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Rankings are done on race location rather than team location, so technically you could register a Colombian team, only race in Europe and secure a high European Tour ranking. There are certain races that might highlight good teams from other locations but there does need to be some competition. You're not going to convince races and teams that a wildcard sport for the Grand Tours should be going to teams that only race in Asia or Africa until the competition is on a par with Europe.RedheadDane said:Also, why only the European Pro-Conti teams? That's still not a World Tour.
King Boonen said:Rankings are done on race location rather than team location, so technically you could register a Colombian team, only race in Europe and secure a high European Tour ranking. There are certain races that might highlight good teams from other locations but there does need to be some competition. You're not going to convince races and teams that a wildcard sport for the Grand Tours should be going to teams that only race in Asia or Africa until the competition is on a par with Europe.RedheadDane said:Also, why only the European Pro-Conti teams? That's still not a World Tour.
RedheadDane said:King Boonen said:Rankings are done on race location rather than team location, so technically you could register a Colombian team, only race in Europe and secure a high European Tour ranking. There are certain races that might highlight good teams from other locations but there does need to be some competition. You're not going to convince races and teams that a wildcard sport for the Grand Tours should be going to teams that only race in Asia or Africa until the competition is on a par with Europe.RedheadDane said:Also, why only the European Pro-Conti teams? That's still not a World Tour.
Oh, like how Cavendish managed to win the Asia ranking a few years ago?
samhocking said:Well UCI's 'annual challenge system' or whatever they call it begins next year doesn't it, so the last ranked WorldTour team is replaced by the highest ranked Pro Continental team in the UCI WorldTour. The relegated team retains the right to particpate in all the following season's WorldTour events, but not obliged to.
So if relegation and promotion is possible into and out of World Tour, I don't see why that can't be adapted to simply include wildcard criteria in more real-time hierarchy based on previous seasons performances and upto the race organisers wildcard cutoff application date.
LaFlorecita said:Now here's an idea. As search wrote earlier, there are so many wildcard teams in the classics that there are usually no problems with teams missing out in those. What if we bring team sizes in GTs down to 7 or even 6, and invite 2-3 more wildcard teams. Then, let's say 2 or 3 teams are selected through a ranking (with the ToB system that if a team refuses, the next team in line received the invite) and 2 or 3 are selected by the organizers themselves.
Zinoviev Letter said:samhocking said:Well UCI's 'annual challenge system' or whatever they call it begins next year doesn't it, so the last ranked WorldTour team is replaced by the highest ranked Pro Continental team in the UCI WorldTour. The relegated team retains the right to particpate in all the following season's WorldTour events, but not obliged to.
So if relegation and promotion is possible into and out of World Tour, I don't see why that can't be adapted to simply include wildcard criteria in more real-time hierarchy based on previous seasons performances and upto the race organisers wildcard cutoff application date.
If the annual challenge system works like that, it creates a perverse incentive among the weaker teams to get relegated rather than chase WT points to finish second last. A right to participate in all WT events while also having a right to opt out is better than just being in the WT and a relegated team should be stronger than the PCT teams and so win promotion again immediately.
Zinoviev Letter said:samhocking said:Well UCI's 'annual challenge system' or whatever they call it begins next year doesn't it, so the last ranked WorldTour team is replaced by the highest ranked Pro Continental team in the UCI WorldTour. The relegated team retains the right to particpate in all the following season's WorldTour events, but not obliged to.
So if relegation and promotion is possible into and out of World Tour, I don't see why that can't be adapted to simply include wildcard criteria in more real-time hierarchy based on previous seasons performances and upto the race organisers wildcard cutoff application date.
If the annual challenge system works like that, it creates a perverse incentive among the weaker teams to get relegated rather than chase WT points to finish second last. A right to participate in all WT events while also having a right to opt out is better than just being in the WT and a relegated team should be stronger than the PCT teams and so win promotion again immediately.
In fact I think outing the journalist like that is rather classless. Journo was just doing his job and definitely not trying to spread "fake rumors".Zinoviev Letter said:What exactly is wrong with a journalist fishing for the inside story? Or with offering anonymity to a potential source who might otherwise be in a vulnerable situation? There’s nothing classless about it.
LaFlorecita said:In fact I think outing the journalist like that is rather classless. Journo was just doing his job and definitely not trying to spread "fake rumors".Zinoviev Letter said:What exactly is wrong with a journalist fishing for the inside story? Or with offering anonymity to a potential source who might otherwise be in a vulnerable situation? There’s nothing classless about it.
LaFlorecita said:In fact I think outing the journalist like that is rather classless. Journo was just doing his job and definitely not trying to spread "fake rumors".Zinoviev Letter said:What exactly is wrong with a journalist fishing for the inside story? Or with offering anonymity to a potential source who might otherwise be in a vulnerable situation? There’s nothing classless about it.
I mean fair enough telling the journo in private that he isn't comfortable telling the story/that there is no story to tell. But outing the journo like that while the journo was in no way maliciously fishing for confirmation of rumors is classless. What's this meant to achieve?RedheadDane said:LaFlorecita said:In fact I think outing the journalist like that is rather classless. Journo was just doing his job and definitely not trying to spread "fake rumors".Zinoviev Letter said:What exactly is wrong with a journalist fishing for the inside story? Or with offering anonymity to a potential source who might otherwise be in a vulnerable situation? There’s nothing classless about it.
Yeah, if you don't want to spread "fake rumors" just... tell them the truth!
samhocking said:stickybottle clearly confused what off-the-record means in journalism and how it works lol!
There was fantastic long interview with Delaney in yesterdays TCP. Interesting that only 3 riders are out of contract for next year already and Delaney said if those final 3 still hadn't found a contract by December 31st he would still pay them. There's more gone on here than the media have said between 3T's and ABS. 3T claiming the mechanical problems were due to ABS mechanics not oiling chains properly and greasing bottom brackets is utter twaddle from Vroomen too!
samhocking said:Just listen to the TCP interview. My understanding is all riders will be paid their contract and the 3 out of contract will be paid even though not in their contract.
samhocking said:Perhaps the most important point in that interview, is the reason for the merger was primarily to escape 3T's bike contract because the paying agent wouldn't be Aqua Blue anymore, it would be Sniper and so legally Aqua Blue wouldn't have to ride 3T Strada 1x.