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Radio Shack might skip the Giro d'Italia

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Anonymous

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http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=21996

Translated by Google

The Radio Shack will go with Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer and a very strong team to the Tour of California so it will run out of leaders to tackle the Tour of Italy as both races coincide this year. So Johan Bruyneel http://www.biciciclismo.com reveals that it is not certain that the American team will participate in the round pink.

"It is not yet decided whether or not to take the Giro, is in the air. We are talking with the organizers of RCS," the Belgian manager.

"Clearly, the Tour of California is an important race for us and we will take the strongest team we can. The point is that if we participate in the Giro, not have people to play the general," he explains.
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They've also announced their 14 rider short list for the Tour de France (go to the link and look to the left). Which would be worse for their chances of being invited to the Tour - skipping the Giro or showing up with a non-competitive team? With so many squads wanting to race the Giro, would they extend an invitation to RS? Lots of teams will race both events - how can the "Dream Team" not split leaders and send solid squads to each?
 
craig1985

craig1985

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Why can't they just make Kloden to be the leader. Sure he would be a longshot, but at least they can field a decent team. Steegmans won't ride the Tour, since JB does not take sprinters to the Tour. If I had to pick the RS Giro team it would be:

Kloden
Steegmans
Impey
Rubiera
Rovny (Didn't this guy once state that he wanted to win all three GT's?)
Vaitkus
Brajkovic
Popovych
McCartney

If anybody could name a better squad, go for it.
 
python

python

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theswordsman said:
http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=21996

They've also announced their 14 rider short list for the Tour de France
Click to expand...
its possibly a worst blunder by the bruyneel et al

i am not too sure the rs will ride the tour given the unresolved french police investigation into 7 riders from that 'short' list.

riding the giro might have been their only chance to win the gt this season. i cant see the shak winning la vuelta
 
thehog

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BroDeal said:
Good thing the UCI ushered a new team into the ProTour instead of other teams that not only had paid their dues over the years but would have met the race schedule.

Watch Retirement Shack start their winter break after the TdF.
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That was my thought as well. I wonder what Cofidas and BBox think of this!
 
M

Mellow Velo

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This is an issue on 2 levels.
USPS didn't used to ride the Giro.
Now they have a large egg in the shape of Cali, it was always on the cards.
Several other, weak GT teams, over the past two editions, have asked not to be invited.
RS is a team full of GT riders, but with a solitary season's goal.
A far cry from Bruyneel's 2008 position, but circumstances have changed.

IMO, they have turned around and immediately bit the hand that has just fed them, but I have no sympathy for the owner of said hand.

On the second level. McQuaid's Pro Tour is dead, in all but name.
The only reason a team will pay for the paper, is as an entrance fee for the Tour.
That puts the real power in the hands of the ASO.
 
thehog

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Mellow Velo said:
This is an issue on 2 levels.
USPS didn't used to ride the Giro.
Now they have a large egg in the shape of Cali, it was always on the cards.
Several other, weak GT teams, over the past two editions, have asked not to be invited.
RS is a team full of GT riders, but with a solitary season's goal.
A far cry from Bruyneel's 2008 position, but circumstances have changed.

IMO, they have turned around and immediately bit the hand that has just fed them, but I have no sympathy for the owner of said hand.

On the second level. McQuaid's Pro Tour is dead, in all but name.
The only reason a team will pay for the paper, is as an entrance fee for the Tour.
That puts the real power in the hands of the ASO.
Click to expand...

Perhaps a tactic from RS to get RCS to start paying team apperance fees ?
 
craig1985

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python said:
its possibly a worst blunder by the bruyneel et al

i am not too sure the rs will ride the tour given the unresolved french police investigation into 7 riders from that 'short' list.

riding the giro might have been their only chance to win the gt this season. i cant see the shak winning la vuelta
Click to expand...

As if Radio Shack with Lance Armstrong, who is a big draw card in terms of media coverage will not ride the Tour. You know as much as I do that LA is worth too much money to the UCI for anything to happen to him.
 
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lucybears

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craig1985 said:
As if Radio Shack with Lance Armstrong, who is a big draw card in terms of media coverage will not ride the Tour. You know as much as I do that LA is worth too much money to the UCI for anything to happen to him.
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not that the UCI have anything to do with Radio Shack riding the Tour, of course....
 
