Aqua Blue Sport had a very strong debut season in 2017. However, it has now been overlooked for major races in Italy and France including the Grand Tours
No place for Aqua Blue Sport at Giro d'Italia
Having missed out on a place at the Tour de France, Aqua Blue Sport has also been overlooked for a Giro d’Italia invite.
However, the team will now focus on the Vuelta in the hope of securing an invite to the Spanish race.
It was invited last year and won the mountainous stage 18. And having done so well it will be hotly tipped to secure a berth there once more.
The team was regarded as having a realistic chance of being invited to Tour and/or Giro.
It means the news today from RCS that the Irish team is not among its two wildcard Giro invites is disappointing.
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And Aqua Blue Sport has also been overlooked for other wildcard entries announced by RCS today.
Four ProContinental teams have been invited to Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo. Unfortunately Aqua Blue Sport was not among them.
When ASO revealed its wild card invites for the Tour two weeks ago, it also confirmed the ProContinental invites to Paris Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné.
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However, Aqua Blue Sport featured in neither the Tour wildcard list nor the lists for those other two ASO races.
Having done so well in the Vuelta last year, taken the US national title and a stage of the Tour de Suisse Aqua Blue Sport is entitled to feel aggrieved at being overlooked by both ASO and RCS for the combined seven races that wildcard entries have now been announced for.
In the Giro, all WorldTour teams take part along with Israel-Cycling Academy, Androni Giocattoli, Bardiani CSF and Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia.
In Strade Bianchi in March the two wildcard invites go to Androni Giocattoli and Nippo-Vini Fantini
For Tirreno-Adriatico, also in March, four ProContinental teams are invited. They are Gazprom-Rusvelo, Israel-Cycling Academy, Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia and Nippo-Vini Fantini.
For Milan-Sanremo, seven teams are invited including Bardini CSF, Cofidis, Novo Nordisk, Gazprom-Rusvelo, Israel-Cycling Academy, Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia and Nippo-Vini Fantini.
Two weeks ago ASO confirmed its wildcard Tour invites were going to Direct Energie, Fortuneo-Samsic, Cofidis and Wanty-Groupe Gobert.
In Paris Nice, the four invited teams are: Delko-Marseille, Cofidis, Direct Energie and Fortuneo-Samsic.
And at Critérium du Dauphiné Vital Concept gets the nod along with Cofidis, Wanty-Groupe Gobert and Fortuneo-Samsic.
Aqua Blue Sport gets its 2018 campaign started at Race Melbourne next Thursday.
It then takes in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race tomorrow week.
The Jayco Herald Sun Tour is next, from January 31st to February 4th.
After its stint in Australia it then rides the Dubai Tour from February 6th to 10th. Staying in the Middle East, it also rides the Tour of Oman from February 13th to 18th.
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