No Quintana in tour 2014
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Valv-Piti's bark is still the loudest at Movistar. However much he's taken Nairo under his wing, there's no doubt who's top German Shepherd on the team - and Nairo's personality (humble, low on the ego front) is the last type to try to supplant him.
I'm sure the Tour's first week with the cobbles, has also gone into the equation.
Let Nairo have his first shot at leading a GT team, at the Giro - far less pressurized environment than at the Tour.0 -
What; it makes no sense at all. Finished 2nd this year and being talked about as a future winner; why wouldn't he ride the tour?! Or is it a case of staying away as he expects Froome to win?0
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markhewitt1978 wrote:What; it makes no sense at all. Finished 2nd this year and being talked about as a future winner; why wouldn't he ride the tour?! Or is it a case of staying away as he expects Froome to win?
Because:
1. Valverde is still numero uno at Movistar - maybe it'll be his last Tour where he can dictate it, but he wants to be leader
2. Cobbles on stage 5 of the Tour - just throws an extra dimension of risk into it in terms of race being over before the end of the 1st week, for the 59kg Quintana (who I doubt has ever ridden cobbles in his life)
3. Like Macaloon says, I dont think Movistar think they have the beating of Froome next year, so why not try to bag the next most important GT - and then a Valverde Tour podium will be a bonus.0 -
It makes no sense and it makes perfect sense depending on what direction you look at the decision from.
It makes no sense if you think that winning the Tour with your best and only rider capable of it is the only thing cycling teams or riders care about.
It makes perfect sense if you think your top rider can't beat Froome, there are cobbles (I for one will miss the spectacle of the little man gallantly attempting the cobbles, it was a small replacement for the carrots heroic efforts in the classics in my mind) and he has a much better chance in the two other GTs. Also Movistar has a massive interest in the Latin American market. Quintana winning a GT, any GT will be massive for them there. OK winning the Tour would also be massive for them there, but considering the Froome factor and that we're interested in who comes 2nd and wins Young Rider and sails up mountains at the Tour but the mass mobile phone market of Latin America probably isn't. So Giro over 2nd in the Tour probably comes out on top on some marketing person's excel sheet (wow isn't cycling sexy some times?)
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense from the team's point of view. It makes no sense to the romantics in us of course but that doesn't fit into the pie chart.
Maybe Quintana does actually really want to race the Giro over the Tour? Who knows? Its just nice we have something other than the Chicken to talk about.Correlation is not causation.0 -
Can't speak for the Latin America market really. But certainly in the UK second in the Tour de France carries more weight with the public than winning the Giro; simply because of the amount of media coverage.0
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markhewitt1978 wrote:Can't speak for the Latin America market really. But certainly in the UK second in the Tour de France carries more weight with the public than winning the Giro; simply because of the amount of media coverage.
Last season, the only non-cyclist friend of mine who knew anything about a race other than the Tour was a Colombian I worked with. She and her friends were following Uran's progress in the Giro very closely. This is obviously purely anecdotal, but it could be the case that non-Brits ascribe more weight to the other GTs than we have a tendency of doing.0 -
I think many non-cycling Brits would have trouble telling you the names of the other grand tours, nevermind who won them. But it's not just cycling, for many tennis doesn't exist outside the Wimbledon fortnight.0
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the football analogy does't really work here - it's not like all the GrandTour results are amalgamated into one 'who is the best rider/team' trophy, they are all competitions in their own right, like the london/NY/boston/olympic marathons, or cricket test series like the ashes and the wisden trophy
I think watching valv.piti getting beaten beaten again is a great tactic
and watching a giro that no-one can easily call the winner of will be fascinating "I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
--Jens Voight0 -
80% of a team's media coverage in the year comes from the Tour de France. If anything people tend to underestimate how much it towers over every other race.markhewitt1978 wrote:Can't speak for the Latin America market really. But certainly in the UK second in the Tour de France carries more weight with the public than winning the Giro; simply because of the amount of media coverage.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22854929Twitter: @RichN950 -
^ Exactly. With a small improvement and the undivided support of a team that was stronger than Sky this year, Quintana can be competing for the win on the final mountain. He's only 'second in the tour' after 3 weeks of worldwide exposure. A titanic ding-dong with Froome, Nibali, Contador, TJ & Thibaud is worth more media than a Giro, Vuelta double.
