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Radio Shack might skip the Giro d'Italia

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fatandfast

Jul 14, 2009
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I can see why the Giro would toss Lance and the shack. The Giro is not a race for the Shack B squad. BMC is going so I would think that George will miss the ToC
 
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richwagmn

Jun 18, 2009
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flicker said:
I do not understand this thread. Il Giro is an Italian race. Your team rides the race to win. It is a very hard and takes great preparation.

The riders riding the Giro must attain great form after an aradous preparation period. Please, please respect the Giro.

The Radio Shack team will not ride the Giro because their focus is upon other cycling competions.
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I have to agree. Makes more sense for them (and their sponsors) to ride in the ToC than the Giro.

Not sure what all the fuss is about.
 
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bianchigirl

Mar 18, 2009
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I guess nobody here remembers the doldrums that the Giro was in pre Pro Tour? Selection process was all the Italian teams, however good, then a few invitees. Route was always good but the field made it parochial. The PT changed all that - one of the few good things to come out of what has been, by and large, an ill conceived arrangement - by forcing the race to look beyond its borders. I appreciate that RS needed an invite but what are they? A part time team? They could race their current programme with 15 riders - why the need for a full squad (I'm sure Pat the Prat would have granted them the PT licence if it had been Armstrong and Pedro the singing donkey on the squad)? Meanwhile riders that might have benefited from the opportunity to expand their palmares will spend their careers towing an ageing fat egotist up the climbs of France and little else.

One last question - what exactly was the point of going all out for the PT licence, which guarantees invites to the top tier races - if you're not going to ride them?
 
alberto.legstrong

alberto.legstrong

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bianchigirl said:
One last question - what exactly was the point of going all out for the PT licence, which guarantees invites to the top tier races - if you're not going to ride them?
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...maybe to be able to charge the sponsors top dollar and then after they pay up, give them a half hearted effort? Just a guess.
 
dolophonic

dolophonic

Mar 11, 2009
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Ha HA.. Lance is like "we were never going anyway..." I'm not suprised after they got their asses handed to them last year... that was the look all right.. the look of FEAR !
 
theswordsman

theswordsman

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richwagmn said:
I have to agree. Makes more sense for them (and their sponsors) to ride in the ToC than the Giro.

Not sure what all the fuss is about.
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The fuss is because pro teams have a minimum of 23 riders so they can ride more than one race at once. Pretty much every team that has the option of riding both the Giro and the Tour of California will split their leaders and try to do well at both. The Giro d'Italia is a much more prestigious race. The TOC doesn't even offer UCI points - something a team ranked 24 out of 26 might consider important. Also, grand tours are a way for younger riders to improve their fitness level for the future, and even completing one is a plus for the palmares. So the shack is sacrificing the development and careers of some of their riders so that guys at the end of their careers can try to win a one week race?

I started the thread initially because RS declared themselves to be a Dream Team - pretty much the same squad that the press said was unstoppable last year plus some strong additions, but when the rubber hit the road, they declared themselves not strong enough to do two races at once. They dissed the Giro. They weren't invited to Tirreno-Adriatico, and they're setting the stage to be a massive failure established...well, never mind. If they don't win California, and they don't do well at the Tour after skipping the Giro, they're pretty much a joke.
 
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LeonG2010

Jan 27, 2010
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Radio Shack & the Giro

The Giro management certainly dislike their race being used as a type of
warm up" for the TdF. Who can seriously criticise them for this as it is a superb tour with a very special atmosphere.

It is doubtful that LA ever seriously intended to race the Milan-San Remo. Moreover, a comment made last season by Angelo Zomegnan probably summarises the current attitude over certain controversial veterans of the road:

"There's a certain age at which your legs start to get shorter and your tongue longer."
 
python

python

Sep 25, 2009
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theswordsman said:
The fuss is because pro teams have a minimum of 23 riders so they can ride more than one race at once. Pretty much every team that has the option of riding both the Giro and the Tour of California will split their leaders and try to do well at both. The Giro d'Italia is a much more prestigious race. The TOC doesn't even offer UCI points - something a team ranked 24 out of 26 might consider important. Also, grand tours are a way for younger riders to improve their fitness level for the future, and even completing one is a plus for the palmares. So the shack is sacrificing the development and careers of some of their riders so that guys at the end of their careers can try to win a one week race?

I started the thread initially because RS declared themselves to be a Dream Team - pretty much the same squad that the press said was unstoppable last year plus some strong additions, but when the rubber hit the road, they declared themselves not strong enough to do two races at once. They dissed the Giro. They weren't invited to Tirreno-Adriatico, and they're setting the stage to be a massive failure established...well, never mind. If they don't win California, and they don't do well at the Tour after skipping the Giro, they're pretty much a joke.
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+1.

id only add - there is a fair bit of the obvious personal agenda in dissing the giro - old 'dont cross me or else'. not only it looks odd and unprofessional, it is laughable. coming from a team and a rider who haven't delivered any goods yet.
 
auscyclefan94

auscyclefan94

Jun 16, 2009
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I think radio shack have insulted the giro organisers by disrespecting their race. Personally ASO should think that these muppetts at RS don't deserve their spot at the tour because they are being selective about grand tours. Putting in quality teams for both ToC and il giro is not a problem for them.
 
