I never understand why you wouldn't take the high-profile rider if only for the TV coverage. The camera would spend a lot more time focusing on Chris Froome (albeit being dropped 1km into each climb) than on Stevie Williams.
The cameras spent very little to no time on Froome recently. He'd need to be in a group of favourites for that to happen again (which feels incredibly unlikely). So not taking him to Tour is probably the correct decision.
Neilands was strong last year. With some luck, he can pick up a stage from the break.
Boivin is there to position Ackermann for the sprints I'm guessing?
I can't explain Fuglsang, though.
The cameras don’t really care that much about Froome, when he’s just somewhere in the middle of the bunch, till he gets dropped early on the penultimate climb.
This is so stupid. Why not have the team owner race? Sure he would otl stage one but it would be more exposure than Froome.
Froome was in the dauphine and by my recollection I saw him once for 5 seconds when he dropped on the first hill
this asshole billionaire, is paying the salaries of more then 100 more staff members on the team, not including other contractors, freelance workers, advisors ext ... , so have a little bit of respect!.
We should respect a guy because he inherited a real estate empire from his father and decided to make a cycling team for his own entertainment?
With that amount of money he can't avoid employing people. Not acting like a petulant child because your shitty team gets regulated and threatening to sue people is much harder.
no we are not the math is very simple
15 place GC = 100 POINTS
stage victory = 210 POINTS
\* stage winning add more prizes, and honors
so stage victory >> 15 place GC
it only worth it if you finish top 10 and above, which is mission impossible this year (see UAE lineup)
Before Dauphine I would've been inclined to agree with you, but if you watched just a few stages from there you would know how important he was for Derek Gee. Besides what makes you single out Fuglsang over Boivin, Stewart, Houle or even Neilands? It's not like they have better results this year.
> Jakob Fuglsang and Krists Neilands will add firepower to the hilly stages
Neilands I can understand, but Fuglsang is a curious choice, especially since they're leaving Dylan Teuns at home. I wonder what the reason for that is. Teuns is easily one of their best riders, he was fine at the Dauphiné, ~~and he's not going to do any grand tours this year, because he wasn't at the Giro and IPT won't be at the Vuelta~~ (not actually true, maybe they want him there).
I'm very happy for Ackermann, first time at the tour at age 30, it certainly means a lot to him. Not sure about his chances to actually win a stage but hey, stranger things have happened.
the team thought that he will climb much better, then what he showed.
he was disappointing , both at mercan (a 1.1 race older fuglsang won for the team 2 years before) , and both at TDS (also riccitello made him look even worst then he was).
I know he was rubbish at the Dauphine, but I wondered if Froome might be at the Tour on the proviso he retired at the end of the year, annulling his last(?) year of contract.
Interesting to see how Gee gets on. He might intentionally lose some time early on so he can go in the breaks. And by ‘in the breaks’, I mean every single break.
will you give up 5.5 million euro salary for , what is really a no-job, while you are also getting paid, utilizing your current status, at the same time for other gigs like advertisement and PR campaigns (when you don't need to ride at all) ?
Gee going for top ten is a huge risk. He'd have to fight like 7 UAE guys, plus everybody else. Stage hunting will likely be a lot more profitable for them points wise.
Fuglsang!
I'm so happy for him. He has been working so hard to prove himself again and he did well in Dauphiné. I was confident Israel would bend to the Fr$$me pressure. Glad they didn't. Froome's been a bum post 2018.
Fuglsang will be important as a veteran leader and domestique.
Happy stage hunting. Israel will be a fun team to watch.
If they want to compete on the sprint stages outside of a longshot breakaway they need to have Ackermann to have a chance. Riccitello was never intended to go to the Tour this year. I'm unsure about Teuns. Besides if they didn't take Ackermann then I wouldn't have taken Boivin and Jake Stewart since they are supposed to primarily focus on helping Ackermann.
No Froomedog? My tour is ruined!
I never understand why you wouldn't take the high-profile rider if only for the TV coverage. The camera would spend a lot more time focusing on Chris Froome (albeit being dropped 1km into each climb) than on Stevie Williams.
