The Tour Wild Cards

[pmcg76]

Is AusCyclefan a bigger 'fanboy' than the Lance 'fanboys'?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I will be annoyed but you keep making the same point which I rebut and you keep making the same point after I do that.

Considering I consider Vacansoleil more than just a breakaway team, given that they offer two options in sprints and a rider targeting the KoM, the rebuttal of "BMC > Vacansoleil cos Vacansoleil just do breaks and OMG EVANS~!" isn't considered wholly relevant.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

You just wait, BMC's season really starts tonight at Monte pasch Eroica where Evans will rip it apart and BMC will bash sky like a baby seal!!!!

dim this is your cue to open that folder

 

[auscyclefan94]

dim this is your cue to open that folder

i guess i'm asking for a bagging after some of my comments! purely on merits of racing this year vacansoleil deserve the ride over bmc. based on potential on what they can do at tour, bmc probably deserve it!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

define potential.

Potential boring top ten ride. VS Potential team who attacks relentlessly/ compete in sprints with bozic/ and possible KoM.

 

[auscyclefan94]

define potential.

Potential boring top ten ride. VS Potential team who attacks relentlessly/ compete in sprints with bozic/ and possible KoM.

Ride top 5 more like over bozic who will just scrape in the top 10 in the sprints.

Timmy, were you affected by the storms today? Supposably their was nobody at the footy tonight!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Potential boring top 5 ride IF he has anything left after the Giro, and both the Giro and Tour look tougher than their 2009 counterparts. And we also know what happened to Sastre, Menchov and Pellizotti's GC ambitions in France.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

nah my area was pretty unaffected, we had some heavy rain for a while but that was it. it did make me not wanna go out tonight tho.

My cousin's husband apparently got some dints on his car due to some insane hail lol.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Potential boring top 5 ride IF he has anything left after the Giro, and both the Giro and Tour look tougher than their 2009 counterparts. And we also know what happened to Sastre, Menchov and Pellizotti's GC ambitions in France.

Top 5? No way.

 

[auscyclefan94]

nah my area was pretty unaffected, we had some heavy rain for a while but that was it. it did make me not wanna go out tonight tho.

My cousin's husband apparently got some dints on his car due to some insane hail lol.

I went out and collected some hail and put it in the freezer. They were massive and quite hard compared to usual hail! it was pretty loud with my car port amplifying the noise of the hail!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Top 5? No way.

I was taking 'top 5' from auscyclefan's "correction" of Timmy above. Timmy said top 10, aus said 'top 5, more like', and I decided that I'd be charitable and take aus at face value for once, rather than dismissing them as hopelessly romantic and blinkered when it comes to Evans' chances as usual.

 

[auscyclefan94]

BMC's chances for the tdf are not looking good! If they don't go there well i guess he'll have a good shot at the giro!

 

[Anonymous]

BMC's chances for the tdf are not looking good! If they don't go there well i guess he'll have a good shot at the giro!

Wild cards announced at the end of the month apparently.

If BMC make it, i think some other teams could feel agreived. They gonna have to rack in some performances, not doing Paris - Nice is a big problem.

 

[pmcg76]

Wild cards announced at the end of the month apparently.

If BMC make it, i think some other teams could feel agreived. They gonna have to rack in some performances, not doing Paris - Nice is a big problem.

I honestly think March is too early to be making wild card selections, most of the races are training races, P-N, T-A and a few others are the only ones which dont fall into this category.

BMC do need to up their game as do a few other teams if they are to make it.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Wild cards announced at the end of the month apparently.

If BMC make it, i think some other teams could feel agreived. They gonna have to rack in some performances, not doing Paris - Nice is a big problem.

That's why it is a big problem! We only have tirrenno to peform on! even if cadel goes their and even wins the whole thing will that warrant a wildcard?

 

[BroDeal]

That's why it is a big problem! We only have tirrenno to peform on! even if cadel goes their and even wins the whole thing will that warrant a wildcard?

I'll repeat what I posted in the Eroica thread. Evans will be better off if BMC does not get a TdF spot. He have to devote everything to the Giro.

And, yeah, selecting teams in March is bogus. I would rather see three or four slots left open until after the Giro, or at least until after April.

 

[ak-zaaf]

That's why it is a big problem! We only have tirrenno to peform on! even if cadel goes their and even wins the whole thing will that warrant a wildcard?

A BMC result will not matter. Vacansoleil and Saur can increase their chances with results, BMC's cards are known. If ASO chooses BMC it will not have anything to do with performances this year, but with the roster and the managment.
March may be early, but I think the decision is already made.

 

[blaxland]

A BMC result will not matter. Vacansoleil and Saur can increase their chances with results, BMC's cards are known. If ASO chooses BMC it will not have anything to do with performances this year, but with the roster and the managment.
March may be early, but I think the decision is already made.

+1 Agree ak zaaf,i would like to see Vacansoleil there?They have had some good results so far this season...

 

[Ferminal]

nah my area was pretty unaffected, we had some heavy rain for a while but that was it. it did make me not wanna go out tonight tho.

My cousin's husband apparently got some dints on his car due to some insane hail lol.

I saw pictures from Flemington... It looked like snow.

BMC to miss out on the TdF and Cuddles to claim the Giro/Vuelta double. That would be quite funny.

 

[auscyclefan94]

A BMC result will not matter. Vacansoleil and Saur can increase their chances with results, BMC's cards are known. If ASO chooses BMC it will not have anything to do with performances this year, but with the roster and the managment.
March may be early, but I think the decision is already made.

+1
i think it will matter a reasonable bit. I agree that if ASO choose BMC it won't have anything to do with performance but what they think they can do. If Vacansoleil are selected well it is based on perfomance this year. Don't get me wrong az-kaaf, T-L-R, moondance (who i think are all dutch) and libertine that I think they would win a stage but i think bmc with evans would do more.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

depends if he goes hard at the giro or not.
if he does, then no.

 

[auscyclefan94]

depends if he goes hard at the giro or not.
if he does, then no.

It's odd that Sastre is going for the win in the giro as well in the tour for a second year in a row.

Better weather in melb today timmy!

 

[Moondance]

I'll repeat what I posted in the Eroica thread. Evans will be better off if BMC does not get a TdF spot. He have to devote everything to the Giro.

And, yeah, selecting teams in March is bogus. I would rather see three or four slots left open until after the Giro, or at least until after April.

I suppose the Tour does it early so the teams they select will be able to properly prepare/rest their big guns. If they didn't select the teams until the end of may, some of the smaller teams would be working their top men to death until then, trying to make as much of an impression on the ASO; which would not be conducive to having a good Tour, performance wise.

 

[Christian]

I have a hard time understanding this whole system. On wikipedia, Sky, Katusha, RadioShack and Garmin are listed as ProTour teams, and I thought the ASO had to invite all ProTour teams? So why do they need a wild card?

 

[luckyboy]

14 Protour teams, Cofidis and Bbox are in an agreement with the ASO. Sky and Retirement Shack didn't exist til this year anyway.