KazakhNeRider

KazakhNeRider

Jun 26, 2009
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The Shack definitely showed disrespect for Giro, they had enough strong riders to ride both riders. Even if ToC is more important for the Shack, why is it impossible to give Popo or Janez to try do their best in Italy?! (now Popo is sick, but it was decided in January that he won't participate). Amd they have Steegmans and Vaitkus for sprint!
So now Zomegnan has got 100% rights to not invite them to Tirreno and Giro IMHO
 
A

Anonymous

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python said:
+1.

id only add - there is a fair bit of the obvious personal agenda in dissing the giro - old 'dont cross me or else'. not only it looks odd and unprofessional, it is laughable. coming from a team and a rider who haven't delivered any goods yet.
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If that's the case then Armstrong is even more deluded than I thought. He needs to come to terms with the fact that he's a relic. An irrelevant relic at that, who can only maintain some facade of relevance by picking fights with Contador.
 
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fatandfast

Jul 14, 2009
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python said:
+1.

id only add - there is a fair bit of the obvious personal agenda in dissing the giro - old 'dont cross me or else'. not only it looks odd and unprofessional, it is laughable. coming from a team and a rider who haven't delivered any goods yet.
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Are you serious? Look at the rider resumes on Radio Shack...there is no current team with more Grand Tour results(wins-top 10's). Radio Shack didn't want to divide the team into an A and B squads. If Levi went to the Giro and Lance to the ToC the shack would have exposed all that is weak about them as a group. Radio Shack already can feel the pressure about declaring a team leader .JB and LA are going to make fools of themselves when they have to declare leadership. This year they won't be able to blame the snaffu on Alberto .It can't be based on early season results..Armstrong has spent most of the year tweeting and doing funrides. He may surprise me at the TDF but I don't think math is on his side. You have to test yourself a few times before the tour.If this years tour gets spooky and Alberto is forced to ride alone with tactics of brutality and talent I can see Lance loosing 3-5 minutes on one stage.
 
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pmcg76

Mar 6, 2009
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theswordsman said:
The fuss is because pro teams have a minimum of 23 riders so they can ride more than one race at once. Pretty much every team that has the option of riding both the Giro and the Tour of California will split their leaders and try to do well at both. The Giro d'Italia is a much more prestigious race. The TOC doesn't even offer UCI points - something a team ranked 24 out of 26 might consider important. Also, grand tours are a way for younger riders to improve their fitness level for the future, and even completing one is a plus for the palmares. So the shack is sacrificing the development and careers of some of their riders so that guys at the end of their careers can try to win a one week race?

I started the thread initially because RS declared themselves to be a Dream Team - pretty much the same squad that the press said was unstoppable last year plus some strong additions, but when the rubber hit the road, they declared themselves not strong enough to do two races at once. They dissed the Giro. They weren't invited to Tirreno-Adriatico, and they're setting the stage to be a massive failure established...well, never mind. If they don't win California, and they don't do well at the Tour after skipping the Giro, they're pretty much a joke.
Click to expand...

Seriously, is anybody really surprised by what is going on at RadioShack. When this team was announced last year, we all knew it was gonna be about Lance, the Tour, California and nothing else.

This is why we argued way back that they didnt deserve a ProTour licence but they still were awarded one. We had all the Lance fans saying we were just hating as usual, yet like the whole comeback last year, we are being proven correct again and again.
 
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fatandfast

Jul 14, 2009
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bianchigirl said:
I've just remembered another great reason for choosing Amgen ToC over the dull old Giro - the freebies and the lack of serious drug testing ;)
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I'll bet the start money Lance is getting pays for a tenth of his season. The guy is going around cashing checks and collecting gift bags. He should have married Sandra Bullock it would have been even better for his bottom line.The guy is a human cash register
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
fatandfast said:
I'll bet the start money Lance is getting pays for a tenth of his season. The guy is going around cashing checks and collecting gift bags. He should have married Sandra Bullock it would have been even better for his bottom line.The guy is a human cash register
Click to expand...

I prefer "cycling prostitute".
 
VeloCity

VeloCity

Sep 10, 2009
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bianchigirl said:
I've just remembered another great reason for choosing Amgen ToC over the dull old Giro - the freebies and the lack of serious drug testing ;)
Click to expand...
Plus the guarantee by race officials that Leipheimer will be given the win regardless of what happens :)
 
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