Tinkoff-Saxo tries to sucker Froome into Giro.

//Tinkoff-Saxo tries to sucker Froome into Giro.

Tinkoff-Saxo tries to sucker Froome into Giro.

 

Oleg invites Froome & Nibali to Giro.

Tinkoff-Saxo’s subtle call to action to Team Sky and Astana could be summed up like this: “Chicken, chicken, don’t be a chicken.”

Now that Vuelta a Espana champion Alberto has stated his intention to ride both the 2015 Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, his team is hoping they can shame, sucker, cajole Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali to also ride the Giro.

No wasting a PR moment, team owner Oleg Tinkov jumped on twitter to issue the challenge and Tinkoff’s manager manager Stefano Feltrin also sent out an invitation. “We proposed in an very informal way to the other teams. We believe the best riders should go up against each other in the biggest stage races in the calendar, it seems logical to us,” Feltrin told Cyclingnews.

Well, this is a clever and laudable but ultimately hopeless stunt. While Froome and Nibali might appreciate the idea on some sporting level, their first reaction is sucker! If Contador wants to compromise his shot at Tour victory by killing his legs in the Giro, then by all means, go for it Pistolero.

Why Contador has taken the foolish route of committing to both grand tours when he has yet to beat Froome and Nibali in the Tour is open for debate. In fact, we’re debating it right now — hmmm, well, bad idea. This is one of those rosy plans people often make in the off-season when they forget the intensity and duration of the pain. Oh yeah, two grand tours — no big deal.

Contador is even talking about winning all three grand tours in one season. Which sounds outrageous and beyond possibility. Just cause you won the Vuelta after fracturing your tibia in the Tour is no reason to think you’re superhuman.

Nobody wins the Giro-Tour combo unless you’re a bald Italian Pirate with a hematocrit reading of over 60%.

So Contador, having backed himself into the corner, is now trying to goad Froome and Nibali into making the same mistake. Good luck with that. Shout chicken, chicken, chicken all you want — Nibali isn’t doing anything to compromise his Tour repeat chances and Froome is all in for the Tour, too.

Maybe Joaquin Rodriguez would fall for that trick, but nobody else.

 

 

By |2019-02-03T15:53:27-08:00September 23rd, 2014|Uncategorized|0 Comments

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