ASO Announces Tour Teams

by gavia on Mar 17, 2009 11:47 AM EDT in News Comment 26 comments

Another shunning for Fuji-Servetto today, as the ASO announced the twenty teams who will participate in the 2009 Tour de France. A total of twenty teams will take the start, including three wildcard invites from the ProContinental ranks.

The three wildcard teams: Skil-Shimano • Cervélo TestTeam • Agritubel.

For Skil-Shimano, this year will mark the team's first trip to the July party in France. The team did not receive an invitation last year, but had hoped to build the team toward participating this season. They are best known for animating the early breakaways, especially in the cobbled classics. Jonathan Hivert, the young French rider at Skil-Shimano, finished eighth at Paris-Nice.

The invitations extended to Cervélo TestTeam and Agritubel are not especially surprising, though Agritubel suffered a few nervous moments over the bio-passport. The French team opted to pay to join the program in order to ride the Tour. Their sponsor, Agritubel, is in doubt beyond the end of this season, though recently, the company's management has indicated an interest in continuing as a secondary sponsor to the team. Agritubel brings former KOM Christophe Moreau and sprinter Romain Feillu to the Tour. Last year, Feillu wore the yellow jersey for a day. The French team may also bring rising classics talent Kevyn Ista, though it's not certain he will be ready just yet for a three week Tour.

Cervélo TestTeam has last year's Tour champion Carlos Sastre, who will ride for the overall classification. The new team will also liven up the final kilometer with former green jersey winner Thor Hushovd and emerging sprint talent Heinrich Haussler.

Full list of teams: AG2R-La Mondiale • Agritubel • Astana • Bbox Bouygues Telecom • Caisse d'Épargne • Cervélo TestTeam • Cofidis • Columbia-High Road • Euskatel-Euskadi • Française des Jeux • Garmin-Slipstream • Katyusha • Lampre-NGC • Liquigas • Milram • Quick-Step • Rabobank • Saxo Bank • Silence-Lotto • Skil-Shimano

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I have a VN link to this in the

fanshots area.

right click, refresh

by itswells on Mar 17, 2009 11:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ooops, I didn't scroll down far enough

Eh, sorry, not going to delete all the stuff I just wrote.

by gavia on Mar 17, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Roger.

my meager fanposting non-authority skeelz pale in comparison to your superior, Executive VP administrative muscle. No prob ;-)

right click, refresh

by itswells on Mar 17, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol

Meant to add earlier: For newsy stuff, it’s better to toss it up as a fanpost with some blah blah, rather than just as a linky in the fanshots. This one’s a fairly important story, so it’s nice to have a bit more info than just the linky, if that makes sense. I’m always stoked to front page a fan post rather than write something myself.

by gavia on Mar 17, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maam, yes maam.

[slinks back into crate under the stairs in the basement]

right click, refresh

by itswells on Mar 17, 2009 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol

no need to hide under the stairs, promise. just ‘splainin’ the method to the madness. don’t want anyone to feel diss’ ed and stuff.

also, i think it’s cool if you don’t have time to write anything to put up a linky in the fanshots. but i also think it’s cool if someone else comes along and wants to put up a post with some more stuff in it, if that makes sense.

by gavia on Mar 17, 2009 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well at least ASO is being consistant in its application of the Astana rule

Or so it would seem

Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland

by natbla on Mar 17, 2009 12:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think as long as they're consistent about it...

It’s a fine rule. You cheat in our race, you don’t get to come next year. We don’t care who you are.

by Ed K on Mar 17, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no problems with the rule here.

I actually kind of like the fact that they make the team pay by not inviting them.

by brandon... on Mar 17, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes! Much better than making the occasional doper pay

Get rid of institutionalised or condoned doping. In fact, that is the way to go for anti-doping measures, I think: increase peer pressure. Getting caught should not (or not only) have consequences for the rider but for the whole team. For instance, time penalties for all riders on the same team in a stage race.

Harder punishment does not deter criminals (look at murder rates in death penalty states for example), greater chance of getting caught does. And peer pressure.

by tedvdw on Mar 17, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

Did your favourite rider just win Montepaschi Strade Bianch Eroica Toscana? OK then.

by Jens on Mar 18, 2009 3:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

eh, then why is Liquigas in?

Beltran, remember?

by Bruce Suomi on Mar 17, 2009 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

First offense -slap on the wrist (no Basso) like other 2

If it happens again they should be out of the 2010 race no matter what – Astana rule

Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland

by natbla on Mar 17, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No Barloworld...

… well, looks like John Lee Augustyn will be my donut this year. Also, no LPR means no points for &(*&%!@#!!!!!!!! which I am perfectly fine with.

Dude... why WOULDN'T Thor ride the chicken?

by crashdan on Mar 17, 2009 1:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Why invite Liquigas and not Fuji or Barloworld?

Enlighten me.

by Forstoppelse on Mar 17, 2009 1:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

NO Fuji or Barloworld because rider tested positive at last years tour - Astana rule

Liquigas gets in but had to promise not bring Basso

Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland

by natbla on Mar 17, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

si

And how many angels dance on the head of a pin?

Sheesh, complicated business this bike racing some days.

by gavia on Mar 17, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love ASO-logic.

Fuji won’t bring Gianetti.

by Forstoppelse on Mar 17, 2009 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The answer lies in if it is a syringe or an actual sewing needle right?

Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland

by natbla on Mar 17, 2009 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the only surprise for me is seeing Skil-Shimano on the list

by lyne on Mar 17, 2009 2:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yup...a surprise...but a very pleasant one!

Nothing on Fumy’s blog yet but here’s hoping he is one of the riders on the Tour team…fingers crossed.

by steph- on Mar 17, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We get to see Johnny Hivert at the big dance!

Very cool.

by ursula on Mar 17, 2009 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's not necessarily all over for Fuji-Servetto

in rather better news for them today, TAS told RCS to let them start MSR. (OK? That really looks like a message for the inner circle, doesn’t it? Like something Tom Cruise would come out with.) Pity poor Vacansoleil who got bounced off to make room, especially as they seem to have been spending a lot of cash on getting their name all over T-A this week. This one could well go to another appeal.

by Monty. on Mar 17, 2009 2:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Actually, when I come to think of it...

… Some ASO-logic has been used in the case of Fuji.

Astana got a new chance in 2007, they messed it up and thus weren’t present at the 2008 Tour – no matter how much Damsgaard in and how many Bivers out.

Saunier Duval had Iban positive in 2007, got a new chance in 2008, messed it up and not invited for the Tour 2009. That in spite of Gianetti gone no-sporting and Mapei Sports doing the anti-doping work.

by Forstoppelse on Mar 17, 2009 2:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs