No doubting Thomas

[Poison Ivy]

Now I'm a little confused? And John-Lee Augustyn was considered too young.....

 

Geraint Thomas is the youngest rider in the Tour De France this year, but the 21-year-old Barloworld rider already has a palmares that many would be proud of. There's no doubting the talent and ability of the current World Team Pursuit Champion, so Gerry McManus caught up with the youngster ahead of his Tour de France debut.

To read the full feature on Geraint Thomas, click here.

[Kal-El]

I think they reckon this guy could cause an upset in the prologue, thats maybe why they included him. I dont think Thomas will be completing the tour either.

 

So i reckon Augustyn is not in then, sorry i am out of the loop.

 

pity

[Canaris]

So where are the South African Riders, on the South African team? (Only Robbie Hunter, and JLA if he is lucky). DeJuene has the same amount of South African Riders ie McLeod (even if he is not in the tour). So what makes a South African Team?

 

 

 

A RSA Sponsor, which sells BMW, OPEL, and other non SA products?

 

 

 

A UK registered team?

 

 

 

A team with one RSA cyclist? (with some RSA cyclists in the non-team)

 

 

 

Any answers to this globalisation problem?

[Christie]

I hope JL will get a chance again some time. TBL may not get a wildcard agin next year.

[gatiep]

snaaks to hunter vir phonak gery het was dit nie 'n sa span.

 

 

 

phonak gehoor apparaatjies word ook in sa verkoop.

 

 

 

julle val te maklik vir wat die media julle voer.

 

 

 

gaan kyk bietjie terug hoe julle ge-hoera het toe die barloworld aankondiging gemaak was.toe was die telling 3 suid afrikaners. of was dit 4. kannie onthou

[Poison Ivy]

A RSA Sponsor' date=' which sells BMW, OPEL, and other non SA products?

A UK registered team?

[/quote']

 

BW is a South African brand, which on its own will get awesome coverage in Europe with TdF and I believe that is really great considering what BW does for cycling. 

 

I have no problem with that, but with double standards I do have a problem.  Don't tell us you cannot put a SA rider in the team because he is still to young, and then put a guy just a few months older in his place....

 

 

 

[Canaris]

Its the moniker "first RSA team in the TdF" that irritates me.

 

 

 

Especially when the sponsor and the team are so globalised that the RSA element is only a fraction of both the team and the make-up of the sponsors business. On SS the Marketing director indicated that BW's European clients (400 in all) would be given preferential treatment.

 

 

 

Obviously any sponsorship and development is good, but as Poison Ivy has pointed out, suddenly the South African riders (which did the ground work to get to TdF) are simply not good enough. What gives?

[racman]

I heard that Cannondale had bought ownership of the team. I am sure that I read this somewhere in print or on a web report (i.e. not a rumour on the Hub). Any truth to this ?

[Kal-El]

Slightly off topic but a few guys i would have loved to have seen in the tour from SA are:

 

David George - imagine what he could have achived if they mentored him and rode for him and groomed him - top 10 ( i think so) with a TT win

 

Rudolph Wentzel - in the high mountains - right up there.

 

 

[Racing Hart]

hello!! julle almal moan en bitch verniet!! Hulle het dit sterk oorweeg om JL in die span te sit maar het nie want hy was siek vir  'n paar weke in may!! Hy moes SA's uitsit vir dit nadat hy al die pad afgekom het! Ryan kan op die oomblik glad nie ry a.g.v sy knieg nie.. David is nie in barloworld nie want hy is nogsteeds 'n groot dope vermoede en hulle weier om hom ooit weer te teken

[Poison Ivy]

Slightly off topic but a few guys i would have loved to have seen in the tour from SA are:

 

David George - imagine what he could have achived if they mentored him and rode for him and groomed him - top 10 ( i think so) with a TT win

 

 

Somehow I doubt David George and Robert Hunter ever riding on the same team

[Kal-El]

Yes, maybe so, but David for another team, i think he had the natural ability to make top 10 in the tour if his career was groomed like some of the other tour contenders.

 

I used to race against David as an under 17 / junior rider and let me tell you that he had awesome talent. He was head and shoulders above any junior racing in SA period! We could not even touch the guy, he rode us into the ground every race. The only guy that could hang onto the guy was Rudolph Wentzel and on the odd occcassion Clive Seebrechts (spelling) who had the uncanny ability of winning the sprints.

 

I dont know about all the dope allegations duriong his pro career, and i am not getting into that debate, but he had ability and i think that with that ability he would have been SA's most successfull stage racer. Top 10 in the tour de france on the right team for sure!!!!!!!!

 

I have no doubt!

[Kal-El]

BTW, does anyone know wot has happened to Rudolph Wentzel, i recall him riding for Vlanderen in Belgium during 2003 and then nothing......

 

Also any info on Wesley Cole????? 

[Poison Ivy]

BTW' date=' does anyone know wot has happened to Rudolph Wentzel, i recall him riding for Vlanderen in Belgium during 2003 and then nothing......

 

Also any info on Wesley Cole????? 

[/quote']

 

You have been out of sirculation for a while  since Rodolph returned from Europe he hasn't touched a bike.  And now he has to shake a few pounds if he wants to.  But Rodolph has permanently hanged up his bike - he is done

 

I believe Wesley has followed the route.

 

[Kal-El]

BTW' date=' does anyone know wot has happened to Rudolph Wentzel, i recall him riding for Vlanderen in Belgium during 2003 and then nothing......

 

Also any info on Wesley Cole????? 

[/quote']

 

You have been out of sirculation for a while  since Rodolph returned from Europe he hasn't touched a bike.  And now he has to shake a few pounds if he wants to.  But Rodolph has permanently hanged up his bike - he is done

 

I believe Wesley has followed the route.

 

 

shew  wot a pity, especially for wesley cole, he had such promise...... i can't believe it

 

Thanks for the info poison.

 

Why would wesley quit????? he was super strong, now the two stalwarts from CVT have both quit, Chris Esch and Wesley Cole. Mark Wilcox does not race anymore either so the top guns from the old CVT are no more.....

 

 

it's a pity

[javadude]

 

Barloworld is a Global Brand, and they need to get as much exposure for that brand as possible. With the Tour starting in London, its the logical choice to choose Thomas over JLA. We all bitch and moan about this stuff, but its Barloworlds money and they can do what they want.

 

Their objective wasn't to help out South African cyclists, rather they want to improve their bottom line, and they will get more for their money if they have Poms, French and Italians racing through their respective countries than some unknown South Africans that know one in those countries actually cares about.

 

We've got Robbie, we should be happy about that.

 

velo2007-07-05 03:37:11