"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Cipo will not be in le Tour

http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/4231.0.html

:rolleyes: :mad: :(

Cipo should think about his actions in previous tours when he abandons before worrying about acceptance in coming years. Had he ridden like a professional and not a clown and if he had finished before, I beleive he would be there. His continuous disregard for race rules regarding uniforms and his actions lead to the bed he now lies in. We don't need a clown in Le Tour, good riddance.

I disagree. Cipo brings personality and excitement to the tour and as the World Champion he deserves the right to be there.

Certainly his decisions to abandon previous tours have affected his selection in recent years, but I still think it's unfortunate he won't be given a chance to finish this one.

Originally posted by SamDaBikinMan
Cipo should think about his actions in previous tours when he abandons before worrying about acceptance in coming years. Had he ridden like a professional and not a clown and if he had finished before, I beleive he would be there. His continuous disregard for race rules regarding uniforms and his actions lead to the bed he now lies in. We don't need a clown in Le Tour, good riddance.

I could not have said it better my self.

:beer:

Originally posted by SamDaBikinMan
Cipo should think about his actions in previous tours when he abandons before worrying about acceptance in coming years. Had he ridden like a professional and not a clown and if he had finished before, I beleive he would be there. His continuous disregard for race rules regarding uniforms and his actions lead to the bed he now lies in. We don't need a clown in Le Tour, good riddance.

You pretty clearly don't work in the sports promotions business.

Cipo abandons? Big deal. What percent drop out every year? There are a huge number of abandons. Cipo has won FOUR consecutive TdF stages and has worn the Yellow.

So he wears any unregulated jersey from time to time? Who does that hurt? He pays a little fine and gets huge exposure for his sponsors and for the sport. If he's willing to pay the fine, so what?

Bear in mind that he is kept out so that others can be included. Please don't insinuate that those others are more deserving than the World Champion and all time Giro stage win record holder.

Further, Cipo has never embarrassed the sport by failing a dope test. How many convicted dopers were invited? Dozens.

thats kind of rough isnt it. Cipo is obviously a great cyclist, and i think his antics (for lack of a better word) add to the tour rather than detract.
also i don't really think it makes sense to exclude the world champion. it's almost like excluding U.S. Postal.

OK you all have convinced me. I'd love to see him abandon the tour Again.

It will add so much flavor to the race. :D

I admit that "Little Onion" is a good rider and has acomplished a lot in his career, but I have never like his "style" or attitude. Too showy and flambouyant. I mean if I wanted to see a flambouyant show I would go to one of the "drag queen" bars down on Bourbon Street.:roflmao:

Originally posted by KevinG
I admit that "Little Onion" is a good rider and has acomplished a lot in his career, but I have never like his "style" or attitude. Too showy and flambouyant. I mean if I wanted to see a flambouyant show I would go to one of the "drag queen" bars down on Bourbon Street.:roflmao:

None the less he does have a large fan base, and a lot of other people do enjoy his showy and flambouyant attitude towards both life and racing. The sponsors certainly don't seem to complain too much when he get's their logo and name all over the front of the sprint in some off color jersey to draw attention to himself, his team, and the sponsors.

The man needs to be racing in the tour. He is the World Champion, a brilliant sprinter and not the only one who may drop out because of lack of climbing ability. The Tour is in an era of specialties. I think he would have made a go at completing in what could be the twilight of his carreer....and he is one stylish mofo....

The thing is that he's showy and flamoyant but he also wins! He's not just all show. He's broken a record that stood for 70 years! It was too bad he crashed out of the giro, although he often doesn't finish grand tours anyways, and I doubt he'd have made it over the Zoncolan. But this would probably be his last TDF, how many more chances will he get? I hope his team is in the vuelta, I remember he did it last year and did really well, and it was his first ever Vuelta!

the TdF needs a wider appeal. lance can't do it alone. the tour must prove that it isn't a one trick pony. the golf tour has many parallels. only the hardcore watch religiously, there is one guy that most people can name. both seem robotic and tense.

define sportsmanship. or showmanship.

cipo is a player. DON'T BE A PLAYA HATE-A!!

Well........Being an American myself, I can truly admire Cipo's treaking of the tours starched rules. Heck, america wouldn't even be here if our forebares had just sucked it up and followed the queen:D . I for one like his attitude and showmanship. In the latter days of his professional cycling career, and being the world champion, It blows my mind that he is being excluded. Off topic I know but I hope Ullrich blows lances doors off this year also:eek:

Well just for this record, I still think that it's a totaly shame that Cipo won't be at this year's tour!!...Easy rider you put it the best, totally on!! and very good point and way of putting it!!..Good thinking..

I hope that Cipo decides to continue on with racing, but I fear that he may retire for good, and then we won't see him in the tour or anything else...


Benjamin

Originally posted by caadman

but I fear that he may retire for good, and then we won't see him in the tour or anything else...

Dont tease me with such talk. You got me all excited!:p

Originally posted by KevinG
Dont tease me with such talk. You got me all excited!:p

why do you hate the guy so much?

Originally posted by the BIG cheese
why do you hate the guy so much?

See my and SamDaBikinMan's post in this thread.

