The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Battered Orica-GreenEDGE still want stage wins

Michael Matthews is one of the favourites for Stage 10 of the 2016 Tour de France. (Image: Team Sky).
Roar Guru
7th July, 2015
0

“Our ambitions haven’t change.” These were the defiant words from the Orica-GreenEDGE directeur sportif Matt White, after the catastrophe that was Stage 3 of the 2015 Tour de France.

Simon Yates, Simon Gerrans, Michael Albasini, Michael Matthews and Darryl Impey were all involved in the main crash of the day. Gerrans (broken wrist) and Impey (broken collarbone) have since abandoned the race, while Matthews is suspected to have broken a rib.

With the loss of the team captain Gerrans, and a struggling Matthews, will the team be able to win a stage?

The same problem arose for the team last year, when Matthews crashed pre-race and could not take to the start in Yorkshire, while Gerrans crashed twice in the first week and was forced to abandon. They ended the Tour without a stage win. They will not want a repeat of this performance.

What gives them hope is the fact that the line-up for this year’s race is the most balanced team they’ve ever taken to a Grand Tour. With a mixture of climbers, punchers and flatland specialists, there is still much to gain from this year’s race.

Simon Yates
After being involved in the Stage 3 crash, it was a huge achievement for Yates to finish the stage win a top-10 result.

“It was a very impressive ride from Simon, especially considering he was pretty banged up,” said White on the OGE site. “I don’t know how he did it, but to go head-to-head with those guys, it’s a very good sign. His injuries aren’t too bad and hopefully they’ll heal up in a few days’ time, so today’s a good sign for targets ahead.”

Simon has had a fantastic season to date, with a fifth place finish at the Tour of the Basque Country and the Criterium du Dauhpine, and a sixth place at the Tour of Romandie. On the last stage of the Dauphine he finished second behind Chris Froome, showing he has the ability to climb with the best.

Advertisement

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He only has one Grand Tour behind him – in last year’s tour – so whether he is able to keep his performances up as we get into the high mountains is unknown.

If he does, a stage win, or the King of the Mountains jersey, are not out of the question.

Adam Yates
After bursting onto the scene last season with his teammate twin brother, Adam has had a far more inconsistent run, but is developing.

After a ninth place in Tirreno-Adriatico early in the season, he sustained a broken finger in a crash which set him back a little. He has had a decent run into the Tour, finishing 20th at the Criterium du Dauphine after riding in support of his brother.

Having ridden his first Grand Tour last season (Vuelta a Espana), this is his first Tour de France, so he will be keen to impress. Much like his brother, the high mountains suit him, so the second and third week will be where we see him get an opportunity.

Pieter Weening
The Dutchman on team Orica-GreenEDGE has been a consistent performer since the team’s inception in 2012. The winner of a stage of the Giro in 2014, and the Tour of Poland in 2013, Weening is a very solid climber.

This season though his only notable performance was a top 15 at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, which was remarkable as he had worked all day for other teammates, but found himself up there in the finale.

Advertisement

In other races, including the Tour of the Basque Country, he rode strongly in support of Simon Yates.

With experience in winning Grand Tour stages in the past (one Tour, two Giro), Weening should have the tactical nous to make the most of a breakaway.

Michael Albasini
The Swiss rider has had another fantastic season for the team. After a superb performance at the Tour of Romandie, and a podium at Fleche Wallonne, his exploits on the hillier stages will allow him to fill Gerrans’ position.

Albasini’s forte is long sprints, being able to last 200 metres at full tilt after a hard and hilly stage. Stage 6 to Le Havre, and Stage 8 up the Mur de Bretagne are perfect finishes for Albasini to show of this ability.

He may not have the top-end speed of Matthews or Gerrans, but he can certainly do a job for the team.

Also, don’t discount his potential in a breakaway. He narrowly finished second to Matteo Trentin on Stage 14 on a hilly route.

Michael Matthews
Michael has the worst of the injuries of the team still in the race, so he will be assessed on a day-by-day basis. If he can recover, he may get the chance to go for the stage win in the few sprint stages left, but up against a pack, a result is unlikely.

Advertisement

Unfortunately for Matthews, I do not see him featuring much. For him, survival to Paris would be an amazing achievement.

Luke Durbridge and Svein Tuft
The flatland specialists of the team, both Durbridge and Tuft are the team players, who will be given the job of working on the front, especially on the hiller stages which are targeted by either Albasini or Matthews.

Having said this, as we saw from the last stage of the Giro, if Durbridge can get himself into a break which stays away on a flatter stage, he may have a chance of victory.

close