The Tour Wild Cards

[Libertine Seguros]

Evans was 3rd in Tirreno-Adriatico, which admittedly isn't an ASO event or anything, but it's BMC's only result of note this season. And it's more high profile than Omertà Inc.'s only win of the season in Portugal. And he didn't exactly set the world alight for that result, but at least he got a result which is more than the rest of his team have managed.

 

[ak-zaaf]

I now don't believe that "tough" decisions were infact made. .

The tough decision was: Do we continue to pretend to actually care about cycling or do we give a big FU to all the smaller teams with TDF hopes?

Skil's selection last year was a sign that a smaller team with a positive attitude could have hopes of a TDF-selection if they we're willing to ride hard in every race they enter.
Now you just need money.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

auscyclefan my comments about bmc and evans failing were more in regard to the ASO and giro organizers regretting their decision then anything else.

Yes Vasc. are dutch, but they are entertaining and imho in terms of deserving a spot they deserve it more then most. Your deserved comment was indeed faboyyish. You care more about evans then the sports integrity.

so yes i hope bmc do fail.

Seeing as it is still pretty early in the season I'd say Vac have won something big...KBK??? Even Quatar??? I mean what else...No matter how you slice it BMC have been a joke this season...while Vac have been very aggressive, and winning! It does seem that Prudhomme fed the smaller squads a line of bull regarding Tour selection...I now don't believe that "tough" decisions were infact made. Tough decisions would have meant that Evans and BMC were left home.

By the way...yesterday in Belgium...terrible weather...epic stage...BMC had 4 DNF...Skil and Vac had 0...Some teams come to race...others get the selections.

+1 trd.

Evidently their decisions were made months ago, cause teams like vasc. have only improved their chances of getting a wildcard. Yet it wasn't ehough... Congrats to prudhomme for showing some integrity and class lying scum.

The tough decision was: Do we continue to pretend to actually care about cycling or do we give a big FU to all the smaller teams with TDF hopes?

Skil's selection last year was a sign that a smaller team with a positive attitude could have hopes of a TDF-selection if they we're willing to ride hard in every race they enter.
Now you just need money.

I totally agree, skil might not have done a lot last year it terms of GC, points, kom etc but imo were a breath of fresh air.

Hopefully skil, vasc and saur get to the vuelta and show us some riding with a lot of heart.

BTW: Cofidos, FDJ, BBOX all are fully deserving teams to make the tour imo. They entertain, and are quite strong (both bbox and cofidos are having good seasons and FDJ were phenomenal at last year's tour. Le Mevel has also been good so far this season).

Footon I hope lose their license.
Radioshack/sky ease of entry to events speaks volume to money/power over hard-work/accomplishments.

 

[staubsauger]

good speak of the saur-sojasun tm heulot, it's incrompehensible why the have choosen bmc instead of saur-sojasun or vacansoleil. they dind'nt have the strengh to perform there well, and evans will show nothing there after he was going for the overall in the brutal hard giro or he will race for 5th place in both races like mentsjov did in 2008. boooooring. bmc has nothing what makes them irrecoverable for the tour.

but, well i have to say i could more understand the decision not to invite vancansoleil at the tour, then at giro. once again , in my opinion there are 3 teams (garmin, katjoesa, sky) which will most likely just send a better b-squad to perform there and they are just invited because of the name and the money. poor character of zomegan that he didn't had the sands to let just 1 of them out for vacansoleil, normally even 2 for isd and rujano too


moncoutie won't ride the tour, but cofidis has a hopeful squad this year that's a fact!

at least it's that stupid agreement from 2008 which makes teams noboy needs like footon allow to start there.

 

[powderpuff]

The Swiss races are absolute, given the company. The ASO have taken over the Dauphine, so, Cadel will be expected there..........and the Tour of Swiss!

These races weren't in his original program and with BMC's entry into the TdF I can't see why he would add them. It is not like he will be needing any mileage in the legs after the Giro.

 

[Mellow Velo]

1.
The big names are taking perfect care of themselves: Kroon, Ballan, Burghardt haven't shown anything whatsoever, to have something left in the tank for Romandie.

