Ricco Touring in July?

by ursula on Jun 24, 2008 10:40 AM EDT

CN this morning reports on the latest of shy, retiring Riccardo Ricco who says that he might ride in the Tour de France. He's feeling good after the Giro- he "hasn't fattened up one gram"- lol- and I guess he's feeling frisky.

Previously I remember reading that he was looking for the Vuelta; in talking about the Tour he doesn't discuss the rest of his season. But basically he is Saunier Duval-Scott and if Piepoli is healthy I for one would love Ricco to shake up the Tour. It seems to me that the early Massif Central stages are tailor made for him to take an early lead since the early TT is not so long that he'd lose massive gobs of time to the likes of Evans and Menchov.

Plus with his mouth he's sure to get the GC contenders up in arms about him. I can already picture Menchov reading the news today and rolling his eyes! What fun!

So dear reader- what do you think: Should he ride and if he does do you think he can win it?

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He is riding

Riccardo Riccò will take part in the Tour de France 2008. The young SAUNIER DUVAL-SCOTT rider, who was second overall in the Giro d´Italia 2008, is the latest addition to the group of nine “red birds” for the “Grande Boucle.” Riccò, whose calendar didn´t include the French grand tour, is joining the team because José Ángel Gómez Marchante won´t be able to participate. He´s been suffering from ulcerative colitis, a disease that forced him to drop out in the Dauphiné Libéré and prevented him from training properly for the Tour. The Madrid-born rider will fine-tune his form for the Vuelta Ciclista a España.

http://www.saunierduval-prodir.com/cyclingteam/newsDetailN.jsp?idnews=1214307502154

by lucybears on Jun 24, 2008 10:44 AM EDT 0 recs

Marchante

Didn’t know about his problem with Ulcerative colitis, which seems to me would be one of the worst conditions possible for a bike rider.

by ursula on Jun 24, 2008 11:01 AM EDT up 0 recs

Certainly

explains the disappointing season. Poor guy.

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris... on Jun 25, 2008 7:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

Oh come on

Drew, you should have told me that JAGM was on your squad.

by Hons on Jun 24, 2008 11:14 AM EDT up 0 recs

Ulcerative colitis. Yep that's the Pharaos curse all right.

by Jens on Jun 24, 2008 11:15 AM EDT up 0 recs

I thought it was more Montezuma's terrain

potayto, potahto

by Hons on Jun 24, 2008 11:22 AM EDT up 0 recs

No, I was referring to another post

where I said Drew’s team “Way of the Cross” was like the Pharaohs tomb, all who enter it are cursed.

by Jens on Jun 24, 2008 11:27 AM EDT up 0 recs

yes, i got it

apparently sarcasm has its limits in a text based conversation.

by Hons on Jun 24, 2008 11:46 AM EDT up 0 recs

Or it could be the fact that I learned all my english

from reading Peanuts albums in 1981.

by Jens on Jun 24, 2008 12:11 PM EDT up 0 recs

You blockhead

My all time favorite Peanuts based insult.

"Hey, hey, settle down boys and girls or Krusty will have to bring out his old friend Corporal Punishment again."

by Drew... on Jun 24, 2008 12:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

Hey!

thats when I was learning my english too!

by Hons on Jun 24, 2008 12:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

He is?

(frantically searching for VDS team sheet)

:-)

"Hey, hey, settle down boys and girls or Krusty will have to bring out his old friend Corporal Punishment again."

by Drew... on Jun 24, 2008 12:19 PM EDT up 0 recs

And he'll win it!

Ok – he doesn’t have a chance in hell of even getting on the podium, but he will certainly animate things and hopefully score some points for my now Boonen-less Tour team.

A stage win would be nice Ricardo. Now see to it.

"Hey, hey, settle down boys and girls or Krusty will have to bring out his old friend Corporal Punishment again."

by Drew... on Jun 24, 2008 12:23 PM EDT up 0 recs

It's confirmed this morning, actually :-)

It’s been rumored in the Italian press for about a week now. He came off vacay, and started training. But no, no, he’s not riding the Tour. Well, maybe he’s riding the Tour. Okay, the Tour might be a good idea. LOL, so now, he is.

