Freire: tour is the most boring race of the year

[Barrus]

Freire has today announced that he will not be riding the your de France as the team wants to give everything for the GC of Gesink. But more fun are his other statements about the tour:

The tour is the most boring race of the year. In the flat stages you have a break-away and a sprint. In a mountain stage it are always the same riders that ride ahead.

It would be great if the classics were ridden during the summer. The tour mainly gets a lot of attention because there is nothing else happening in sports

http://www.nu.nl/sport/2490037/sprinter-freire-niet-in-ronde-van-frankrijk.html

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

probably a little annoyed that he isn't gonna be in the sqaud, but he is totally right. Go Friere

 

[Astana1]

He is more or less right. But he wouldn't be saying that if he had a seat at the table.

 

[Ferminal]

Hopefully Graeme Brown takes his spot as the big sprinter then.

In all seriousness though, it would be nice to see Bos there, but will they really be throwing everything behind Bobby?

 

[Eshnar]

It would be great if the classics were ridden during the summer. The tour mainly gets a lot of attention because there is nothing else happening in sports

while I'm not sure the actual reason is this one, the fact that tdf is the most boring race of the year is.... a fact.

 

[Lanark]

Hopefully Graeme Brown takes his spot as the big sprinter then.

In all seriousness though, it would be nice to see Bos there, but will they really be throwing everything behind Bobby?

Probably not everything, they'll have Luis Leon Sanchez and Mollema as well, you would need a couple of mountain domestiques (Garate, Barredo, Ten Dam), a couple of guys for the flat and the TTT, and there is little room left to support a sprinter.

 

[Magnus]

Oh, another "True cycling fans hate the tour" thread...

IMO, the difference between the tour and (almost) any other race is, that no matter how it unfolds it is exciting to see how, simply because it's the tour. And the fact that every one is there for the race and not as training. It's the true showdown of the season.

@ rhetorical wiz's: I know I'm basically using a circular argument saying the tour is the best because it's the best (but it's true).

 

[Martin318is]

Hopefully Graeme Brown takes his spot as the big sprinter then.

You mean take Brown as a domestique and not have a sprinter at all? good idea!

 

[theyoungest]

He is more or less right. But he wouldn't be saying that if he had a seat at the table.

Then you don't know Freire. Freire don't give a ****.

 

[Ferminal]

You mean take Brown as a domestique and not have a sprinter at all? good idea!

I guess you need to finish top20 on flat stages to be classified as a sprinter anyway.

 

[craig1985]

Meh, he's the not the only guy in the peloton who thinks that.

 

[Havetts]

Just thrown in Brown to make some mass crashes in the sprint and try to take down the Schlecks / Contador .

But in all seriousness, the whole team is being built around the gc of Gesink.

 

[L'arriviste]

Freire himself has profited from the Tour's 'boring' formula down the years. But I suppose he's been around long enough not to have to stick to the platitudes.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Hopefully Graeme Brown takes his spot as the big sprinter then.

In all seriousness though, it would be nice to see Bos there, but will they really be throwing everything behind Bobby?

na it will be all for gesink.

LLS might have different ideas, but hey, he did some work at basque so who knows. Mollema certainly is just a domestique here I think. A shame, should have done giro / vuelta imo.
Also expect Boom, Tjallingi, Garate, Barredo, Ten Dam and maybe Niermann. Possibly matti if he gets fit in time.

@Magnus
I actually agree (despite my above posts, which I was just messing around. I mean it can be boring but... I still love the tour). I have for a long time said the giro is a better race. However people make it like it is one or the other, when in fact we can love em all. I know the tour can fail at times, but it is still worth our attention.
This idea that the giro is awesome (which it is) and thus the tour totally sucks, I don't give a crap blah blah attitude is lame, some fans trying to act like they know more or something...

 

[Christian]

What a bitter old man ...

The Tour is as boring/exciting as you make it, and the only noteworthy thing Freire did last year was to put red and yellow tape on his handlebars ...

 

[aahmadhu]

absolutely true.

the tour is no place for genuine classics riders. it's either for true sprinters, climbers, time-trialists and domestiques. and anyone from the latter three categories can be on breakaways, other than the french daredevils.

even the mighty spartacus, breschel, ballan and flecha become domestiques during the tour. now hushovd also has joint the fold, being content with the lead-out job. fortunately quickstep doesn't have a true sprinter or a climber, or else we'll see even boonen doing the work as a domestique. that's quite a sight.

imo, the giro and the vuelta are more selective for the classics men.

hell, there is no way in the tour we see big guns launching big attacks 40 to 80 km before the finish, unlike the cobbled and the hilly classics.

the tour is a big deal only because the whole world make a big deal out of it, means more commercial opportunity for the team sponsors.

yes, boring. but still a hell of a race.