Strange decision....a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.0 -
Quite; just being in contention on the tour is worth more than winning the Giro and Vuelta.0
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Take Valverde out of the picture, and you'd have a different strategy from Movistar next year0
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Quintana tour or no tour ? Only Quintana can answer that one. But for what its worth I just got a new washer/ dryer as the old gave in. Its digital. They any good?0
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rayjay wrote:Quintana tour or no tour ? Only Quintana can answer that one. But for what its worth I just got a new washer/ dryer as the old gave in. Its digital. They any good?
No - I'd stick with mangling everything if I were you.0 -
"My goal is to do one of the three grand tours and to once again finish on the podium,"
"We've been considering the options and we have not decided anything yet," he added. "The idea is to go to one of the races to do well for me and the team. They both have attractive routes: I really like the Giro but Tour also has some nice mountains. We will study it well not to make any mistakes."
http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/quint ... um=twitter0 -
Hmmm, so he hasn't decided anything.
So basically Volkskrant took a quote made my Quintana at the Giro route unveiling that was (surprise surprise) positive about the Giro and then made it into a "Quintana to ride Giro" story.
There is no actual confirmation from either Quintana or Unzué on team selection. The decision will actually be made in December.Correlation is not causation.0 -
Above The Cows wrote:Hmmm, so he hasn't decided anything.
So basically Volkskrant took a quote made my Quintana at the Giro route unveiling that was (surprise surprise) positive about the Giro and then made it into a "Quintana to ride Giro" story.
There is no actual confirmation from either Quintana or Unzué on team selection. The decision will actually be made in December.
LOL
We need a nice little shelf on which to store this thread until and when it becomes relevant0 -
OCDuPalais wrote:rayjay wrote:Quintana tour or no tour ? Only Quintana can answer that one. But for what its worth I just got a new washer/ dryer as the old gave in. Its digital. They any good?
No - I'd stick with mangling everything if I were you.
That's one thing rayjay does very well.
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You guys with ya mangled jokes and stuff and ya other things. Seriously is a digital washer/dryer any good?0
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rayjay wrote:You guys with ya mangled jokes and stuff and ya other things. Seriously is a digital washer/dryer any good?
No different to an ordinary one except more stuff to go wrong. IME washer/dryers go wrong on a regular basis.0 -
Richmond Racer wrote:Above The Cows wrote:Hmmm, so he hasn't decided anything.
So basically Volkskrant took a quote made my Quintana at the Giro route unveiling that was (surprise surprise) positive about the Giro and then made it into a "Quintana to ride Giro" story.
There is no actual confirmation from either Quintana or Unzué on team selection. The decision will actually be made in December.
LOL
We need a nice little shelf on which to store this thread until and when it becomes relevant
We can store it on top of rayjay's new washing machine.Correlation is not causation.0 -
markhewitt1978 wrote:rayjay wrote:You guys with ya mangled jokes and stuff and ya other things. Seriously is a digital washer/dryer any good?
No different to an ordinary one except more stuff to go wrong. IME washer/dryers go wrong on a regular basis.
Thanks for the input. May have a rethink about my whole washing set up.
Just to get back on topic,I wonder what sort of clothes washing regime Quintana has on tour. Do Movie star use digital machines or have an old lady with a mangle ?0 -
Teams tend to have them built into their bus these days. Here's Katusha's set up:rayjay wrote:Thanks for the input. May have a rethink about my whole washing set up.
Just to get back on topic,I wonder what sort of clothes washing regime Quintana has on tour. Do Movie star use digital machines or have an old lady with a mangle ?
Twitter: @RichN950 -
Ooo washer dryer. Asking for mould.Correlation is not causation.0
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Digital washing machines save the planet by burning fewer fossil fools than their stone-age predecessors. Surprised you needed telling this, rayjay :roll:rayjay wrote:markhewitt1978 wrote:rayjay wrote:You guys with ya mangled jokes and stuff and ya other things. Seriously is a digital washer/dryer any good?
No different to an ordinary one except more stuff to go wrong. IME washer/dryers go wrong on a regular basis.
Thanks for the input. May have a rethink about my whole washing set up.
Just to get back on topic,I wonder what sort of clothes washing regime Quintana has on tour. Do Movie star use digital machines or have an old lady with a mangle ?
Edit - Worth mentioning Alberto's domestiques at Saxon cossetting his immaculate smalls.
...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.0 -
Above The Cows wrote:Ooo washer dryer. Asking for mould.RichN95 wrote:Astana have also got this set up in their truck. They clearly enjoy washing their dirty laundry in public.
That definitely looks like a better mould reducing setup, impressive.
Sky going down the low mould route too.0 -
Vaughters saving some dough in 2011.0 -
^That's the Highroad shower that is.Correlation is not causation.0
