Agritubel Team Thread

don't forget your laughing cows:

and guess what i found...

Agritubel

Monday July 2, 2007

Guardian

Agri + Tubel = steel tubular stuff used for restraining and feeding cows on quite-possibly-not-totally free-range dairy and beef farms in La France Profonde.

Tour heritage

Riding as they do in cycling's second division, the French team needed a wild card, benefiting from the organisers' policy of giving openings to "homegrown talent". Thanks very much, said Juan Miguel Mercado and a number of Spanish team-mates.

Past controversies

Agritubel are relatively new and all-French, so there are no nasty marks on the cow-rearing steelwork escutcheon. And, to be frank, there is precious little cash to spare for drug quacks.

In the coffers

£2.5m is unlikely to be enough to take a stage but at least they can afford to paint cute cows on the side of their van.

The boss

Denis Leproux. Former professional whose palmarès (list of cycling achievements) has lengthened considerably now that he is no longer cycling. There is now something on it.

Team leader

Mercado is a wily Spaniard who hit the jackpot last year by winning the stage to Pau in a traditional deal with his breakaway partner Cyril Dessel, who took yellow.

Wild man of the saddle

At 34 Nicolas Jalabert is a true survivor, the less talented brother of the more famous Laurent "Jaja" Jalabert, French darling of the mid-1990s. A modest-looking-and-talking boy who has barely won a race, the family name seems to get him into the media and consequently into team after team. Nepotistastic!

They'll be happy with . . .

A stage win and, if it happens to be for hapless old Jalabert, it will touch the right emotional buttons in the French media.

Fans will paint on the road

"Agri-tube-tube-tube, push pineapple shake a tree"; "Super Mercado"; "Pull the udder one"

William Fotheringham predicts

You rarely get lucky more than once on the Tour and other teams will feed off their desperate need to win a stage. Will show in breakaways but will pick up brave placings rather than a victory.

If they were cheese... Laughing Cow Wedge

Lightweight French concoction based around cows. Unpretentious and makes few claims to strength in depth. Fun to have around, even if likely to be left behind when the real action starts. Colourful exterior makes a bigger impression than anything else.

Based Loudun, France

Bike MBK frame, Shimano wheels

Jerseys Noret Team leader Juan Miguel Mercado (Sp, age 28. 3 Tours, 2 stage wins. Best 36th, 2003)

Climbers Moises Duenas (Sp, 26), Eduardo Gonzalo (Sp, 23), Benoît Salmon (Fr, 33), Samuel Plouhinec (Fr, 31)

Time-triallists

Nicolas Jalabert (Fr, 34), Freddy Bichot (Fr, 27)

Puncheurs

Nicolas Vogondy (Fr, 29), Romain Feillu (Fr, 23), Cédric Hervé (Fr, 27), Mikel Gaztanga (Sp, 27)

Team manager Denis Leproux

Team founded 2004

Tours de France entered 2

Stage wins 1

King of Mountains

2006 best 39th, Salmon

2006 stage wins 1

(Mercado)

ProTour ranking n/a (wild-card entrant)

Website www.agritubel-cycling.com

Ok, now what...how do the gimps win this thing?  I say we...um...oh I don't know!

I'm not ashamed to kick a man when he's down...

While you hypchondriacs were sleeping, looks like someone from barlo rode by and took a quick swim in your kiddie pool...

Oh, and by the way...

(good luck  getting your a$$ kicked in the challenge everyone).

wurkit - I suppose next we'll wait for a rider if he goes down?

*exit a-hole mode* - hope you injured riders mend quickly... know it must be tough!

I am here and looking to get on the bike tommorow for a little while. Spent the whole day off the crutches for the first time this week. I am still very cautious of it, and will be icing it and putting it up toninght, but things are looking better.

I am in for 3 bikes and a swim each week of the tour. More is good, but I will play that by ear. Hope to be able to race on the 15th. I have an oly payed for. May have to walk the whole 6 miles, but thems are the breaks. Will see what happens there too.

 So what is everyone else in for?

OK...I didn't use crutches at all today for the first time in 3 weeks.  I spent some time in the water...OK it wasn't a swim but was in the inflatible pool in our back yard.

I'll go in for 3 light weight lifting sessions this week of the TDF.  It won't be heavy, just enough to get back into the swing of thing.

I plan on getting up early tomorrow to watch the start of Stage 1.

Good luck team!

Hi Team - there has been a query with regard to cycle commutes, should they be counted as one stage or two?

Ive already stated that two a day workouts are fine i.e a spin class in the morning and a road ride at night would be two stages BUT a commute could be argued to be different as technically you HAVE to ride both ways...

Personally I think it comes down to how you counted it when you committed your stages... as long as you state how you are counting your commute in the beginning and stick to it I have no major objections but if anyone has a strong opinion regarding this please let me know.

Thanks

Cat

Bad News  from the Tour: Agritubel is the first team to loose a rider, after a fall and a hurt shoulder rider Gonzalez (sp?) is out of the Tour.

agritubel = bad bike karma!!!

on a serious note i'm sorry to hear that. your lot have had a rider in the breakaway for a lot of todays stage: impressive  

heck we are team gimp after all. I figure it is fitting we loose the first rider.

Was great to see the team colors up front so much today, and almost make the polkadot jersey too

As for the commutge issue, it is not true you must ride both ways. I have arranged commutes to work on foot or bike to be picked up after work. A lot of that depends on the distance of the commute. I personaly have no problem with people saving gas AND getting credit for 2 workouts. Let each person decide as far as I am concerned.

Breezy - 2007-07-08 10:33 AM Poor Gonzalo Ramirez Eduardo

From the TdF website:

"The first rider to abandon the 2007 Tour de France is Eduardo Gonzalo Ramirez of the Agritubel team. The Spaniard who made his Tour debut last year with the French wildcard team suffered a shocking fate in the opening road stage; while returning to the peloton after collecting drinks for his team-mates a car in front of him slammed on its brakes and the 23-year-old had no where to go… he smashed the rear window of the Caisse d’Epargne team car and only just avoided being struck by the car that was following."

A classic move - if you don't have an injury, take the initiative to go out and find one while trying to help others.

I got an hour ride in yesterday on the gimpy leg. Had to stand up to get back up the last climb to my house, don't think doc would be too happy about that.

I think we have a lad in the breakaway today - cross fingers!