Bring back national teams for Le Tour?

kleinstroker
kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
edited February 2013 in Pro race
Not seen this posted as yet..

what does everyone think?

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/02/ ... nce_274099

Comments

  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,176
    It's about as likely as the return of sending people to Australia for stealing a pig.

    (Who's going to pay the riders?)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    No idea how GB or Aus would cobble together a squad...

    Is this a cunning plan by the French to try to win the Tour?
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    No.

    It's bad enough sponsors being driven away in droves, without closing their biggest shop window.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Please don't.
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    seriously, in an environment right now where crazy ideas are flourishing this is the most batshlt of them all
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    As much as it is a godawful idea, it would still be great to see how it would go.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Turfle wrote:
    As much as it is a godawful idea, it would still be great to see how it would go.

    STOP. THAT. NOW.
  • nathancom
    nathancom Posts: 1,567
    No thanks, personally I find nationalistic things irritating. I hope I wasn't the only one who found the constant "Team GB this", "Team GB that" in the Olympics a bit nauseating.

    I would like it if teams had a bit more identity than they do now, a bit like in F1. But I guess this is how the structure of pro-cycling has developed and it isn't likely to change.
  • kleinstroker
    kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
    Turfle wrote:
    As much as it is a godawful idea, it would still be great to see how it would go.

    It would be interesting to see what happens... agree!
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    I hope I wasn't the only one who found the constant "Team GB this", "Team GB that" in the Olympics a bit nauseating.

    Hope is an odd choice of word there.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    nathancom wrote:
    No thanks, personally I find nationalistic things irritating. I hope I wasn't the only one who found the constant "Team GB this", "Team GB that" in the Olympics a bit nauseating.

    I would like it if teams had a bit more identity than they do now, a bit like in F1. But I guess this is how the structure of pro-cycling has developed and it isn't likely to change.


    Bizarre comment. That's the foundation of the Olympics - built around national teams. Same as Worlds.
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Come on, let's do it. Just for one edition. Then we'll switch right back.
  • mr_poll
    mr_poll Posts: 1,547
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    nathancom wrote:
    No thanks, personally I find nationalistic things irritating. I hope I wasn't the only one who found the constant "Team GB this", "Team GB that" in the Olympics a bit nauseating.

    I would like it if teams had a bit more identity than they do now, a bit like in F1. But I guess this is how the structure of pro-cycling has developed and it isn't likely to change.


    Bizarre comment. That's the foundation of the Olympics - built around national teams. Same as Worlds.

    Imagine it the other way around - Team MacDonalds vs Team Coke vs Team Samsung - yikes!
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    We shouldn't, imo, encourage it to be more so, but cycling already is a very nationalistic sport, whether people like to admit it or not. Some get in a strop with teams like Sky and Orica, then fantasise about Colombia Coldeportes, and then get in a strop when Euskaltel open their doors to non-Basques.
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,786
    [quotebut cycling already is a very nationalistic sport][/quote]

    I don't feel like that at all, especially compared to other sports. A third of all Tours were run with national teams and i'm sure it would attract lots more casual cycling viewers, but it's true I can't see it being workable these days.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • nathancom
    nathancom Posts: 1,567
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    nathancom wrote:
    No thanks, personally I find nationalistic things irritating. I hope I wasn't the only one who found the constant "Team GB this", "Team GB that" in the Olympics a bit nauseating.

    I would like it if teams had a bit more identity than they do now, a bit like in F1. But I guess this is how the structure of pro-cycling has developed and it isn't likely to change.


    Bizarre comment. That's the foundation of the Olympics - built around national teams. Same as Worlds.
    It isn't, and doesn't have to be. I thought it was about celebrating individuals achieving great feats through personal sacrifice, perseverance and talent. I couldn't care less which country someone is born in or chooses to compete for especially since most Olympic events aren't team sports anyway.

    It is just like news reports where they say 'British man dies' with the subline '1000 people die in horrific accident'. The nationalistic emphasis drowns out the true story that is going on. Anyway if it is bizarre not to be a flag waving Brit then whatever...


    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    I hope I wasn't the only one who found the constant "Team GB this", "Team GB that" in the Olympics a bit nauseating.

    Hope is an odd choice of word there.
    Eh?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,176
    nathancom wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    nathancom wrote:
    No thanks, personally I find nationalistic things irritating. I hope I wasn't the only one who found the constant "Team GB this", "Team GB that" in the Olympics a bit nauseating.

    I would like it if teams had a bit more identity than they do now, a bit like in F1. But I guess this is how the structure of pro-cycling has developed and it isn't likely to change.


    Bizarre comment. That's the foundation of the Olympics - built around national teams. Same as Worlds.
    It isn't, and doesn't have to be. I thought it was about celebrating individuals achieving great feats through personal sacrifice, perseverance and talent. I couldn't care less which country someone is born in or chooses to compete for especially since most Olympic events aren't team sports anyway.

    It is just like news reports where they say 'British man dies' with the subline '1000 people die in horrific accident'. The nationalistic emphasis drowns out the true story that is going on. Anyway if it is bizarre not to be a flag waving Brit then whatever...
    But we tend to be more interested the closer things are to us rather than due to their relative importance. So Mandy from accounts having an affair or a tree getting blown over in the park takes a higher priority in our minds than 100 people dying in a fire in Brazil.

    It's just a question of degrees of distance.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • nathancom
    nathancom Posts: 1,567
    Sure and the shared language and culture makes it easier to identify with individuals from your own country. I don't disagree that it is natural, but nor do I think it always healthy to become too insular as a nation by a myopic concentration on what is homegrown.

    I broadly like the way cycling teams are set up, I like the international composition of Premier League teams and am glad that F1 didn't turn into an England vs Germany deal with Maclaren vs Mercedes (admittedly because the Mercedes/Schumacher both sucked).

    This is all quite some way off topic so apologies...
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    I think it's a rubbish idea. Some nations produce a quantity of quality riders who just wouldn't make the cut due to the strength in depth of their country, a bit like being the 5th best kenyan 10,000 m runner. as a result the opverall quality of riders would be lower.

    I know let's have a one day race once a year for National squads and call it the ...er...World Champs
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Oh please no. One of the many reasons I like cycling is that it isn't built on chest-thumping nationalist type behaviour. Yes there are nominal 'national' type teams in that the pro-teams as are come from different countries but for the most part contain riders of many nationalities. The roads, bridges and mountain passes don't stop at the borders and nor should the representative of a team.
    Correlation is not causation.

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