Greipel's griping

[GoGarmin]

Well, he's right.

Why couldn't Columbia-HTC have sent two riders to MSR, especially since Greiplel obviously has such good early season form?

And given this, where does Greipel end up next year?

 

[Jamsque]

I don't think he's doing himself any favours by complaining like that. HTC-Columbia knows that Cav is their best chance of winning a lot of races, so they are obviously going to build the team around him (to an extent). Yes, he's in better form than Cav right now, but he will never be the number one sprinter there unless Cav goes elsewhere, so he should focus on doing what he can in the races where he is given free rein and try to land a new contract for next year.

I can understand his frustration at not being given a shot at M-SR, but all he does by moaning is make his team management unhappy with him, and make other teams that might want to offer him a ride think that he is a prima-donna.

I would expect him to be elsewhere next year, though, and I wonder where he will end up. Gerald Ciolek was in a similar position a couple of years back, but he hasn't had nearly the success at Milram that he had with High Road.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

AG did get 20 wins last year, even if Cav is their main man it's total BS they don't give him a little more respect.

i've said it before, but a lot of Cav's dominance is the leadout and work rate his team provides, and already they seem weaker this year, almost everything they've won this season has been from Greipel.

I hope AG leaves, in theory he could do well at milram. Ciolek, kluge, forster leading him out would be a pretty good train. Otherwise i'm sure one of the stronger teams would be happy to work for him.

when does his contract end?

 

[Four Winds]

Think I once heard him say that he'd rather stay at Columbia as number 2 than go somewhere else as their top sprinter since he wouldn't win as many races in another team.

I'm sure he is frustrated after MSR, but probably this is just a bit of points scoring. Their dislike seems to go way back. In Giro 08 Cav let Greipel win one of the stages, and Greipel responded that he would have won anyway! Cav claimed in his book it was to try to help things but later regretted doing it.

Cav also seems to have silenced the rumours about Greipel in the Columbia train for the TdF using phrases like unreliable/ loses a wheel easily and saying he should have won every stage in the Tour Down Under.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

Cav won the race last year. Regardless of form, he earned the privilege of a team supporting only his efforts. If Cav didn't win, then yeah send two potential winners, but this year was Cav's race to win or lose.

EDIT: granted he has six wins, but consider what he has won, most of those are regarded as scrimmages by most of the peloton.

 

[TRDean]

Cav won the race last year. Regardless of form, he earned the privilege of a team supporting only his efforts. If Cav didn't win, then yeah send two potential winners, but this year was Cav's race to win or lose.

EDIT: granted he has six wins, but consider what he has won, most of those are regarded as scrimmages by most of the peloton.

I totally disagree....Cav won last year...he has been nowhere this year...him earning the privilege cost the team any shot at winning. They are there to win...not take care of Cav. I think Greipel is legit in his complaints...and don't think it will hurt him at all in looking for a new team in the future. Especially if he has similar win totals as last year.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

I totally disagree....Cav won last year...he has been nowhere this year...him earning the privilege cost the team any shot at winning. They are there to win...not take care of Cav. I think Greipel is legit in his complaints...and don't think it will hurt him at all in looking for a new team in the future. Especially if he has similar win totals as last year.

Well at least we all agree AG should go elsewhere. Hell, he should have already gone elsewhere.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Cav won the race last year. Regardless of form, he earned the privilege of a team supporting only his efforts. If Cav didn't win, then yeah send two potential winners, but this year was Cav's race to win or lose.

EDIT: granted he has six wins, but consider what he has won, most of those are regarded as scrimmages by most of the peloton.

I disagree. Making cav the sole leader because he won last season - has displayed poor form this season, and still winless - seems like a decision based on feelings and personalities. These are professional teams, they should be making decisions and using tactics that will most likely bring in the results. Leaving AG at home for MSR was a poor tactical decision, and displayed how much they think of a in-form AG compared to a poor formed cav.

Under these circumstances it was a poor display by HTC

 

[fatandfast]

The hybrid of this is, yes Cav had to be at the race if he was able and probably got a shtload of start money,but HTC should field guys that can contest longer races. Greipel should have been given a shot.

 

[Moondance]

Agree totally with the OP and most of the other posters. Greipel should've defintely been giving a spot. Cav should be their man man, obviously based on past performance, but that doesn't mean you can't bring a B-option. I was shocked when saw Columbia didn't even take him along.The worst case scenario is that he doesn't make it over the humps like every Columbia rider save Rogers, and the best case he can lead out Cav should they have both survived... Tactically bringing him is a win-win.

He deserves the respect to get a start in MSR and possibly in the Tour. If he, as a Top-5 sprinter in the peleton continues to get treated like he's JJ Haedo then I would be fully supportive of him leaving. He could go and become the #1 man at the possible Schleck superteam next year if that gets done, depending of course on how the composition of that team will be. Otherwise a Contador-less Astana might want to spend some money on him to try and rebuild a new type of team.

 

[taiwan]

“I have been satisfied with the team so far, but when I wasn't even at the start of Milan-San Remo, then I have to figure that I will be making my summer vacation on the Baltic Sea.”

What's this reference to the Baltic Sea? Did anyone get from that what I did?

[edit] total misundertanding. I thought this was a suggestion that he'd be negotiating with another team, but presumably he just means he won't be at the Tour.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

What are you reading into that? That is his home area, and a common vacation area, especially for families with young children.

Susan

 

[Jamsque]

It does seem like Columbia would have been better served at San Remo by taking Greipel instead of, say, Peter Velits or Matt Goss, but it is the team management's decision and not Andre's. If he wants to go to Bob Stapleton behind closed doors and say that he feels like he isn't being given a fair shake, then he should do that, but saying that to the press hurts him and the team.

