Tour du Haut Var (FRA) 18 and 19/02

[theyoungest]

Nice one Hitch. I was thinking the same thing.
That's the trouble when fanboys spend all their time looking for their exulted one, instead of watching the actual race.
What the rest of us got, (that which we were able to view) was a very unpredictable, animated race.

We all knew that Gilbert going to BMC was the worst thing that could have happened, forum fanboy-wise.

JTL very impressive again. Mallorca no fluke.

You mean the Vuelta a Leon was no fluke

 

[Mellow Velo]

Mate, this race was horrible, hardly any camera's. Most of the time we were staring at the commentators or the finish line. Animated race my ***.

Oh, so you were talking about the lack of moto cameras, not the race?
OK.
Still, even from the little we saw, much more animated than a bunch sprint or some guy waltzing away in the final km, eh?

 

[Richeypen]

Mate, this race was horrible, hardly any camera's. Most of the time we were staring at the commentators or the finish line. Animated race my ***.

Everyone on here knows that you would be saying the opposite had Gilbert won.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Full results online

http://www.tourduhautvar.com/fra/2012/15;classement_individuel_16.html

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Thomas Dekker, first ever Dutch black cyclist...

69 17 DEKKER Thomas (NED/GRM) m.t. 04:47:25

 

[Panda Claws]

So everyone is still using the random break-away tactic against Gilbert. Just like in Gran Piemonte and Paris-Tours.

 

[roundabout]

Guess Locke will win the GC.

 

[jens_attacks]

this time that tactic was used against jon locke no doubt.at least we can say he already has wrapped up the overall.

about TD,we'll see tomorrow how he does,can't read into this stage much

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

this time that tactic was used against jon locke no doubt.at least we can say he already has wrapped up the overall.

about TD,we'll see tomorrow how he does,can't read into this stage much

Well he finished in the main bunch. We'll see tomorrow indeed. I think he was in difficulty in the final. It's been long since he has ridden a fast final on hilly terrain like today.

Tomorrow will be even harder. Don't think he will do a good classification but I certainly hope so

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Lead a smaller team > bottle carrying duties for a PT team?

Getting a free role in a medium sized team that gets invites to the top races would be better - clearly he needs to show up tomorrow to justify that.

Still unsure whether it is allowed in any case.

 

[El Pistolero]

Oh, so you were talking about the lack of moto cameras, not the race?
OK.
Still, even from the little we saw, much more animated than a bunch sprint or some guy waltzing away in the final km, eh?

Yes, I was. The race could have been good, but it was too confusing to follow and no great footage.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Getting a free role in a medium sized team that gets invites to the top races would be better - clearly he needs to show up tomorrow to justify that.

Still unsure whether it is allowed in any case.

There can be mid-season transfers, just think money would have to be involved, like Riccò buying out of his Ceramica Flaminia contract to join Vacansoleil and Caruso buying out of the same team earlier in the year to join Katyusha.

Endura aren't going to want to let him go, of course, as they have him under contract and he's their ticket to a hugely improved race calendar. Certainly if another team want him they'll have to wave enough money in his face that he can buy out of his Endura contract and join them, and that won't make a team especially popular.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

There can be mid-season transfers, just think money would have to be involved, like Riccò buying out of his Ceramica Flaminia contract to join Vacansoleil and Caruso buying out of the same team earlier in the year to join Katyusha.

Endura aren't going to want to let him go, of course, as they have him under contract and he's their ticket to a hugely improved race calendar. Certainly if another team want him they'll have to wave enough money in his face that he can buy out of his Endura contract and join them, and that won't make a team especially popular.

They're certainly going to be regretting only signing him for 1 year anyway.

I had him as 28 in my head, but it turns out he's not 28 until December, so it would be slightly less horrific than anticipated were he to remain, as long as Endura get a crack at some more interesting races.

 

[fat and frantic]

Not sure if BMC were working for Thor or Gilbert today, but when the pictures came in they were working on the front with FDJ and Garmin, so must have had something planned.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Hushovd didn't finish in peloton 1. So they were working for Gilbert, who in the end did nothing

 

[Papparrazzi]

Nice one Hitch. I was thinking the same thing.
That's the trouble when fanboys spend all their time looking for their exulted one, instead of watching the actual race.
What the rest of us got, (that which we were able to view) was a very unpredictable, animated race.

JTL very impressive again. Mallorca no fluke.

Mallorca was Andy Fenn. JTL won Tour of Med .

 

[ferryman]

There can be mid-season transfers, just think money would have to be involved, like Riccò buying out of his Ceramica Flaminia contract to join Vacansoleil and Caruso buying out of the same team earlier in the year to join Katyusha.

Endura aren't going to want to let him go, of course, as they have him under contract and he's their ticket to a hugely improved race calendar. Certainly if another team want him they'll have to wave enough money in his face that he can buy out of his Endura contract and join them, and that won't make a team especially popular.

