Grand Tour Teams : substitutes???

jibi
jibi Posts: 857
edited July 2007 in Pro race
I sometimes wonder why the team are not allowed to bring in a substitute.
Say, in the case of O'Grady for instance.where he is definitely injured.
Seems unfair that the team is reduced in strength.

just a thought

george

https://picasaweb.google.com/georgeidf50

Comments

  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Er, so how would that work with the GC then?
  • Moose11
    Moose11 Posts: 235
    Just the way the sport it.. It's what makes it the toughest sporting event in the world, you cannot replace injured riders whenever you want. I'd worry if they brought something like that in teams would pull out sprinters after the first week, replace them with climbers, say there was injuries and muscle strains and then change it up again for the final time-trials and such. Would become even more about the team than the individual.
    www.cycleseen.com
  • jibi
    jibi Posts: 857
    afx237vi wrote:
    Er, so how would that work with the GC then?

    The sub would not qualify for GC or points etc but would be useful as a domestique .

    Could be great experience for a youngster.

    And I said like O'Grady's case, where the rider is taken to hospital!

    Not like football etc. Maybe only the official tour doctor could authorise a sub.

    george

    https://picasaweb.google.com/georgeidf50
  • Moose11
    Moose11 Posts: 235
    I'm still not sure it would work.. If he wasn't going for GC himself he could still come in with fresh legs and become a factor in the GC in some way.
    www.cycleseen.com
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    jibi wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Er, so how would that work with the GC then?

    The sub would not qualify for GC or points etc but would be useful as a domestique .

    Could be great experience for a youngster.

    And I said like O'Grady's case, where the rider is taken to hospital!

    Not like football etc. Maybe only the official tour doctor could authorise a sub.

    george

    But then you would have team directors telling their riders to fake an injury so they could draft in a fresh domestique for an important stage. It wouldn't work.
  • BenR
    BenR Posts: 34
    I'd guess that it would just get abused - lots of sprinters/lead-out men etc. would suddenly develop tendonitis, saddle sores or something when the mountains came along and would be replaced by grimpeurs
  • Steve Austin
    Steve Austin Posts: 1,803
    Ridiculous suggestion. Full stop.
    http://www.mlehworld.com
  • jibi
    jibi Posts: 857
    It is very hard to fake O'Grady's, or Roger's injuries , or the others who have broken collar bones etc.

    And as I said it would be down to the Tour doctor, not the DS of the team.

    george

    https://picasaweb.google.com/georgeidf50
  • murcof
    murcof Posts: 30
    Yeah, but why just for injuries? It could add a whole new dimension to the race if, say, 2 subs per team were allowed throughout the whole race and could only be used at certain points - maybe the first day after each rest day. It could mix things up a bit and add some suspense.

    I'm not saying it's a good idea, I think things are fine as they are, but it's not such a bad idea to be dismissed without thought, it's quite interesting.
  • Melpro
    Melpro Posts: 35
    Having a fresh rider in a team would definitely influence things. Riders on teams without substitutes would have 100s of kms in their legs compared to a new substituted rider.

    All sorts of faking of injuries or deliberate crashes could occur just so a new rider can be brought into a team. How would the smaller teams with smaller budgets be able to fund these addiitonal riders?

    Cycling has always been this way - crashes happen and teams weaken, its part of the sport.

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