Twitter war against Vaughters

[hfer07]

this is why I hate those social networks-anybody can say whatever the fvck they wish & not being accountable for it-JV is just helpless about Thor's issue....
I mean- not that I praise the guy, but this matter has taken a life on its own, where there is no reason for......

 

[PCutter]

I do love how members of this forum think Stuart O'Grady shouldn't share his opinion on something in cycling yet see no problem in sharing their own opinions on absolutely anything cycling related regardless of whether they know what they're talking about.

No, a guy who's won PR, 2 tour stages, worn yellow, a full set of Olympic jewellery and 2 world championships shouldn't voice his opinion, but someone who's greatest cycling achievement is opening a twitter account should

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I do love how members of this forum think Stuart O'Grady shouldn't share his opinion on something in cycling yet see no problem in sharing their own opinions on absolutely anything cycling related regardless of whether they know what they're talking about.

No, a guy who's won PR, 2 tour stages, worn yellow, a full set of Olympic jewellery and 2 world championships shouldn't voice his opinion, but someone who's greatest cycling achievement is opening a twitter account should

It's not because his palmares is great, which it is btw, that he's free from criticism

 

[Kwibus]

this is why I hate those social networks-anybody can say whatever the fvck they wish & not being accountable for it-JV is just helpless about Thor's issue....
I mean- not that I praise the guy, but this matter has taken a life on its own, where there is no reason for......

I agree, but Vaughters decided to join twitter.

 

[Runitout]

Remember there is the lingering Trent Lowe/Matt White incident from earlier in the year.

Funny though, Stu would have been beside Hausler in the same pub last night as they are staying together ahead of the Olympic test event with Goss (Matthews, Rogers, Howard).

Maybe having a go with that in mind too?

Interesting that the same person who didn't answer one of his rider's emails for six months is quite prepared to engage in a twitter war at the drop of a hat. Again. I would wager that part of the reason Saint Jonathan is getting stick from some quarters is that this display is mostly about passive aggressive behavior and less about UCI points.

But I've never met the man, so it's only the view I get from his tweets and press releases.

By the same token, given Cyclingnews' cost embedded relationship with Garmin, I take Benson's little scoop with a touch of salt.

 

[just some guy]

JV gone up in my thinking - Doing the right thing by his team for next year.

Smart and as I said before really showing the UCI how stupid the system is and letting the ASO know that they need to weight in on the debate to stop this happening every year which it will.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Aussies do enjoy a good whinge. That's about the long and the short of it.

I think JV's only mistake is getting involved in a public, dirty laundry washing session. He can do whatever he wants and shouldn't feel the need to justify it on the internet to a bunch of uninvolved bedwetters.

 

[Wergeland]

And maybe, just maybe, it was Thor's own decision not to race. He might be tired (he had to go way deeper this Tour than other years due to his days in yellow. His wins also came out of breakaways and not sprints.) and choose to prepare for the WC through the Canadian one day races, ToB, Plouay.

A lot of guys who where at their peak in the spring classics and at the Tour are not racing La Vuelta. (Phille, Vanendert, Hushovd himself)


My 2 cents

Thor definitely wants to race the vuelta. He's ****ed and he has to change his build up for the worlds.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

What annoyed me about JV not putting Thor in the team was that if he annnounced he was off to BMC after la vuelta he'd be in the team imo.

lol. he had to be living under a rock not to know that hushovd was leaving.

like I said I would rather see hushovd at the vuelta also.

But JV has the right to do what he wants with his team.

 

[ak-zaaf]

So Hushovd wants to ride the Vuelta purely as training for a race where he will be in Norwegian colors trying to win a jersey he will take to BMC.

I see no reason why Vaughters should take him.

 

[just some guy]

lol. he had to be living under a rock not to know that hushovd was leaving.

like I said I would rather see hushovd at the vuelta also.

But JV has the right to do what he wants with his team.

