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Vancansoleil in the Pro Tour or dead meat ?

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T

theyoungest

Jan 11, 2010
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According to Dutch broadcaster NOS, Vacansoleil has been given a ProTeam license for the next three years.
 
Arnout

Arnout

Mar 10, 2009
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PROTOUR 2011
Equipos con licencia en vigor:
AG2R FRA
Garmin-Cervélo USA
Katusha RUS
Lampre-ISD ITA
Omega Pharma-Lotto BEL
Quick Step Cycling Team BEL
Rabobank Cycling Team NED
Saxo Bank SunGard DEN
Sky ProCycling GBR
Team RadioShack USA

Equipos que han solicitado nueva licencia o la renovación:
BMC Racing Team SUI / 2011-2014
Euskaltel-Euskadi ESP / 2011-2012
HTC-Highroad USA / 2011-2014
Liquigas-Cannondale ITA / 2011-2014
Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project LUX / 2011-2014
Movistar Team ESP / 2011-2013
Pro Team Astana KAZ / 2011-2013
Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team NED / 2011-2013

What's the reason for the differing end dates? Is that just because the teams applied for that particular period or because of confidence of the UCI?
 
K

Kvinto

Oct 28, 2010
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Good news.
Yea, according to what criterions some teams gain 3 years licence, others - 4 years and why Euskadi only 2?
 
M

Moondance

Jul 2, 2009
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I guess the different licence lengths probably has something to do with the viability of the team in the long term (read: how long has the main sponsor agreed to provide money).

Anyway, good for Vacansoleil. They deserve it. Shame about Geox... It was probably between those two for the last place.
 
Kwibus

Kwibus

May 25, 2010
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Kvinto said:
Good news.
Yea, according to what criterions some teams gain 3 years licence, others - 4 years and why Euskadi only 2?
Click to expand...

Probably because of sponsor contracts? Just guessing here.
I don't really care either as what I hoped for happened. And half way this year I really wasn't expecting this, but I'm really happy for Vacans. Before Ricco, Devolder and Mosquera they did not really have big names, but they were very very present in every race they attended too and also got good results.
I hope they keep on attacking next year! And Ricco in the Giro for sure!
 
M

Moondance

Jul 2, 2009
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Kwibus said:
Probably because of sponsor contracts? Just guessing here.
I don't really care either as what I hoped for happened. And half way this year I really wasn't expecting this, but I'm really happy for Vacans. Before Ricco, Devolder and Mosquera they did not really have big names, but they were very very present in every race they attended too and also got good results.
I hope they keep on attacking next year! And Ricco in the Giro for sure!
Click to expand...

'WorldTour' status doesn't in-and-of-itself guarantee GT spots... Although one imagines it would be highly persuasive for the organisers.
 
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IlCobraFan

Jul 7, 2010
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Globalisation is McQuaid's great passion, and yet he prefers the Basque Euskaltel-Euskadi instead of Team Geox with Menchov, Sastre and riders from the whole world.

The only good thing is that we are finally going to see Riccò on Alpe d'Huez :D
 
K

Kvinto

Oct 28, 2010
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Kwibus said:
Probably because of sponsor contracts? Just guessing here.
I don't really care either as what I hoped for happened. And half way this year I really wasn't expecting this, but I'm really happy for Vacans. Before Ricco, Devolder and Mosquera they did not really have big names, but they were very very present in every race they attended too and also got good results.
I hope they keep on attacking next year! And Ricco in the Giro for sure!
Click to expand...

It can be about sponsors, but I thought, it should have been only according to sporting criterias (don't want to see one superb team with PT licence for loooong 4 years :eek:).
Vacansoleil had pretty good 2010 team: Leukemans, R.Feillu, Hoogerland, Carrara, Marcato... but now they'll be even stronger

Moondance said:
'WorldTour' status doesn't in-and-of-itself guarantee GT spots... Although one imagines it would be highly persuasive for the organisers.
Click to expand...

