Nah, i get where you’re coming from, and i agree.
But thanks for saying I’m funny, I do my very best.
The Freckle to Green Edge. nice squad so far.
Yes indeed! I think I’m going to become quite the Greed Edge fanboi.
With howard, bling and the rest this team could dominate in a couple of years.
could?
patriotism overshadowing sense there will?
really didn’t think stuey would leave the boys at leopard. good for him.
perhaps there should be a rider transfer/ silly season thread in the road forum?
Trust me, I am not the patriotic type. I genuinely think that they will be a really strong team, if the names linked to them sign over the next few years. Realistically it will take a while, but there are so many young Australian riders with big potential that will be attracted to Green Edge, especially if they start strongly in their first year. Kind of like a Gold Coast of cycling.
lotta strong teams out there. lotta folks with potential who don’t go anywhere. our media sometimes makes us think local riders are better than they are.
i’ll bet they fold before they win a grand tour.
I have to agree with you there, Brendan. They probably won’t win a grand tour. But given the quality of the current list and any additions from rumoured riders, they should be at least competitive at some of the smaller stage races and classics i.e. Gerro in Denmark?
When did FDJ last win a grand tour? But they’ve got riders in breaks every day and winning stages periodically.
I’m pretty excited to see them concentrating on the classics to begin with. Thats my fave racing right there…
Brendan nice way to burst a bubble before it begins, are you saying that those riders listed are not elite of elite?
aside from stuey, who has already proven himself as a captain, they are riders with ridiculous amounts of potential. that’s it so far. i love howard / meyer x2 / bobridge as much as the next bloke, but i’m not going to make extravagent claims before they’ve even raced a road race together. i’d like to see this project succeed, but outlandish expectations will hinder rather than help.
I didn’t mean they will dominate grand tours, clearly they won’t - what GC contendor would go there without a strong team and a proven record? There is also the possibility that they will fold, as with any team. That doesn’t mean they won’t do well. HTC didn’t win a grand tour but had more wins than anyone else (I realise the irony in stating that they were successful after they just folded).
IF they get the licence, I don’t think they will fold any time soon. They have pretty good financing and weren’t entering into cycling with a sponsor looking for quick endorsements based on one rider (aka radioshack).
I wouldn’t be surprised if the wins are few and far between at first, but if they get the licence and keep finances under order, in time they will be strong, especially when other top level teams are in trouble with cash and administration.
I see your point regarding over hyping the young fellas, but wouldn’t knocking them before they race together have a similar effect.
Why not ride the wave of excitement is much nicer than being negative
Def better than a wave of excrement. 
?
Tour down under is pretty far from a grand tour, which is what I said they wouldn’t win anytime soon. I think they will do well there and that it won’t be indicative of the rest of their year.
They have last years winner and they will have their strongest team for their first race (given it is a marketers wet dream for them there). I don’t think that is too outlandish a prediction
I also predict they won’t win a classic or a grand tour FWIW. In my defence, predictions are fun.
I just hope they ride their bicycles really fast and distract me from the comings and goings of my boring life.
They’ll probably have 3 of the top 4 on last years GC.
+1
never a truer word spoken.
these conversations make me regret my self-imposed FOA timeout.