Tour de France Wildcards revealed

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Wildcards awarded to Cofidis, IAM Cycling, NetApp-Endura and Bretagne-Séché Environnement (their first Tour)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-2014-wildcards-selected

 

[Strathlubnaig]

Good to see NetApp -Endura get their first TdF too, nice one.

 

[400bhp]

Great - Konig looks a good rider

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Yeah, but once again MTN-Qhubeka overlooked. It's starting to look a bit, ooh - I don't know - anti-African? As Inner Ring says, "these four invitations tell a story of nationalism with the home team Bretagne-Séché getting the nod ahead of MTN-Qhubeka"...

 

[thom]

Yeah, but once again MTN-Qhubeka overlooked. It's starting to look a bit, ooh - I don't know - anti-African? As Inner Ring says, "these four invitations tell a story of nationalism with the home team Bretagne-Séché getting the nod ahead of MTN-Qhubeka"...

It would certainly be good to see them in the Vuelta - I tried to spot the new rule proposals for races & team involvement but couldn't see the UCI press release. I think in a couple of years time, the idea is to guarantee second tier teams involvement in a certain quota of top races every year so perhaps the grand tour wildcard discretion will be less for race organisers.

 

[Scoosh]

Yeah, but once again MTN-Qhubeka overlooked. It's starting to look a bit, ooh - I don't know - anti-African? As Inner Ring says, "these four invitations tell a story of nationalism with the home team Bretagne-Séché getting the nod ahead of MTN-Qhubeka"...

Possibly but there is a clue in the name of the race - and Bretagne-Séché sound pretty French to me !

The Tour Organisers are always going to support/favour a French team over that of another nation.

 

[thom]

Possibly but there is a clue in the name of the race - and Bretagne-Séché sound pretty French to me !

The Tour Organisers are always going to support/favour a French team over that of another nation.

Sure if they are of equal ability you could understand it - point is, MTN with Ciolek won Milan San Remo last year, a result the whole of Pro Cycling were envious of, whereas Bretagne-Seche have no results.
OK, neither team have grand tour experience but still, there might have been an opportunity there to point to the future.

 

[Scoosh]

I agree completely - and, probably, so do the French, which is why they are giving one of their own national teams the 'opportunity' and hope it is a glorious future too ! Very French ! ...

... and a great pity, as I'm sure the African teams/riders would learn so much and be a real threat in the future .. which kind of brings it back to why the Organisers don't want them there!

 

[The Couch]

Here you can read more about the choice for Bretagne
(The signing of Brice Feilllu was apparently the sign that this was "a motivated team, with established riders"... although they are honestly saying that this was "a way for the Tour de France to express its support for French cycling"... which of course all by-standers understand is the biggest criteria with this team)

In their defense they do apparently have a young Argentinian talent Eduardo Sepulveda, who managed to get a 6th place in San Luis (last week).
Who knows... he might be this year's Bardet (or Barguil in the Vuelta)

 

[SWSteve]

If there is talk of the French lacking in World Tour level cycling (not teams as there are 3 in the World Tour) why wouldn't they give lesser known, or able, French riders - or teams who will hopefully place French riders in the squad in exchange for the wildcard places - the opportunity to take part in the biggest event in cycling, to hopefully teach them, or promote these 'yet undiscovered' talents to larger teams, either at a World Tour, or Pro-Conti level. I completely understand why they would make this decision, they're in the business of selling a race, not promoting African cycling.

 

[oldroadman]

Sounds about right. I recall one S.Kelly, after losing an incredibly close sprint finish to a classic to a French rider, where the photo kit had oddly failed to work, comment "This is France, he is a Frenchman". Not much more to be said. Every national tour has it's quirky decisions that make people think "Why?", but it's surprising how often the seemingly random or perverse selections add something to the racing.
All will be revealed in July.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Coming soon ... hot on the heels of this, and the previous announcement that Italian teams got wildcards to the Giro...the Vuelta announces Caja Rural will compete this year And Colombia will be there too, I bet.

 

[lyn1]

If there is talk of the French lacking in World Tour level cycling (not teams as there are 3 in the World Tour) why wouldn't they give lesser known, or able, French riders - or teams who will hopefully place French riders in the squad in exchange for the wildcard places - the opportunity to take part in the biggest event in cycling, to hopefully teach them, or promote these 'yet undiscovered' talents to larger teams, either at a World Tour, or Pro-Conti level. I completely understand why they would make this decision, they're in the business of selling a race, not promoting African cycling.

That makes sense as a reason, although there is probably a greater opportunity for French riders to secure WT/PC contracts than any other nationality, without the need for further support. Very strong existing nationalistic bias evident in all the French teams.
FDJ 90% French riders
Bretagne Seche 88%
Europcar 81%
Cofidis 68%
AG2R 63%

 

[thom]

The statistics I find really odd or funny were assembled by inrng in a blog about the age and nationality of Pro Tour riders.
France has 78 riders, Italy 65, then Belgium, Holland & Spain around 40 etc
GB has only 16 !
Sure this is a product of who forks out the cash and where the road racing cultures are most established but isn't it funny when you think the last 2 tour winners were British (ok, Kenyan and Belgian but you know what I mean… France is not actually that successful in results terms).

 

[DooDah]

If there is talk of the French lacking in World Tour level cycling (not teams as there are 3 in the World Tour) why wouldn't they give lesser known, or able, French riders - or teams who will hopefully place French riders in the squad in exchange for the wildcard places - the opportunity to take part in the biggest event in cycling, to hopefully teach them, or promote these 'yet undiscovered' talents to larger teams, either at a World Tour, or Pro-Conti level. I completely understand why they would make this decision, they're in the business of selling a race, not promoting African cycling.

Having and promoting an African team would do more for "selling the race" to the rest of the world, it is not like they need to sell it to the french people. After all the French are very nationalistic (which is a good thing IMO), and they would rather have more french riders and french winners.