posted Jul 4, 2008

The last thing i read was that he was to be dropped for having "very poor form". i'm disappointed as i had him ear-marked for a prominent ride.

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posted Jul 4, 2008

Poor form apparently. Shame as he is a real good rider and would have been a great ally to Menchov and his chances in the GC

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posted Jul 4, 2008

Terrible form, came next to last in the first mountain stage in Switzerland and stepped off a day later. Didn't do much before, was invisible in the Dutch national championships. Apparently he's not particularly pleased with the decision, and he could be moving elsewhere, but that's just rumour.

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posted Jul 4, 2008

He would have been a help to Menchov when fit but Rabobank have plenty good domestiques to help their leader. I think leaving out Dekker is a good desision. You can't use the tour as training. Get him training and up to full fitness for the tour of Germany later this year, he has potential to do exeptionally well as leader in shorter stage races.

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posted Jul 4, 2008

"Very poor form" is an understatement! I think the inclusion of Peter Weening, injured for most of the year, shows just how poor Dekker's conditioning must be. A Tour of Germany or Vuelta push will hopefully be inthe pipeline. Unfortunately, he's from a long list of former "next big things" (Brajkovic, Rujano, Lokvist etc). He has time on his hands just as the other riders on the list. I think too much is expected of young riders too early nowadays.

I like Rabobank's attitude to poor performance - they don't hold back in the media. Graeme Brown got completely canned post Giro (and he deserved it).

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posted Jul 4, 2008

or "v poor form" could equal we want you to sign a contract extension on very favourable terms (for rabo) and are not prepared to let you showcase yourself in the biggest race of the calender.

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posted Jul 4, 2008

the below has just been posted on cyclingnews;

Dekker to fall out with Rabobank?

Rumour coming out of the Netherlands has it that stage race hopeful Thomas Dekker, who is not participating at the Tour this year, could end his contract with Team Rabobank prematurely. Media coverage suggests that Dekker is unhappy with the team management and currently communicating with the team only via his lawyers. This deteriorating relationship may also be the reason why Dekker had not been selected for the Tour de France.

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posted Jul 4, 2008

Dekker isn't the rider he is made out to be. Yes, his form is shocking and don't expect him to be at Rabobank for much longer.

Though his label as "the next big thing" is likely to turn out to be another, as Clarke said, Janez Brajkovic or Thomas Lovkvist. While both still young, neither have lived up to what everyone was saying about them.

If you want the future grand tour winners name, look no further then 24 year old Riccardo Ricco. He and Contador will dominate for years to come.

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posted Jul 5, 2008

Dekker is a very good cyclist (wins in Tirreno-Adriatico, Romandie) and if he does stay at Rabobank he could be a huge asset. But there are questionmarks about his attitude to training, and Rabobank have other cyclists coming through (Gesink, Mollema) for big stage races. Add to that the fact that Menchov has signed on for two more years, and I don't think Rabobank would inconsolible if he did leave. It's up to him really.

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