Also, great Title Sam!

Well Big cheese, I guess the saying, "to each their own" applies to this case....They also say that variety is the spice of life, probably true in this case also....Either way, Cipo has impacted all of our lives in one way or the other, he is very different, and that normally creates this big divides of opinion like we see here...You're either on one side of the fence or the other, on these things...No middle ground here, unless you don't follow cycling at all..


Benjamin

The question is not whether Cipo should be in the Tour or not. The question is: Who deserves to be in the Tour more, Cipo's team (which also includes potential stage winner Lombardi and solid climber Scarponi) OR Jean DelaTour, a French team who basically is a bunch of punk amateurs.

That was the decision Jean Marie LeBlanc had to make and there is no justification for the choice he made.

So, Cipo haters, care to justify his choice for him?

Originally posted by easyrider

So care to justify his choice for him?



Well the race is the Tour de FRANCE!!
It was started to promote a French cycling magazine and French cycling. What is so hard to understand about them wanting French teams in the 100th running of the race?

If it was the 100th Tour de America would you want more American teams?

Originally posted by KevinG
Well the race is the Tour de FRANCE!!
It was started to promote a French cycling magazine and French cycling. What is so hard to understand about them wanting French teams in the 100th running of the race?

Yes, that IS how it began. However, it has evolved into the greatest annual road bike race (some would argue the greatest sporting event) in the world.

Would you not want the greatest riders in such an event?

Apparently not. :rolleyes:

My wonder is of whether his team should be allowed as well, regardless of whether Cipo is with the team in it or not.
The team is much higher in the UCI rankings than the french team that was chosen.

I can't say whether it was just or unjust because I don't know how the selection normally works when it comes to these choices.

Bac is right, yes the race is in france and is basicly french, but I was watching OLN's history of the tour some day last week or so, and they said that while originally it was intended to boost french cycling, that it grew soo much, that the original origanizers opened it up to the world, and view it not just as a french race, but rather a whole world competition..

It seems like Le blanc is going contrary to that tradition, and wants to return it back to the way it was in the very begining, 100 years ago....Now as for the 100th tour of america thing, if that was the case, and it was a world event like the tour is, then I would want the best teams in the world there, even if that meant that fewer american teams were present...Cycling is INTERNATIONAL, not just regional or nationalistic...

Benjamin

Originally posted by KevinG
Well the race is the Tour de FRANCE!!
It was started to promote a French cycling magazine and French cycling. What is so hard to understand about them wanting French teams in the 100th running of the race?

If it was the 100th Tour de America would you want more American teams?

I was hoping someone would be short sighted enough to show that they believe that is a viable excuse.

It is an international event like no other and has an obligation to the fans of the sport to move beyond mere nationalism to provide the best competition with the finest teams. Using the event to save the sponsorship of mediocre French teams cheapens the event and is a disgrace to the fine tradition of the event.

By the way, even Jean Marie LeBlanc is smart enough to not admit that he picked the team just because they are French.

Sorry, but that is an excuse not a justification. Feel free to tell me about the amazing success Jean DelaTour has had this year or last. Anything that even remotely parallels the succes Cipo has had would be nice. Can't do it? No surprise.

And no, if it was the 100th Tour of America I would not want mediocre American teams. I would want the best teams with the finest riders. And the World Champion would be among them.

You know all of the points are moot anyway, UCI ruled in favor of Leblanc.

I could never truly respect a pro rider who won't even try and finish a tour. At least try, rather than getting the glory of a few stage wins and then going home while others suffer through the mountains.

And there are great sprinters who can and do finish the tour every year.

Originally posted by easyrider
Feel free to tell me about the amazing success Jean DelaTour has had this year or last.


OK :p

:D

Didn't Lance drop out of the Tour before his pre-cancer days?

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Didn't Lance drop out of the Tour before his pre-cancer days?

Yes he did but he did not make a habit of it like "little onion" has.

Originally posted by easyrider
Feel free to tell me about the amazing success Jean DelaTour has had this year or last.

Jean Delatour rider, Nazon in Yellow today!:eek: :p

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Didn't Lance drop out of the Tour before his pre-cancer days?

His first few years, yes... when he was like 20 years old.

I believe he finished his last tour before he had cancer

Originally posted by easyrider
Feel free to tell me about the amazing success Jean DelaTour has had this year or last.

Frederic Finot (Jean Delatour) is the new wearer of the Polka dots.:eek:

I think the world Champion and his team should gain automatic enty into the Tour.
just my thoughts

Originally posted by KevinG
Jean Delatour rider, Nazon in Yellow today!:eek: :p

Hilarious! He, and his crap team, proceeded to lose HUGE time in the Team Time Trial and he dropped (like a rock) from Yellow to 112th in one day. Easily the worst showing since Alex Stieda and the 7-11 fiasco so many years ago.

Way to represent the Yellow Jersey! What a joke.

And where is his team in the over-all team ranking? Second to last. Only ahead of a team that made a conscious choice to glass crank the TTT to save it up for the sprint stages.

And let's not even pretend like the Polka Dots mean jack at this point. That chump will lose half an hour (minimum) in the first mountain stage.