That is all true. However, I suppose it's a question of who supports Evans at the Giro, if he doesn't pull out. If he is still serious about contending the title, those guys will have to ride through May.

I assume none will ride the DL and Switzerland.
Something like the Route du Sud and into the Tour.....

These races weren't in his original program and with BMC's entry into the TdF I can't see why he would add them. It is not like he will be needing any mileage in the legs after the Giro.

Again, quite so. None of the major riders who ride the Giro will do much until the Tour.
However, this preparation usually fails miserably.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Number of Grand Tours starting in the Netherlands in 2009: 1
Number of Dutch teams given wildcard entries to Grand Tours in 2009: 2

Number of Grand Tours starting in the Netherlands in 2010: 2
Number of Dutch teams given wildcard entries to Grand Tours in 2010: 0


Number of brand new big money teams breeding resentment from purists in 2009: 1
Number of Grand Tours omitting these teams: 1

Number of brand new big money teams breeding resentment from purists in 2010: 3
Number of Grand Tours omitting these teams: 1

Come on Vuelta, leave 'em all at home. I mean, if nobody's gonna target your race, you may as well bring in all the entertaining teams to liven it up, right?

 

[sublimit]

well yes.. Its clearly a blunder by Prudhomme regarding Vacansoliel, perhaps he's out of his depth i dont know.

Hopefully for next year somebody else can be brought in to make any sort of desicion, and also maybe a fairer qualifying process for the TDF.

 

[auscyclefan94]

auscyclefan my comments about bmc and evans failing were more in regard to the ASO and giro organizers regretting their decision then anything else.

Yes Vasc. are dutch, but they are entertaining and imho in terms of deserving a spot they deserve it more then most. Your deserved comment was indeed faboyyish. You care more about evans then the sports integrity.

so yes i hope bmc do fail.

I've lost a lot of respect for you from your past recent coments. It wasn't bmc's fault that they got selected. Sour grapes? Your "fanboyism" of dutch teams/riders is petty bad also. Hoping someone to fail is kinda of sad on your behalf and makes your a very little person.

 

[Frosty]

Looking back, Cadel said that BMC being in line for a tour spot in 2010 was what persuaded him to go.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/cadel-evans-the-cycling-gods-must-be-crazy

When the idea first occurred to me I thought, 'It's BMC, not a big team or anything...and of course when I'm making a decision like this I do a fair bit of research. Then we looked at the names [in the team] and the plans they have plus where they want to go, etc - everybody wants to go to the Tour de France in 2011," said Evans.

"At that point Andy Rihs and John Lelangue said, 'Maybe you'd be interested in going to the Tour in 2010...' I thought, 'Oh...' We had a couple of meetings and it was amazing how everything was in place and ready to go - I was just like, 'This is just such a neat fit for me'.






Of course plans can change though. As Evans did the tour and vuelta last year and is doing the Giro this year then the tour would be his fourth grand tour in a row - didnt seem to work for Sastre last year.

As far as them coming in, they must have guaranteed that Evans will be a major player in the GC. Cant see him winning but he has the potential to be a contender. Second in 2007 and 2008, world champion last year, surely he deserves a chance. If he ends up not going though then its a different matter. We'll see

 

[Moondance]

That is all true. However, I suppose it's a question of who supports Evans at the Giro, if he doesn't pull out. If he is still serious about contending the title, those guys will have to ride through May.

I imagine BMC's slot at the Giro was in a large part due to Evans saying that he'd be riding there in full force.... Pulling out after essentially commiting himself to the race would be poor form, and would probably not bode well for potential invites in the future; so I'd doubt he'd take that course.

 

[Mambo95]

well yes.. Its clearly a blunder by Prudhomme regarding Vacansoliel, perhaps he's out of his depth i dont know.

Are you claiming you know more about the Tour de France, and what's best for it, than Christian Prudhomme? I'll tell you now, you don't.

 

[Hotbrakes]

Looks like Christian Prudhomme is blessed with common sense.

