Tinkoff want Froome, Nibali & Quintana at Giro

[Red Rick]

Next proposal from Tinkov:

Combine times from all 3 grand tours to have a real GT winner

9 weeks, one winner.

Adam Hansen, who will start his domination by the start of the 8th week, obviously

 

[MBotero]

Since winning 2 GT in the same year is highly improbable,i don't think Sky will fall for this and i hope Astana will send Aru to the Giro,not Nibali.Nibali must focus on defending his TDF crown.Astana should be smarter than Sky who failed to give Wiggo the chance to do it.Nibali needs to be fresh not with Il Giro in his legs.
Quintana is another story given the fact that he's the last winner,plus Valverde would encourage him to do Il Giro no doubt about it

 

[python]

amazing, really amazing, but only 2 posts of the 50+ by now have seen the playful, social-media-originated tinkoff proposal for what it really was meant to be - a public relations stunt.

why ?. to put pressure on berty's competitors before they and their staff have been able to entertain any opportunity to rationally consider their racing priorities...plus, judging by the majority of posts here, of course, oleg had easily accomplished his usual secondary goal - he suckered the fans into a rather meaningless yet heated discussions.

oleg rocks. and yes, bert is prolly the best gt rider still riding - a fact...means zilch as to his real probabilities to ride all the gts oleg challenged others to do and who he can always blame for 'bert changing his plan's due to lack of 'challenge'.

oleg is brilliant for cycling and perhaps quite inconvenient for the uci...

 

[MatParker117]

Since winning 2 GT in the same year is highly improbable,i don't think Sky will fall for this and i hope Astana will send Aru to the Giro,not Nibali.Nibali must focus on defending his TDF crown.Astana should be smarter than Sky who failed to give Wiggo the chance to do it.Nibali needs to be fresh not with Il Giro in his legs.
Quintana is another story given the fact that he's the last winner,plus Valverde would encourage him to do Il Giro no doubt about it

Astana will send Aru, Sky will send Konig or Roche and Viviani (assuming they sign) and I wouldn't be surprised to see Valverde at the Giro. With Purito almost a certainty I[wouldn't rule out an all spanish podium.

 

[whittashau]

If I understand correctly, Martinelli just stated that most likely Aru will go for the Giro and Nibali for the Tour. Is that a joke?
Martinelli is never at a loss for words, that's what he said before the Vuelta "Nibali doesn't need to confront the Vuelta field to prove he is the best".
One word: Irritating.

If this is confirmed in the future, it would mean Nibali only wanted to snatch an easy Giro win at first sight but changed his mind because of AC. Now that would be ridiculous.

What is wrong with you? Nibali claims every year that he may ride both the Giro and Tour, but he then typically chooses one. He said the same thing earlier this season. I think apart of it is to appease the Giro organisers by at least "considering" riding the Giro

 

[Pricey_sky]

A nice idea, but it's all PR from Tinkoff. If the others do the Giro too then it's better for Alberto, if they don't then they will always use the excuse of being tired.

As has already been said Aru and Nibali will be split up and do either the Giro or Tour each as leader. While Quintana and Froome seem very focused on winning the Tour next season.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Oleg go and buy a football team.

 

[Carols]

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.

I see . Wily Russian that Oleg is!

 

[Electress]

I love it. Sure, it's in Tinkoff's best interests, and sure, the other teams are going to run their own programs. But it gets the press going and conversation going around "who's the best GT rider", and puts pressure on the other teams to match Contador or leave some glory on the table.

It's always good to be the one framing the discussion. Reacting sucks.

This. Whether it's merely for PR, to stir up trouble in Oleg's inimitable way, he's basically the man on the front foot, and Contador is being set up as the rider everyone else has to beat. If they won't race him on equal terms, well, they look a bit chicken. Or boring, stuck-in-the-rut and unwilling to rise to the challenge.

