Tour of California announces the first 8 teams, all ProTour
by lyne on Dec 18, 2008 11:58 AM EST
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A few minutes ago, the Amgen Tour of California organizers announced the first 8 ProTour teams that will race in February:
- Ag2r-La Mondiale (FRA)
- Astana (LUX)
- Garmin-Slipstream (USA)
- Liquigas (ITA)
- Quick Step (BEL)
- Rabobank (Netherlands)
- Columbia Highroad (USA)
- Team Saxo Bank (DEN)
The full list of teams will be announced in January, with final rosters due in February. Several of the ProTour professional cycling teams will hold their pre-season training camps in California.
No major surprise on the list so far: race-sponsor Rabobank, the 2 US-registered ProTour teams, Columbia High Road (is that their new name for 2009?) and Garmin-Slipstream. Astana with two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer and of course returning Lance Armstrong. Team Saxo Bank with its new bike sponsor, Specialized. Liquigas and Quick Step are repeat participants. The only minor surprise is the French team, Ag2r-LaMondiale. I guess they heard about the terrific weather we had last year.
note: podium pic is from the 2007 edition of the race
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my fav part of the email announcement....
Several of the ProTour professional cycling teams will hold their pre-season training camps in California, which will give residents throughout the state an opportunity to watch these elite athletes prepare for the top professional cycling race in the United States. – big grin -
html mode
I usually use html mode to position photos (and pretty much everything else.)
So, just float right, margin 10px, then I played with the size a bit.
Invest in Firefox with the Firebug extension...
It costs just as much as a PdC membership and is almost as useful.
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.
Cervélo Test Team
with Sastre is said to be coming
With regards to Levi in that picture
Is “little people” the preferred nomenclature?
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
Notice Jens is attempting to bend at the knees to be shorter in that photo
so as to keep the three faces somewhat framed together for photographs. Heh.
Rankings... and Sprinters
If you look at the year end VDS team rankings you see that ToC has the top three teams (Saxo, Columbia, Astana) , misses the 4th (Caisse d’Epargne) gets the 5th- 7th (Rabobank w/ Levi’s best friend, Liquigas, and Quickstep). Plus the 12th (AG2R) and 14th (Garmin). (I am eliminating Gerolsteiner and Credit Agricole here.) More teams will be announced (Cervelo? Bweeg? others?)
What I’m wondering if this race has the most Pro Tour teams of all the races outside the Pro Tour. And though its early season I’m wondering if Benna will join in all probability Boonen and Davis, Cavendish, Farrar and Dean, Haedo, perhaps Hushovd and Haussler, Freire and Brown… in other words quite an early season sprinters summit.
Looks like you won't be getting Benna (huge sympathy coming your way girls...)
According to his website, his early season timetable is as follows:
Febbraio:
08/02/2009-12/02/2009
Challange Mallorca
13/02/2009-15/02/2009
Giro della Provincia di Grosseto
28/02/2009 Het Volk
He's not coming
but I believe Basso is. I don’t care about the looks, I would much rather have Basso race then Bennati. Much more exciting, the sprinters are only seen in the last k anyway, those lazy asses.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
And she didn't even post a picture. Albertina must be tired this afternoon.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Or as lazy as Bennati
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Is that a challenge Phil?!
Actually, it’s 10 at night and I’ve had a most tiring day, but I may be able to raise myself from the sofa for a good cause…….
http://www.danielebennati.com/UserFiles/Image/2008/Ritiro/bettiniphoto_0032397_1_400x.jpg
Fantastico!!! Way to push through the pain Albertina. I knew you could.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
challenge passed
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Schlecks are coming though!!!!
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950
Don't forget
Last years green jersey winner, Dom Rollin. If Cervelo is there, I would be surprised if he wasn’t.
Maybe he would go for the KOM too!
Any chance it’s sponsored by a beer?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
When did Astana
changed their registration to Luxembourg?
"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."
They were that last year I believe
Not sure about the pre-Bruyneel Astana though I thought they were Swiss registered.
they were registed in LUXembourg last year
but I thought they had changed it to Khazakstan (sp?) this year. I copied&pasted from the press release.
I'm Batting 0.875
From my original post on Nov. 27.
The only one of the eight I was wrong about was Ag2r-La Mondiale. I thought they’d go with another French team, BBox Bouyges Telecom.
We’ll see how my other eight picks hold up next month:
OUCH
Bissell Pro Cycling Team
Colavita/Sutter Home
BMC Racing Team
Jelly Belly Pro Cycling
Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast
Rock Racing
Team Type 1
by Chief Commissaire on Dec 18, 2008 12:59 PM EST reply actions
My list...
…was drawn up before all the UCI/USAC teams were registered. The Virgin/Successful Living squad is probably making its case for inclusion now that the announcement is next month.
by Chief Commissaire on Dec 18, 2008 1:03 PM EST up reply actions
Hold on a sec
is Bweeg really BBox Bweeg this year? I can’t wait to see Schlomo open their team presentation.
Noticeably Absent From The "ProTour" List...
…is Fuji-Servetto. They are officially ProTour, correct?
I guess Ivan Dominguez won’t be adding another Tour of California stage win to his list of palmares after all.
by Chief Commissaire on Dec 18, 2008 1:02 PM EST reply actions
yep (or they are still to be announced) - what's the rule for a 2.HC race
and missing from the list is the Pro Continental Cervelo
2.HC Races...
…must include an equal number of “domestic/pro continental” teams as ProTour teams. So it has to be eight and eight.
by Chief Commissaire on Dec 18, 2008 1:06 PM EST reply actions
? see
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2008/mar08/critint08/default#start
I make that 12 ProTour teams to 7 pro continental teams
I thought the race got an upgrade in category for 2009 - no?
Or was that ToM?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Thanks. Its the off season. I can't keep anything straight.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Isn;t the Criterium International on the Historic Calendar
if so, no restrictions on number of ProTour teams
linky
says 77th Critérium International – 2.HC
okay I check in the UCI rules (beurk)
a maximum of 50% of the teams for a 2.HC race in the UCI America calendar can be ProTour. So if 8 ProTour teams are now participating, at least 8 (if not more) ProConti, Continental and/or National teams must be there.
Tsk, Tsk
If you can’t trust the Chief Commissaire to know the rules, who can you trust?
by Chief Commissaire on Dec 18, 2008 2:40 PM EST up reply actions
Weird, last year
there were 9 PT teams and 8 non PT teams.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Funny How...
…there’s no mention this year of teams having to sign an agreement with AEG Sports that any rider involved in an “open” investigation will not be permitted to start the race.
by Chief Commissaire on Dec 18, 2008 2:52 PM EST up reply actions
What an exciting list of teams.
This may turn out to be the most exciting tour out there, besides the 3 grand tours.
I expect Levi to be even more prepared and to dominate even more this year, since he knows he likely won’t have a shot at any of the 3 grand tours. And he should have all the help he needs from his stellar teammates.
I’m surprised Garmin/Chipolte wasn’t mentioned in the initial list, the other premiere American team.
by The Long Emergency on Dec 18, 2008 3:45 PM EST reply actions
Garmin-Slipstream
They were mentioned in today’s release. They’re not “Garmin-Chipotle” any longer, though.
by Chief Commissaire on Dec 18, 2008 3:47 PM EST reply actions
Damn... I was jazzed when I saw the menu at the local Chipotle in Argyle earlier this year.
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.
just to clarify
Chipotle is still sponsoring the team but not part of the title sponsor combo name. So go ahead and get your burrito al Chipotle
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