This afternoon, RCS Sport announced wildcard invitations for the Giro d'Italia. At the same time, the company also named wildcard entries for the other major races it controls - Milan - San Remo, Tirreno - Adriatico, and Il Lombardia.
For the Giro d'Italia, the four squads making the cut are Androni Giacattoli, Colnago-CSF Inox, Farnese Vini - Selle Italia, and Team NetApp. As is hardly surprising, the first three are Italian teams with promising talent. The surprising exclusion is Aqua & Sapone, the team of former Giro winners Stefano Garzelli and Danilo Di Luca. For the past several years, it has been customary to invite the teams of these two former winners, but RCS Sport may have finally decided that the excitement factor of two slowing riders was not enough to justify inclusion of their historically weak team. In the past several editions, the only attention the team has garnered was through Garzelli's stage wins in 2009 and 2010 (not that stage wins are boring, but RCS would likely prefer some additional excitement from younger Italian riders).
The last team - NetApp - has been given a crucial opportunity to develop further. As profiled by Chris earlier this week, the German team is composed mostly of younger riders who can be expected to go stage hunting at the Giro. The opportunity to participate in one of the biggest races of the year will serve to not only garner media exposure but also to help develop riders, particularly those who have never ridden a Grand Tour with another team. In a way, the Giro invitation also serves as validation that the team is on the way up and belongs in the upper levels of professional cycling.
The rest of the wildcard announcements do not come as a surprise. Aqua & Sapone was given the consolation prize of an invitation to Tirreno Adriatico and Project 1t4I (formerly Skil Shimano) was invited to both of the one-day Monuments that RCS runs.
Giro d'Italia
Androni Giocattoli
Colnago-CSF Inox
Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
Team NetApp
Tirreno-Adriatico
Acqua & Sapone
Colnago-CSF Inox
Colombia-Coldeportes
Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
Milan-San Remo
Acqua & Sapone
Colnago-CSF Inox
Colombia-Coldeportes
Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
Project 1t4I
Team Type 1 - Sanofi
Utensilnord
Il Lombardia
Acqua & Sapone
Androni Giocattoli
Colnago-CSF Inox
Colombia-Coldeportes
Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
Project 1t4I
Utensilnord
0 recs | 52 comments
I've aready said it on the other thread. Will say it again.
Sad, sad day. I know it’s not all about the sporting aspect. I understand the inclusion of an outsider, though I don’t agree with that being NetApp. Among the Italian teams, I can’t understand how colnago as a place, when A&S are out. They’re the better team. Maybe they don’t want to see Di Luca at the Giro (I wouldn’t either but seems a little harsh).
pmrlo - January 10, 2012
Oh and then there colombia-coldeportes.
I would like to see them ride the Giro, but understand their option to let them ge into “RCS” racing through the smaller races to see how it goes. There’s always next year and maybe they can get a strong spring showing and still get a vuelta invitation.
pmrlo - January 10, 2012
I think that's what RCS is letting Colombia - Coldeportes do with Tirreno
Let them into a stage race, but not the race quite yet. That they beat out 9 other teams for a Tirreno slot is telling of what RCS hopes they’ll be, I think.
Personally, I’d prefer to swap out Farnese for A&S in the Giro, but that’s just me. With Visconti out of Farnese, one of the most compelling reasons to include them is gone. Colnago-CSF are one of the most visible teams in the Giro it seems, so I don’t mind their inclusion.
Douglas Ansel - January 10, 2012
But it's pointless letting Colombia-Coldeportes show if they have good riders in 2012
in the thought of inviting them next year, because any rider who shows talent will be signed by a bigger team by 2013.
If NetApp are invited because they have promising young riders who’ll look to compete for stage wins, what are 1t4i? Surely they’re exactly the same proposition as NetApp…. but better?
Great to see Farnese-Vini get the clean-sweep. From nearly going to the wall in 2010 (saved by Visconti, in a less-publicised way than Voeckler & Europcar) to being the one WC in every RCS race, is recognition of their great efforts over the last 12 months.
ike2112 - January 10, 2012
I think the question is who is more likely to send top riders on the team
I can see 1t4I (goodness I hate typing that!) sending their bigger names like Degenkolb and Kittel to the Tour instead (assuming they get an invite, which I think is likely). Chris’ analysis of it the other day is pretty interesting to read.
Douglas Ansel - January 10, 2012
I think Team Type 1 have better riders than NetApp
and last year shows it.
NetApp getting excited about competing at Austria and being at the Tour of Turkey.
Well TT1’s Efimkin won the Tour of Turkey.
Jure Kocjan was 4th at Eroica and was in the final group in a few races.
Rubens Bertogliati is a solid rider (although still eating-out on that TdF stage win).
And Vladimir Efimkin (ie. the better one) came out of partial-retirement to join the team from Aug last year.
They surely offer more than NetApp.
