Radio Shack might skip the Giro d'Italia

[Polish]

Duuuude!

I wonder if Contador would be happy to ride in California, or would he feel his security threatened by the proximity of a potentially hostile crowd?
After all, it would only take one lunatic fanboy.

Basically, the same observation that Lance made about the French, last year.

The AToC fans are mellow, dude.

The very few lunatic fans that DO show up are anti-doping zealots, and they are gently shown the curb/snowbank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90djJf_HRLY
.
.
.

 

[hfer07]

for those fellows asking why AC wouldn't race the ToC:
1-) hasn't been consider in his calender, even when he rode for the hog
2-) his first block of racing starts early in February and ends in late April.
2-) May is time off for him, since he suffers from season allergies.

 

[BikeCentric]

He probably ought to have qualified a little more of his statement. For public consumption (NOT cycling fans), the TOC is probably a decent event on the west coast, I think california is still our most populous state. If you asked CA non-cycling people what pro cycling events they could name, those 2 would be the biggest response. It would be interesting what the split would be...would it be 10 tdf for each TOC response or would it be more balanced.

Anyhoo....my 2 centavos.

I agree with all this as a Cali resident, however I would also say that non-cycling people don't/won't watch The Tour de France and you'd be hard-pressed to even convince them to look out their front window if the TOC rolled by their front door.

 

[davidw]

Cool - a Giro thread.

I'll be at Stage 8 in Monte Terminillo.

Is anyone else going to be there?

I'll be in Italy for the 1st 2 weeks if the Giro but can only catch the 1 stage -I'll be in the Sorrento area and the Giro does not come close to us this year.

Can't wait to see a Mt top stage.
http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2010/pdf/altimetrie/alt_08.pdf

I'd like to go to the Asolo stage. The Verona one is pretty doable too. Anyone in the area wants to stop by Padova and talk bikes, I'm always up for a "spritz" / beer / pizza.

 

[auscyclefan94]

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.

+1
That would be a reasonable team. Kloden would be a reasonable chance for the giro and gert will have a chance for the sprints with vaitkus and Impey helping him out.

I can honestly say I don't care in the slightest that Radioshack won't be at the Giro.

It will be interesting to try and commentate with BMC, Caisse, RadioShack and Aquua Sapone's jersey's

 

[auscyclefan94]

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..

+1
Surely the american viewers will watch because the giro is a great exciting race.
Even in Aus we are getting 15 minute morning highlights of the Toc for the first time and getting 30 minute nightly highlights of the giro!!!!

 

[Psalmon]

Well, the Giro has 101 years of History, great races and most cycling fans favourite of the GT's.

The Tour of California, well it has none of that.

This whole logic of the ToC displacing the Giro is laughable, the sport is at it's biggest in Europe, not the US and i don't see that changing in a very very long time (if ever!)

Well if anyone won't get complacent about 101 years of history being a ticket to long-term future success, it's the Romans.

 

[Publicus]

for those fellows asking why AC wouldn't race the ToC:
1-) hasn't been consider in his calender, even when he rode for the hog
2-) his first block of racing starts early in February and ends in late April.
2-) May is time off for him, since he suffers from season allergies.

The only person questioning it is Polish and he's just trying to tweak the noses of Contador fans.

 

[Publicus]

+1
Surely the american viewers will watch because the giro is a great exciting race.
Even in Aus we are getting 15 minute morning highlights of the Toc for the first time and getting 30 minute nightly highlights of the giro!!!!

Most Americans don't know what the Giro d'Italia is, so I'm doubt it.

 

[craig1985]

Besides the TDU and the ToC, does anyone know Radioshack's race schedule? Couldn't find one on their website :-(

I had a look here.

May consists of:

Tour of Romandy
Tour de Picardy
Tour of California
Tour of Belgium.

 

[craig1985]

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.

I know all that, but I just can't see Armstrong ever missing the Tour whilst he is racing.

 

[flicker]

I would like to see Kloeden, Levi,Horner Steegmans ride the Giro. with a Shack support team. Levi just has to win a race that matters. Fred from California.

 

[Mellow Velo]

In other words, all the smaller Tours, less Dunkerque.
I'm pretty sure Steegmans knows his itinary.
Picardie is in as the only mid-May option.

Looks like Lance is only going to ride with his Tour waterboys.
What you see in Cali, is what you'll get in July.

 

[craig1985]

Is it me Mellow, or do our posts seem like they are in Haiku?

 

[nevada]

interesting that armstrong has decided to avoid his first meeting with contador at catalunya.....i think contador is winning the mind games.

 

[flicker]

In other words, all the smaller Tours, less Dunkerque.
I'm pretty sure Steegmans knows his itinary.
Picardie is in as the only mid-May option.

Looks like Lance is only going to ride with his Tour waterboys.
What you see in Cali, is what you'll get in July.

To bad for Lance n Levi. if the brothers Luxemburg and Fabian show up I am afraid Levi and Lance will be shown what time it is in the ToC. That is if the ToC is a real race.

 

[Publicus]

interesting that armstrong has decided to avoid his first meeting with contador at catalunya.....i think contador is winning the mind games.

He wins by not playing.

 

[staubsauger]

uargs

i was hope to see popvych as a strong leader fighting for the overall with 2 odr 3 domestiques

no menchov, no gesink - even the giro is starting in holland and is maybe the better chance for rob to get the podium or the overall- no di luca, no rogers

seems like it might be a boring giro after that spectacular editions in the last 2 years

 

[auscyclefan94]

uargs

i was hope to see popvych as a strong leader fighting for the overall with 2 odr 3 domestiques

no menchov, no gesink - even the giro is starting in holland and is maybe the better chance for rob to get the podium or the overall- no di luca, no rogers

seems like it might be a boring giro after that spectacular editions in the last 2 years

Basso, Sastre, Evans, garzelli or Pellizotti doesn't excite you?

 

[El Imbatido]

Basso, Sastre, Evans, garzelli or Pellizotti doesn't excite you?

But you forgot the self proclaimed third best climber in the world Jose Rujano. It just wouldn't be the same without him to light things up

 

[Ripper]

But you forgot the self proclaimed third best climber in the world Jose Rujano. It just wouldn't be the same without him to light things up

Ah Jose Rujano. Such a dynamic fellow who has done so much over the past few years

 

[Mellow Velo]

Is it me Mellow, or do our posts seem like they are in Haiku?

Lance on his cycle.
Californian gold rush.
Steegmans rides Europe.

 

[Bluebeard]

Lance on his cycle.
Californian gold rush.
Steegmans rides Europe.

Blowing off the Giro
For home town adulation
A fatal mistake.

 

[markene2]

Basso, Sastre, Evans, garzelli or Pellizotti doesn't excite you?

And you forgot the most fun rider. Vinokourov, he will put the race on fire

 

[SpeedWay]

+1 That's precisely why we won't see those two in the same race before the Tour de France. It's a one-man rivalry designed to pump up the pending showdown for the benefit of his sponsors and his own financial interest.

+1. As usual with LA, the process is like clockwork and there's not a damn thing you whiners can do about, except of course, whine.