(This is my first post here. I've watched the Tour de France for the last few years and pay attention to the results of other major races, but I don't have any huge in-depth knowledge of competitive cycling).
What do all the posters think about the smaller teams, wildcards and otherwise? Who has done well, who has done poorly and who has done as expected?
A linked issue, but hopefully not one that will dominate the thread or which will result in needlessly defamatory postings, is if the small teams have the same culture of doping as some of the larger ones seem to have. Now that the racers are tested within an inch of their lives, and the amount of scrutiny they are under from officials and police, and given the much lower budgets of these teams, can we hope that most of them aren't doped to their gills? (Please don't name individuals you think are doping or teams which you think are full of drug users, broad comments are all I'm looking for).
My own pick of the small teams is predictable enough. I think that Barloworld have done an amazing job this year. They were the last wildcard pick and it looks as if they will finish the tour with the King of the Mountains jersey, two stage wins, a top fifteen GC position and second place in the points competition. That's a haul which all but two or three teams would be delighted with. Of their riders, Soler has been outstanding. An unusal style, a willingness to attack like crazy, offering water to the yellow jersey most of the way up a mountain, he's been great to see.