I did notice NetApp last year. Twice I noticed their rider in the break dodging his turns, and struggling just to keep up. That was it.
ike2112 - January 10, 2012
Vladimir isn't on TT1...Bertogliati is riding on his coattails
So really, that leaves Alexander Efimkin and Kocjan…but Kocjan would be limited to getting 2nd place in one stage. Colli goes in the same boat as Kocjan. They have a lot of talent but it doesn’t lead to many wins (they had 8 wins last year…6 of which came in the Tour of Rwanda and 1 in Tour de Beauce) Efimkin’s G.C. win was their only good win
Meanwhile NetApp has Leo König (2nd in Austria, 3rd in Tour de l’Ain, 5th in Britain), Jan Barta (3rd in Britain and in a huge amount of breaks), Bartosz Huzarski (7th in Poland and 6th inTurkey, first guy after the top 5 who were in a break that got a ton of time)
RCS could have went either way because they are very similar and they chose NetApp…I’m sure TT1 will be getting some GT invite soon
Vlaanderen90 - January 10, 2012
They both deserve no Giro invitation
Frinking - January 10, 2012
who would you have chosen?
Vlaanderen90 - January 10, 2012
I don't understand why they invited them to MSR
broerie - January 10, 2012
hey, there are climbs at MSR.
Uphill - January 10, 2012
I will miss Garzelli
Exciting rider. Can go solo, and often in the mix when a stage finish with a somewhat though climb
hansgruber - January 10, 2012
Could go solo 2 years ago.
R Mc - January 10, 2012 via mobile
So
why is it sad? The exclusion of Di Luca?
Chris Fontecchio - January 10, 2012
A&S are out. No Garzelli. No Betancourt. No Taborre.
, when Colnago and NetApp are in. That’s it.
pmrlo - January 10, 2012
I am ready to miss garzelli
If that assures that i wont see di luca.
perezbike - January 10, 2012
Alas, no eyelashes.
Sadface.
Jen See - January 10, 2012
so, no blue eyes
umwolverine - January 10, 2012
Garzelli says
tedvdw - January 10, 2012
Ha! :D
Jen See - January 10, 2012
Hmm...
TheFigurehead - January 10, 2012
it just keeps getting better, doesn't it?
Jen See - January 10, 2012
Masciarelli is not a happy bunny
http://www.cicloweb.it/news/2012/01/10/palmiro-masciarelli-acquasapone-sul-mancato-invito-al-giro-quanta-amarezza-non-ho-pa#.TwxYqYT3oDA.twitter
hansgruber - January 10, 2012
My comments
Good news to me. Not for the individuals but every year someone gets turned down. It’s a grand tour. But for the direction of the Giro, I like not having to assume that every Italian team gets in regardless of its reputation or performance. As a recovering Di Luca fan and someone who thinks Garzelli is a ridiculously overhyped stage hunter (cuz the Giro needs more of those), I’m really glad they brought in a foreign team. The Giro has been making its case for years now as the most fun grand tour, but they undermine that if they keep loading up on fading locals with questionable reputations.
Chris Fontecchio - January 10, 2012
That seems fair enough to me.
I think you nail it with the new regime thing, myself.
civetta - January 10, 2012
Yep.
Ed K - January 10, 2012
It's a Grand Tour, but it's also Their National Tour.
A big chance for them to sell their Italian Sponsor. I can understand how there would be a bias towards national teams and I don’t see it as chauvinism. I don’t think every Italian team should get a spot, BUT I have to shake my head when in the past few years we’ve seen PRT bringuing a b,c,d squad/doing nothing at the Giro, while there are Italian PROF that could bring something to the table and could hugely benefit from showing their colour on the biggest cycling competition from their country.
Now back to the selection. On the current 4 wild cards system. I agree with the 3 italian-1 foreign division. Although I wouldn’t have picked Colnago and Net App, but that’s just personal opinion.
pmrlo - January 10, 2012
PRT teams' antics
to me that’s the big question: how do you get the auto-invite foreign teams to animate the race? The wildcard teams, Italian or foreign, are going to cherish their invite and do what they can to win something. Obviously there has to be some preference for Italian teams because of the importance to the sponsor, and I think we have an emerging consensus that 3 ITA / 1 Other is a good choice. But I wish there were some way to make the PRT foreign teams staff the Giro more aggressively.
Chris Fontecchio - January 10, 2012
Or go back to when the Euskies and French didn't have to go
if they didn’t want to.
Euskaltel did very well last year, but I wonder if they’d been there if they weren’t forced to.
Of course since everything’s so mathematical/scientific now, and it’s a convoluted points system that’s so important, teams go just because there’s a chance of points.
ike2112 - January 10, 2012
But... there's only a chance of points if you try...
Douglas Ansel - January 10, 2012
Euskies did well last year.
But it did seem they only tried maybe 3 days.
That’s what the UCI have created.
ike2112 - January 10, 2012
Also...
