22 teams for next year Tour

iainf72

Probably, if Mr P can be belived.

So Sky and BMC should get a ride without issue. Even the Shack stand a good chance of getting a berth

Art Vandelay

Hopefully Sky will be in but they're not in the clear. 6 places free with 10 teams in with a shout:
Katusha, Garmin, Radioshack, Sky, Cervelo, BMC, Vacansoleil, Skil, Besson Chaussures and Xacabeo.
Out of that lot I'd say Garmin and Radioshack are the only definites.
With the race starting in the Netherlands the Dutch teams might get a boost.

calvjones

CN reporting up to 26 possible if accommodation can be found...

blazing_saddles

Also, the cutting of squads to 8 riders, with which, I don't have an issue.
Good advanced thinking of Mr P, to dump the TTT.

afx237vi

Should be 20 teams of 8 riders. I don't understand why it needs to be any bigger. 26 teams is crazy... there is already way too much traffic in the middle of the race.

lucybears

Prudhomme: confirms 22 teams in TdF, 6 wildcards will be announced from 9 teams being considered end march

Rodrego Hernandez

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

iainf72

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

You mean aside from winning the TTT in Qatar?

stefrees

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

sky have got 3 more wins than quite a few teams this year,

i reckon it'll be garmin, katuysha, sky, shack, vaconsoleil, saur sojasun

redddraggon

BMC

pedro118118

I thought all the ProTour teams were a shoe-in?
Given ASO's aspirations to create a global cycling monopoly, I can't believe that they would omit Team LutherCorp and incur the wrath of Lex.

micron

Prudhomme has said that, whilst certain teams seem a shoe in, when they're built around one rider should that rider get injured, well....

Oldboy had better hope there are no more collarbone incidents

Kléber

Sky will be in, they are Pro Tour and I expect them to impress in Paris-Nice and the Criterium International.

It's the other teams that might be harder. If anything, some of the pre-qualified teams make the race boring, the likes of Lampre, Footon or Milram are probably less exciting than Cervelo or even Vacansoleil.

Gazzaputt

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

takethehighroad

Expect to see Saur and Sky on the attack lots in Paris Nice. The Sky team practically picks itself if they wanna get some exposure

dulldave

iainf72 wrote:

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

You mean aside from winning the TTT in Qatar?

Which by this time in 2008 is better than Slipstream managed when they were on a similar quest. We've got the spring classics to come and Sky have Flecha and EBH to unleash.

I don't think Brailsford's crapping himself because he didn't win the Tour of Qatar. He's probably happy that turning up and racing was enough, nevermind taking the TTT.

Kléber

Sack Brailsford now!!!!!!!!

RichN95.

Of the nine teams that I assume are being considered, I'd assess their chances, at this point, as (in order):

Radioshack - Definite. Love him or hate him, Armstrong brings attention and therefore money. Even without him they have two other past podium placers.

Cervelo - Definite. Reigning Green Jersey holder, 2008 Champion. Plus other riders like Haussler.

Garmin - Almost definite. Done well on GC for two years. Have the sprinter most likely to beat Cav (IMO). Good image.

Sky - Almost definite - Cycling runs on sponsers and publicity, so alienating a global media corporation probably isn't a good idea. Britain is Europe's biggest (largely) untapped market for the sport. A pretty strong team too, including a French stage winner.

Katusha - Probable - Some big name riders - Kirchen, Pozzato, McEwen. Have a Pro Tour licence, but could be vunerable.

BMC - Better than 50/50 - Their chances rest solely on cycling's most fragile collarbone. No Evans, no Tour. Prudhomme's comment about one man teams applies to them more than anyone. Not applying for Paris-Nice may hurt them.

Vacansoleil - Possible - Have the Feillu brothers, plus Bozic and Hoogerland are interesting. They had a decent Vuelta and being Dutch helps them, but they really need some big results soon. Paris-Nice is a do or die audition.

Saur Sojasun - Unlikely - Being French is really all they have going for them, unless they get some spectacular results soon. Prudhomme doesn't really seem the parochial type to me.

Skil-Shimano - No chance - You have to feel that they had their chance last year and didn't take it. If the Tour wants a second Dutch team, it will be Vacansoliel, not Skil.

Rodrego Hernandez

iainf72 wrote:

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

You mean aside from winning the TTT in Qatar?

Won the TTT, didn't defend the lead. Not featured in any breaks of note.

They have plenty of enemies in the bunch already so will find it tough to just expect to get into any race they wish. The French won't care who Sky are, they barred Astana the other year despite the threat of their oil being turned off!!

