Millar abandons Paris-Nice

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited March 2008 in Pro race
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/New ... 97982.html

Big Jessie.

:P
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.

Comments

  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    I am guessing that the first two days weather probably contributed to his sickness.. gutted for him..
    cartoon.jpg
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    It's not going so well for his team. They promised fireworks to impress ASO but haven't hit the headlines. Lowe did well to take the young riders jersey for a couple of days.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Kléber wrote:
    It's not going so well for his team. They promised fireworks to impress ASO but haven't hit the headlines. Lowe did well to take the young riders jersey for a couple of days.

    Yup - I wonder what will happen. Will it have any effect on their invites etc? When the "clean" teams go backwards as soon as the road goes up it's not going to look good for the ASO events attempts at being clean.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I still think they'll get invited. The 2008 Tour de France has to be scandal free otherwise the maintstream media will begin to walk away, leaving cycling for specialist media and with a reputation similar to WWF wrestling.

    A "clean" team is worth more to ASO than 5 teams with loser internal controls.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Kléber wrote:

    A "clean" team is worth more to ASO than 5 teams with loser internal controls.

    Thank god that Paris-Nice is being won by someone from Rabobank then, eh?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Kléber wrote:
    I still think they'll get invited. The 2008 Tour de France has to be scandal free otherwise the maintstream media will begin to walk away, leaving cycling for specialist media and with a reputation similar to WWF wrestling.

    A "clean" team is worth more to ASO than 5 teams with loser internal controls.

    But is it, particularly if they are not able to produce race winning performances? The only inferences the public will draw are that either they are useless (and poeple will not want to accept that several of the clean riders now appear unable to hack it without assistance) or that everyone ahead of them is still doping. The latter is, to quote Denning, an "appalling vista" for ASO. It means that for all the talk of French-led cycling being a cleaner alternative to the UCI, they will have failed, just like the UCI.

    The "clean" teams have to win, or they will be an embarassment to ASO. I can see invitations being withdrawn if some high-quality wins don't come in the new 3 months.
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    iainf72 wrote:
    Thank god that Paris-Nice is being won by someone from Rabobank then, eh?
    Skinny Rabo rider climbs away from race with Evans on his wheel, I had one of these deja vu experiences.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    LangerDan wrote:
    Kléber wrote:
    I still think they'll get invited. The 2008 Tour de France has to be scandal free otherwise the maintstream media will begin to walk away, leaving cycling for specialist media and with a reputation similar to WWF wrestling.

    A "clean" team is worth more to ASO than 5 teams with loser internal controls.

    But is it, particularly if they are not able to produce race winning performances? The only inferences the public will draw are that either they are useless (and poeple will not want to accept that several of the clean riders now appear unable to hack it without assistance) or that everyone ahead of them is still doping. The latter is, to quote Denning, an "appalling vista" for ASO. It means that for all the talk of French-led cycling being a cleaner alternative to the UCI, they will have failed, just like the UCI.

    The "clean" teams have to win, or they will be an embarassment to ASO. I can see invitations being withdrawn if some high-quality wins don't come in the new 3 months.

    My learned friend has just said what I wanted to say.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    iainf72 wrote:
    LangerDan wrote:
    Kléber wrote:
    I still think they'll get invited. The 2008 Tour de France has to be scandal free otherwise the maintstream media will begin to walk away, leaving cycling for specialist media and with a reputation similar to WWF wrestling.

    A "clean" team is worth more to ASO than 5 teams with loser internal controls.

    But is it, particularly if they are not able to produce race winning performances? The only inferences the public will draw are that either they are useless (and poeple will not want to accept that several of the clean riders now appear unable to hack it without assistance) or that everyone ahead of them is still doping. The latter is, to quote Denning, an "appalling vista" for ASO. It means that for all the talk of French-led cycling being a cleaner alternative to the UCI, they will have failed, just like the UCI.

    The "clean" teams have to win, or they will be an embarassment to ASO. I can see invitations being withdrawn if some high-quality wins don't come in the new 3 months.

