2008 Teams Preview Part 4: Rabobank, Saunier Duval, and Silence-Lotto

In the last part of the Preview for the ProTour teams, we will look at two good stage race teams, Rabobank and Silence-Lotto, as well as the mixed bag that is Saunier Duval.

Rabobank

Dutch
Sponsor: A international bank based in the Netherlands
Team Manager: Erik Breukink (Holland)
Key Riders: Oscar Freire, three-time Road World Champion, twice winner of Milano-San Remo, 6 stage wins in the Vuelta in his career, and back-to-back-to-back winner of the semi-classic Brabanste Pijl; Denis Menchov, winner of the 2005 and 2007 Vuelta a Espana, and Best Young rider in the 2003 Tour; Juan Antonio Flecha, who has twice finished on the podium in Paris-Roubaix, and has won the Zuri Metzgete and a stage of the Tour.
Depth: 9/10, the only type of rider that Rabobank is missing is a true climber. They have a great sprinter, a strong stage racer, and an underrated classics rider.
2007 Season: 8/10, a fantastic year with Menchov winning the Vuelta again and Friere racking up 10 wins, which was sadly overshadowed by Rasmussen getting kicked out of the Tour.
Expectations: Stage wins and maybe a green jersey for Freire, a Grand Tour win or podium for Menchov, and a win in one of the Monuments for Flecha.

Saunier Duval - Scott

Spanish
Sponsors: Saunier Duval is a home heating & air conditioning company, and Scott is an American based bike manufacturer
Team Manager: Mauro Gianetti
Key Riders: Leonardo Piepoli, King of the Mountains and a stage win in the Giro; Ricardo Ricco, a stage in the Giro and Best Young Rider; Iban Mayo, winner of the 2003 Tour stage to l'Alpe d'Huez and 6th overall, as well as 2004 Dauphine Libere champion and the winner of the time trial to the top of Mont Ventoux.
Depth: 5/10, a very Spanish team which is dominated by climbers, although the two top riders are Italian. They are lacking a sprinter, and the lost their best time triallist (David Millar) and their biggest GC rider (Gilberto Simoni) in the transfer window.
2007 Season: 8/10, a great Giro and a good Vuelta, but a barely average Tour which was overshadowed by Mayo's positive test for EPO (which was later contradicted by the B sample, and Mayo is free to race).
Expectations: Stage wins in the high mountains and either a serious challenge for either the Giro or Vuelta or a win in the KOM classification.

Silence - Lotto
Belgian
Sponsors: Silence is a subsidiary of Omega Pharma which makes, among other things, drugs which reduce snoring. Lotto is the Belgian national lottery, and one of the most long-running sponsors in pro cycling, having been involved since 1992.
Team Manager: Marc Sergeant
Key Riders: Cadel Evans, 2007 ProTour Champion and Tour de France runner up; Robbie McEwen, winner of 11 Tour stages, 12 Giro stages, 3 times green jersey winner and twice Aussie champion.
Depth: 7/10, despite the loss of Fred Rodriguez and Chris Horner, Silence-Lotto is a strong team and capable of defending an overall lead for Evans or a points lead for McEwen.
2007 Season: 9/10, probably the best that a Lotto-sponsored team has ever had, because of Evans' serious challenges in the Vuelta and Tour. The only thing that would have made it better would have been another green jersey for McEwen.
Expectations: A Grand Tour win for Evans and plenty of wins for McEwen.

That's it for the ProTour Teams. In Part 5, we'll cover the first half of the Pro Continental teams, starting with Aqua e Sapone and going though Health Net.