Grand Tour Wild Cards - 2011 Thread

[Libertine Seguros]

Leaving aside BMC then I don't agree with the last part. Radioshack could never send a bad team to a GT, that's all they have. The classics is another thing but they have more GT riders than most other teams. Saxo Bank can't really be blamed for being gutted by team-leopard-trek so they should get a year to be able to build their roster back up. And I doubt that Riis is disinteredted in any race.

Tell that to Javier Guillén. Look at the 2009 Vuelta Astana squad. Klöden, Horner and Zubeldia promised. What happened? Klöden pulled out before the start with fatigue from the Tour, Horner crashed out on stage 4 and Zubi did the typical Bruyneel job of never attacking, never being seen, but getting in the top 15 overall. Radioshack could put out a viable GT squad but we all know they have no interest in the "other" GTs, so they could put out a strong team of people not giving a damn and the organisers would prefer a weaker team of highly motivated fighters.

 

[luckyboy]

It'll be a disaster if Geox are left out.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Geox = Unibet 2011

Also, excluding Menchov means that AS will have a nice clear run to the MJ. AS is clearly the UCI's chosen one - speaks English so one up on Dertie, isn't ugly and isn't East European - two up on Menchov.

Having a Russian with a big nose winning the TDF is not going to please the sponsors. Only photogenic winners or riders with heart warming stories please.

And besides, Menchov is probably a 'Rasmussen' waiting to go off if he were to ever get into yellow. And that isn't good for publicity either.

As someone else has been point out elsewhere, wildcards are tied into the nonsense of the PT licences you've got teams like BMC, Saxo, RS who will send much much weaker teams to various GTs taking up places that could be given to teams who are actually interested in the races.

congratulations, never seen so much crap being written down in one post.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

You've obviously never read your own posts.

Wipe your eyes sunshine and move on if it pains you so much.

 

[auscyclefan94]

congratulations, never seen so much crap being written down in one post.

I thought Mrs John Murphy made some valid points. Didn't completely agree with the post tho.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

Going back to the point about PT licenses meaning that you have to send three teams to 3 GTs. Very few teams have the strength to send strong teams to three GTs - the only teams I can think of are Garmin, HTC and maybe Movistar.

There are quite a few teams BMC, Saxo, RS who probably only have the strength to send a strong team to one GT.

It is ridiculous that we have a situation where we have teams that don't really want to be invited to the Giro and Vuelta have to send teams, and the situation is made even worse because 'local' teams for whom it is the biggest race of the year get excluded.

 

[Mellow Velo]

meh, I'm not surprised.
The French with only a single PT guarantee and wotnot.
Nice one Pat.

Still, the Tour's loss is the Giro's gain.
There, they will make up for the cobbled together rubbish EE, BMC, Sky, LEOTARD TREK and the Shack will undoubtably send.

 

[hrotha]

meh, I'm not surprised.
The French with only a single PT guarantee and wotnot.
Nice one Pat.

Still, the Tour's loss is the Giro's gain.
There, they will make up for the cobbled together rubbish EE, BMC, Sky, LEOTARD TREK and the Shack will undoubtably send.

Except that if Geox isn't invited to the Tour, the sponsor will probably leave. No more Geox the decent team, say hello to the new Footon. Menchov would have to find another team, and he'd ride the Tour anyway.

 

[sublimit]

I'll miss his post race interviews if he doesnt ride.

 

[Anonymous]

But aren't the invites never given out that early? Most of the time the wildcards are not given untill later in the season, so I doubt the credibility of this article

its been reported in several places that the tour wild cards are early this year, possibly end of january.

and geox not getting an invite was in the first post of this thread

 

[rzombie1988]

Is there any chance of more slots being open in the future? 20-23 teams for the whole world is not alot. I guess space would be the issue, but when it comes to mountain stages, the ones who don't belong will become apparent anyway.

 

[profff]

in spain there are consistent rumors that gianetti and matxin in the recent meeting with aso have been informed that geox will not be invited to the tour.
it is also said that the second team sponsor, tmc, will give up if they are not in the tour.
menchow is said to be in negotiations to go with bruyneel.
it is always the same story. all the sponsors want the tour and do not care about giro and vuelta
all the gt riders ( except maybe the italians) just want to go the tour.

i do not care about menchow and sastre, i am very worried if the rumors are true for the young talents that are with geox, duarte and felline specially...

 

[Barrus]

Is there any chance of more slots being open in the future? 20-23 teams for the whole world is not alot. I guess space would be the issue, but when it comes to mountain stages, the ones who don't belong will become apparent anyway.

The ones who don't belong should not be in the tour in the first place.

 

[luckyboy]

I cannot fathom that Footon 2010 gets into every GT, but Geox 2011 are apparently.

I mean, I know there was an agreement last year, but still..

 

[craig1985]

Unless the Italian national champion happens to not be too liked by a certain influential figure à la 2009...

I'm pretty sure Zomegnan said that are going to be included in the list of invited teams.

 

[roundabout]

All French

http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/COURSE/fr/actus.html#zone164958

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

just saw that.
no geox.

 

[Highlander]

I think that this is a great opportunity for Geox although the sponsors may not agree. Depending on the invites, Menchov can go for both the Giro and the Vuelta in the same year.

 

[jaylew]

I can't stand the ASO.

 

[riobonito92]

The Wild Cards

Cofidis, le credit en ligne (fra)
fdj (fra)
saur - sojasun (fra)
team europcar (fra)

 

[Michielveedeebee]

NO geox in the tour! Europcar, Cofidis, FDJ and Saur-Sojasun ! :s

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I can't stand the ASO.

If the UCI weren't so keen on ostracising the French teams, they mightn't be backed into this position. The Giro is more Italian, and the Vuelta more Spanish, than the Tour is French, because of the international circus that comes with the Tour. The ASO will be keen to keep some of that French identity. And in order to keep it just as nominally French as it has been for the last few years means spending at least 3 of the 4 wildcards on French teams.

 

[will10]

NO geox in the tour! Europcar, Cofidis, FDJ and Saur-Sojasun ! :s

No, Saur in Paris - Nice, Bretagne(!) at the Tour

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

If the UCI weren't so keen on ostracising the French teams, they mightn't be backed into this position. The Giro is more Italian, and the Vuelta more Spanish, than the Tour is French, because of the international circus that comes with the Tour. The ASO will be keen to keep some of that French identity. And in order to keep it just as nominally French as it has been for the last few years means spending at least 3 of the 4 wildcards on French teams.

this.
i don't see the aso as the villians here.

 

[nobilis]

Nonsense!!
No Geox! And then choosing Bretagne-Schuller over Saur???
Let Bretagne-Schuller do PN before catapulting them in the tour.
At least Saur has already done prestigious one-week stage races. I really can't understand this decision.