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2010 Vuelta a España wildcards

Page 4 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Mar 17, 2009
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Maybe the Vuelta organizers just didn't like the color of those orange jumpsuits half of Radioshack will be wearing by then. . . too close to the Euskaltel kits!
 
TeamSkyFans said:
JB is upset again

@johanbruyneel: Just got word that TRS got snubbed for a bike race in Spain. Stay tuned for my comments. Gonna be interesting and spicy!

who cares JB...

Apparently, you care.

I am disappointed to hear this. Everyone knows armstrong wouldn't ride this race. Personally, I was excited to see all the younger guys get a chance and I was guessing one of the top guys who didn't make the TdF squad would get a chance to captain the team. Maybe horner, jani?, or even machado? Also their top Spanish climber Haimar Zubeldia is possibly hurt for the TdF so there was a good chance he would ride the vuelta.
 
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offbyone said:
Apparently, you care.

I am disappointed to hear this. Everyone knows armstrong wouldn't ride this race. Personally, I was excited to see all the younger guys get a chance and I was guessing one of the top guys who didn't make the TdF squad would get a chance to captain the team. Maybe horner, jani?, or even machado? Also their top Spanish climber Haimar Zubeldia is possibly hurt for the TdF so there was a good chance he would ride the vuelta.

well i care that in im glad that RS arent at the tour and i dont have to hear lance mentioned constantly despite not being there..
i dont actually follow JB, it was RT'd
 
The fact that RS will not be at the Vuelta is NOT good news. In fact, it's terrible news. Look, many of us dislike Armstrong and Bruyneel. That's fine, and we all have our reasons, most of which have been clearly explained on many threads here.

However, not including a RS team that would have brought several top cyclists to the Vuelta is a loss for cycling fans. Sure, Levi's about as exciting and watching grass grow, but with Kloden, Jani, Zubeldia, and others, RS would have brought some firepower to this race. I'm not happy to see RS excluded at all.
 
May 15, 2009
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Andalucia-Cajasur? They lost Xavier Tondo, don't know if they have another decent GT rider.

I wonder whether Contador will go to the Vuelta or not, the field seems to be quite weak (no Sastre,Valverde, Basso, RS) and it shouldn't be too difficult to win the race even without using extra gear.
 
Delicato said:
Andalucia-Cajasur? They lost Xavier Tondo, don't know if they have another decent GT rider.

I wonder whether Contador will go to the Vuelta or not, the field seems to be quite weak (no Sastre,Valverde, Basso, RS) and it shouldn't be too difficult to win the race even without using extra gear.

No great GC threat, but Ángel Vicioso has been compiling a very solid bunch of results this season, and could be a factor in stages. He may have the shadiest team history of all shady team histories but there's no denying he's had a very good season. Plus you have the likes of Antonio Piedra, Manuel Ortega and Javier Ramírez who will enliven stages with attacks, and José Ángel Gómez Marchante is decent. Look out for Javier Moreno too, who has had some very good results this year - 6th at Castilla y León, 5th at Primavera, 12th at Ruta del Sol. The race starts in their home region, and the team will definitely be looking to animate the race in the area as a result. And though the Tour may not be interested in having breakaway merchants, the Vuelta is determined to try to keep things interesting that way. Not every team has to be a GC team.

Sky are the team who will bring the most questionable lineup with regards to who should be eliminated if the Shack are going.
 
Moose McKnuckles said:
The fact that RS will not be at the Vuelta is NOT good news. In fact, it's terrible news. Look, many of us dislike Armstrong and Bruyneel. That's fine, and we all have our reasons, most of which have been clearly explained on many threads here.

However, not including a RS team that would have brought several top cyclists to the Vuelta is a loss for cycling fans. Sure, Levi's about as exciting and watching grass grow, but with Kloden, Jani, Zubeldia, and others, RS would have brought some firepower to this race. I'm not happy to see RS excluded at all.

Agreed. But it is a natural consequence of Radio Shack consistently reminding everyone that the only races that mattered were the Tour of California and Tour de France. They could have been far more diplomatic about the situation.
 
May 15, 2009
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Libertine Seguros said:
Sky are the team who will bring the most questionable lineup with regards to who should be eliminated if the Shack are going.

Maybe they will bring Wiggins, who, after a horrible display of climbing ability in the TDF will go to Spain in desperate attempt to show that the whole Sky project was worth starting...
 
Publicus said:
Agreed. But it is a natural consequence of Radio Shack consistently reminding everyone that the only races that mattered were the Tour of California and Tour de France. They could have been far more diplomatic about the situation.

That's certainly true. However, it's not usually the riders who put out these press statements or those quotes. It's the management (Bruyneel, Lance). The ones who suffer for their hubris are riders like Kloden, Braijkovic, and Zubeldia, which is a shame.
 
Moose McKnuckles said:
That's certainly true. However, it's not usually the riders who put out these press statements or those quotes. It's the management (Bruyneel, Lance). The ones who suffer for their hubris are riders like Kloden, Braijkovic, and Zubeldia, which is a shame.