I’m not sure how this will go for him, to ride both. He has a nice chance at the White, but he’ll get freakin’ shellacked in the cronos. Probably good for a stage win, but I’m not so fired up about his overall chances, I guess. Wildcard, at best.

Ricco-Peeps v. the Shlecks and Sastre. Could make for some fun in the mountains!

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 10:48 AM EDT 0 recs

Ricco! Ricco! Riccoooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love it. In my opinion, this makes the tour even more exciting. I don’t think he has a prayer of sniffing the podium, but I do think he is a wild card that will excite the race and give the other teams one more thing to worry about.

I can see him coming out strong before the tour hits the big mountains, trying to get the yellow jersey and putting in some time to the top threats. If he’s successful, he’ll race hard in the mountains. If he doesn’t do much in the early going, I can see him losing interest and commandeering the autobus through the mountains.

by PopUp Rolen on Jun 24, 2008 11:05 AM EDT 0 recs

The image

I get of Ricco commandeering the autobus is hilarious!

Ricco- Hey McEwen and Hinter! Why aren’t you $$ me you ^#x%x%$ pieces of ^#!! And you O’Grady! I ^$$ hate you! Why don;’ you &$x%x$^%wads work for me? God I would want the camera on the autobus al the time!

by ursula on Jun 24, 2008 11:15 AM EDT up 0 recs

First foreigner ever to win "Most Arrogant Man in France", congratulations Riccardo!

by Jens on Jun 24, 2008 11:17 AM EDT up 0 recs

uh

Remember Lance chasing down Simeoni? Ricco has a impressive competition for that category . . or Gianni Bugno introducing a fan to his tubulars on L’Alpe stage . . .

Or Pantani . . ..

by R Mc on Jun 24, 2008 2:45 PM EDT up 0 recs

So funny...

Watch for Robbie Mac to put his fist in Ricco’s face.

Sigh… I was going to say something funny in the Gossip about this, but I’m using up all my material early. Alas.

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 11:20 AM EDT up 0 recs

+1

Unlike others in the Giro, if he were dumb enough to talk crap about Robbie Mac, he would be spitting out teeth. I would love to see that.

If I just had one more gear, I...

by SpunOut on Jun 24, 2008 11:28 AM EDT up 0 recs

There's still

plenty more to say….go with it!

"....Up Sestriere on a rental clunker in jeans and loafers? Brother, lemme buy you a beer."

by Rolls on Jun 24, 2008 11:28 AM EDT up 0 recs

lol, i have no fear

something will come :-)

i really can’t write gossip before noon…

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 11:31 AM EDT up 0 recs

+1

But either way, the Tour ain’t the Giro. Not many that do well in the Giro have a chance in the Tour. It’s just a different animal. Ricco is no different.

If I just had one more gear, I...

by SpunOut on Jun 24, 2008 11:33 AM EDT up 0 recs

Woohoo! This ought to be interesting.

As much hot air spewage-thrust as he’s got, if they could figure out how to face him rearward on his bike, he’d win the Tour. by 10 mins Short of that, I think we should have a pool running for who stomps on him, during/before which stage, and which excuse he gives for why it wasn’t his fault! Bonus points for correctly picking his rationale for “why it really should be ME wearing yellow in Paris”.

But I agree his presence adds a whole new dimension of entertainment, and will likely take some press focus off all the doping talk.

"....Up Sestriere on a rental clunker in jeans and loafers? Brother, lemme buy you a beer."

by Rolls on Jun 24, 2008 11:08 AM EDT 0 recs

Seriously though

I think that the thought of Ricco doing anything in the Tour is LUDICROUS. Please don’t think for one minute that he has a choice. He might win a stage but he is going to get lose MINUTES a soon as the road gets flat. He will only see the podium off in the distance.

If I just had one more gear, I...

by SpunOut on Jun 24, 2008 11:30 AM EDT 0 recs

Choice=chance

If I just had one more gear, I...

by SpunOut on Jun 24, 2008 11:30 AM EDT up 0 recs

I don't think he's seriously going after the CG

Not even he would be so stupid. But there are plenty of stages that would suit him just fine. An uphill finish in Italy for example…...

by Jens on Jun 24, 2008 11:33 AM EDT up 0 recs

CG=GC?