Plus, Tinkoff's right. It would be better for the sport. Cycling is growing massively in popularity - in the UK at least - and this is a way to capture the imagination of some of the newer fans and get them interested in more than just the Tour. I love the Tour, and it'll always be No. 1 on the calendar. But it's only like having the 4 tennis grand slams. Top players are expected to turn out for all of them, and different places play to different strengths. So with the GTs.

 

[Jancouver]

This. Whether it's merely for PR, to stir up trouble in Oleg's inimitable way, he's basically the man on the front foot, and Contador is being set up as the rider everyone else has to beat. If they won't race him on equal terms, well, they look a bit chicken. Or boring, stuck-in-the-rut and unwilling to rise to the challenge.

Plus, Tinkoff's right. It would be better for the sport. Cycling is growing massively in popularity - in the UK at least - and this is a way to capture the imagination of some of the newer fans and get them interested in more than just the Tour. I love the Tour, and it'll always be No. 1 on the calendar. But it's only like having the 4 tennis grand slams. Top players are expected to turn out for all of them, and different places play to different strengths. So with the GTs.

Well, tennis grand slam is not 21 days of 5 hours hard pedaling every day. Grand Slam tournament is maybe 2-3 hours with breaks and they play every other day and most players only few rounds.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

A great challenge by Tinkoff. He either gets them to go to the Giro and the Tour so Contador can beat them twice there by demonstrating his superiority. Or they look like wimps who are just trying to beat an under strength Contador at the Tour. A win by Froome, Nibali or Quintana at the Tour then will always have that question mark over it in the minds of many.

It does also put a lot of pressure on Contador to do the double if they all turn up to the Giro. If Contador does get beaten at the Giro then Tinkoff is probably going to be a very disappointed man.

I expect we will see Contador easily beating a weak field at the Giro, with his biggest rivals being Rodriguez and Aru. Then we will have a weakened Contador fighting against the other three at the Tour with a ready made excuse for losing.

Contador could do at the Giro next year exactly what Contador fans think Nibali was trying to do. Grab an easy GT victory against a weak field.

 

[Jspear]

A great challenge by Tinkoff. He either gets them to go to the Giro and the Tour so Contador can beat them twice there by demonstrating his superiority. Or they look like wimps who are just trying to beat an under strength Contador at the Tour. A win by Froome, Nibali or Quintana at the Tour then will always have that question mark over it in the minds of many.

It does also put a lot of pressure on Contador to do the double if they all turn up to the Giro. If Contador does get beaten at the Giro then Tinkoff is probably going to be a very disappointed man.

I expect we will see Contador easily beating a weak field at the Giro, with his biggest rivals being Rodriguez and Aru. Then we will have a weakened Contador fighting against the other three at the Tour with a ready made excuse for losing.

Contador could do at the Giro next year exactly what Contador fans think Nibali was trying to do. Grab an easy GT victory against a weak field.

You are right....the only difference being AC has now invited them all to the Giro to face him.

 

[skidmark]

Yeah, it seems like a confluence of a few things. Contador has stated for at least a few years that he wants to try all 3 GTs in a single year, which I definitely don't think is simply PR. So from that standpoint, all this maneuvering behind the scenes makes sense from his personal goals.

Secondly, yes it would be really good for the sport to have the best riders target something other than the Tour. Contador has often shown an appreciation for the whole race calendar (other than post-Tour 2009/10 era), and cynical as I can be about motives, it seems clear that Tinkov is a cycling fanatic who would be excited as a fan to see this happen.

Thirdly, the PR angle has been dissected by a few here, and I agree that it doesn't do anything but make others look bad if they don't react to the 'challenge', and it continues the 'what if' narrative of Nibali's Tour win. I certainly believe that Contador has a much better chance of the Giro-Tour double if all the best guys are there than if he does it alone against a 'weak' field - that kind of riding takes it out of you regardless.

Fourthly, as RR points out the behind-the-scenes movement for team revenues is aligned with all these goals as well. This move makes sense. As someone who's a huge fan of year-round cycling and wants the sport to be more stable, I'm pretty supportive of things moving in this direction. Plus, really, what cycling fan doesn't want to see the best riders try to do the double, just from a sporting point of view? It would be exciting.

