General News Thread

[Dazed and Confused]

not really considering they will take just as bad a pre-seaosn again in full scale europe in january and duarte is a lost cause with his mentality.

well, something has changed. They are in San Luis and also going to Langkawi. There are also a number of races in Spain closer to the Giro. Sure, they must show their faces in Italy as well, but it looks like a better plan to me. Anyway, perhaps they will fail again.

 

[Afrank]

lol at giving yellow fluo a wild card. Either they are going to suck, since they dont have any good riders anymore, or someone will start flying. Either way, dont see how that "promotes Italian cycling" or whatever their reasoning is.

They still have some pretty good guys, Chicchi, Ponzi, Rabottini. Not as many as they've had in other years, but they should still be able to field a decent team.

 

[roundabout]

Either IAM said no thanks, or Colombia bought their spot. No other reasons for that choice.

 

[Netserk]

I think IAM said no thanks. With Chava a Tour spot is certain, so I can't see what they would want to do in the Giro.

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

RCS said no thanks to IAM, which is logic too. They have strongest all around squad of all Pro Conti team (even if they don't have a real standout rider). But with their squad the TdF WC is a sure thing. Meaning the stronger guys will be sent to the Tour, so second tier guys for the Giro, so no thanks from the Giro. 100% logical decision.

 

[roundabout]

Even without Tschopp-Frank-Chavanel-Löfkvist-Haussler they could have sent a pretty decent team.

But maybe classics-Romandie-Giro-TdS-Tour would have been too much

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

Of course they could have sent a decent team.
Reichenbach+Wyss as sort of GC riders, both long term should be as good as Tschopp and Frank actually. Pelucchi for sprint. But as you say, with Romandie and the TdS before and after the Giro.... as a Swiss team they will want to show something there too, and not necessarily with Frank or Lövkvist who probably will target the TdF, so that leaves Tschopp and the 2 potential Giro leaders. Potentially weakening them further. Top 5 in the TdS or Top 15 in the Giro, might as well go for top 5 in the TdS as a Wyss or Reichenbach...
IAM should have a good shot at the Vuelta too btw, so as RCS in the end wouldn't have invited them either. Not necessarily Colombia, would have looked at MTN and Caja Rural too...

In the end though all 4 (IAM, Colombia, MTN, Caja) would have been an acceptable last WC.

 

[the asian]

Would have preferred MTN over Yellow Fluo but it seems RCS are quite happy to give Scinto another chance.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

The only way this selection could have been worse would be if IAM replaced Colombia. IAM have a better squad all round, but the Giro would have been way down their list of priorities.

The Yellow Fluo choice is terrible. Basically an admission that even if an Italian PC team is very low on quality and even if they just last year embarrassed the race by taking a leak against their legs, it will still get into the Giro. I've no problem at all with the decision to invite Androni (obviously) or, despite the thinness of their own roster, Bardiani, but Yellow Fluo combine having a squad of no marks with complete shamelessness. Bring MTN instead or even a random unexpected choice from the outsider teams.

The absence of an Italian podium contender for the race might partly explain the decision, ie maximising local interest in a race where none of the big guns are Italian. No Nibali. Basso and Scarponi are over the hill. None of the younger Italians look ready to get near a top 5. Throwing another team of random Italian breakaway riders in there could be a small way to counterbalance that problem.

 

[fauniera]

None of the younger Italians look ready to get near a top 5.

Aru will prove you wrong.

 

[Wallenquist]

Ballan banned for two years

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Ballan banned for two years

So BMC has a slot open for Horner, lol.

 

[Ferminal]

Maybe a straight swap for Santambrogio later in the year.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Maybe a straight swap for Santambrogio later in the year.

bingo, puzzle solved.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Ballan banned for two years

I haven't sene him on a bike for at least 4 years. so his supension might as well be done with

 

[Wallenquist]

Ballan officially fired by BMC.

 

[Flamin]

not really considering they will take just as bad a pre-seaosn again in full scale europe in january and duarte is a lost cause with his mentality.

Duarte did a recon of Montecampione on the last day of the year. That's pretty good for a lost cause.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Duarte did a recon of Montecampione on the last day of the year. That's pretty good for a lost cause.

don't believe any of his hype. same happened last year and he appeared at the giro start completely out of form, despite being given time in colombia to train. atapuma on the other hand was in top form and has a lot less talent

 

[roundabout]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/liege-bastogne-liege-eur5000-richer-for-100th-edition

What the?

It was 5k for 3rd in Liege last year.

http://www.letour.fr/liege-bastogne-liege/2013/us/sporting-stakes-rules.html

Even if a win is worth 100k, 5k for 1st in Bastogne is a disgrace.

 

[theyoungest]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/liege-bastogne-liege-eur5000-richer-for-100th-edition

What the?

It was 5k for 3rd in Liege last year.

http://www.letour.fr/liege-bastogne-liege/2013/us/sporting-stakes-rules.html

Even if a win is worth 100k, 5k for 1st in Bastogne is a disgrace.

Prizes in cycling are a joke anyway. Except in Beijing.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/liege-bastogne-liege-eur5000-richer-for-100th-edition

What the?

It was 5k for 3rd in Liege last year.

http://www.letour.fr/liege-bastogne-liege/2013/us/sporting-stakes-rules.html

Even if a win is worth 100k, 5k for 1st in Bastogne is a disgrace.

yea, but at least they recognize the problem with LBL: soft, small breaks and lack of pace until the very end.

EUR5K won't solve the problem however.

 

[Ferminal]

Probably prefer this route though.

My idea is to remove any difficulty before Redoute, because maybe then we get crazy fireworks there, which is the best we can hope for these days.

 

[movingtarget]

I haven't sene him on a bike for at least 4 years. so his supension might as well be done with

So what was he doing on the podium at Roubaix and Flanders in 2012 ?

 

[jens_attacks]

http://caferoubaix.com/2014/01/17/george-hincapie-we-want-to-be-a-pro-continental-team-in-2015/

big george means business

– Is there any chance to get some South American riders, especially Colombians?

Absolutely! We looked already for this year, it didn’t work out, but my brother and I have a lot of contacts in Colombia, we are Colombian, and we’re going to start spending some more time there and try to find talents for the team.

even ryo will like it lol

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Chris Froome's biggest rival to skip Tour de France

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/18/chris-froome-nairo-quintana-skip-tour-de-france