Grand Tour Wild Cards - 2011 Thread

[Cobblestoned]

So sad. It was Menchovs turn.

He was ready to win the Tour 2011.

Instead of Menchov and Sastre we now have the Sojabeans. Anyone who wants to see them at a GT ?

 

[Nastyy]

What's the fuss? It's ASO's race, they can do what they want. They're not obligated to invite anyone they don't want to. Also it's a race in France owned by French so it's only logical they want more French teams in. And you can blame the UCI as much as the ASO. Without their stupid rules ASO could pick who they want and wouldn't have to invite someone like Lampre or Saxo bank(they're nothing without Contador).

Though I would've preferred Geox over Cofidis.

 

[ttrider]

Id like some one from ASO to explain in simple terms why a team featuring the 2008 winner and a 3 time GT winner who podiumed last year is not ranked as one of the four most appropriate wild card teams

FDJ are quite BAD, Europcar are BAD, the other 2 the less said the better

 

[tofino]

You're asking the wrong person

Id like some one from ASO to explain in simple terms why a team featuring the 2008 winner and a 3 time GT winner who podiumed last year is not ranked as one of the four most appropriate wild card teams

FDJ are quite BAD, Europcar are BAD, the other 2 the less said the better

You're asking the wrong questions to the wrong people.

Why don't you ask the GEOX management why they screwed up and didn't make sure they got a PROTOUR license?? They would be in the race case closed. A system exists for them to get into the race.

Its not the ASO fault that GEOX is not in the race. Besides the wish that GEOX is in the race the ASO did the right thing by supporting French cycling and the racing with be better because of it. Those French teams will be ripping it up. Its the Tour de FRANCE, remember.

 

[Highlander]

Id like some one from ASO to explain in simple terms why a team featuring the 2008 winner and a 3 time GT winner who podiumed last year is not ranked as one of the four most appropriate wild card teams

FDJ are quite BAD, Europcar are BAD, the other 2 the less said the better

Europcar did win 2 stages at last year's Tour and they do have perhaps the most popular French rider, so there inclusion didn't surprise me at all. Just out of curiosity, besides Geox, what other teams should ASO have included rather than picking the weak French squads?

 

[Rocksteady]

I honestly think this will be good for Geox. Sastre might actually show something in the Giro and Vuelta instead of doing all 3 and showing nothing. Menchov could have done well in the tour, but the Vuelta is his now if he focuses on it.

 

[jens_attacks]

you don't support french cycling by inviting their lazy aszes to the tour de france,you support them when you made them ride and train at 2011 standards like all the other top teams.french cycling will never be revived.aso just make me puke,fucc it,lance just buy the whole thing.

 

[Roland Rat]

you don't support french cycling by inviting their lazy aszes to the tour de france,you support them when you made them ride and train at 2011 standards like all the other top teams.french cycling will never be revived.aso just make me puke

Or by putting them in the TdF it gives them nowhere to hide and they see what standard they need to get too..

lance just buy the whole thing.

So it can be turned into a freak show?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Too bad.
No Contador, no Menchov, no Sastre.
Who next?
Hopefully Geox will stay as sponsor and both will now ride the best GT of the year.

 

[The Hitch]

Nonsense!!

Agreed. They should have chosen Geox. They didnt choose Geox. There is no two ways about it. You cant spin this and say they were forced. I agree that they share the guilt with the UCIs PT crap, but for this decision they are the main ones to blame. FFS you can use up the other 3 spots on french teams. Geox had a superior team to all those 4 combined.

They didnt get in. Shame on ASO.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Too bad.
No Contador, no Menchov, no Sastre.
Who next?
Hopefully Geox will stay as sponsor and both will now ride the best GT of the year.

Are you talking about the tour of california ?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

To be fair to GEOX, the rules did change between them setting up the team and the licences being given out.

But the whole thing is that we need to give the organisers MORE flexibility, not LESS. When you fix over 80% of the team entrants as rigid, then the organisers have to fill that extra 15-20% with what serves them best.