Questionable reputations are everywhere. Sometimes they have are based. Sometimes it’s because of how ugly they are. That’s why I don’t care. Either they are free to ride or not. To shut a rider down arbitrarily…not something I can defend. And believe me, I really don’t fancy Di Luca at the Giro or everywhere else. (Two doping-rrelated offenses would be enough for me to kick him out)
pmrlo - January 10, 2012
But
the point about wildcards, surely, is precisely that they are, more or less, arbitrary? You have the teams who are selected according to the rules i.e. a set of agreed criteria & then you have others selected according to criteria applied by the organisers which may or may not be all that transparent.
Whether the wildcard teams are selected for nationalistic reasons, or because the organizers want certain riders in their race (or don’t want them), or because they want to encourage certain values (not hiring riders who’ve previously cheated in their race, say), all these are arbitrary measures. It’s what a wildcard is.
civetta - January 10, 2012
I agree
But you forgot “throwing a dart, blindfolded”. That’s how NGC Medical got their spot in 2008.
TheFigurehead - January 10, 2012
to be fair
they got dumped before the race began, and with hindsight it sort of looked like that was why they were picked in the first place
Monty. - January 10, 2012
Fair enough
I would only counter that being a former winner from way back is also an arbitrary factor at some point.
Chris Fontecchio - January 10, 2012
Where on earth did you see me defend that?
I don’t think A&S should enter because Garzelli won the Giro in 2000. Garzelli has done plenty to animate the race in the last editions. He is the reigning green jersey for one. These are indicators that he could bring something more than Pozzovivo who just has failed at the Giro, for instance. When you add Taborre and Betancourt, both with a good season and with hopes of rising their game, I would choose them instead.
OFC organizers can left out a team because they don’t like who these or that doper looks. It’s their right. I’ll repeat, It’s not something I can defend, specially because there is no consistency in the criteria. Androni is right there. With Sella and Rubiano and so on.
pmrlo - January 10, 2012
In their defense, Colnago-CSF will also have Modolo and Belletti
I’d rather them have left Farnese-Vini out. There isn’t a lot there. Pozzato, maybe? Visconti was the real reason they got the invite the past several years and he’s on to Movistar pastures.
But really, we could talk this all day. I’d totally like to kick out a French team that will do squat to make room for another Italian continental team…
Douglas Ansel - January 10, 2012
The only French team there are Ag2r
and they have a handful of Italians (including Belletti – a Giro stage winner).
Farnese-Vini have Pozzato, the rising Italian sprinter (there’s one nearly every year) Andrea Guardini, an underrated hilly sprinter in Oscar Gatto (another stage winner last year), and they were in pretty much every break last year.
ike2112 - January 10, 2012
Gah, silly transfers
So CSF doesn’t have belletti any more. Good to remember.
Douglas Ansel - January 10, 2012
Replying to me?
I didn’t say you defended that. I was just looping back to my original point, which is that A&S’s case seemed to be based in part on the presence of Garzelli and Di Luca, who don’t have much to offer besides their past. I suppose we can argue about Garzelli, but Di Luca was pretty anonymous last season. Garzelli, I guess he can still climb, but the KOM comp at the Giro isn’t all that hotly contested.
Chris Fontecchio - January 10, 2012
ok, then...
That’s a matter of opinion. We shall disagree re: A&S :)
pmrlo - January 10, 2012
There's more than Garzelli on Acqua & Sapone
Carlos Betancur. Giro Bio winner two years ago. Top 5 in a Giro stage last year. Top 10 at Lombardia. Won Giro dell’Emilia.
lieutenantmudd - January 10, 2012
I was looking at Betancourt for VDS too.
Oh well…
ursula - January 10, 2012
I was hoping he had ended up on Liquigas
lieutenantmudd - January 11, 2012
He is a hell of a rider but idk about G.C....Giro Bio is overrated at determining G.C. riders
Probably would be a good for stage
Vlaanderen90 - January 10, 2012
Oh no, I don't think he would go for GC this year
I’d picture him more as Rein Taaramae at this year’s Vuelta. Working his ass off for a stage win.
lieutenantmudd - January 11, 2012
oh I wasn't thinking you were talking about this year...just a statement in general
Vlaanderen90 - January 13, 2012
Michele Aquarone shares his thoughts about the giro-selection
http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/pink-admiral-michele-acquarone-blog/wildcards-how-we-made-our-decision
hansgruber - January 11, 2012
Wow, what was he thinking.
Openness and transparency in decision-making have no part in invitations to WorldTour races!
lieutenantmudd - January 11, 2012
Never mind that
What’s he thinking referring to himself as the “Pink Admiral”?!?!
Also
The problem is that these teams aren’t threating to leave cycling. They’re saying that their sponsor is highly likely to pull the plug, and therefore they’ll have to fold, cos they’re italian teams who will be missing from the big Italian race. ISD switched to Lampre because they couldn’t take the risk of ISD-Neri (now Farnese-Vini) getting bumped again. They could just as easily have done something else.
ike2112 - January 11, 2012
In his words...
The ways in which I guessed right about this are astounding. I really do think I am going to win the VDS now. It’s all becoming clear.
Chris Fontecchio - January 11, 2012
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