2012 Giro d'Italia wildcards:Who would you like to see?

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

https://twitter.com/#!/alexfeel/status/156338443637628929

Seems the surprise 4th wildcard will be either NetApp, or Coldeportes

The hint, "ten years later," could refer to the last time a Colombian team was present, Colombia - Selle Italia, or to NetApp's DS Jens Heppner wearing the leader's jersey for ten days during the 2002 Giro.

The fact that Acquarone recently mentioned a German team a couple times and Coldeportes only once, doesn't inspire much confidence, but hey... there's still hope.



One more day...

 

[roundabout]

Could be a red herring to allow people to keep on speculating

I know that I have almost forgotten that the wildcards will be selected tomorrow

 

[jens_attacks]

netapp?with who?

there are rumours saying team type 1 will be the surprise.
jesus fuccin christ acquarone at least don't touch androni and acqua e sapone.

 

[will10]

https://twitter.com/#!/alexfeel/status/156338443637628929

Seems the surprise 4th wildcard will be either NetApp, or Coldeportes

The hint, "ten years later," could refer to the last time a Colombian team was present, Colombia - Selle Italia, or to NetApp's DS Jens Heppner wearing the leader's jersey for ten days during the 2002 Giro.

The fact that Acquarone recently mentioned a German team a couple times and Coldeportes only once, doesn't inspire much confidence, but hey... there's still hope.



One more day...

10 years later will only refer to Heppner at the Giro which means NetApp. Which sucks.

 

[profff]

acquarone preparing a disaster.
tomorrow they are going to change the rule of sport: they will choose the one paying,, not the one deserving.
money will be officially declared more important than sporting qualities.

 

[jens_attacks]

the wildcars for giro 2012:
champion system
netapp
team type 1
it41

nothing from acquarone can surprise me...

 

[will10]

Androni, NetApp, Farnese Vini and Acqua I expect.

 

[roundabout]

Between NetApp and TT1 I'd pick TT1. NetApp has some promising riders but it's just a year or two too early for them

 

[jens_attacks]

Between NetApp and TT1 I'd pick TT1. NetApp has some promising riders but it's just a year or two too early for them

well there are 10 years since jens heppner got the maglia rosa from a breakaway.beat that coldeportes.

 

[craig1985]

Zomegnan got sacked, why? Ok there was the fiasco with the Zoncolan stage, but with emotions running high with Weylandt's death, it was inevitable for mine that the Crositis would get taken out. I want Coldeportes in because sure they won't win the race overall, but they will take to the mountains in Italy like a duck takes to water and won't be afraid to put some attacks in and get a stage win and aim for one of their riders to get the KOM, either for a few days or overall.

I don't mind NetApp but they're not quite ready to be doing a GT yet, let them build themselves up with doing some bigger WT stage races for 2012 and then next year aim for a GT spot. They're good enough to get a WT wildcard at Suisse, Poland, ENECO Tour at least.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What would we be expecting from each?

TT1:
Antomarchi, Bertogliatti, Bodrogi, Colli, Efimkin, El Fares, Kocjan, ?, ?

NetApp:
Barta, Benedetti, Dietziker, Eichler, Huzarski, Janorschka, König, Schulze, Seubert?

Coldeportes:
Atapuma, Chalapud, Duarte, Laverde, Ospina, Pantano, Peña, Suárez, ?

Laverde's history at the Giro and Duarte make Coldeportes seem the most attractive of the three; I guess we may get used to the sounds of "and in the breakaway, Timon Seubert" though.

 

[jens_attacks]

same opinion. i don't even mind team type 1 or champion system but they don't have a roster for vuelta andalucia let alone giro d'italia for christ sake.

 

[roundabout]

I honestly believe that even now König is capable of finishing top-20 overall so there's more to NetApp than pointless breaks, but that alone is not enough to justify their selection.

 

[will10]

Giro 2002, two stage wins (including the stage win) and mountain classement for Julio Alberto Perez, Mexican climber, the purest of pure climbers. Is it too much to ask RCS to invite Coldeportes to animate the race like he did?

But no, instead we get NetApp, endless breakaways on the flat stages, and Konig riding anonymously to 18th on GC. Oh joy.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Huzarski could easily contend for a stage win from a breakaway on an intermediate stage or spring a surprise with a late attack like Gatto did last year, and Janorschka will probably come 5th in a couple of sprints, so they're not totally one-dimensional flat stage breakaways + König.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

serious lol @ people thinking netapp wil get a wildcard. nobody is that ignorant, not even acquarone

 

[will10]

serious lol @ people thinking netapp wil get a wildcard. nobody is that ignorant, not even acquarone

Come on then Ryo, what do you think Acquarone means by his "ten years on" comment on twitter?