A

Anonymous

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issoisso said:
I can honestly say I don't care in the slightest that Radioshack won't be at the Giro.
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Will be nice to not have the tv producer being armstrong or radio shack obsessed..

Makes you wonder what it will do to north american tv coverage though..
 
python

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craig1985 said:
As if Radio Shack with Lance Armstrong, who is a big draw card in terms of media coverage will not ride the Tour. You know as much as I do that LA is worth too much money to the UCI for anything to happen to him.
Click to expand...
let me put it this way and sorry for a slight off topic (i'll stop here)

the investigation into the medical dump is not a sporting body inquiry but a criminal investigation by the enforcement branch of french government. the uci does not have the swing to hush it. aso does and yes it may be in asos political economic interests to stop it cold.

but can it?

lets assume the investigation turns up some serious dirt on the 7 shack riders. there are several ways it may proceed from there.
(i) the justice system works as supposed and the riders get indicted. I can’t see an inductee riding the tour in a democratic france.
(ii) uci/aso/ffc attempt to hush it by appealing to the government. but isn’t the matter at this point in the hands of some judge who’s independent of the government. What if the judge is stubborn.
(iii) the uci succeeds in blocking the needed dna evidence. in my estimation, the police can obtain the needed dna w/o the uci cooperation. again, it’s a matter of the resolve to get to the bottom.

sure the investigation may halt or proceed too slowly for a number of other natural reasons.

unless the french system is more corrupt than im willing to believe the shak bust is well within a realm of opportunities despite the uci and aso.

perhaps im wrong.
 
A

Anonymous

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I say, so what? Last year, all The Uniballer and The Hog did was whine about the course. Maybe this year we will not have to hear about riders having to...gasp......race over a train crossing...or have a car or two on the course....or have to do a TT in the rain. Better race with out those drama queens anyway.
 
Bluebeard

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TRDean said:
Screw Radio Sack!! Let a team like Skil ride...better for the race anyway.
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Yes! Skil, or Vacansoleil, or Cofidis, or Bouygues Telecom would love it. They might not win many stages or any Maglia, but they'd certainly animate otherwise dull sprinter stages, something you couldn't really accuse a JB team of ever doing.
 
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Mellow Velo

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zoeart said:
I believe Universal Sports has the rights to the Giro in the US.
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Yes, because Versus, who had previously shown the Giro, couldn't justify the $2 million, that the RCS wanted, having forked out a similar amount for the old boy's appearance fee.

I agree with those who have prefer to see an smaller, enthusiastic team, ready to compete, than a bloated leviathan, sucking up screen time, while contributing nothing to the racing.
 
Psalmon

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theswordsman said:
...Which would be worse for their chances of being invited to the Tour - skipping the Giro or showing up with a non-competitive team?
Click to expand...

ASO is aligned with the TOC guys (AEG). That's how you get favor for the Tour, not through the Giro.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/2008-06-15-tour-of-california-partnership_N.htm

The TOC move to May was designed in part to displace the Giro (in addition to better Wx, climbs, etc). This is all part of the battle for who controls the "league" with ASO having the best cards (versus UCI or RCS or Unipublic).

Maybe the question is whether Astana shows up strong at the TOC or the Giro, and based on that, could ASO ever not invite the defending champ's team? They did it once before.
 
Publicus

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Psalmon said:
ASO is aligned with the TOC guys (AEG). That's how you get favor for the Tour, not through the Giro.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/2008-06-15-tour-of-california-partnership_N.htm

The TOC move to May was designed in part to displace the Giro (in addition to better Wx, climbs, etc). This is all part of the battle for who controls the "league" with ASO having the best cards (versus UCI or RCS or Unipublic).

Maybe the question is whether Astana shows up strong at the TOC or the Giro, and based on that, could ASO ever not invite the defending champ's team? They did it once before.
Click to expand...

Given that Specialized is a California based company, I would think they would encourage Astana to show up at the ToC, even if it is just to get KM's under the belt. Don't know if that means AC shows up (since he's typically off in May), but I could definitely see Specialized making the request.
 
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