"PRO" Cycling Discussion

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AGW
Posts: 477
Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 2:11 pm

by AGW

I thought WT teams were obligated to participate in all races of the WT calendar?

by Weenie


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stella-azzurra
Posts: 5066
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 6:35 am
Location: New York

by stella-azzurra

Exactly if they did not have the budget for it they would not be participating.
I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

AGW
Posts: 477
Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 2:11 pm

by AGW

Right, but my point being Euskaltel obviously haven't had the talent to come up with a meaningful win in a few years. The WT stage might be too big for them, especially considering their obligation to enter each race. They so much as admit this with the hiring of non-Basque riders for this season. Europcar is a pro continental squad with WAAAAAY better results . They get wild card invites because they're all awesome riders that know how to light up a race. Euskaltel struggles. I doubt Euskaltel would get nearly as many invites were they a pro conti squad though (which I agree they should probably be, and I too am confused as to why they're not)

KWalker
Posts: 5722
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:30 pm
Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

Almost all pro continental squads have more results than Euskatel- they have to be one of the absolute worst teams minus the minor Europe Tour wins they get. Half the time it seems like they have talent for maybe 3 races a year and without Sanchez and their occasional stage winner they'd be anonymous. I would have much rather seen MTN race P-R than all the Euskatel riders get dropped and pull out.

Just look at their home stage race results: http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/ ... -etapa.php

Without Sanchez their next best rider was 47th. That's a joke especially when Caja Rural had more riders in the top 50 than they did. I would have much rather seen Colombia-Coldeportes or Europcar at that race then their one rider sit in the pack.
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
Gramz
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AGW
Posts: 477
Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 2:11 pm

by AGW

With the UCI getting it backwards and making Katusha jump through hoops, Euskaltel doesn't have anything to worry about.

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stella-azzurra
Posts: 5066
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 6:35 am
Location: New York

by stella-azzurra

The team (Euskaltel-Euskadi ) is commercially sponsored, but also works as an unofficial Basque national team and is partly funded by the Basque Government. Until the 2013 season, its riders were either from Basque Country, or had grown up in the cycling culture of those regions:this policy was abandoned to enable retention of World Tour status. Its sponsor is Euskaltel, a Basque telecom company.

Kinda like Astana.

When you have government money backing you the results are not as important as when you have sponsor money.

You still want to win but it's not the same if your money were coming only from corporate companies.
I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

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trychle
Posts: 240
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:36 pm
Location: The Netherlands
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by trychle

Urtasun wins opening stage at Vuelta a Castilla y Leon

What are you guys talking about? :noidea:



:P

pastronef
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:33 am
Location: Asti, ITALIA

by pastronef


nathanong87
Resident master of GIF
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by nathanong87

yea those nikes looks sweet

petepeterson
Posts: 1402
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 6:58 am
Location: 604

by petepeterson

No doubt they suck in the spring races but they always seem to get results through the summer.
Sanchez is pretty good.

2010
1st Klasika Primavera
1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos
1st Stages 2 & 5
1st Points Classification
1st Stage 4 Tour of the Basque Country
1st Points Classification
3rd Overall Tour de France
4th Overall Paris–Nice
6th Giro di Lombardia
9th Clásica de San Sebastián

2011
1st GP Miguel Indurain
3rd La Flèche Wallonne
5th Overall Paris–Nice
5th Overall Tour de France
1st Mountains Classification
1st Stage 12
6th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
1st Stage 4
4th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
1st Stage 1
2012
1st Overall Tour of the Basque Country
1st Stages 3 & 6 (ITT)
1st Points classification
2nd Overall Volta a Catalunya
1st Stage 6
2nd Giro di Lombardia
7th Amstel Gold Race
7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

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stella-azzurra
Posts: 5066
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 6:35 am
Location: New York

by stella-azzurra

I believe they are talking about overall performance as a team.
I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

KWalker
Posts: 5722
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:30 pm
Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

yup^

I always thought that Sanchez would be a GT winner if he were on another team. Good rider, but he could've been better.
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
Gramz
Failed Custom Bike

pastronef
Posts: 1640
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:33 am
Location: Asti, ITALIA

by pastronef

Daniel Benson twitter

https://mobile.twitter.com/dnlbenson/st ... 843588?p=v

Being zero tolerance to doping & employing Honchar is like being you're zero tolerance to doping & employing Neil Stephens. Pointless

petepeterson
Posts: 1402
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 6:58 am
Location: 604

by petepeterson

Fair enough; show me a non-Contador Saxo result from the past couple years?

by Weenie


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KWalker
Posts: 5722
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:30 pm
Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

Nuyens winning Flanders? They led the 2010 team classification rankings as well. Going back to 2010 they're faily impressive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Te ... _Bank_wins
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
Gramz
Failed Custom Bike

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