Surprised that Sky didn't take a punt on him in the close season to be honest.

 

[Duartista]

They're certainly going to be regretting only signing him for 1 year anyway.

I had him as 28 in my head, but it turns out he's not 28 until December, so it would be slightly less horrific than anticipated were he to remain, as long as Endura get a crack at some more interesting races.

Short term, I think he said he's doing Murcia and Coppi-Bartali, which should both suit him well.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Surprised that Sky didn't take a punt on him in the close season to be honest.

I guess his age probably counted against him, and the Tour of Britain isn't the best field for a climber to show off, with very little in the British calendar to show off; they were also quite careful to make sure to have enough room for Cav's men while that saga was going on. Maybe Endura locked Tiernan-Locke up before that endless saga finished?

Short term, I think he said he's doing Murcia and Coppi-Bartali, which should both suit him well.

Endura's race program (excluding the UK national calendar as those are mostly non-UCI races and very few suit Tiernan-Locke anyway) is on their website but runs until June.

We have the Boucles du Sud-Ardêche (1.1) in southern France - should be fairly well-suited to him. The Vuelta a Murcía should be ok for him, but the TT usually settles it. Then we have some .2 rated flat races, then Coppi e Bartali, which should be right up his alley. I don't know much about the 1.1 Route Adélie de Vitre, but past winners range from Samuel Dumoulin to Jérôme Coppel, so could be a possible good showing for him. April looks to be all .2-rated races, of which only the Tour de Brétagne is a) particularly prestigious, or b) suited to Jonathan Tiernan-Locke. May has the Vuelta a Comunidad de Madrid, which is kind of Critérium International format, Rui Costa won it last year so a good showing there shouldn't be beyond his scope if he is able to replicate this kind of form, and then the Tour of Norway, which is sadly not the race it could be even if it remains a Tour of the Oslofjord as it is at present; this is also a shame for Tiernan-Locke as it would be more suited to him if it were a trickier race. That looks to be it for races that would suit him.

July onwards, it will be interesting to see what kind of race program they can manage. There are some interesting races they could do in July that suit him - the Trofeu Joaquim Agostinho in Portugal is .2, but has a good field, or the Course de Solidarność at 2.1, which will probably be a pre-Tour de Pologne warm-up this year. Then there's - if it manages to run - the SachsenTour at 2.1, which I'd expect to be well within Tiernan-Locke's remit. I'd been hoping for Endura to have a go at the Volta last year but they went for Paris-Corrèze - sensible really as it offers the same UCI points but only 2 days of pain, not 11. However, with the points Tiernan-Locke has already banked maybe a race like Portugal could be on the cards. If not, then Ain is there, of course, before they prepare for the Tour of Britain.

 

[Andy99]

Brian Smith last week said that whilst JTL is contracted until the end of the year, he wouldn't stand in the way of any his riders where there is a chance to progress their career.

I think we will see him leaving sooner rather than later. Could be a good earner for Endura too, I guess..

 

[Mellow Velo]

Mallorca was Andy Fenn. JTL won Tour of Med .

Ay, indeed. My bad. My bad memory.......and it's only February.

 

[jens_attacks]

libertine,in april jon locke will already fly with gilbert and valverde on roche au faucons

 

[Fus087]

There can be mid-season transfers, just think money would have to be involved, like Riccò buying out of his Ceramica Flaminia contract to join Vacansoleil and Caruso buying out of the same team earlier in the year to join Katyusha.

Endura aren't going to want to let him go, of course, as they have him under contract and he's their ticket to a hugely improved race calendar. Certainly if another team want him they'll have to wave enough money in his face that he can buy out of his Endura contract and join them, and that won't make a team especially popular.

The transfers you mention where in the late season though (after the 1st of August).
Another example would be Allan Davis, who signed for Mitsubishi - Jartazi in the spring, and went to Quick Step in the autumn. But he didn't have any contract before Mitsubishi - Jartazi.
Other examples would be young Rabobank riders, who transfer from the U23 to the pro team. And that always happens on the 1st of August. I suppose there would be no reason to do it on that date if it was allowed to do it earlier.

So I think Tiernan-Locke will stay at Endura at least until that date.

 

[Duartista]

The transfers you mention where in the late season though (after the 1st of August).
Another example would be Allan Davis, who signed for Mitsubishi - Jartazi in the spring, and went to Quick Step in the autumn. But he didn't have any contract before Mitsubishi - Jartazi.
Other examples would be young Rabobank riders, who transfer from the U23 to the pro team. And that always happens on the 1st of August. I suppose there would be no reason to do it on that date if it was allowed to do it earlier.

So I think Tiernan-Locke will stay at Endura at least until that date.

Rujano has changed teams in May a couple of times. So there must be a loophole somewhere.

 

[Tuarts]

Can someone name a recent precedent for someone like JTL who got results early season and got picked up post-February?