Tour of France wildcards

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited April 2012 in Pro race
The usual no hope french squads and an interesting team

Europcar, Cofidis, Saur-Sojasun and Argos-Shimano

Not really surprising.
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.

Comments

  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    Stop your deliberate trolling, sir.

    Although I'm not sure there are any diehard Europcar fans on here ready to rise to your very obvious bait.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,651
    There are certainly a few Voeckler fans around...

    Europcar were certainly better value for money than Rabobank.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    :oops: Europcar aren't actually that bad. Can't think of any other choices who'd be better so maybe I should just shut up.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • BrianS
    BrianS Posts: 112
    Current UCI Europe Tour Rankings

    1 ENDURA RACING
    2 SAUR - SOJASUN
    3 TEAM NETAPP
    4 TEAM EUROPCAR
    5 BRETAGNE - SCHULLER
    6 TEAM TYPE 1 - SANOFI
    7 COFIDIS, LE CREDIT EN LIGNE
    8 PROJECT 1T4I

    I would think Netapp and Bretagne Schuller will be disappointed....
    www.braveheartfund.com
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    That was pretty subtle Brian. About as subtle as me.

    :wink:
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • BrianS
    BrianS Posts: 112
    Ha! Only Conti Pro get Wild Cards....just don't think the Grand Tour organisers should always look after their own...its a Global sport now....

    Endura would have gotten a ride years ago :-)
    www.braveheartfund.com
  • BikingBernie
    BikingBernie Posts: 2,163
    BrianS wrote:
    Current UCI Europe Tour Rankings

    1 ENDURA RACING
    2 SAUR - SOJASUN
    3 TEAM NETAPP
    4 TEAM EUROPCAR
    5 BRETAGNE - SCHULLER
    6 TEAM TYPE 1 - SANOFI
    7 COFIDIS, LE CREDIT EN LIGNE
    8 PROJECT 1T4I

    They are still French though and that is enough reason to slag them off, eh Iain? :wink:
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    Take Moncoutie out of the mix and can anyone name me three current Cofidis riders off the top of their head?

    Thought not.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    andyp wrote:
    Take Moncoutie out of the mix and can anyone name me three current Cofidis riders off the top of their head?

    Thought not.

    Taaramae, Duque and Dumoulin.

    They are rubbish though. However, they've been supporting french cycling for ages so even if they sold all their bikes and spent the season playing petanque, they'd still get a Tour invite.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    I agree Rich. Prudhomme has made his views very clear, it's important for the race to have a nucleus of French riders so as long as they only have one team in the Pro/World/Galaxy Tour then the wild cards are more likely going to go to French teams.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Even if everyone agrees Cofidis are rubbish, what team would you put in their place? Can anyone name more Netapp or Bretagne-Schuller riders than Cofidis riders? Doubt it.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    afx237vi wrote:
    Even if everyone agrees Cofidis are rubbish, what team would you put in their place? Can anyone name more Netapp or Bretagne-Schuller riders than Cofidis riders? Doubt it.

    The four teams are the obvious four. My point was even if there was a worthy option and no matter how badly Cofidis do, they'll still get selected. (And I understand why).

    For example, last year they got the nod over Geox (who had 'issues', I know) after 2010 had been one of the worst performances ever.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    iainf72 wrote:
    :oops: Europcar aren't actually that bad. Can't think of any other choices who'd be better so maybe I should just shut up.

    Have you noticed there seem to be more vans around with Europcar logo? Is it just 'cos there's a team that I see them?
    'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
    Neil Gaiman
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Ms Tree wrote:
    Have you noticed there seem to be more vans around with Europcar logo? Is it just 'cos there's a team that I see them?

    No, it's because they opened a branch just round the corner.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • liquor box
    liquor box Posts: 184
    andyp wrote:
    Stop your deliberate trolling, sir.

    Although I'm not sure there are any diehard Europcar fans on here ready to rise to your very obvious bait.
    I wear my Europcar jersey with pride! I am a huge Voekler fan and loved the way the team competed last year.

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