Remember 2011? That Giro was pretty much the hardest thing ever, it ruined everyone's season - Nibali and Scarponi were shells of themselves, even as late as the Vuelta. Contador somehow rode to 5th in the Tour. Doing the double would be totally possible for him, and then why not try the Vuelta if he was feeling up to it?

Make no mistake, though, this all is targeted at Froome and Sky. It was clear even at the Vuelta that Froome is the only one Contador considers worthwhile. Maybe Nibali too, but 2.5 minute cobble stage lead aside, I don't think he's too worried about him. Sky is the epitome of a risk-averse, measured approach, from the sporting side to the sponsor side. They don't want to join the MPCC, they don't want to join the breakaway league, they just want to win at the highest stage, which in cycling is the Tour. Anything Tinkov can do to rattle their cages, he'll try. And whether it's sporting (Tinkov thinks Froome won't rise to the bait and thinks he's a chicken) or political (Tinkov thinks Brailsford et al won't cooperate and are chickens), it seems evident that this narrative provides a good excuse to frame them as boring losers.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Yeah, it seems like a confluence of a few things. Contador has stated for at least a few years that he wants to try all 3 GTs in a single year, which I definitely don't think is simply PR. So from that standpoint, all this maneuvering behind the scenes makes sense from his personal goals.

Secondly, yes it would be really good for the sport to have the best riders target something other than the Tour. Contador has often shown an appreciation for the whole race calendar (other than post-Tour 2009/10 era), and cynical as I can be about motives, it seems clear that Tinkov is a cycling fanatic who would be excited as a fan to see this happen.

Thirdly, the PR angle has been dissected by a few here, and I agree that it doesn't do anything but make others look bad if they don't react to the 'challenge', and it continues the 'what if' narrative of Nibali's Tour win. I certainly believe that Contador has a much better chance of the Giro-Tour double if all the best guys are there than if he does it alone against a 'weak' field - that kind of riding takes it out of you regardless.

Fourthly, as RR points out the behind-the-scenes movement for team revenues is aligned with all these goals as well. This move makes sense. As someone who's a huge fan of year-round cycling and wants the sport to be more stable, I'm pretty supportive of things moving in this direction. Plus, really, what cycling fan doesn't want to see the best riders try to do the double, just from a sporting point of view? It would be exciting.

Remember 2011? That Giro was pretty much the hardest thing ever, it ruined everyone's season - Nibali and Scarponi were shells of themselves, even as late as the Vuelta. Contador somehow rode to 5th in the Tour. Doing the double would be totally possible for him, and then why not try the Vuelta if he was feeling up to it?

Make no mistake, though, this all is targeted at Froome and Sky. It was clear even at the Vuelta that Froome is the only one Contador considers worthwhile. Maybe Nibali too, but 2.5 minute cobble stage lead aside, I don't think he's too worried about him. Sky is the epitome of a risk-averse, measured approach, from the sporting side to the sponsor side. They don't want to join the MPCC, they don't want to join the breakaway league, they just want to win at the highest stage, which in cycling is the Tour. Anything Tinkov can do to rattle their cages, he'll try. And whether it's sporting (Tinkov thinks Froome won't rise to the bait and thinks he's a chicken) or political (Tinkov thinks Brailsford et al won't cooperate and are chickens), it seems evident that this narrative provides a good excuse to frame them as boring losers.

Or looking at it from the other side Tinkoff is just getting his excuses in early for when Contador is tired at the Tour and can't keep up with a fresher Quintana and Froome in the final week. He can then say well at least Alberto did both and others didn't ect ect.

 

[Cimber]

Oleg Tinkov‏@olegtinkov·3m
Big 4 riders have to do all 3 Grand Tours, sign binding document and go for it. Now they're playing w each other, we wanna now who is #1.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Yeah, it seems like a confluence of a few things. Contador has stated for at least a few years that he wants to try all 3 GTs in a single year, which I definitely don't think is simply PR. So from that standpoint, all this maneuvering behind the scenes makes sense from his personal goals.