    My learned friend has just said what I wanted to say.


    I don't think they need to win instantly, but being more competitive would help. The wins can wait til later in the season. A team should not necessarily be ultra competitive straight out of the box.

    However for all its bluster and self publicising, it isn't actually a very strong team. Dave Z has been appalling for a year, Millar is very good, but not really top draw, Dean is a leadout man, Backstead is past it and the rest of the gnarly american crew are green riders coming in from a lower division of cycling.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • ContrelaMontre
    ContrelaMontre Posts: 3,027
    JV says:

    We’ve let all our fans and the media see the reality of what goes on inside our team. And now the reality of what’s going on is tough. That is the way cycling really is. Mechanical victories and spotlessly perfect racing is something you’ll never see with us. Because, quite frankly, if that were the case, we wouldn’t be who we say we are - we wouldn’t be human.

    :?

    http://www.slipstreamsports.com/2008/03 ... f-victory/

    I'd agree with Timoid - they aren't a great team, but if Millar is just unwell and can come back and win a couple of stages this year and maybe another podium finish or two they can grow - recruit some more talent and after a year or two more they'll be very competitive.

    But they do need some better performances at races like P-N rather than Cali.
    Rule No.10 // It never gets easier, you just go faster
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Millar was 2nd at Cali and 2nd in the TT ahead of Cancellera...he's ridden well already this season...am sure he will pull out something decent...but he is clean so it is perhaps unreasonable to ask for top notch form week in week out now. I believe him
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Maybe its that awful national champions gear (pasty individuals wearing white shorts with black overshoes in Europe in March is not a good look) but I though Millar was looking a little bit chunkier than previous years.
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • GroupOfOne MkII
    GroupOfOne MkII Posts: 1,289
    Think it's better to pull out (rather than slog on when ill) and come back for Criterium International, which Millar should be able to go for top 10, maybe 5.

    Don't think ASO will base their decision on whether to invite Slipstream solely on P-N (then again, this is ASO...) as I'm pretty sure they'll be invited whatever and that ASO are just waiting so as a) not to be seen to be overtly favouring Slipstream and b) to make sure they weren't utter rubish or somehow managed to disgrace the race.

    Another interesting point (nicked from Steephill's excellent site, hey I'm honest!) is Clement L'Hotellerie's form in P-N. Top Frenchman at 9th on GC, perhaps pushing Skil - Shimano towards an invite to the Tour. They're down to do CI, and I'm pretty sure I remember reading on Cyclingnews that they'd met with Preudhomme to discuss the possibility of a wildcard. They're possibly a bit week for a three week race, but we've seen stranger from ASO. Plus having them as a possibility keeps the pressure up on other teams to tow the line/behave/not get caught [delete as appropriate].
  • ContrelaMontre
    ContrelaMontre Posts: 3,027
    That'd be wicked! Skil have the best sponsor and awesome jerseys and bikes! (anyone know where I can buy a Skil jersey?)
    Rule No.10 // It never gets easier, you just go faster
  • ricadus
    ricadus Posts: 2,379
    It's too early to be passing judgements about what will happen in July.
    Tour de France
  • bipedal
    bipedal Posts: 466
    they're doing ok for a new team... 2nd and 3rd overall in ToC ain't all bad
  • Steve2020
    Steve2020 Posts: 133
    I think they are doing ok. There are other teams that have been pretty anonymous at Paris - Nice. One bad race doesnt turn them into a bad team. Zabriskie hasn't been appalling for a year - he rode well in the Giro and Dauphine - he just had a bad Tour. He was beaten only by Astana riders in a couple of time trials and will have some good results this year I'm sure. Likewise Millar is bound to win stages here and there. In a couple of years some of the young guys will come through.

    The team did well at Het Volk and Kurne Brussells Kurne. ASO will want American teams at the Tour and Slipstream are the most popular - partly because of their engagement with fans. Their website is the best pro team's website I have seen.

Categories