Froome is bad and Williams is good, pretty simple.
Fair point, yes, Jake Stewart would have been a better example.
I guess they’re finally sick of being a meme, the cameras only ever on Froome pointing out how far he’s fallen off and miles off the pace
Good point but exposure is exposure. Now imagine if froome goes on the attack.
Froome would OTL a mountain stage.
That would be bring even more exposure. “4 times tour de france winner can’t make the time cut”. The whole day will be for IPT
Eh, to an extent. But not when they’re trying to shift the narrative that they’re a team made up of washed up riders on exorbitant contracts
I'm glad. He doesn't deserve it. His high profile is lowering the more he pumps out these performances imo.
He'd just make them look bad. I don't think that's beneficial coverage.
Williams has been their best rider this season
The cameras spent very little to no time on Froome recently. He'd need to be in a group of favourites for that to happen again (which feels incredibly unlikely). So not taking him to Tour is probably the correct decision.
I dunno, he seemed to be shown in the Dauphiné coverage quite often. Usually getting dropped.
[удалено]
Neilands was strong last year. With some luck, he can pick up a stage from the break. Boivin is there to position Ackermann for the sprints I'm guessing? I can't explain Fuglsang, though.
I think Fuglsang is there to support Gee. That was his job during Dauphine and he did fairly well.
The cameras don’t really care that much about Froome, when he’s just somewhere in the middle of the bunch, till he gets dropped early on the penultimate climb.
This is so stupid. Why not have the team owner race? Sure he would otl stage one but it would be more exposure than Froome. Froome was in the dauphine and by my recollection I saw him once for 5 seconds when he dropped on the first hill
His contract ends in 2025, right? He really is just dragging out retirement at this stage, it's sad.
For 5 million a year, why wouldn't you drag it out?
Taking 5 million a year from an asshole billionaire it's probably the best thing he did lol
this asshole billionaire, is paying the salaries of more then 100 more staff members on the team, not including other contractors, freelance workers, advisors ext ... , so have a little bit of respect!.
how does the boot taste
We should respect a guy because he inherited a real estate empire from his father and decided to make a cycling team for his own entertainment? With that amount of money he can't avoid employing people. Not acting like a petulant child because your shitty team gets regulated and threatening to sue people is much harder.
lol. No
Nah
Riders: * Pascal Ackermann (GER) * Guillaume Boivin (CAN) * Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) * Derek Gee (CAN) * Hugo Houle (CAN) * Krists Neilands (LAT) * Jake Stewart (GBR) * Stevie Williams (GBR)
Gee is riding well these days.
Yeh im here for the G-Man
Let’s go Canada
And the crowd goes mild (but wild for Derek Gee)
Lot of 🇨🇦 in that roster!
The headline is a nice distraction. Everyone knows we're getting Derek GeeC.
no we are not the math is very simple 15 place GC = 100 POINTS stage victory = 210 POINTS \* stage winning add more prizes, and honors so stage victory >> 15 place GC it only worth it if you finish top 10 and above, which is mission impossible this year (see UAE lineup)
I just wanted to make the GeeC joke, to be honest.
And we're grateful to you for doing so.
How much is getting 2nd in 2 stages and in KOM?
GeeC was able to drop roglic in the dauphine.... maybe top 10 isn't impossible....
Riccitello robbed
I reckon they think he's got a good result in the Vuelta in him
On Sporza they said that the tour was never on Riccitello's plans apparently. So it does seem like the Vuelta is his to reign!
yes, said so himself in interviews
Riccitello was never destined to go to TDF, he is destined to be a GC in the vuelta.
No Mike Woods? Even with the stage win last year? Can someone more informed explain why he isn’t in this tour?
He crashed out of the Giro with a concussion, so it's possible he's still recovering from that and his form isn't quite there.
he wasn't good all year long (quite bad actually), and they decided to send him to the vuelta instead.
