If team leader Contador follows up on his Tour de France threats, it may suit Roche very nicely
Team leader at Nicolas Roche’s new Saxo-Tinkoff squad, Alberto Contador has said he may skip the Tour de France next year if the team misses out on a WorldTour licence and is left waiting on a late wild card invitation to the race.
The Spaniard has made his comments at a time when Saxo-Tinkoff is still waiting to hear if it will secure a WorldTour licence for next year.
Because Contador returned from a drugs ban this year, his world ranking points do not count as part of the team’s total when WorldTour licences are being awarded by the UCI to the top 18 teams in the world.
The Danish-based squad is now in a dog fight with Argos Shimano for a place in the WorldTour as the UCI still deliberates on the final slots.
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So far, eight teams have been confirmed in the top tier and while there are still ten slots up for grabs, it appears Saxo-Tinkoff and Argos Shimano are competing for the last place.
If Saxo-Tinkoff misses out it would be a Pro Continental team next year; the second division in the professional peloton. However, with major races offering wild cards to some non WorldTour teams, the second-tier status would have very little impact on the team’s programme.
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It would most likely secure a wild card entry to any race where non WorldTour status did not guarantee an automatic place.
Contador has now said in a French interview that if the wild cards for the Tour de France were granted as usual in April by race organisers ASO, he would regard this as too late for his preparations and may opt to skip the race.
The ASO has responded saying it will grant the wild cards in the way it always has, with no bringing forward of those invites to suit Contador. He has won the race three times but lost the 2010 crown because of his positive drugs test.
If Contador rides the Tour, Roche’s role will be to assist him to win it. The Irishman’s schedule for next year has not been confirmed, but he believes he will not ride the Giro, will do the Tour and then after that consider the Vuelta, where he may have a team leadership role.
Should Contador opt to skip the Tour de France, it would significantly change his team’s approach to it; a development that would very much favour the Irishman.
Roche would find himself free of his obligation to support a clear team leader. He may be the designated leader himself or at the very least would get the opportunity to relieve himself of the pressure of riding for GC and instead pick a number of stages where he could target, and get team support to aim for, stage victory.
The UCI’s decision on the last WorldTour slots is imminent and may come by the end of this week.
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