velomonkey
03-31-2016, 06:10 PM
I'm a solid Gen-X guy. Which means I got into the sport when PDM was "the" team. Sure LeMond was 'the' rider, but PDM was 'the' team.
Fast forward and there is a battle between Robobank and Mapei for being 'The" team. Mapei won hands down. Talk about taking kit design to new levels . . . if La Vie Claire showed us what could be done with a kit, Mapei showed us what shouldn't be done.
Still - they were "the" team. 1,2,3 in Paris Roubaix. Flanders. Colnago. Green jerseys in the tour. Those dudes owned it. You ever look at their junior team . . . . holy moly it's a who's who of future classic winners.
Then we after 10 years we got Domo and they barely held up, but still . . . . 1,2,3 at Paris Roubaix and this time on Merckx bikes. No green jersey but a polka dot jersey.
Then we got Quick Step. They had to prove themselves and while it took two years prove themselves they did and they did it with a young rider who went by the nickname Tomokke. The jerseys weren't always awesome, but they always grew on you. Sure they rode Specialized, but, come on - the man was in the game. Every now and then they rode Merckx bikes to stay hip.
This is the 1st year I have my doubts, plus Etixx Quick Step . . . .not sure it works. The recent loss totally illustrates feelings. . . . . just not what they used to be, but then again 20 years is a long time.
Fast forward and there is a battle between Robobank and Mapei for being 'The" team. Mapei won hands down. Talk about taking kit design to new levels . . . if La Vie Claire showed us what could be done with a kit, Mapei showed us what shouldn't be done.
Still - they were "the" team. 1,2,3 in Paris Roubaix. Flanders. Colnago. Green jerseys in the tour. Those dudes owned it. You ever look at their junior team . . . . holy moly it's a who's who of future classic winners.
Then we after 10 years we got Domo and they barely held up, but still . . . . 1,2,3 at Paris Roubaix and this time on Merckx bikes. No green jersey but a polka dot jersey.
Then we got Quick Step. They had to prove themselves and while it took two years prove themselves they did and they did it with a young rider who went by the nickname Tomokke. The jerseys weren't always awesome, but they always grew on you. Sure they rode Specialized, but, come on - the man was in the game. Every now and then they rode Merckx bikes to stay hip.
This is the 1st year I have my doubts, plus Etixx Quick Step . . . .not sure it works. The recent loss totally illustrates feelings. . . . . just not what they used to be, but then again 20 years is a long time.