My name is Elin - A pro cycling lover's reflections

Footon-Servetto sends young team to Tour de France

Category: Cycling

It is in clear term tragic that Footon-Servetto-Fuji has been invited to the 2010 Tour de France. Yesterday, they published its line-up for the race and I have every sympathy if the teams, who were not invited to the race, are outraged. Eight of Footon-Servetto's riders are debutants; Alberto Benitez, Arkaitz Duran, Iban Mayoz, Rafael Valls, Markus Eibegger, Manuel Cardoso, Fabio Felline (pictured) and Eros Capecchi. The team leader, Giampaolo Cheula, raced the 2007 and 2008 Tour de France.

“It’s true that we’ll be in the Tour with eight rookies, but I think this lack of experience will be more than made up for motivation of being able to race in a competition that’s a dream come true for most,” said team manager Joxean Fernández Matxin. “We come with a balanced team, with riders who can be ahead in the mountains, sneak into breakaways and two fast men — Cardoso and Felline — we hope can be protagonists in the first week.”

That's what the team manager says. The reality is: Nine guys who won't do anything at all. I really hope they can at least prove themselves worthy of being there, by attacking, trying to win something. But I do have little hope.

Footon-Servetto was qualified to the race in accordance with a 2008 agreement between race organisers and the International Cycling Union (UCI). Otherwise they would never have been invited.

The team has won five races so far in 2010, and notched nearly a dozen second places. Other teams have been much more successful.

Following the doping scandal in the 2008 Tour de France the team, Saunier Duval, had to do something. The sponsor left and instead Footon and Servetto overtook the sponsorship. They re-built the team with young, fresh, (non-doped) cyclist, and it also turned out to be cheap as most of the riders were neo-pros.

It's is unfair though. Better teams lose alot, just because this shoddy team has been invited.



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