MIA at the Giro

[pmcg76]

Halfway through the Giro, there are a few team I have barely noticed, some of them big teams as well. So here goes my list of teams MIA.

Saxo Bank are at the Giro, really, must be wearing invisible jerseys, yeah even better than the Astana effort.

AG2R-Valjavec just outside the top 10 as usual but invisible as usual, as for the rest of the team,well, nothing to say.

Boguyes Telecom-just why did they get invited to the Giro when Cofidis & Lfdjeux were not. Keeping up tradition by doing absolutely nothing at the Giro.

Xacebo-Galicia-really justifying their selection, not. Ceramica Flaminia must be really ****ed watching the team & a few others indeed.

Team Milram-continiuing with their trulfy awful season, we never get to see the cow outfit, maybe just as well.

Silence-Lotto-brings me back to the Tour mid 90s when you started looking in the final third of GC when trying to find Lotto riders.

If it wasnt for Menchov, Sastre, Kessiakoff, Rabobank, Cervelo & Fuji-Servetto would be invisible as well. Maybe just concentrating on their leaders.

Katusha/Lampre, not invisible but definitely need to do better.

So there we go, anybody got any other suggestions...other than Garmin

 

[ElChingon]

Xacebo-Galicia-really justifying their selection, not. Ceramica Flaminia must be really ****ed watching the team & a few others indeed.

They were invited mainly because of the up and comer rider Mosquera Miguez, Ezequiel; which got injured after the invite. So only his dometiques and fillers ended up going.

 

[Anonymous]

to be fair you could say the same for any team that isnt columbia, liquigas, lpr, or astana...

oh hang on..you just have...

id expect to see a bit more from rabobank with a week or so to go now that menchov is well in the hunt.. the rest, i think they are just scrapping for stage wins, and we have see a bit of boygues telecom in breaks, milram and lampre...

 

[kjetilraknerud]

They were invited mainly because of the up and comer rider Mosquera Miguez, Ezequiel; which got injured after the invite. So only his dometiques and fillers ended up going.

The up and coming rider Ezequiel Mosquera, 33 years old?

 

[Mr.DNA]

Boguyes Telecom-just why did they get invited to the Giro when Cofidis & Lfdjeux were not. Keeping up tradition by doing absolutely nothing at the Giro.

Wait... didn't Voeckler escape off the front for about 150 meters when the TV cameras were turned on him?

 

[Epicycle]

They were invited mainly because of the up and comer rider Mosquera Miguez, Ezequiel; which got injured after the invite. So only his dometiques and fillers ended up going.

More like they came up with the biggest entrance fee.

Saxo Bank is a surprise and Cancellara is the biggest surprise of all. He may not be in top form but I expected more. Haedo is just not a GT sprinter. He can win some much smaller races but that's it.

 

[bikepure]

class giro

The course is just fantastic, no TDF first week feck about. The racing just mighty. Hard event- take a true champion to win and the top 10 are beating themselves blue every day.

Let the team directors worry about it. Sit back and soak up the third thrilling week.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Haedo is just not a GT sprinter. He can win some much smaller races but that's it.

My guess is that Fabian didn't want his image tarnished and his comment about it being a scenic bike tour was lame.

I want to know if anyone has any knowledge of what is up with DZ? Talk about phoning it in. Shades of Le Tour 2007 with CSC!

back to JJ. it makes me wonder if his lack of productivity will hurt Sebastian's chances at getting signed?

 

[Epicycle]

My guess is that Fabian didn't want his image tarnished and his comment about it being a scenic bike tour was lame.

I want to know if anyone has any knowledge of what is up with DZ? Talk about phoning it in. Shades of Le Tour 2007 with CSC!

back to JJ. it makes me wonder if his lack of productivity will hurt Sebastian's chances at getting signed?

Zabriskie's had a rough spring. Maybe dealing with the robbery hurt his motivation.

JJ's results for CSC probably haven't hurt Sebastian. He's not a Pro Tour level sprinter and probably not Pro Conti level either. I don't think Riis is unhappy with JJ, he signed him to a two year contract extension last year.

I'm interested to see Cancellara at the Tour. His spring makes me wonder if something is up with the biopassport but maybe he'll be back to normal soon. Andy Schleck needs him if he's going to challenge Contador.

 

[ingsve]

Not even Saxo Bank are confident in Haedo. He hasn't even been sprinting most of the time. They have been setting up Mathew Goss instead.

Saxo Bank being invisible is no surprise considering the relatively weak team they have in the Giro. Cancellara is not on form and other than him it's mainly Voigt who has the capasity to do something. He's been in one break away so far but I expect him to be in a couple more before the end.

Fuji - Servetto has had Vigano sprinting into the top 10 on 4 stages so far one of which even being in a break away as well.

Alot of the teams you mention seem to have teams of complete unknowns. Milram does have a few known names but what are they doing? What's up with Markus Fothen? After finishing 15th in the Tour he ought to have the capasity to be better than an hour behind at around 80th place here. Did he get a Stefan Matschiner security blanket taken away from him?

 

[Leopejo]

I'm interested to see Cancellara at the Tour. His spring makes me wonder if something is up with the biopassport but maybe he'll be back to normal soon. Andy Schleck needs him if he's going to challenge Contador.

I guess Fabian and Andy are on the same biopassport program, so...

Fabian had a very unlucky spring between injuries and illnesses. I expect both him and the World Champion to have an excellent second half of the season.

Though now that I think of it, with Lampre's poor showing and Cunego's words, what will Ballan show? Hmm.

 

[Leopejo]

They were invited mainly because of the up and comer rider Mosquera Miguez, Ezequiel; which got injured after the invite. So only his dometiques and fillers ended up going.

Didn't one of their riders go for the KOM jersey in one of the first stages? He later fell and retired, perhaps?

 

[craig1985]

I really don't see how Cofidis or FDJ justify a spot more then Bouygues Telecom (neither three deserve a spot IMO) do.

 

[timcoppens]

CSF is missing over here... Finetto, Pozzovivo, Dall'Antonia, Canuti, Frapporti, Baliani, and maybe some youngsters such as Bisolti, Gaia, Stortoni, Zen, ... They would attack in every stage. I really am missing the green-orange shirts

 

[bianchigirl]

The simple answer is that, centenary or not, better race or not, the Tour is the blue riband event of the sport and some teams will simply have prioritised the Tour over the Giro. Not all teams have the resources or strength in depth of Astana, Columbia etc. and will be saving the best for July.