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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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.