Remember that the Tour de France is a business. They need to make money. They need the fans lining the streets and they need the sales of TV rights; if there aren't as many fans, the event doesn't look as good, they don't make as much money. Now, a lot of people are die-hard cycling fans and will go and watch the race regardless. But there are a lot of casual fans in small towns and villages in France who don't really follow cycling, but have a passing interest. The organisers also know that one of the main things they have to sell the audience on is France - the towns and regions pay to have the Tour because it's good promotion for the area. Having local heroes who will be riding through their hometowns is good because it gets fans out onto the streets to cheer on their boy (see all the painting on the streets for David LeLay in the first three stages of the 2008 Tour), and keep the French atmosphere (which is already far more diluted than the national feel of the Giro and Vuelta) that promotes the country as a whole. The Tour has been getting increasingly less and less French in recent years, and the ASO are keen that their more local, less global sponsors and contributors get their money's worth too.

 

[JimPanzen]

So the way is getting cleared for the Schlecks to make it this time

 

[Michielveedeebee]

So the way is getting cleared for the Schlecks to make it this time

Yes, and I say it's all Rat Macquacks doing. He set up Contador and then eliminates Sastre so Schlecklet has the Tour in his bag

 

[ak-zaaf]

tl

Yup. I don't see any problems with their decision.
Maybe their even making a point. A lot of company with big sponsor budgets have started over the last couple of years and they can't all get a place.
What if we end up with 50 teams with budgets over €12 million?

 

[joy118118]

also no Geox in Tirreno-Adriatico

will they be in Giro？

 

[jaylew]

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.

It's all about ostracizing the French. Sure, the Giro and Vuelta seem much more Italian and Spanish than the Tour is French. I agree that it is partially because of the "international circus" (which they want) but also because the Giro and Vuelta have plenty of Italians and Spanish fighting it out in the top 10, which the French don't have. It's not as if the French have had far fewer teams in the Tour than than the Italians and Spanish have had in the Giro and Vuelta in recent years. In the last 4 years the Tour and Vuelta have had 21 national teams and the Giro 19. Of course the Giro number would jump up to 22 if you include non-Italian teams with a predominately Italian membership.(Savio's teams, Barloworld).

The problem would be solved of course if they developed more top riders. GC guys would be nice but it doesn't even have to be that. Top sprinters, top TT guys, top classic guys - some riders who could consistently podium in races that aren't just part of the French Cup.

3 of the 4 I don't have a problem with and I would actually agree with. All 4, I do, particularly when you leave out a team with a potential winner and a former champ who could still possibly vie for the podium.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Seems like Geox will be the Vacansoleil of 2010 and the Unibet of 2007.

 

[Moondance]

also no Geox in Tirreno-Adriatico

will they be in Giro？

With Menchov I think they'll be good. No Basso in the Giro means they might not have any former winners if they don't invite Geox (given that I imagine Di Luca might just give the Giro a pass, and Cunego isn't confirmed yet)...

They'll invite Menchov.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

Bah. Provincialism all the way.

Europcar
Cofidis
FDJ

and?

Its Nationalism, France is a Country.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

Yeah the Tour would be livelier with Menchov for sure, as he's a big contender.

Lol a cemetery would be livelier without Menchov, he is undoubtedly the most boring, charisma less rider in the peleton.

 

[hrotha]

People complain when races lose their character, and then when a race supports the French teams (which, let's be honest, need all the support they can get).

As much as it sucks for Menchov, Sastre, Duarte and the rest, they knew (or should have known) what they were getting into. Next time Gianetti might do things better and, like, sign riders with more points to get into the Pro Tour. Or he'll just get the hell out of the team so that they can get invites.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Nuts.

I'll miss seeing Sastre in July. Though he never really dominated (even when he won), he's always proven himself willing to go out on a limb and attack whenever he's got the legs--even when the other favorites are content to ride around at tempo in a little bunch.

I think Geox should have gotten an invite just out of respect for this thoughtful, soft spoken rider, his win in 2008, and (if nothing else) his guaranteed fireworks on the queen stage.

 

[Descender]

It's all just payback for the Riccò and Piepoli affairs in 08.

 

[Descender]

What's the fuss? It's ASO's race, they can do what they want. They're not obligated to invite anyone they don't want to.

And since our opinions are ours too, we can criticise them for doing that all we want.