The Tour Wild Cards

[Jonathan]

I'm disappointed Brice Feillu won't be there.

 

[undencem]

No Vacansoleil ! No Vacansoleil ??

I want to curse ASO

 

[craig1985]

Whinge all you like, but when it rolls around, you will be glued to you're TV sets.

 

[Mongol_Waaijer]

pro cycling continues its rapid descent towards rivalling pro-wrestling for commercial greed and corruption.

When (after performing averagely in the few races he bothers to start between commercial actions on the charity circuit) the linebacker stands on the podium in Paris and the dollars are pouring in from across the atlantic I shall know that the shafting of the sport is complete.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

If this is on racing so far this season, then *I* deserve an invite as much as BMC.

The ASO take a team who have done everything right for a couple of years, built from the ground up, put in good showings everywhere they've gone, bought up French talent and even sponsored ASO races, and basically tell them, you're not worthy of being in our races because some jumped-up team with the weakest depth of talent of all the teams in the running have a guy with a pretty jersey, but who'll add zero excitement to the race.

Way to tell sponsors investment is worth it. "Buy a big name, and then even if you only have eight club riders to back him you'll get in. Win lots of races, animate lots of races, sponsor lots of races, and you can take a hike".

Cheers, ASO, you've just lessened my interest in the Tour, massively.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Whinge all you like, but when it rolls around, you will be glued to you're TV sets.

I'll be in Rotterdam trying to stick a Vacansoleil flag in Evans' wheel.

 

[TRDean]

Just bought my tickets...I'll be in Rotterdam too!! Can't wait...pretty expensive flight from the US...but will be worth it. Of all the riders...the one I could care less about seeing....Evans!!

 

[Jonathan]

Whinge all you like, but when it rolls around, you will be glued to you're TV sets.

Impossible. I'll be doing the north sea cycle route this summer, so I'm not going to watch a lot of TV.

 

[El Imbatido]

This is f***king s**t, now Cadel 'Mr deluded dumbarse' Evans will just go half-arsed in the giro, probably pull out in the third week because he is 100% sure he'll win the tour, stake everything on it and end up even more disappointed when he loses

Why couldn't the ASO have just done him a favour and kept him out of the tour so he would do the Giro & Vuelta for the win. I know it is not what he would have wanted but i think in the long run it would definitely have worked in his favour.

I'm a pretty big Cadel fanboy but even i can see what would be better for him this season, i just don't know why he can't

But Auscyclefan will be delighted

 

[ak-zaaf]

Just bought my tickets...I'll be in Rotterdam too!! Can't wait...pretty expensive flight from the US...but will be worth it. Of all the riders...the one I could care less about seeing....Evans!!

I'm not sure of where to stand yet. I'm guessing the teambus area is guarded like fort Knox during the tour, so maybe at Erasmusbrug. They pass on both sides there and they'll prolly put up a big screen.

 

[maikel]

so unfair, vacans has a much more exciting squad than BCM has, or footon or bouyques/fd jeux for that matter

 

[TRDean]

I'm not sure of where to stand yet. I'm guessing the teambus area is guarded like fort Knox during the tour, so maybe at Erasmusbrug. They pass on both sides there and they'll prolly put up a big screen.

I have no idea either...I will be relying on friends to put me in a good viewing spot.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Whinge all you like, but when it rolls around, you will be glued to you're TV sets.

I'll bet you and AusCF will be the ones doing the whinging, when Evan's season goes tits up.
I'm amazed that you all would rather see him lose in the Tour, than possibly win the best GT out there.

Me? I'm not bothered about the decision in terms of the Tour.
It is of less significance to my season; well behind the Giro.
Why worry if there are 9 or 18 men in red, huddled in the peloton, as the French breakaways get a free hand. (clever ASO didn't want the Dutch messing up their chances)

I'm more concerned that it will effect the competitiveness of the best GT of the year and the fact that both Skil and Vacansoleil are 0 from 2 in wildcard invites, to a bunch of aging one day specialists.

