Pre Tour de France-thread

[The Hegelian]

Re: Re:

ASO wants to make Froome work hard for the fifth title, the double and four GTs in a row.
It's a huge accomplishment, so let him have everything against... Make him earn it.

Helps to promote the race, as well.

The idea that it helps promote the race makes a lot of sense, actually.

Yeah, actually this is a very plausible hypothesis. The news/social media cycle is so saturated these days + world cup.......so this story guarantees front page articles across the globe and plenty of sharing/commenting/trolling like we're all doing here. A PR masterstroke.

 

[rlntlssly]

Re: Re:

Sadly now, if Froome starts, some piss head on the side of the road is going to cause him damage

Well if his own team wouldn't be so shady that wouldn't have happened in the first place.

The rhetoric of abusers across the world.

 

[Lexman]

want to see the first tour podium where ASo will give the first yellow jersey to Froome this year, everybody big smiles ?

He'll start, SKy has the previous decision regarding Boonen as powerful antecedent...

 

[spalco]

LaGazetta tweets that Froome is cleared by UCI.

 

[bajbar]

Well this is what happens when you have money... it is a real shame for the sport of cycling.

 

[janraaskalt]

Re:

LaGazetta tweets that Froome is cleared by UCI.

He is: http://www.uci.org/pressreleases/uci-statement-anti-doping-proceedings-involving-christopher-froome/

 

[spalco]

Wow. This really makes ASO attempt to ban Froome hard to understand; they must have known something was up yesterday already no?

Was it just a kind of preemptive protest against the UCI?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Wow. This really makes ASO attempt to ban Froome hard to understand; they must have known something was up yesterday already no?

Was it just a kind of preemptive protest against the UCI?

I don't think they knew. But they forced the UCI's hand.

 

[Lexman]

nice move by ASO way to late...

 

[Alexandre B.]

First time the race will be in great danger since 1998.

 

[MuskyOurSaviour]

Anyone else thinks UCI trolled ASO hard? They knew they were gonna ban him and waited for the news? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I mean even with French president they both cant stand each othre :lol:

 

[LaFlorecita]

Yesterday I regretted planning my vacation right during the Tour, but now I am happier than ever! No point watching as the winner is known even before the start, Froome can do anything now without repercussions.

 

[craigmalone]

So not watching the Tour this year. We already know the winner barring crashes

 

[spalco]

Re:

Anyone else thinks UCI trolled ASO hard? They knew they were gonna ban him and waited for the news? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I mean even with French president they both cant stand each othre :lol:

I don't know who trolled who, but there must have been politics going on behind the scenes. It's the only explanation.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

First time the race will be in great danger since 1998.

Not really. I don't see any danger at all.

2006 was something else entirely.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Alpe d'Huez is part of the race, right? That could be funny.

 

[Simurgh]

At least I hope for exciting battles for the green and polka-dot jerseys. After today nothing can stop Froome and SKY from dominating GTs, leaving destruction of the credibility of the sport in their wake.

 

[YavorD]

I don't think Froome will win the Tour. The Giro, I think, was riden really hard. Well, he finished it fresh, but I think the Giro took its toll.
However, I hope Froome is strong enough to give some battle (unlike Quintana last year), because he is actually attacking rider and deffo would go all in like Contador and Nibali would.

 

[DNP-Old]

Kelderman DNS.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Major blow to Sunweb in both TTT and mountains...

 

[kiszol]

Re:

Major blow to Sunweb in both TTT and mountains...

The TTT will be ok I guess. Kelderman had problems anyway during TTs at Suisse. But his absence will hurt Tom big time in the mountains.

What will Sunweb do? Field Ten Dam and go to the Tour with a very light team for the mountains? Maybe they can send Oomen again, if he can do another GT so soon after the Giro. Kelderman can lead the team at the Vuelta. Unfortunately I think Oomen is too young for this and they shouldn't force him to ride. I think it would be better for him if he would rode the Giro and the Vuelta. But who knows.
Desperate times needs desperate measures.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Oomen was exhausted after Suisse. And he's still 22. If you let him do the double now it will put his entire career at risk.
I think they will go with Ten Dam or maybe one of the young Australians Storer/Hindley

 

[kiszol]

Yeah, they can't choose him. Sadly Sunweb doesn't have another great climber so... Bad luck.

Actually Storer and Hindley are not bad at all. No Kelderman level, but maybe something.

I think they need both so a possible team:

Dumoulin, Matthews, Andersen, Ten Dam, Storer/Hindley, Arndt, Teunissen, Geschke.

 

[King Boonen]

Ernie Dingo for the start! (Storer)

 

[Bardamu]

No way Sunweb is gonna let Oomen ride the Tour. It's a massive blow for the team but they're not gonna do something like this. Maybe they'll get an extra rider to ride a strong TTT and hope Dumoulin won't need many mountain domestiques?