I have a standard poodle – he will run behind me on the Mtb trail all day, swims like a duck, wrestles with great danes at the dog park, and is the quickest to catch on at obedience class (but was also the only one to chew through his lead and escape).

This is a loyal, athletic, and sharp breed, and they're a good looking dog – as long as you don't give them a stupid hair cut.

Would have picked Vino as a Rotti. Mainly from the TdF for Telekom under Ullrich he was flying off the front with brainsnap attacks. Very entertaining. The Barry Hall of cyclists?

Dean Downing – Definitely a Labrador. John always calls out to Deano “Hey, Labrador!” and he always seems a little bit oblivious to it ;-)

Southam – I think he'd be a Labrador as well. He's always asking “am I good?…is it good?”

Lappers – German Shepherd for sure. Low maintenance and does what he needs to do.

Kristian – I think he'd be a German Shepherd as well.

Matt Cronshaw – Rottie. Young, inexperienced and full of enthusiasm! Can't believe this guy has only been riding for 4 years.

Ben Greenwood – Probably a German Shepherd from what I know of him.

Simon – Rottie is my guess. He's an ex-pro mountain biker. He still has a bit of neanderthal in his blood. ;-)

You need to have a good mix of the first 3 breeds but of course all the Poodles have been fired.

Maybe the Rapha guys reading this will be able to give some better insight?

Poodles are actually extremely good dogs for handicap and people who suffer from seizures, and used to also good for hunting game, like duck. They need a lot of discipline and things to do, which is why they easily find trouble. Kind of like Contador during Le Tour

Labs are very hard working, love to swim and are used by police very often as well. They have a lot of health issues though, so maybe Chris Horner would be a good example.

Voigt would be closer to a German Shephard than a Rottie. They bite people more often. Rotts are closer to a domestique. They can hunt, protect, and be good with children. They've been used as messengers, guide dogs and in search & rescue all around the world. They're just more intimidating because of their size.