+ 1

if you not you Timmy but the others are going to have a go at anyone or anything try the UCI. If they points system was not in play then 99% of this type of thing would not happen.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

For once, and this happens very rarely indeed, I don't mind Vaughters' decision.

GreenEdge were saying that as they weren't a team they didn't have to abide by the Aug.1 deadline; they started courting riders back in JANUARY. Bobridge and Travis Meyer have raced little since the Tour Down Under, though Cameron has done a relatively normal schedule. JV probably knew which side of the bread was buttered.

Now, however, he's left out somebody who people can rally around. I think it's not exactly coincidence that all the people having a whine are Australians, and GreenEdge linked Australians too. There's only the RT from Lance that breaks up the likely GreenEdge connection.

This is a sport and a business. And as long as the UCI have the STUPID system in place that riders don't score points for their team, but they score points for their future team, why would you want to jeopardise the chances of a rider whose points WILL count for you managing to score, even if just a small handful of points, in order to assist another haul of points for somebody whose points WON'T count for you?

During most of the season, it's about accumulating those points. Now contract negotiation phase is underway, it's about manoeuvring those points into the right places to preserve your status. Do I like it? No. But that's how the UCI's made the rules of the game, and Vaughters is just playing the game.

 

[hrotha]

I do love how members of this forum think Stuart O'Grady shouldn't share his opinion on something in cycling yet see no problem in sharing their own opinions on absolutely anything cycling related regardless of whether they know what they're talking about.

No, a guy who's won PR, 2 tour stages, worn yellow, a full set of Olympic jewellery and 2 world championships shouldn't voice his opinion, but someone who's greatest cycling achievement is opening a twitter account should

Of course O'Grady is entitled to his opinion and is free to share it. But it's bad manners because he's in the trade. They're all colleagues and/or competitors. You can go around openly bashing Facebook, but if Google does it, it's not appropriate.

 

[Kazistuta]

And let's just wait and see the team Garmin IS sending off to the Vuelta.... Doesn't the lower profile riders that wants to ride a grand tour get to have a shot at it? Nono, let's by all means please the reigning World Champ (who happens to leave) and disappoint other faithful team members.

Daniel Martin - yep, should go!
Haussler - deserves a promonent role
Fischer - Obvious pick
Klier - I'd say that's a given
Talansky - future GT talent
Vansummeren - got left out of the tour team, deserves a spot
Le Mevel - rode the giro, rather lacklustre though, and will be helpful to Martin.
Vanmarcke, Rasch, Lloyd, Kreder???

One could argue that if Tyler Farrar gets to line up, that might as well could have been Hushovd. And even though the decision to deny Hushovd a vuelta ticket wasn't based solely on him switching teams, I'm sure he would have been in Spain if he had signed with Garmin for 2012.

And Bobridge not getting a GT chance this year does seem a bit odd....

 

[iwasonbwh]

Does anyone else think that LA's tweet was just a cut at JV (whose anti-doping policy is a polar opposite to USPS)?

 

[ExRower]

So Hushovd wants to ride the Vuelta purely as training for a race where he will be in Norwegian colors trying to win a jersey he will take to BMC.

I see no reason why Vaughters should take him.

+1. Some dudes (and some pros, apparently) need to remove emotion from the equation and think about this decision in an objective manner.

 

[Marcuccio]

Another reason why I hate this twitter / facebook etc..
Too many athletes (look at Joey Barton from NUFC) using it to speak their mind, usually when it's not wise to do so, and ofter when they're full of emotion, maybe over tired, stressed, and should stick to recovering and relaxing away from a bloody computer. When they choose not to, more often than not, they end up offending some one, who could one day end up being their boss, or getting in to pointless arguments with some random ****** (like Stuey did).

The minute you (as a pro) put yourself out there, someone's going to try and get a bite from you.

As for JV / Thor / Vuelta & BMC. Bottom line is, Vaughters is the boss - it's his call. I don't really think he's going to lose any sleep at nite over wether or not it's offended any one in the peleton or any of us in TV land..

