Amgen Tour of California: Team Speculation
by Chief Commissaire on Mar 14, 2010 8:20 PM EDT
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It's that time again – when speculation begins as to which teams will be part of the most prestigious stage race in the United States.
For U.S. continental teams, a berth in this race brings unprecedented media attention and the opportunity to post results that can make or break an entire season. In the inaugural edition (2006), new-kid-on-the-block Toyota-United burst onto the scene with two stage wins. And until Rock Racing won the opening road stage last year, no other U.S.-registered team at the continental level had earned an ATOC stage win.
Rules stipulate that at least half of the field for a UCI 2.HC event must be comprised of U.S.-registered teams. Considering race organizer AEG has trimmed the race back by one day, it would not be a surprise if the field was cut from 17 to 16 teams this year.
Make the jump to see which teams were in the race last year and which ones are a lock to be there again in May.
Here's a look at who was in the field last year:
Ag2r-La Mondiale (FRA)
Astana (KAZ)
Bissell Pro Cycling Team (USA)
BMC Racing Team (USA)
Cervelo Test Team (SUI)
Colavita/Sutter Home Presented by Cooking Light (USA)
Fly V Australia presented by Successful Living Foundation Team (AUS)
Garmin-Chipotle (USA)
Jelly Belly Cycling Team (USA)
Liquigas (ITA)
Ouch Presented by Maxxis (USA)
Quick Step (BEL)
Rabobank (NED)
Rock Racing (USA)
Saxo Bank (DEN)
Team Columbia (USA)
Team Type 1 (USA)
The three American ProTour-level teams are a lock: Garmin-Slipstream, HTC-Columbia and Team RadioShack – as is pro continental-level BMC Racing Team, which has both national road champion George Hincapie and national criterium champion John Murphy. With those four teams in place, that leaves room for four domestic teams (assuming a 16-team field) or five (17-team field). Which teams do you want to see?
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Does Rock Racing Exist?
I hope that the Bahati Foundation gets Rock’s former spot. Although it won’t happen I would also like to FootOn there because their kits are all kinds of awesome.
"...their kits are all kinds of awesome"
hilarious, thanks for that laugh
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Man
I miss the days of Toyota-United. Impressively solid crew, that.
Delete Rock. I kinda see the Euro teams as a rotating cast. This race isn’t essential to any of them – driven more by individual rider interests and tick-box considerations. Does QST care? Dunno. Rabo? In theory, I guess (who knew Rabobank operated in the US? Not me.) CTT obviously has a significant NA market, as does Saxo, Garmin, BMC, etc. Ag2rwhy, again?
No idea why Astana would even pretend to care, except that this is the last US-based race of significance. I’m still gobsmacked by the sight of Georgia rednecks waving Astana flags. No idea how that translates into something that Kazakhstan cares about, but I guess it’s something.
I don’t know how you could say you’re running an American stage race and leave out Bissell/Colavita/Jelly Belly/TT1. OUCH is probably at risk. Maaaybe FlyV, but there’s too much money there for them to be honestly threatened. I like the idea of the Bahati Foundation being invited, but that requires a whole lot of sentimentality.
Rabo's presence is small in the US
On the other hand, they sponsored today’s stage in the Tour de Murrieta, which was not a big event by any means. They like getting their name out there.
It took a move to LA to figure out how big of a dick I really am.
by With Ferentz Like These... on Mar 15, 2010 1:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Rabobank?
There’s two branches within 2 square miles of me, and another not too much further away. Lots of them around here.
Rabobank and Liquigas riders have both mentioned being schedule for Cali, so I’d guess they both will be here. I’d expect Quick Step also, because of the Specialized connection.
U.S. teams, Bissell and United Health Care seem obvious, as they’ve ridden it in the past.
lol, yeah
Headed out for an espresso and maybe a pastry in a few.
I think I saw somewhere, actually, that Quick Step is giving Cali a pass. Could be wrong, though.
Pretty sure she was the one talking about it
with one of the riders on twit.
Think they may do Missouri but not Cali.
I'm here..
No Quick Step at ToC. Rabo will be there…they care.
Ouch is no longer Ouch they are Unitedhealthcare (or something like that) and I would bet they will be there. Very strong team. Liquigas will be there too.