We are in complete agreement. It really sucks for the riders. But then I thought it really sucked for the riders with the decision not to send a team to the Giro.
 
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Publicus said:
Agreed. But it is a natural consequence of Radio Shack consistently reminding everyone that the only races that mattered were the Tour of California and Tour de France. They could have been far more diplomatic about the situation.

Exactly. JB and LA's attitude that "the only race that REALLY matters is the Tour" has come home to roost. The team is completely centered around Mr Armstrong and him riding the Tour. Everything else is a sideshow to them, and I am sure the organizers of many races resent that. Obviously, they could field a competitive team, and Uni's suggestion otherwise is just PR. However, I understand them wanting to exclude them also.
 
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Libertine Seguros said:
Sky are the team who will bring the most questionable lineup with regards to who should be eliminated if the Shack are going.

I dont disagree that Sky's lineup would not be the strongest, but i would not replace them with radioshack. I still think vacon and saur/skil are ahead of the "deservance" line in front of RS.

Possible to argue that Skil and Vacon could have gone in place of sky/garmin/katusha but then you are getting a tour top heavy on pro-contintal teams.
 
Publicus said:
We are in complete agreement. It really sucks for the riders. But then I thought it really sucked for the riders with the decision not to send a team to the Giro.

Yep, that was insane. A team like RS could have put Kloden in a position to podium at the Giro. Instead, what, they put all their eggs in the ToC basket. Ridiculous decision making, but that's what happens when a team's success is sacrificed at the altar of one rider's ego.
 
May 15, 2009
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Kloden is a diesel, the super-steep climbs of Giro do not suit him (just like Levi) and thinking about his potential podium at the Giro...No, it is a complete wishful thinking. He was already a designated leader back in 2008, had very good Romandie but then failed completely and pulled out of the Giro.

Leipheimer was 19th and certainly not good at all. Yet in some months he produced a surprising performance in the Vuelta (remember Angliru). But that is a Clinic matter, obviously.
 
Delicato said:
Kloden is a diesel, the super-steep climbs of Giro do not suit him (just like Levi) and thinking about his potential podium at the Giro...No, it is a complete wishful thinking. He was already a designated leader back in 2008, had very good Romandie but then failed completely and pulled out of the Giro.

Leipheimer was 19th and certainly not good at all. Yet in some months he produced a surprising performance in the Vuelta (remember Angliru). But that is a Clinic matter, obviously.

Isn't Basso a diesel?
 
Moose McKnuckles said:
The fact that RS will not be at the Vuelta is NOT good news. In fact, it's terrible news. Look, many of us dislike Armstrong and Bruyneel. That's fine, and we all have our reasons, most of which have been clearly explained on many threads here.

However, not including a RS team that would have brought several top cyclists to the Vuelta is a loss for cycling fans. Sure, Levi's about as exciting and watching grass grow, but with Kloden, Jani, Zubeldia, and others, RS would have brought some firepower to this race. I'm not happy to see RS excluded at all.

I think it is good news. RS put together a super team with Armstrong, Leipheimer, and Kloden as grand tour GC threats. Those riders have done nothing for the year. Kloden has been invisible, and Leipheimer has been farting around in crappy U.S. domestic races. All of RS's results have come from their domestiques and young riders. It is obvious that the team is following the same preparation methods that JB's teams used between 1999 and 2005. The sport has changed. The Giro and the Vuelta are no longer willing to accept teams disrespecting their races.

If RS wanted to ride the Giro and Vuelta then very early the team should have designated Kloden and Leipheimer as leaders of the non-Tour GTs and built their entire seasons around peaking at the right time. They should have had the chosen leaders and a good crew of domestiques do recon on the critical stages, announcing it to the press so the race organizers knew they were serious.
 
BroDeal said:
I think it is good news. RS put together a super team with Armstrong, Leipheimer, and Kloden as grand tour GC threats. Those riders have done nothing for the year. Kloden has been invisible, and Leipheimer has been farting around in crappy U.S. domestic races. All of RS's results have come from their domestiques and young riders. It is obvious that the team is following the same preparation methods that JB's teams used between 1999 and 2005. The sport has changed. The Giro and the Vuelta are no longer willing to accept teams disrespecting their races.

If RS wanted to ride the Giro and Vuelta then very early the team should have designated Kloden and Leipheimer as leaders of the non-Tour GTs and built their entire seasons around peaking at the right time. They should have had the chosen leaders and a good crew of domestiques do recon on the critical stages, announcing it to the press so the race organizers knew they were serious.

You misunderstand. I agree that it's what RS should have done, and I'm not disagreeing that their management are self-important boors. However, all I am saying is that it's a shame that their behavior has now erased the chances of younger riders, or domestiques like Kloden, to shine. They really had nothing to do with the decision-making. They race basically where they are told. It's the management's fault, not the riders'. I'm not saying this from the point of view of the Vuelta or RS, but rather from the point of view of a cycling fan missing out on even more exciting racing.
 