 

[hrotha]

Kind of snobbish to blame Twitter if you ask me. It's the 21st century version of shooting the messenger.

 

[Marcuccio]

How it is 'snobbish' ?

Think about how often people say things in the heat of the moment, and wish they could take them back.

When you're a teenage punk, that's one thing - when you're a paid athlete or someone who's a role model, it's not a good thing.

Common sense should dictate that.

 

[janraaskalt]

For once, and this happens very rarely indeed, I don't mind Vaughters' decision.

GreenEdge were saying that as they weren't a team they didn't have to abide by the Aug.1 deadline; they started courting riders back in JANUARY. Bobridge and Travis Meyer have raced little since the Tour Down Under, though Cameron has done a relatively normal schedule. JV probably knew which side of the bread was buttered.

Now, however, he's left out somebody who people can rally around. I think it's not exactly coincidence that all the people having a whine are Australians, and GreenEdge linked Australians too. There's only the RT from Lance that breaks up the likely GreenEdge connection.

This is a sport and a business. And as long as the UCI have the STUPID system in place that riders don't score points for their team, but they score points for their future team, why would you want to jeopardise the chances of a rider whose points WILL count for you managing to score, even if just a small handful of points, in order to assist another haul of points for somebody whose points WON'T count for you?

During most of the season, it's about accumulating those points. Now contract negotiation phase is underway, it's about manoeuvring those points into the right places to preserve your status. Do I like it? No. But that's how the UCI's made the rules of the game, and Vaughters is just playing the game.

That's only half of the story. Hushovd can still gain points in other races, where the Vattenfall Classics in Hamburg is perfect for him.

Regarding the World Championships, I can imagine however that Vaughters will choose Farrar and Haussler over Hushovd for the best preparation races. Those 2 will (probably) still ride next year for Garmin & having a World Champ in your team is always nice.

Regarding Bobridge and the Meyers, Jonathan Vaughters already admitted that he prefers developing riders for his own team instead of developing them for other teams. That's a valid decision.

 

[Thomsena]

Twitter is a terrible invention. His team his choices. Pros in any kind of sports should really quit using this horrible thing. Vaughters is already using too much time on it - why would he even bother answering them - and even politely? A '**** off' would be the right and simple answer.

 

[thehog]

Does anyone else think that LA's tweet was just a cut at JV (whose anti-doping policy is a polar opposite to USPS)?

This is Armstrong who stopped racing after the Tour & any other race he rode was training! When has he even shown respect for a jersey of any kind? In fact LA was instrumental in many riders not riding in GT teams because they weren't part of the drug gang.

Stupid.

As for Baden Cooke - when did that bloke last win a race?

Besides Thor would have dropped out before the big climbs. He's had a good year he shouldn't complain.

Just wait till next year. Thor will demand a train despite Cadel being in the team.

 

[hrotha]

How it is 'snobbish' ?

Think about how often people say things in the heat of the moment, and wish they could take them back.

When you're a teenage punk, that's one thing - when you're a paid athlete or someone who's a role model, it's not a good thing.

Common sense should dictate that.

Snobbish in the sense that many people dismiss the new social media with blanket statements without having used them, basing their opinions and a few stereotypes. If this isn't your case, I apologize.

Anyway, the solution is simple: if you're going to use Twitter, learn to use Twitter. If you're a public figure, be careful with what you say. As a non-public figure, however, I don't see any drawbacks in having these public figures be more accessible to the general public, even if a few of them have to come across as complete tools in the process (but then, those folks were tools all alone, and the truth will set us free as they say).

 

[AussieGoddess]

Twitter is a terrible invention. His team his choices. Pros in any kind of sports should really quit using this horrible thing. Vaughters is already using too much time on it - why would he even bother answering them - and even politely? A '**** off' would be the right and simple answer.

Totally agree

I dont understand why he would engage? What did he hope to gain from answering or biting back?

 

[Benotti69]

some of the posters in here want to look at certain teams selections of soigneurs and associates before they start criticising a DS/Team owners selection of riders for a race.