I expect to see Sky raise their game in Oman and for the next few races.

stefrees

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

You mean aside from winning the TTT in Qatar?

Won the TTT, didn't defend the lead. Not featured in any breaks of note.

They have plenty of enemies in the bunch already so will find it tough to just expect to get into any race they wish. The French won't care who Sky are, they barred Astana the other year despite the threat of their oil being turned off!!

I expect to see Sky raise their game in Oman and for the next few races.

i cant see i agree or follow your thinking there. they wwon a stage, and i dont think featuring in breaks that dont succeed will get you in the tour. and astana and sky are not even remotely similar

RichN95.

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

[.

They have plenty of enemies in the bunch already so will find it tough to just expect to get into any race they wish. The French won't care who Sky are, they barred Astana the other year despite the threat of their oil being turned off!!

The French as a nation may not care who Sky are, but the ASO certainly will. The Tour isn't a charity event, it's a business. A business that relies on publicity and the media. So they're not going to turn down the chance to get cosy with a global media giant with a large interest in sport that helped turn the Premiership into a global TV phenomenon.

Apparently, James Murdoch (a keen cyclist himself) takes a personal interest in Team Sky. He's News Corporation's CEO for Europe and Asia and seemingly Rupert's chosen heir. If you think that Prudhomme is going to pass up the opportunity to network with him on the Champs Elysees so that Brice Feillu can come 23rd on GC and Jimmy Caspar can come 8th in a couple of sprints, then you're living in cloud cuckoo land.

Kléber

I think there will be a token French team, you underestimate how keen Prudhomme is to keep the attachment of the race to its roots. But he is also keen to extend things. So it's possible to see Saur-Sojasun (Casper and his train better deliver a result soon) or Vacansoleil given a break. A real headache though as one or two interesting squads will lose out.

calvjones

Maybe Cadel will target the Giro properly leaving BMC to gracefully retire in return for a guaranteed 2011 spot?

PauloBets

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

what rubbish roddregs. Sky did very well in the Tour Down Under and TTT winners in Qatar.

PBo

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Sky need to raise their game if they want to get in. Only got 6 weeks to get some results and so far in ASO races they have been relatively anonymous.

You mean aside from winning the TTT in Qatar?

Won the TTT, didn't defend the lead. Not featured in any breaks of note.

They have plenty of enemies in the bunch already so will find it tough to just expect to get into any race they wish. The French won't care who Sky are, they barred Astana the other year despite the threat of their oil being turned off!!

I expect to see Sky raise their game in Oman and for the next few races.

Why? It's not "the bunch" that choose the entrants is it?

iainf72

Lets also not forget how well connected BMC are.

ASO also really like Cadel and with his "good reputation" in the sport they might be keen to have him at the race.

teagar

iainf72 wrote:

Lets also not forget how well connected BMC are.

ASO also really like Cadel and with his "good reputation" in the sport they might be keen to have him at the race.

Who do you recon is going to be out of the loop?

You seem much more well informed about cycling politics than anyone else here!

Kléber

It's true, BMC's John Lelangue is an ex-ASO staff member and he's close to Eddy Merckx too.

Jez mon

Just in case anyone was, like me, unaware of the rules of the team selection process;

"The agreement is simple: it says that in 2009 and 2010, we have to allow all the teams that held a ProTour license on September 25, 2008," he explained. "Now, Crédit Agricole and Gerolsteiner have ceased to exist, so there are 16 teams that are certain to start in Rotterdam, unless there is a case of serious damage to our image as it happened with Saunier Duval in 2008, which became Fuji-Servetto in 2009. Last year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport gave us the right not to invite it to our races."

These 16 teams are: AG2R-La Mondiale, Française des Jeux, BBox Bouygues Telecom, Cofidis, Omega-Pharma Lotto, Quick Step, Rabobank, Liquigas-Doimo, Lampre-NGC, Astana, Saxo Bank, HTC-Columbia, Caisse d'Epargne, Euskaltel, Milram and Footon-Servetto.

I would like to see Garmin, Sky, Cervelo and BMC. I'm guessing Radio Shack will be there, but I don't really care that much.

I don't think Footon, Milram and Lotto will do much that's exciting, it's a shame the rules are the way they are. Obviously some of the French teams won't do much, but I give them a special dispensation!!

gabriel959

I would love to see Xacobeo in there as Ezequiel Mosquera would provide far more excitment in the mountains that most guys in the other teams (and yes I am looking at you Cadel!)

timoid.

Shoe ins: Cervelo (nap), Shack, Sky
Almost definite: BMC, Garmin
Scrapping it out: Vaconsoleil, Katusha,
No chance: Skiil, Saur-Sojasun