Tinkoff want Froome, Nibali & Quintana at Giro

[MatParker117]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tinkoff-saxo-throws-down-giro-tour-challenge-to-grand-tour-rivals

Alberto Contador and his Tinkoff-Saxo team has thrown down a challenge to their Grand Tour rivals by calling on them to go head to head in the 2015 Giro d'Italia and Tour de France.

Contador confirmed last Friday that the Giro d'Italia will be his first major goal in 2015, before he goes on to ride the Tour de France. Tinkoff-Saxo team owner Oleg Tinkov took to Twitter to challenge Contador's biggest rivals to take him on, while team manager Stefano Feltrin admitted he had spoken to other teams during the recent Vuelta a Espana about agreeing to field their team leaders in the same Grand Tours in 2015.

Tinkoff-Saxo hopes that Chris Froome (Team Sky), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and other Grand Tour team leaders will face off with Contador in the Giro and the Tour to make a fair contest.

“We proposed in an very informal way to the other teams. We believe the best riders should go up against each other in the biggest stage races in the calendar, it seems logical to us,” Feltrin told Cyclingnews.

“It's a clear way to show who is the strongest rider in the sport. If Froome and Nibali also ride both the Giro and the Tour, it's good for the sport and there can be no excuses about who is the best Grand Tour rider.”

I doubt they'll go for this as Aru will probably lead Astana, Valverde could lead Movistar and if the rumours about Leo Konig, Nicholas Roche etc and Sky pan out I doubt Froome will be in Italy outside of T-A and maybe MSR.

Would be nice but it ain't gonna happen.

 

[Publicus]

So much for Nibali riding the Giro as he intimated recently. Coward.

 

[Jancouver]

Only because Tinkov knows that winning both is impossible unless they all ride Giro & TDF. Not happening and it will increase Froome's and Niballi's chances to win TDF.

 

[sir fly]

They should ride the Classics (or at least the Monuments) too, if it's about the strongest rider in the sport. But I'm sure it's not about that.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Not going to happen Oleg, perhaps if you gave Majka or Kreuziger a chance at the giro then you wouldn't have had to have done this.

Froome will go for the Tour for sure, at the moment Sky probably don't have a decent no.2

Movistar may throw a decent team at it, and Nibali may well decide to do his home tour instead of the Tour de France.

I think thats the best its going to get.

 

[djpbaltimore]

It sounds like Contador is trying to win three GTs in a row and doesn't want to face fresher competitors in July. Odds of this happening is ~0% IMO.

I would save the abuse for Nibali until.. well... he actually decides his race program.

 

[Publicus]

Only because Tinkov knows that winning both is impossible unless they all ride Giro & TDF. Not happening and it will increase Froome's and Niballi's chances to win TDF.

true. from a fan perspective, it would be nice though. Tougher on the up and coming GT riders like Aru, Majka, etc. since they would be relegated to Vuelta (which frankly diminishes the Vuelta).

Anywho, Contador won't have to go deep to win the Giro if the best competition will be Aru.

 

[SafeBet]

Would be amazing, but not gonna happen.

 

[sir fly]

Ridiculously immature proposition.
Now everybody should dance to Tinkov's tune?

 

[Publicus]

It sounds like Contador is trying to win three GTs in a row and doesn't want to face fresher competitors in July. Odds of this happening is ~0% IMO.

I would save the abuse for Nibali until.. well... he actually decides his race program.

What's the fun in that? I honestly thought he was a lock to ride the Giro (to avoid Contador and Froome), but then Contador threw down the gauntlet and you have Martinelli all but taking the Giro off the table for Nibali:

Astana directeur sportif Giuseppe Martinelli is in favour of the best Grand Tour riders going head to head, but hinted that Nibali will defend his Tour de France title in 2015, with Fabio Aru likely to target the Giro d'Italia.

“I think it'd be good for the sport, I'd like to see it,” he told Cyclingnews. “We'll probably only decide our rider's objectives in November when we get together as a team. However I think Nibali will perhaps defend his Tour de France victory, while Aru could again got for the Giro d'Italia.”