 

[issoisso]

This is f***king s**t, now Cadel 'Mr deluded dumbarse' Evans will just go half-arsed in the giro, probably pull out in the third week because he is 100% sure he'll win the tour, stake everything on it and end up even more disappointed when he loses

Why couldn't the ASO have just done him a favour and kept him out of the tour so he would do the Giro & Vuelta for the win. I know it is not what he would have wanted but i think in the long run it would definitely have worked in his favour.

I'm a pretty big Cadel fanboy but even i can see what would be better for him this season, i just don't know why he can't

But Auscyclefan will be delighted

Given Cadel's personality, I'm completely sure that as long as he doesn't have any mishaps (serious crash, illness), he'll give 100% for the GC as long as he still has a chance.

He just likely won't win, given the route.

 

[Hotbrakes]

so unfair, vacans has a much more exciting squad than BCM has, or footon or bouyques/fd jeux for that matter

What about Sky and Radio Shack? Do they deserve to be there instead of Vacans?
If Wiggins was riding for BMC and Evans for Sky would the anger be directed at Sky? No wait, EBH rides for Sky, the over hyped rider and a popular tip for a top 10 finish.

"Give me a break". I Know you guys don't like Evans, but don't blow a poo poo valve over it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

To be fair, I loathe Team Sky, but at least their season has plenty of victories, and a range of them too, and they've been fairly visible in most races. Omloop, a Tirreno-Adriatico and a Paris-Nice stage are pretty good wins to have on your palmarès as a team. BMC have been thoroughly invisible in most races they've entered and offer little chance of excitement, which is why a lot of us are annoyed at their inclusion.

Also, there was a lot of feeling that Sky and Shack were pretty much guaranteed, whereas we had hopes for Vacansoleil having the slot that BMC eventually got. The more your hopes are up, the more disappointed you get when they prove wrong.

 

[Four Winds]

Thought it was a fairly predictable pic to be honest. The big teams with the money and the names got picked and the smaller plucky teams didn't. My only question was whether the Feillu bros would swing it for Vacansoleil.

If you look at it from the ASO point of view they want whoever will guarantee worldwide coverage to be in there, rather than who will be the days allowed breakaway that will probably be caught with 10k to go. Not saying they're right or wrong, just stating a fact. Whoever lost out would be a tough call, and it would be debated on here with lots of people for and against.

I know Evans isn't everyones favourite but I think the rainbow jersey should count for something. Radioshack, Garmin, Sky and Katusha will extend coverage into other countries/markets for the Tour de France brand, and Cervelo have the green jersey winner from last year.

There just wasn't enough room to keep everyone happy.

 

[ike2112]

I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times, BMC will get in because they have friends in very high places at ASO. Their DS/Team manager, John Lelangue, is a former ASO employee.

You were right.

They certainly didn't earn it. Someone has just handed it to them.

It's a disgrace. Does anyone think Martin Kohler is going to be a white jersey candidate? Brent Bookwalter was just a legend the Tour couldn't do without?

Ballan won't ride, Evans (if he's smart) will still target the Giro. There is a reason that BMC have been anonymous this year - their roster is terribly lacking in depth.
Vacan offered so much more, not just in breaks but having:
i) The Feillus - Romain as a decent sprinter and Brice as a genuine portential challenger for the polkadots (and stages)
ii) A a sprinter in Bozic who has shown he can at least mix with the big boys
iii) The protector - Vino's official marker, and breakaway maverick, Johnny Hoogerland.
iv) Numerous other pretty handy riders who can spice things up - just look at Lagutin in Corsica the other day for example.

BMC offer nothing but a half-knackered stripe-wearing Cuddles.

 

[maikel]

You were right.

They certainly didn't earn it. Someone has just handed it to them.

It's a disgrace. Does anyone think Martin Kohler is going to be a white jersey candidate? Brent Bookwalter was just a legend the Tour couldn't do without?

Ballan won't ride, Evans (if he's smart) will still target the Giro. There is a reason that BMC have been anonymous this year - their roster is terribly lacking in depth.
Vacan offered so much more, not just in breaks but having:
i) The Feillus - Romain as a decent sprinter and Brice as a genuine portential challenger for the polkadots (and stages)
ii) A a sprinter in Bozic who has shown he can at least mix with the big boys
iii) The protector - Vino's official marker, and breakaway maverick, Johnny Hoogerland.
iv) Numerous other pretty handy riders who can spice things up - just look at Lagutin in Corsica the other day for example.