Crappy dutch team not getting invited to the TdF = I don't give a rats chaff.

 

[Moondance]

Looks like Christian Prudhomme is blessed with common sense.

Crappy dutch team not getting invited to the TdF = I don't give a rats chaff.

At least the crappy Dutch team has, you know, won something this year, as opposed to BMC who's last victory dates back to August 2009 when Mathias Frank won the Grand Prix Tell (a cat.2.2 race).

 

[auscyclefan94]

Looks like Christian Prudhomme is blessed with common sense.

Crappy dutch team not getting invited to the TdF = I don't give a rats chaff.

They will make the first two hours of sprint stages interesting. Feel sorry for Vacan but not for Saur. vacan do have some quality riders which are better than milram, footon or FDJ.

 

[karlboss]

Agree with the comments about BMC having one rider, remember Mosquera and Xacobeo at last years giro? Obviously not, as Mosquera didn't get to the start line and Xacobeo did nothing, best stage finish 9th

 

[auscyclefan94]

Agree with the comments about BMC having one rider, remember Mosquera and Xacobeo at last years giro? Obviously not, as Mosquera didn't get to the start line and Xacobeo did nothing, best stage finish 9th

One rider who has shown form so far. Hopefull George can do something in Rvv or PR to prove to the organisers that BMC are more than one rider team and can do something in other races as well.

 

[karlboss]

One rider who has shown form so far. Hopefull George can do something in Rvv or PR to prove to the organisers that BMC are more than one rider team and can do something in other races as well.

Take vacansoliel and BMC, now take away Cadel Evans. Who is now worthy of a tour place?

 

[auscyclefan94]

Take vacansoliel and BMC, now take away Cadel Evans. Who is now worthy of a tour place?

Take away Vacansoleil's biggest rider as well to be fair which IMO is Bozic. Your point is kinda silly because why would you take out evans?

 

[mherm79]

Radioshack/sky ease of entry to events speaks volume to money/power over hard-work/accomplishments.

bit harsh on Sky, they have been competitive in most races they've been in an have knocked up several stage wins. There train to date for their sprinters has been impressive and I'm for one am looking forward to them taking on HTC in the Tour.

 

[karlboss]

Take away Vacansoleil's biggest rider as well to be fair which IMO is Bozic. Your point is kinda silly because why would you take out evans?

Because he might crash before riding or get sick, that was the point of my previous post.
Take out Bozic (interesting choice, he'd be top 10 sprinter at the tour)...then hoogerland, carrara, or Brice Feillu for breakaway stage wins (not just to be chased down by sprinters) and possibly KOM.

 

[djlovesyou]

Isn't Cadel going all out for the Giro?

He should.

 

[franciep10]

My take on the matter I understand why ASO wanted to invite BMC because some (australians) want to see cadel do good but most of us want to see how he finds a way to lose, Vacansoleil deserved to be there they would nimate the race plus they have been active in the races. I understand the decision about Radio shack because it's all about the money. With Sky I've shocked myself because they've become one of my favorite teams because they animate the races. So aso had to invite certain teams but instead of choosing what's best for the race they chose money.

 

[Galic Ho]

Isn't Cadel going all out for the Giro?

He should.

Cadel is not very smart. He hasn't figured out how best to utilise his immense talents on a bike. Note how he comes close but tactically does something silly. 2010 is not going to be a breakthrough in that branch of his life. Sure he will be a bit more aggressive but not enough to nab a major win. He can top 5 at the Tour no problem, but win it? Not a chance.

 

[craig1985]

My take on the matter I understand why ASO wanted to invite BMC because some (australians) want to see cadel do good but most of us want to see how he finds a way to lose, Vacansoleil deserved to be there they would nimate the race plus they have been active in the races. I understand the decision about Radio shack because it's all about the money. With Sky I've shocked myself because they've become one of my favorite teams because they animate the races. So aso had to invite certain teams but instead of choosing what's best for the race they chose money.

ASO is a business, not a charity. From a fans POV, it sucks.