Zomegnan said Ricco is free to ride Giro. It would be stupid not to invite Vacansoleil
 
T

theyoungest

Jan 11, 2010
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Moondance said:
I guess the different licence lengths probably has something to do with the viability of the team in the long term (read: how long has the main sponsor agreed to provide money).

Anyway, good for Vacansoleil. They deserve it. Shame about Geox... It was probably between those two for the last place.
Click to expand...
I think it was more between Geox and the 4 other teams that didn't fulfill the sporting requirement, or at least not completely (like QST and Euskaltel).
 
M

Moondance

Jul 2, 2009
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nowhereman said:
What's Radio Shack doing in the top tier??? They won't even exist past the upcoming year:eek:
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When Radio Shack got their licence last off-season it was for 4 years. Many people, myself included, at the time commented that that was indeed ridiculous, since funding was only guaranteed for two years... The risk is not that The Shack disappears, than the PT licence will just disappear. The real risk is that Bruyneel finds another, smaller, sponsor (forcing the team into significant cut-backs), and that for an additional two years, we have a team riding with guaranteed spots in almost all major (non-GT thankfully) races, which they would never get based on sporting merits.

That's what happened with Footon/Fuji/Saunier Duval/etc. Gianetti was granted a long term PT licence, and guaranteed GT entries, back when the team had a reasonable budget and strong riders in its Saunier days... But when Saunier disappeared from the sport, and Gianetti was left with a husk of a team, it nevertheless retained all the licences and starting place guarantees. Therefore, I hope that in assigning these WorldTour licences, the main criteria for granting a licence of 2, 3, or 4 years was the contractual length which the main, named sponsor had comitted to.
 
jens_attacks

jens_attacks

Sep 8, 2009
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i'm also very happy for vacansoleil.
regarding the french teams,they don't deserve more than one proteam.even this is pretty too much.
 
K

kurtinsc

Nov 17, 2009
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nowhereman said:
What's Radio Shack doing in the top tier??? They won't even exist past the upcoming year:eek:
Click to expand...

Here were the UCI's rankings based on the top 15 riders for each team over the last 2 years... the top 15 would automatically get a spot, the last 3 spots determined amongst the teams in 16th-20th:

1 Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project
2 Rabobank Cycling Team
3 Garmin-Cervélo
4 HTC-Highroad
5 Omega Pharma-Lotto
6 Lampre-ISD
7 Katusha
8 Sky ProCycling
9 Liquigas-Cannondale
10 Saxo Bank SunGard
11 Team RadioShack
12 Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
13 Pro Team Astana
14 Movistar Team
15 BMC Racing Team
16 Euskaltel-Euskadi
17 Geox-TMC
18 Quick Step Cycling Team
19 Cofidis Le Crédit en ligne
20 AG2R


So RadioShack and BMC are there because their riders put them at #11 on this list.

In fact, the only team in the top 18 that didn't make the list was Geox... instead AG2R (who still has a pro-tour contract I believe) got that spot.
 
Arnout

Arnout

Mar 10, 2009
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IlCobraFan said:
Globalisation is McQuaid's great passion, and yet he prefers the Basque Euskaltel-Euskadi instead of Team Geox with Menchov, Sastre and riders from the whole world.

The only good thing is that we are finally going to see Riccò on Alpe d'Huez :D
Click to expand...

It would have been a joke and the killing of of cycling in the long term if Euskaltel and no French team (which is also suggested) would make it to the ProTour. I am happy that there are at least some teams left that ride with joy instead of calculated prestige projects. But I am afraid, with the current policies of the UCI, that the joy will be gone next decade, possibly earlier, as money and internationality seems to be more important.
 
DAOTEC

DAOTEC

BANNED
Jun 16, 2009
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jens_attacks said:
i'm also very happy for vacansoleil.
Click to expand...

+1.gif


welcomeconfetti.gif


VAC
 
luckyboy

luckyboy

May 26, 2009
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Moondance said:
I thought you'd be horrified at the prospect of only one French team in the top flight of cycling. In 2008 there were 4...
Click to expand...

Good news that Vacansoleil got in. But that sucks, yeah (even though it was expected).
 
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