Here's My Two Cents on U.S. Teams...
IN:
Bissell – Second place in the NRC team race last year gets you in, for sure.
Jelly Belly – Probably don’t deserve a spot, but people love their beans.
Kelly Benefit Strategies – Probably deserved to be in this race last year.
Team Type 1 – Had a strong showing at the Tour of Missouri.
UnitedHealthcare – Is this the year Healthnet/OUCH, etc., finally gets a stage win?
OUT:
Bahati Foundation – Not even a past national criterium champ. (Bahati), the inaugural Tour of California winner (Landis) or an eight-time Aussie time trial champion (O’Neil) will get them in.
Trek LIVESTRONG – Taylor Phinney would be a huge hook as “the next Lance Armstrong.” But no one seems to be thinking about the future right now and his supporting cast is a bit suspect.
Jamis/Sutter Home presented by Colavita – Smaller budget means team’s focus is on criteriums. Sorry, Ivan Dominguez. No chance for another stage win here.
Adageo Energy – These guys would have a huge fan club at every stage, thanks to their “Liquid Cycling” club success in Cali. But who else knows who these guys are?
Kenda p/b Gear Grinder – Imagine Frankie Andreu directing instead of doing the Internet play-by-play. Not going to happen this year. Maybe next year.
Team Mountain Khakis – Like Jamis/Sutter Home, primarily a crit. team at the moment.
by Chief Commissaire on Mar 14, 2010 9:23 PM EDT reply actions
I don't really have a sense for who belongs.
But do the organizers? How political is the process or do team sponsors try to “buy insurance” by sponsoring different aspects of this race? In short, how dirty is the process?
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
I dunno about "buy insurance"
these races are expensive to stage. Hacking off major sponsors is a pretty good way to ensure that the race won’t happen next year.
I meant that a team's sponsor might "buy insurance".
For instance, if Ouch were to provide emergency medical services or sponsor one of the jerseys can they buy their way into the race? I didn’t understand the part about hacking off a major sponsor.
Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. Louis J. Helle, Jr.
Can they buy their way into the race?
undoubtedly. OK it probably won’t work for the Tour, but if you can go to the organisers of a race that is struggling to stay afloat and give them sponsorship plus you also sponsor a team that won’t embarass themselves too much then you can just about guarantee yourself entry. Of course there’s no guarantee that something might go wrong at a late stage, as happened to Vacansoleil at last year’s MSR when their name was all over the podium but the team got bounced two days previously by a CAS ruling in favour of Fuji Servetto.
I'm thinking...
U.S. teams as…
RadioShack
Garmin
HTC-Columbia
BMC
Bissell
Kelly Benefits
United Healthcare
TeamType1
Non U.S. teams
Saxo Bank
CTT
Liquigas
Rabobank
Quick Step
Spidertech p/b Planet Energy
Fly V Australia
Insert random PT team like AG2R or somebody like that
This sounds right to me...
…don’t forget that Liquigas has Cannondale as its bike sponsor, so they’ll want a presence. Plus, at this point, they literally seem to have too many worthy guys to send them all to the Giro.
Jelly Belly are one of the main race sponsors
that should get them the nod over one of the other US Conti teams.
Just sucks because they do not have the team like they use too
and what would probably happen is them getting into the attack 1 or 2 days
by Vlaanderen90 on Mar 16, 2010 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Is it just possible you may get Euskaltel?
They’re not doing the Giro, and this random thought occurred to me when I saw the fact that the race goes to Bakersfield, which has the biggest Basque population in the US. Could be a good publicity/contact making venture for them, you know, photo ops with local Basques for the papers etc. Pelota players from Euskadi go and play a tournament in Bakersfield each year.
More information for you :-)
http://euskalkazeta.com/ek/?p=410
Hang on…I’ve just noticed, they’ve put a link to my blog at the bottom of this article! Hahaha! Fame. Only it’s no longer at that address.
remember . . . Specialized now sponsor Astana
Would not be surprised to see Astana in Quick-Step’s place on the above lists.
Yep...no
Quick Step this year. I would think that Specialized would want Astana there. In a press conference AC said the ToC didn’t fit for his program but maybe ToM.
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