him and rooted for him, but now I think he's just not aggressive enough and too self absorbed. I'd much rather see him throw caution to the wind, try and fail than just fail.


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