BMC offer nothing but a half-knackered stripe-wearing Cuddles.

and they have Carrara, a very decent GC rider

 

[pmcg76]

The irony here is that its not that long ago that ASO left the reigning World Champion, Mario Cipollini and his team out of the race. This is the same Cipo who had previously won numerous Tour stages and was one of the biggest persoanlities in the sport at the time. I guess we all look for consistency in decisions and taking BMC this year flies in the face of previous decisions.

I am not a big fan of Vacansoleil and didnt think they would add that much to the Tour but their results this season have been much better than BMC. This decision was purely political and commercial which is sad. As the sport of cycling progresses, it is becoming more and more about money and PR which is sad to see. The biggest travesty is that Footon were guranteed a place owing to that stupid ProTour rule.

I also agree with others that Evans would have been better focused on just the Giro.

 

[karlboss]

You were right.

They certainly didn't earn it. Someone has just handed it to them.

It's a disgrace. Does anyone think Martin Kohler is going to be a white jersey candidate? Brent Bookwalter was just a legend the Tour couldn't do without?

Ballan won't ride, Evans (if he's smart) will still target the Giro. There is a reason that BMC have been anonymous this year - their roster is terribly lacking in depth.
Vacan offered so much more, not just in breaks but having:
i) The Feillus - Romain as a decent sprinter and Brice as a genuine portential challenger for the polkadots (and stages)
ii) A a sprinter in Bozic who has shown he can at least mix with the big boys
iii) The protector - Vino's official marker, and breakaway maverick, Johnny Hoogerland.
iv) Numerous other pretty handy riders who can spice things up - just look at Lagutin in Corsica the other day for example.

BMC offer nothing but a half-knackered stripe-wearing Cuddles.

In purely sporting terms you are right, the decision was cuddles vs vacansoliel.

As for Evans, right now he's the 4th ranked rider in the world, finished last year 5th wearing the rainbow jersey, has twice finished 2nd, along with having a palmares noone at vacansoliel can match. He's hungry to win and proved last year he'll try suicidal breaks to win. tough to leave out no?

Vacansoliel have no GC chance, no sprinter of TDF standard, but more than a couple of stage hunters, two guys who could try for the KOM and are one of the most aggressive teams in the peloton...tough to leave out no?

The most unfair part it would seem would be the classics snubs. i think one or the other would have been more fair to a team without the budget who seems to be trying to do whatever they can and doing a great job.

 

[bianchigirl]

The wild cards were to be expected - but I do have big issues with Footon & Milram and what exactly they'll be bringing to the race - particularly the former who, apart from anything else, will be disturbing my aesthetic pleasure in the race (that kit is fucking awful). I'd have uninvited them and invited Vacansoleil.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

BMC offer nothing but a half-knackered stripe-wearing Cuddles.

Big George and Allesandro Ballan are nothing?

I'm not at all surprised by the selctions. BMC deserve it; they have a pretty good team, much better than Cadel's team from last year. He won't win, but he could finish top 10, maybe top 5. He should still target the Giro, very good chance of winning there.

Disappointed Vacansoleil didn't get in, but I didn't expect them to. They have a couple wins this season, but nothing that indicates a successful Tour. They do have some young guns on the team I would have liked to see in Tour, but that's really all I see going for them. I'm not sure why people think they really deserved the shot over teams like RS, Cervelo, Sky, Garmin, or Katusha. Ok maybe they deserved it more than Katusha.

EDIT: What Vacansoleil needs to do now is make a lot of noise at other races and show the ASO they made a mistake.

 

[pmcg76]

Still think ASO should have waited until end of April before making their decisions. Things should be a lot clearer by then.

 

[ScottinPhilly]

Ideally the ASO would have been able to wait but realistically, once thw Dutch teams were denied a Giro invite the writing was on the wall. By announcing now they can hopefully avoid a media/political fight, or at least get it over with well before the grand depart.

I feel badly for Vacansoleil, every race I watch or read coverage about they are a team that animates, attacks and is very fun to watch. I agree with some other post that says they have to go out now and prove what ASO will miss out on.