Secondly, yes it would be really good for the sport to have the best riders target something other than the Tour. Contador has often shown an appreciation for the whole race calendar (other than post-Tour 2009/10 era), and cynical as I can be about motives, it seems clear that Tinkov is a cycling fanatic who would be excited as a fan to see this happen.

Thirdly, the PR angle has been dissected by a few here, and I agree that it doesn't do anything but make others look bad if they don't react to the 'challenge', and it continues the 'what if' narrative of Nibali's Tour win. I certainly believe that Contador has a much better chance of the Giro-Tour double if all the best guys are there than if he does it alone against a 'weak' field - that kind of riding takes it out of you regardless.

Fourthly, as RR points out the behind-the-scenes movement for team revenues is aligned with all these goals as well. This move makes sense. As someone who's a huge fan of year-round cycling and wants the sport to be more stable, I'm pretty supportive of things moving in this direction. Plus, really, what cycling fan doesn't want to see the best riders try to do the double, just from a sporting point of view? It would be exciting.

Remember 2011? That Giro was pretty much the hardest thing ever, it ruined everyone's season - Nibali and Scarponi were shells of themselves, even as late as the Vuelta. Contador somehow rode to 5th in the Tour. Doing the double would be totally possible for him, and then why not try the Vuelta if he was feeling up to it?

Make no mistake, though, this all is targeted at Froome and Sky. It was clear even at the Vuelta that Froome is the only one Contador considers worthwhile. Maybe Nibali too, but 2.5 minute cobble stage lead aside, I don't think he's too worried about him. Sky is the epitome of a risk-averse, measured approach, from the sporting side to the sponsor side. They don't want to join the MPCC, they don't want to join the breakaway league, they just want to win at the highest stage, which in cycling is the Tour. Anything Tinkov can do to rattle their cages, he'll try. And whether it's sporting (Tinkov thinks Froome won't rise to the bait and thinks he's a chicken) or political (Tinkov thinks Brailsford et al won't cooperate and are chickens), it seems evident that this narrative provides a good excuse to frame them as boring losers.

I think you pretty much nailed it there, skidmark. Good post.

 

[glassmoon]

something tells me, he (Tinkov) won't be challenging them if he thought there is only a slightest possibility they'd accept the challenge

 

[Mellow Velo]

It's just the usual PR fluff that accompanies the GTs route announcement season. Bound to have caused a few smiles in the other camps.
My first reaction to Contador announcing he would ride the Giro, was that this means Contador won't ride the Giro, given Tinkoff's recent U turns at the Tour and Vuelta.

Talking of which, what happens to Majka's GT leadership chances?

 

[Cimber]

It's just the usual PR fluff that accompanies the GTs route announcement season. Bound to have caused a few smiles in the other camps.
My first reaction to Contador announcing he would ride the Giro, was that this means Contador won't ride the Giro, given Tinkoff's recent U turns at the Tour and Vuelta.

Talking of which, what happens to Majka's GT leadership chances?

I think its a mix of PR and a genuine wish that the grand 4 do all the 3 GTs. I do think that the other wont take up the challenge (also, it really wouldnt fit with SKY's control-freak approach). But it would be very interesting if indeed Froome, Nairo and Nibs agreed to Tinkoffs challenge. It would also mean that 2nd row GC favorites would be in the mox for the Tour and especially the Vuelta. Would make all the GTs much more interesting. Would be an epic and hitorical season if they did agree to follow suit. But sadly they wont.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I think its a mix of PR and a genuine wish that the grand 4 do all the 3 GTs. I do think that the other wont take up the challenge (also, it really wouldnt fit with SKY's control-freak approach). But it would be very interesting if indeed Froome, Nairo and Nibs agreed to Tinkoffs challenge. It would also mean that 2nd row GC favorites would be in the mox for the Tour and especially the Vuelta. Would make all the GTs much more interesting. Would be an epic and hitorical season if they did agree to follow suit. But sadly they wont.

