I assumed there would be up to 7 flat stages [starting with Stage 4] where there would be a bunch finish. Thus, I chose to buy the more expensive climbers while getting inexpensive sprinters. I lucked out completely, somehow acquiring the 4 best climbers in the race. I always took a beating on the flat stages, but crawled my way back on the mountain stages.
The Riders
Brent Bookwalter
Cost: $5
Total Points:52
Worth it? Not really. 12th in the prologue was his best result. I fully expected him to be competitive in the last TT, but it turns out that he may be a prologue specialist. For the rest of the race, he was helping out Cadel.
Brent BookwalterCost: $5
Total Points:52
Worth it? Not really. 12th in the prologue was his best result. I fully expected him to be competitive in the last TT, but it turns out that he may be a prologue specialist. For the rest of the race, he was helping out Cadel.
Edvald Boasson HagenCost: $18
Total Points: 409
Worth it? Definitely. At only 18 dollars, he was a complete steal. Arguably the second best sprinter in the peleton. Also, he's a budding time trialist, and showed it in the prologue.
Alberto ContadorCost: $100
Total Points: 664
Worth it? Yup. He was a go-to guy in the mountains, and his holding of the Maillot Jaune was always extra points.
Andreas KlodenCost: $59
Total Points: 74
Worth it? No, he was a prime example of Radioshack's inconsistency. If he were groomed as an overall challenger, he would have been placing highly. Unfortunately, he was always racing for a shifting team leader.
Matthieu LadagnousCost: $8
Total Points: 106
Worth it? Not so much. Most people pick inexpensive riders to allow room for expensive super stars, but I seriously considered Ladagnous capable of picking up 200-300 points through sprinting and aggressive riding. Sadly, he had no help in the bunch sprints and never tried to break away.
Tony MartinCost: $30
Total Points: 182
Worth it? No. Martin's role completely changed this year; he was vital in HTC's leadout train, and thus wasn't given the opportunity in the mountains. I think he also might have put on a little more weight. Obviously his power was good based on the prologue and time trial.
Robbie McewenCost: $27
Total Points: 573
Worth it? You bet. Fairly inexpensive and always in the top 10.
Denis MenchovCost: $53
Total Points: 353
Worth it? Heck yeah. Always the third or fourth best climber, and the only G.C. rider to crack the top 15 in the last time trial.
Alessandro PetacchiCost: $25
Total Points: 749
Worth it? Petacchi was the most valuable rider of the tour. Like Mcewen, he was considered "too old" to be competitve, and thus given a low value.
Mark RenshawCost: $17
Total Points: $113
Worth it? Somewhat. He nabbed several top 15s until the disqualification. However, there was always a big question as to whether or not he would sprint after leading out Cav. It would have been better to have gotten an inexpensive sprinter like Turgot.
Nicholas RocheCost: $29
Total Points: 175
Worth it? Yup. He cracked the top 15 quite a lot. He will mix it up with the sprinters occasionally, and is climbing better and better.
Jurgen RoelandtsCost: $8
Total Points: 298
Worth it? One of the unsung heroes of the Tour. He mixed it up with the big guys on the Champs-Elysees, and will be beating them in a few years.
Samuel SanchezCost:$28
Total Points: 444
Worth it? Absolutely. Completely underestimated before the start of the tour. The man can climb...quite well.
Andy SchleckCost: $87
Total Points: 634
Worth it? Yeah. Before the race phase started, I didn't know which Schleck bro to pick. When Frank went down, I figured Andy would ride with the strength of two men. He rode pretty fast.
Geraint ThomasCost: $5
Total Points:238
Worth it? Somewhat. His biggest results came in the practice phase (prologue and stage 3). As Boasson Hagen's leadout man, he occasional hit the top 15 in the sprints, though it didn't happen much. He's still improving, a larger force to be reckoned with in a few years.
