Radio Shack snubbed at Vuelta

[bluegoose]

Team line-up was released by Vuelta organizers on Monday. Glaringly absent were Radio Shack and BMC, without question two of the top ten teams in the world.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/...ioshack_121143

The wild card invites went to Xacobeo-Galicia, Andalucía-CajaSur, Katusha,
Team Sky, Cervélo TestTeam and Garmin-Transitions. I've never heard of the first three, team Sky is a decent team, but not nearly as strong as BMC or RS. Cervelo and Garmin are legitimate contending teams.

As I see it, its all about Lance here. RS said that Lance was not scheduled to ride the Vuelta. This seems like their way of saying that if you are not going to bring your superstar and all of the free publicity that he brings, then we are taking our ball and going home.

If Lance was planning to ride, even if he publicly stated that he wasn't riding to win, then the Shack gets the invite. I think that this really hurts Chris Horner, as it seems like he could have done really well in Spain after a strong spring and after riding support for Lance and Kloden at the tour.

[Katy Lied]

You know, you're making this biking thing seem less like a competition and more like a dance.

[Coach McGuirk]

You know, you're making this biking thing seem less like a competition and more like a dance.

The euros are involved, afterall.

[bluegoose]

You know, you're making this biking thing seem less like a competition and more like a dance.

What kind of dance?

Like a Kevin Bacon/Quiksilver dance?
[YOUTUBE]2BRfrS6C6wc[/YOUTUBE]


Or maybe a Rad bike dance-off kind of dance?
[YOUTUBE]AV1WCm-n_N4[/YOUTUBE]

[bluegoose]

Excellent thoughts on the Vuelta, bluegoose! Thanks for sharing. This type gripping analysis is what makes the Bike Shop the best forum on CUF.

But especially thanks for the links to those RAD biking movie clips. I had forgotten how good 80's cycling movies were.

[creekster]

Excellent thoughts on the Vuelta, bluegoose! Thanks for sharing. This type gripping analysis is what makes the Bike Shop the best forum on CUF.

But especially thanks for the links to those RAD biking movie clips. I had forgotten how good 80's cycling movies were.

I agree.

[bluegoose]

I agree.

Okay, now i'm really pissed. BBB, next mileage challenge count me in for the runners team.

[creekster]

Okay, now i'm really pissed. BBB, next mileage challenge count me in for the runners team.

Like BBB even reads this baord anymore?

ANd I was serious! You are doing a great job on this forum. I read it evreyday.

[bluegoose]

[Blah, blah, blah].... I read it evreyday.

[Katy Lied]

This is the bike dancing I remember from Quicksilver. (I dont remember the pas de deux with the ballerina at all.) One of the trick riders has an arm cast on.

[YOUTUBE]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uIwMGkqa6Sw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uIwMGkqa6Sw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

[beelzebabette]

After watching the (first) QuickSilver clip, I think going forward I'll picture Kevin Bacon rather than a monkey everytime I'm reading a creekster comment.

[beelzebabette]

Addressing the original post, though, thanks for the comments. I was at a loss to explain it when someone asked me. I understand the LA thing, I guess, but why the BMC snub?

[creekster]

I don't know what is going on here. It is hard to figure. LA has skipped the vuelta many times and his team has always been invited. I think it is more to do with the drug issues and Floyd Landis' claims. The Spanish are pissed right now because there boy Valverde haS BEEN BANNED EVEN THOUGH THE SPANISH authorities found him not culpable. And yet in the face of Landis' claims LA and Bruyneel are allowed to race. I think they are being petty. Plus, they wanted to include those two obscure spanish/basque teams for poliical reasons. that is ok, if they choose, as it is there race, but to assert these teams were left of for sporting reasons is just absurd.

[bluegoose]

I agree with much of what you say about the politics involved in their selections. However, I also think that if Lance had been committed to riding the Vuelta that RS would have been extended an invitation, despite Landis' doping claims. Lance has been accused of doping in the past and has always come up clean. I think most people believe that even if he had cheated in the past that there is no way he would be stoopid enough to cheat right now. Any lack of fitness now can be easily explained away by the Lance-camp as being a factor of his age and his brief lay-off a couple of years ago.

Even if he is not at the top of his game, he still brings incredible star power to any race that he is in. The major race sponsors couldn't care less about whether he is or was clean 7 years ago. All they care about is viewership and exposure for their company.

[creekster]

I agree with much of what you say about the politics involved in their selections. However, I also think that if Lance had been committed to riding the Vuelta that RS would have been extended an invitation, despite Landis' doping claims. Lance has been accused of doping in the past and has always come up clean. I think most people believe that even if he had cheated in the past that there is no way he would be stoopid enough to cheat right now. Any lack of fitness now can be easily explained away by the Lance-camp as being a factor of his age and his brief lay-off a couple of years ago.

Even if he is not at the top of his game, he still brings incredible star power to any race that he is in. The major race sponsors couldn't care less about whether he is or was clean 7 years ago. All they care about is viewership and exposure for their company.

I think LA's commitment to ride might have overcome their pettiness (IOW, greed>pride) but i htink at base here, given that lance-less discover and postie teams have been in the vuelta before and given the absolute top drawer quality team they were going to send (the dapuhine winner, TdF and Vuelta podium finisher, etc.), the reason they werent in is becasue they wanted to give those basque temas an invite AND becasue the Spanish sporting authorities are taking a beating in the press right now becasue of their poor handling of operacion puerta and they are annoyed with Valverde's ban.

OTOH, the Spanish are an emotional and petualnt lot, so it could be alkmost anything, I suppose. (not all Spanish, I mean the bike racing guys)