 

[Michele]

Does anyone know what was the best placing for Greipel at Sanremo?
I ever thought he was a great sprinters for races around 150-200kms.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

I totally disagree....Cav won last year...he has been nowhere this year...him earning the privilege cost the team any shot at winning. They are there to win...not take care of Cav. I think Greipel is legit in his complaints...and don't think it will hurt him at all in looking for a new team in the future. Especially if he has similar win totals as last year.

I disagree. Making cav the sole leader because he won last season - has displayed poor form this season, and still winless - seems like a decision based on feelings and personalities. These are professional teams, they should be making decisions and using tactics that will most likely bring in the results. Leaving AG at home for MSR was a poor tactical decision, and displayed how much they think of a in-form AG compared to a poor formed cav.

Under these circumstances it was a poor display by HTC

I see your points. Any sport is based on a "what have you done for me now" mentality. Greipel has obviously done more for HTC-Columbia than Cav this season thus far, but there has been no ambiguity in who their number 1 sprinter is. Cav has struggled, but they haven't lost confidence in him; they showed that by making him the protected rider. If anything they were giving him an opportunity to restore the self-confidence necessary to win a group sprint. Considering HTC has made no bones about who the leader is, why is Greipel complaining? Is it really that much of a surprise? He just needs to man up, take what he can get this year, and go to another team next season (something he should have done a few months ago).

 

[Moondance]

It does seem like Columbia would have been better served at San Remo by taking Greipel instead of, say, Peter Velits or Matt Goss, but it is the team management's decision and not Andre's. If he wants to go to Bob Stapleton behind closed doors and say that he feels like he isn't being given a fair shake, then he should do that, but saying that to the press hurts him and the team.

So what? The team is hurting him, and certainly more than he is hurting himself. He's got his own career and money making opportunities to think about. He's in his physical prime right now, and I'd be p!ssd as hell and rightfully so if I felt my team was holding me back.

 

[Anonymous]

Whether or not he has a point, what's the point in upsetting the team over an irrelevent argument anyway? I could understand him making this comment if it was a large group sprint, that Cav contested and lost due to form, not a fragmented peloton where Greipel had as much chance of being in the front group after the Poggio and Cipressa as Armstrong does of winning "slimmer of the year" at his local fat club.

 

[Jamsque]

So what? The team is hurting him, and certainly more than he is hurting himself. He's got his own career and money making opportunities to think about. He's in his physical prime right now, and I'd be p!ssd as hell and rightfully so if I felt my team was holding me back.

Even if you want to come at it from that purely selfish perspective, he is still better off keeping his mouth shut. Do you think him going to the press and complaining about not getting a ride at M-SR is going to make his DSes more likely to have the team ride for him in the future? Of course not. It is going to make them annoyed at him, and make them think that he is not a team player. It may even hurt his chances of landing a better contract next year, because teams will be wary of hiring a guy if they think he is going to rush to the nearest reporter every time a decision is made that he disagrees with.

 

[TRDean]

Even if you want to come at it from that purely selfish perspective, he is still better off keeping his mouth shut. Do you think him going to the press and complaining about not getting a ride at M-SR is going to make his DSes more likely to have the team ride for him in the future? Of course not. It is going to make them annoyed at him, and make them think that he is not a team player. It may even hurt his chances of landing a better contract next year, because teams will be wary of hiring a guy if they think he is going to rush to the nearest reporter every time a decision is made that he disagrees with.

You are acting like Greipel constantly goes to the press and cries foul. I don't think so. He is a team player...this is a guy that won 20 races last season. I will say it again..he will have no problem getting on with another team.

 

[Jamsque]

Oh don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Greipel, and I think he has been a good team player in the past, in fact I was surprised to read the comments he made. I was just talking about this particular incident, and I agree that it shouldn't hurt his chances of finding another team much, if at all.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

He could walk (or ride) onto any team he wishes; he's that good. I just don't understand why he complains when HTC has been very forthright with where he stands on the team.

 

[Moondance]

Even if you want to come at it from that purely selfish perspective, he is still better off keeping his mouth shut. Do you think him going to the press and complaining about not getting a ride at M-SR is going to make his DSes more likely to have the team ride for him in the future? Of course not. It is going to make them annoyed at him, and make them think that he is not a team player. It may even hurt his chances of landing a better contract next year, because teams will be wary of hiring a guy if they think he is going to rush to the nearest reporter every time a decision is made that he disagrees with.

Well, I personally don't mind a cyclist running to the press, nor do I think it makes him a bad 'team player'. And you can judge for yourself what is worse for him, career wise: talking to the press or not riding the big, high-profile races. Because if he wins a stage or two in the Tour, and places highly in MSR he'll always have a job at a big team.

And what's he supposed to say when he gets in contact with a journalist who asks whether he's pleased about not riding the Tour or MSR? "I'm fine being treated like a 2nd class sprinter"? You gotta fight for your places, and want more for yourself, not be content to sit on your *** and draw a monthly paycheck. If you think that that makes him 'selfish,' well....

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Just out of curiosity, why do you think he went "running to the press"? It is extremely more likely that the journalist initiated the interview.

Susan

 

[Moondance]

He could walk (or ride) onto any team he wishes; he's that good. I just don't understand why he complains when HTC has been very forthright with where he stands on the team.

This is a good point. But I guess he might've thought things would change after his great '09 and Cav's poor form so far this year.

 

[Moondance]

Just out of curiosity, why do you think he went "running to the press"? It is extremely more likely that the journalist initiated the interview.

Susan

You tell us, you wrote the piece

But I agree with you. I never thought that Greipel picked up the phone and called a journo and started complaining.