 

[Jakob747]

Based on the publicity that this thread is receiving in CN site, I hope that Coldeportes gets an invitation. I hope that Italian organizers read this site.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/forum-hot-topic-giro-ditalia-wild-cards

The reason I want Coldeportes to be invited is plain and simple: I want Duarte to replicate the performance he had in La Linea (Vuelta a Colombia) a few years back. Total demolition of the peloton. Completely outstanding. Even last year in the Giro de Trentino the way he beat everybody in the MTF. He was so in control and cool as a cucumber. He really has a big potential.

I completely agree. His 2009 performance on La Linea was a true masterpiece; in five kilometers he totally annihilated all his competitors in brutal fashion.

Also one of the few times I've seen Fabio do it with a pure fierce acceleration. I have often seen posters on this board describe Fabio's riding style as "explosive" but with all due respect that's not Fabio's trademark at all! Don't get me wrong he is not incapable of getting out of the saddle, but in reality, despite his tiny frame Fabio is much more of a power-climber than an accelerating-climber Ala Sergio Henao for example who can put in 30sec accelerations uphill without any problem whenever it suits him.

Fabio is pretty punchy towards the finish-line, maybe that's what's confuses some people, but that doesn't translate into explosives when attacking uphill as proven over the years here in Colombia, or in Asturias (See when he goes after Cano) in Trentino (See in what manner he reacts the two times he is the only one capable of following Scarponi directly, or in Lugano where he drags Basso all the way uphill (Again seated).

Anyway I am getting a bit away of the topic. What I just meant to say is Fabio is a hell of a rider who deserves to be in the Giro, as I am sure he is capable of dishing it out to the best of them.

 

[Eshnar]

NetApp? I'll be VERY surprised if it'll be chosen. It has almost nothing to offer... (regarding money, I guess it's not the only team who could pay...). Germany is not a good market for cycling, neither.

 

[Havetts]

Heres one hoping the wildcards won't be a total shocker..

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

NetApp has been getting classy wildcards already in the last years (Tour de Suisse, Roubaix, Tour of California etc.). They're aiming for WT status and seem to invest a lot of money in invitations, not riders. Fair enough.

And come on, even the Linda McCartney team rode the Giro.

 

[craig1985]

NetApp? I'll be VERY surprised if it'll be chosen. It has almost nothing to offer... (regarding money, I guess it's not the only team who could pay...). Germany is not a good market for cycling, neither.

Though there has been speculation that the team formerly known as Skil-Shimano's new sponsor will be German.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Come on then Ryo, what do you think Acquarone means by his "ten years on" comment on twitter?

freddy gonzalez winning kom?? or was that 2001 and 2003?

could be anything

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I completely agree. His 2009 performance on La Linea was a true masterpiece; in five kilometers he totally annihilated all his competitors in brutal fashion.

Also one of the few times I've seen Fabio do it with a pure fierce acceleration. I have often seen posters on this board describe Fabio's riding style as "explosive" but with all due respect that's not Fabio's trademark at all! Don't get me wrong he is not incapable of getting out of the saddle, but in reality, despite his tiny frame Fabio is much more of a power-climber than an accelerating-climber Ala Sergio Henao for example who can put in 30sec accelerations uphill without any problem whenever it suits him.

Fabio is pretty punchy towards the finish-line, maybe that's what's confuses some people, but that doesn't translate into explosives when attacking uphill as proven over the years here in Colombia, or in Asturias (See when he goes after Cano) in Trentino (See in what manner he reacts the two times he is the only one capable of following Scarponi directly, or in Lugano where he drags Basso all the way uphill (Again seated).

Anyway I am getting a bit away of the topic. What I just meant to say is Fabio is a hell of a rider who deserves to be in the Giro, as I am sure he is capable of dishing it out to the best of them.

he is epxlosive compared to pretty much all european climbers. you can see in his attacks although they are indeed power attacks but he rides evry differently. he can ride with very heavy gears in a powerful way or light gears too sometimes. rujano does the same

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

NetApp has been getting classy wildcards already in the last years (Tour de Suisse, Roubaix, Tour of California etc.). They're aiming for WT status and seem to invest a lot of money in invitations, not riders. Fair enough.

And come on, even the Linda McCartney team rode the Giro.

they don't invest in invitations. heppner simply has a good network. the team doesn't have much money at all as can be seen by the riders they attract and have not improved this year in either status nor riders