 

[Red Rick]

How is it ridiculous? If they all agreed it would be great for the sport. Sadly, individual succes and team succes is more important, so it'll never happen

 

[djpbaltimore]

What's the fun in that? I honestly thought he was a lock to ride the Giro (to avoid Contador and Froome), but then Contador threw down the gauntlet and you have Martinelli all but taking the Giro off the table for Nibali:

Sorry, didn't mean to spoil the fun.

I am surprised to read that the Giro seems to be unlikely for Nibali even before the route has been announced. However, I will be glad to see him give 100% to his tour defense. I am sure the asterisk talk will motivate him immensely.

 

[mrhender]

Ridiculously immature proposition.
Now everybody should dance to Tinkov's tune?

That's a bit harsh.
You say it yourself. It is a Proposition, not an order...

“It's a clear way to show who is the strongest rider in the sport. If Froome and Nibali also ride both the Giro and the Tour, it's good for the sport and there can be no excuses about who is the best Grand Tour rider.”

How is this immature? surely the other teams can say no, or make their own suggestions and priorities clear...

I think they are right. A Giro-Tour double with no dnf's would be a great parameter of who's the best GT-rider..

 

[djpbaltimore]

How is it ridiculous? If they all agreed it would be great for the sport. Sadly, individual succes and team succes is more important, so it'll never happen

It is ridiculous because Oleg is asking the other riders to do what is in HIS team's best interest. Agreed that it would be great for sporting reasons. Even if all the riders made a commitment, all it would take would be one accident or illness in the spring to topple the whole spectacle.

 

[sir fly]

That's a bit harsh.
You say it yourself. It is a Proposition, not an order...



How is this immature? surely the other teams can say no, or make their own suggestions and priorities clear...

I think they are right. A Giro-Tour double with no dnf's would be a great parameter of who's the best GT-rider..

They should ride the Classics too, then.

 

[dduff442]

Raising the status of a rival to the TdF would be good for the sport.

 

[ILovecycling]

So Nibali will do the Tour?
well, more ridiculous than I expected...

 

[Race Radio]

Tinkoff has been actively courting teams for a possible boycott of the Tour next year. He, and a few others, want to extract a revenue share from the ASO. Getting the top riders to ride the Giro is part of this strategy.

 

[Publicus]

They should ride the Classics too, then.

why? none of them are classics riders. they are GRAND TOUR riders.

 

[hfer07]

YYYYYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!



Bring it on baby!!!




setting aside the excitement- I actually believe it should be the norm for all the GT stars to do 2 GTs like the old days, and drop once for all the fear of doing it. Tinkov is indeed a great visionary, whether you like him or not, but to come up with this sort of challenge is only good for cycling in general.

 

[Publicus]

Tinkoff has been actively courting teams for a possible boycott of the Tour next year. He, and a few others, want to extract a revenue share from the ASO. Getting the top riders to ride the Giro is part of this strategy.

Smart move on his part, but I think too many of the owners are stuck in the all-eggs-in-the-Tour basket mentality.

 

[mrhender]

They should ride the Classics too, then.

When did the classics became Grand Tours?

It's not that I don't get your reasoning, but it would be like saying Boonen and Cancellara at their prime should do the TDF, and from the GC-result it could be determined who is best...
-----------
They specialize in Grand Tours... Not classics..

 

[cineteq]

There should be mandatory for GC riders to participate in all 3 GTs. Whoever wins a GT must be a part of all 3 GTs in order for the title to be awarded. Otherwise the runner up takes the title of that GT.

PS: Sending an email to Tinkov as we speak

 

[LaFlorecita]

There should be mandatory for GC riders to participate in all 3 GTs. Whoever wins a GT must be a part of all 3 GTs in order for the title to be awarded. Otherwise the runner up takes the title of that GT.

PS: Sending an email to Tinkov as we speak

What if a rider misses a GT due to injury or illness

 

[icefire]

That's a bit harsh.
You say it yourself. It is a Proposition, not an order...



How is this immature? surely the other teams can say no, or make their own suggestions and priorities clear...

I think they are right. A Giro-Tour double with no dnf's would be a great parameter of who's the best GT-rider..

I don't remember any recent attempt other than Contador in 2011. But if the Tour-Vuelta is a valid substitute, Froome was 2nd+4th in 2012, Purito was 3rd+4th last year and Valverde was 4th+3rd this year.