If I just had one more gear, I...

by SpunOut on Jun 24, 2008 11:35 AM EDT up 0 recs

yes...

either a typo, or jens is thinking in french already :-)

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 11:37 AM EDT up 0 recs

classement generale or something like that?

If I just had one more gear, I...

by SpunOut on Jun 24, 2008 11:38 AM EDT up 0 recs

yep

Classement général in french

italian is classifica generale

i tend to use them interchangeably.

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 11:41 AM EDT up 0 recs

Why yes Gavia, ziz time of ze year we must all zink in French

by Jens on Jun 24, 2008 11:46 AM EDT up 0 recs

may zoui!

ze beret eez all prepared.

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 11:51 AM EDT up 0 recs

I'm surprised has hasn't said anything inflammatory yet.

It’s been a couple of hours.

What are your prediction on his first volley?

It has to be by the end of the week.

by Punctured on Jun 24, 2008 11:40 AM EDT 0 recs

the pasta is soggy?

lol, yeah, there will be something for sure.

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 11:41 AM EDT up 0 recs

He should trash Bert...

for ducking the Tour.

That would be classic.

Or better yet…

He should say right now that his fellow Italian Cunego should be helping him.

by ursula on Jun 24, 2008 11:46 AM EDT up 1 recs

As a side note...

This is Ricco’s second Tour. The first he finished in 96th on gc.

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 12:05 PM EDT 0 recs

And if all those other bastards hadn't conspired against him

he never would have finished lower than 87th….......... He was robbed quite obviously.

by Jens on Jun 24, 2008 12:16 PM EDT up 0 recs

And if all the stages would have been climbing stages,

and there would have been no time trials, and he would have had a good team, ... he would have won!

by dheadrick on Jun 24, 2008 2:17 PM EDT up 0 recs

I like Ricco , he makes racing even more entertaining

He’ll definitely be on the attack on some of the mountain stages. This Tour should be fun.

by lyne on Jun 24, 2008 1:46 PM EDT 0 recs

He should make the perfect playmate

for CG-hopefuls looking to create some fireworks in the mountains.

by Jens on Jun 24, 2008 1:52 PM EDT up 0 recs

Si or make that oui

The one I’m really curious to see what he does this year is Cunego (wow that’s a bad sentence).

There was no pressure on him on his first time at the Tour, but this year is very different.

by lyne on Jun 24, 2008 1:58 PM EDT up 0 recs

I am with you on that one Lynn

I have to make my picks over on Celestin’s Forum Challenge and not sure what to do about him

by roadside on Jun 24, 2008 2:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

ugh..

don’t remind me. i hate picking grand tours. bah. kidding, sorta.

I’m very curious about Cunego, too, Lyne. By all accounts he’s taking this Tour very seriously – pre-riding stages, and practicing the crono, and whathaveyou. I’m just not sure how it will go. I love him as a one-day rider, I really think that’s his calling. But he’s no slouch in the stage races at all. For me, he’s a wildcard in this Tour. He could go huge, and win the whole thing, or he could be relatively anonymous. With the transitiional not-really-mountain stages this year, he might be able to cause some trouble and stack up time gaps. But really, I don’t know what to make of his chances. He’s certainly been maturing well the past few seasons – that was a very pro ride at Suisse and he rode brilliantly in the Ardennes. He should make things interesting, at least, since he’s not typically one to follow wheels.

by gavia on Jun 24, 2008 2:43 PM EDT up 0 recs

I also agree

That sentence was atrocious.

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris... on Jun 25, 2008 7:16 PM EDT up 0 recs

hey

by lyne on Jun 25, 2008 7:19 PM EDT up 0 recs

Alrighty… I am back. I haven’t been able to log-in to podiumcafe.com for 5 days unless it was at work on internet explorer [blech]. I upgraded to Firefox 3 last week and my preferences weren’t allowing third party cookies. sbnation.com puts a cookie on your computer when you long in to podiumcafe.com so I kept getting logged out when I changed to a new page because sbnation.com looked like a third party site.

The sbnation techys finally figured it out. All fixed.

by ZoeRochelle on Jun 24, 2008 9:59 PM EDT 0 recs