Something happened to Giampaolo Cheula (Footon Servetto) as he was dropped from the squad's roster before the Tour de France. Isn't that really weird? Cheula was the only rider in the team's roster who had previously raced the Tour. All the other guys are pure debutants .

The debutant Aitor Perez will take his place, and Cheula has been asked to race the Tour of Austria instead. A squad composed entirely of debutants, it's a joke, no?

It isn't fair to Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team and other teams left out from the race to let the crappy Footon-Servetto team race. It doesn't feel like they respect the Tour de France. How else can they allow themselves to start with such weak squad? And how could they suddenly leave out its most experienced cyclist. Sure, Aitor Perez has been a professional for many years, but he has no experience when it comes to the Tour.

“Everything was fine. Today I should have been arriving in Rotterdam [for the start of the Tour de France] and then yesterday they told me that their plans had changed,” Cheula told La Stampa.

“They called me when I was training. It was my last spin before plunging into the atmosphere of the Tour. I was on the climb of the Devero, and in my disappointment I turned around and went home to my son. It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t upset,” he said.