 

[NickBVK]

Pretty sure he had a 'seat at the table' if he wanted it but I remember reading late last year/early this year that he was already planning to skip the Tour and do the Vuelta as preparation for his biggest goal, the pan flat Worlds in Copenhagen.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Pretty sure he had a 'seat at the table' if he wanted it but I remember reading late last year/early this year that he was already planning to skip the Tour and do the Vuelta as preparation for his biggest goal, the pan flat Worlds in Copenhagen.

nah he was very unlikely to make the tour squad this year.
It was a long time going to be all for gesink.

 

[Mambo95]

absolutely true.

the tour is no place for genuine classics riders. it's either for true sprinters, climbers, time-trialists and domestiques. and anyone from the latter three categories can be on breakaways, other than the french daredevils.

even the mighty spartacus, breschel, ballan and flecha become domestiques during the tour. now hushovd also has joint the fold, being content with the lead-out job. fortunately quickstep doesn't have a true sprinter or a climber, or else we'll see even boonen doing the work as a domestique. that's quite a sight.

imo, the giro and the vuelta are more selective for the classics men.

hell, there is no way in the tour we see big guns launching big attacks 40 to 80 km before the finish, unlike the cobbled and the hilly classics.

the tour is a big deal only because the whole world make a big deal out of it, means more commercial opportunity for the team sponsors.

yes, boring. but still a hell of a race.

If you're only capable of enjoying one type of race with one type of rider, then you're going to find it boring.

But if these classics men are good enough, they can get something out of it for themselves. Cancellara, Hushovd and Boonen have all had great success at the Tour. Even Flecha and Pozzato have managed to win stages.

 

[The Hitch]

Chapeau Freire.

Oh, another "True cycling fans hate the tour" thread...

Actually if you read the thread, its responding to comments made by a rider.

IMO, the difference between the tour and (almost) any other race is, that no matter how it unfolds it is exciting to see how, simply because it's the tour. And the fact that every one is there for the race and not as training. It's the true showdown of the season.

@ rhetorical wiz's: I know I'm basically using a circular argument saying the tour is the best because it's the best (but it's true).

There are plenty of races which no one uses for training. Who uses LBL, Giro, Worlds, GDL for training?

I dont see how it would matter anyway seeing as if ppl use races for training, theyre not going to be near the front anyway, but bare in mind that plenty of people use the Tour as a warm down.

Meh, he's the not the only guy in the peloton who thinks that.

Who else?

 

[Astana1]

Pretty sure he had a 'seat at the table' if he wanted it but I remember reading late last year/early this year that he was already planning to skip the Tour and do the Vuelta as preparation for his biggest goal, the pan flat Worlds in Copenhagen.

I actually agree with him fwiw. Didn't realize I was going to insult the delicate sensitivities of the Freire faithful lol.

 

[aahmadhu]

But if these classics men are good enough, they can get something out of it for themselves. Cancellara, Hushovd and Boonen have all had great success at the Tour. Even Flecha and Pozzato have managed to win stages.

true indeed. it's just that in these classics men's view, the stages in the tour are not selective enough for them. cancellara can always get the win in TT, but in open road stages? certainly hard even for him, let alone the guys of boonen, freire and hushovd, who couldn't compete in the modern sprinting environment of the HTC freight train. and also look at the guys of kolobnev, cunego, gilbert, ballan or breschel, for them the tour's ascents are either too easy or too hard for them.

i'm just saying that the classics men have nothing to go for in the tour.

Who else?

gilbert, perhaps?

 

[durrin]

WC circuit in CPH

Pretty sure he had a 'seat at the table' if he wanted it but I remember reading late last year/early this year that he was already planning to skip the Tour and do the Vuelta as preparation for his biggest goal, the pan flat Worlds in Copenhagen.

I'm not sure you can classify the Worlds course as "pan flat"... Unfortunately, I can't compare it to other courses, as I haven't ridden any other WC circuits.

the finishing straight is uphill, although only at 3.7% and only for 575 meters. I'm certainly not saying Freire can't win here.

 

[Magnus]

Chapeau Freire.

There are plenty of races which no one uses for training. Who uses LBL, Giro, Worlds, GDL for training?

I dont see how it would matter anyway seeing as if ppl use races for training, theyre not going to be near the front anyway, but bare in mind that plenty of people use the Tour as a warm down.

I don't think i said that the tour is the only race not used as training.

The thing is: when, for instance, Brajkovic wins Dauphine 2010 ahead of Contador, it doesn't mean he's a better stage-racer. Had he won the 2010 TdF ahead of Contador it would have meant just that (imo). I'm not saying I don't enjoy other races. It's always interesting to see how different riders approach the tour differently each year and how some of the second tier guys picks up some wins along the way.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Hopefully Graeme Brown takes his spot as the big sprinter then.

In all seriousness though, it would be nice to see Bos there, but will they really be throwing everything behind Bobby?

Why not? Bobby was 5th/6th in the tour last year? His tt has improved. I think he deserves his opportuninty.

I think some of freire's comments were fair but others were stupid.