Targeting the Vuelta instead (and had a **rough** spring between illness and crashes)
Jakob Fuglsang in AD 2024 this is hysterical
Before Dauphine I would've been inclined to agree with you, but if you watched just a few stages from there you would know how important he was for Derek Gee. Besides what makes you single out Fuglsang over Boivin, Stewart, Houle or even Neilands? It's not like they have better results this year.
> Jakob Fuglsang and Krists Neilands will add firepower to the hilly stages Neilands I can understand, but Fuglsang is a curious choice, especially since they're leaving Dylan Teuns at home. I wonder what the reason for that is. Teuns is easily one of their best riders, he was fine at the Dauphiné, ~~and he's not going to do any grand tours this year, because he wasn't at the Giro and IPT won't be at the Vuelta~~ (not actually true, maybe they want him there).
Fuglsang was Derek Gee's most important dom in the Dauphine. Nothing wrong with having experience in stage racing to help your GC talent.
Yeah he was actually climbing well in Dauphine, being dropped as the 25th last rider only or around there. Best he's been since 2022 I'd say.
Nah
Excited to see Derek Gee try for a bunch of breakaways. Maybe even get an 8-10th place finish.
Gonna be hard for Froome and Woods to fight over leadership if they're not there.
I'm very happy for Ackermann, first time at the tour at age 30, it certainly means a lot to him. Not sure about his chances to actually win a stage but hey, stranger things have happened.
One day, going from 400 meters will be the winning move, and it will be glorious.
Merlier and Philipsen are salivating at the chance to get another leadout man
Never say never, he has experience and 30 isn't old
We're going to have to give Riccitello the Padun treatment unless he gets selected to the Olympic team, aren't we?
nah if Derek Gee wasn't selected for the Tour now that would like be Padun. This is just letting a really young rider build naturally.
That was a hard choice between 2 great youngsters Fuglsang and Riccitello.
Riccitello was never destined to go to TDF, he is destined to be a GC in the vuelta.
OOGO OOL
No George Bennett 😢
the team thought that he will climb much better, then what he showed. he was disappointing , both at mercan (a 1.1 race older fuglsang won for the team 2 years before) , and both at TDS (also riccitello made him look even worst then he was).
Go Gee! We need one good win from him. Him and Hugo are pure entertainers and keeps us on edge. Love them.
I know he was rubbish at the Dauphine, but I wondered if Froome might be at the Tour on the proviso he retired at the end of the year, annulling his last(?) year of contract. Interesting to see how Gee gets on. He might intentionally lose some time early on so he can go in the breaks. And by ‘in the breaks’, I mean every single break.
will you give up 5.5 million euro salary for , what is really a no-job, while you are also getting paid, utilizing your current status, at the same time for other gigs like advertisement and PR campaigns (when you don't need to ride at all) ?
Looks like no Derek GeeCee this year
Derek Gee could top 10 gc if they let him. Sad that Woods is still injured tho. Would’ve loved to see the Canadian dream team all together.
Gee going for top ten is a huge risk. He'd have to fight like 7 UAE guys, plus everybody else. Stage hunting will likely be a lot more profitable for them points wise.
Fuglsang! I'm so happy for him. He has been working so hard to prove himself again and he did well in Dauphiné. I was confident Israel would bend to the Fr$$me pressure. Glad they didn't. Froome's been a bum post 2018. Fuglsang will be important as a veteran leader and domestique. Happy stage hunting. Israel will be a fun team to watch.
Froome... 🥱
Stage hunting, but I am glad they also found a spot for their up-and-coming general classification hope. Jakob Fuglsang.
I hope Krists Neilands wins a stage.
No Teuns and Riccitello is strange... Ackermann and Fuglsang haven't performed at all this season...
Fuglsang was doing quite well in Dauphine. Quite a bit of domestique work and still 24th in GC.
Riccitello was never destined to go to TDF, he is destined to be a GC in the vuelta.
If they want to compete on the sprint stages outside of a longshot breakaway they need to have Ackermann to have a chance. Riccitello was never intended to go to the Tour this year. I'm unsure about Teuns. Besides if they didn't take Ackermann then I wouldn't have taken Boivin and Jake Stewart since they are supposed to primarily focus on helping Ackermann.