Publicus said:
Agreed. But it is a natural consequence of Radio Shack consistently reminding everyone that the only races that mattered were the Tour of California and Tour de France. They could have been far more diplomatic about the situation.

True, but then again their biggest win this year, which by the way didn't include LA, before the Dauphine was by Chris Horner at a spanish race. Also besides Zubeldia another potential spanish name who would have a good chance to make the squad is Rubiera. It is hard to know until they list their TdF roster, but they would have a very competitive team.
 
Moose McKnuckles said:
You misunderstand. I agree that it's what RS should have done, and I'm not disagreeing that their management are self-important boors. However, all I am saying is that it's a shame that their behavior has now erased the chances of younger riders, or domestiques like Kloden, to shine. They really had nothing to do with the decision-making. They race basically where they are told. It's the management's fault, not the riders'. I'm not saying this from the point of view of the Vuelta or RS, but rather from the point of view of a cycling fan missing out on even more exciting racing.

Kloden does not deserve any sympathy. He sold out, and he knows it.

The young riders got screwed, but their managers should have known that they were signing on to an Armstrong vanity project. Maybe they did not realize to what ridiculous extremes it would be taken, i.e. Brakjovic wins the Dauphine and he may not get a Tour slot. Poor Fumi Beppu bought out his Skil cotnract to join RS, probably thinking that he would get a chance to increase his stature in Japan by finishing the Giro or Vuelta; talk about screwed.
 
offbyone said:
True, but then again their biggest win this year, which by the way didn't include LA, before the Dauphine was by Chris Horner at a spanish race. Also besides Zubeldia another potential spanish name who would have a good chance to make the squad is Rubiera. It is hard to know until they list their TdF roster, but they would have a very competitive team.

Yes, they could have had a very strong roster for the Vuelta. But their press posturing about California and the Tour being the only races important to them made Unipublic feel like they didn't care about the race, so Unipublic decided they'd rather have a less stellar team who wanted to be there, because wouldn't you rather have a less stellar lineup fighting it out tooth and nail than a premier league lineup rolling around not caring too much?

I'm not saying that RS would send the A squad to roll around doing nothing at the Vuelta, but they kinda owed the race at least enough respect to make the organisers feel they merited an invite, rather than just assuming they'd get one.
 
BroDeal said:
I think it is good news. RS put together a super team with Armstrong, Leipheimer, and Kloden as grand tour GC threats. Those riders have done nothing for the year. Kloden has been invisible, and Leipheimer has been farting around in crappy U.S. domestic races. All of RS's results have come from their domestiques and young riders. It is obvious that the team is following the same preparation methods that JB's teams used between 1999 and 2005. The sport has changed. The Giro and the Vuelta are no longer willing to accept teams disrespecting their races.

If RS wanted to ride the Giro and Vuelta then very early the team should have designated Kloden and Leipheimer as leaders of the non-Tour GTs and built their entire seasons around peaking at the right time. They should have had the chosen leaders and a good crew of domestiques do recon on the critical stages, announcing it to the press so the race organizers knew they were serious.

That is an absurd argument. For most of these big teams the vuelta is not a target. Look at some other teams invited:

Cervelo Test Team - Umm sastre is reportedly riding the TdF and already had a rough time at the giro no way he rides the vuelta also

Sky Professional Cycling Team- THe biggest joke of all the teams listed. Wiggo is riding the giro and the tour. They have been targeting the TdF all year.

Saxo- Hard for me to believe the likes of spartacus or the shlecks are going to ride the vuelta after the tour and fabian peaking already during the classics

Astana- Contador isn't planning on this race. Vino already rode the giro. They are targeting the TdF too.

etc...

Now on the other hand the best guess at the radioshack team would be whoever doesn't make the TdF squad of these two rosters:

Dauphine:

HORNER
BRAJKOVIC
HERMANS
IRIZAR
LEQUATRE
PAULINHO
VAITKUS
ZUBELDIA

TdS:

ARMSTRONG
KLÖDEN
LEIPHEIMER
MCCARTNEY
MURAVYEV
POPOVYCH
RAST
STEEGMANS

Plus these guys:
Zubeldia, Rubiera, Machado

So you might have a team that looks something like this:
BRAJKOVIC
Zubeldia
Rubiera
Machado
MURAVYEV
PAULINHO
VAITKUS
HERMANS
MURAVYEV

This would be a very competitive vuelta squad.
 
offbyone said:
True, but then again their biggest win this year, which by the way didn't include LA, before the Dauphine was by Chris Horner at a spanish race. Also besides Zubeldia another potential spanish name who would have a good chance to make the squad is Rubiera. It is hard to know until they list their TdF roster, but they would have a very competitive team.

There is a big difference between riders forming a strong team on paper and showing up actually prepared to race, especially on a Bruyneel team. Everyone in the sport knows it. If Leipheimer was going to be the leader for the Vuelta then the team should have announced that he would not ride the Tour so he could be in peak form for the Spanish race. THey should have negoiated with Unipublic behind the scenes to assure the race director that they would be race to win.