There is a major down side to this idea, which seems to have escaped everybody here, so far.
The only way these guys are going to consider attempting a Giro-Tour double, never mind all three, is if the RCS come up with an easy Giro course that wouldn't drain folks and give them a chance of recovering in time for the Tour.
So, do we want a lot of big names or big mountains?

The other thing is that there is nothing (not even a binding contract) to stop the big names entering, riding the first half of the Giro like they would the AToC and dropping out.

 

[Cimber]

There is a major down side to this idea, which seems to have escaped everybody here, so far.
The only way these guys are going to consider attempting a Giro-Tour double, never mind all three, is if the RCS come up with an easy Giro course that wouldn't drain folks and give them a chance of recovering in time for the Tour.
So, do we want a lot of big names or big mountains?

The other thing is that there is nothing (not even a binding contract) to stop the big names entering, riding the first half of the Giro like they would the AToC and dropping out.

How about a balanced route? You can get both big names and big mountains. You just dont need big mountains every single stage.

Also, what will make it interesting is that the big guns wont be able to recover 100% for the Tour and even less for the Vuelta (regardless of the route). That will open op the possibility for the 2nd tier favorites, which will make the final result of the Tour and Vuelta even more unpredictable and open.

 

[Netserk]

A good race is a good race no matter who rides it. I'd rather have a classic Giro than another Tour.

 

[Electress]

Yeah, it seems like a confluence of a few things. Contador has stated for at least a few years that he wants to try all 3 GTs in a single year, which I definitely don't think is simply PR. So from that standpoint, all this maneuvering behind the scenes makes sense from his personal goals.

Secondly, yes it would be really good for the sport to have the best riders target something other than the Tour. Contador has often shown an appreciation for the whole race calendar (other than post-Tour 2009/10 era), and cynical as I can be about motives, it seems clear that Tinkov is a cycling fanatic who would be excited as a fan to see this happen.

Thirdly, the PR angle has been dissected by a few here, and I agree that it doesn't do anything but make others look bad if they don't react to the 'challenge', and it continues the 'what if' narrative of Nibali's Tour win. I certainly believe that Contador has a much better chance of the Giro-Tour double if all the best guys are there than if he does it alone against a 'weak' field - that kind of riding takes it out of you regardless.

Fourthly, as RR points out the behind-the-scenes movement for team revenues is aligned with all these goals as well. This move makes sense. As someone who's a huge fan of year-round cycling and wants the sport to be more stable, I'm pretty supportive of things moving in this direction. Plus, really, what cycling fan doesn't want to see the best riders try to do the double, just from a sporting point of view? It would be exciting.

Remember 2011? That Giro was pretty much the hardest thing ever, it ruined everyone's season - Nibali and Scarponi were shells of themselves, even as late as the Vuelta. Contador somehow rode to 5th in the Tour. Doing the double would be totally possible for him, and then why not try the Vuelta if he was feeling up to it?

Make no mistake, though, this all is targeted at Froome and Sky. It was clear even at the Vuelta that Froome is the only one Contador considers worthwhile. Maybe Nibali too, but 2.5 minute cobble stage lead aside, I don't think he's too worried about him. Sky is the epitome of a risk-averse, measured approach, from the sporting side to the sponsor side. They don't want to join the MPCC, they don't want to join the breakaway league, they just want to win at the highest stage, which in cycling is the Tour. Anything Tinkov can do to rattle their cages, he'll try. And whether it's sporting (Tinkov thinks Froome won't rise to the bait and thinks he's a chicken) or political (Tinkov thinks Brailsford et al won't cooperate and are chickens), it seems evident that this narrative provides a good excuse to frame them as boring losers.

This. Great post.

 

[cineteq]

Oleg Tinkov‏@olegtinkov·3m
Big 4 riders have to do all 3 Grand Tours, sign binding document and go for it. Now they're playing w each other, we wanna now who is #1.

I guess he read my post and email yeaterday.

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=1581999&postcount=23

 

[Cimber]

A good race is a good race no matter who rides it. I'd rather have a classic Giro than another Tour.

But with this apporach you would get a much better Tour and Giro. Much more open for everyone