The Roar
The Roar

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Grand Tour cash bonuses, does cycling need them?

Alberto Contador is adamant that he's won nine Grand Tours. (Team Sky)
Expert
7th October, 2014
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A couple of weeks ago I told you that Alberto Contador was considering a shot at the Giro-Tour double.

Last achieved in 1998 by the late and great Marco Pantani, history says that winning that particular double in this now much cleaner era of cycling is not really possible.

But have those odds improved over the past couple of days with the release of the route for the 2015 Giro?

If you missed the announcement, next year’s Italian Grand Tour is considered one of the most balanced for years.

Next year the peloton will face one Team Time Trial (TTT) and one Individual Time Trial (ITT), seven flat stages, seven medium mountain stages and five high mountain stages. Contrast that with the brutal 2011 edition when race organisers planned one TTT, two ITTs, five flat stages, five medium mountain and eight high mountain stages.

And next year when the race does hit the major peaks, the highest they’ll climb is the 2178 metres that is the Colle delle Finestre. Just a few months ago, we had the 2618-metre Gava and the 2758-metre Stelvio, on the same day.

Given Contador’s injury cruelled Tour campaign, but dominating victory over Chris Froome at the Vuelta, you’d think his focus would remain firmly on July. But now that the Giro route is public, are we seeing the real reason behind El Pistolero’s comments? In other words, he’d been given a hint of what was being planned and perhaps was even financially encouraged to commit to the Italian Grand Tour.

The Tour may be king, but recent editions of the Giro have matched it for drama and spectacle and a genuine attempt by Contador to race for a rare sporting double only adds to its lustre. And it seems like the organisers had this in mind when talking about next year’s route.

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Speaking to reporters after the route launch, Giro race director Mauro Vegni explained how he had reduced long transfers between stages.

“Given the effort we’ve put in to aid recovery times, the Giro-Tour double can be done,” he said.

Maybe this will be enough to convince defending Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali to join him. Likewise, Froome and Nairo Quintana may also ride both, or even all three.

Or maybe some more money will help convince them?

Did you see that offer by Tinkoff Saxo owner Oleg Tinkoff of more than $1.4m to the four riders if they compete in all three Grand Tours. Encouraged by Contador’s late season form, Tinkoff told Cycling News he plans to raid the bank for the loot.

“If Quintana, Froome, Nibali and Contador all agree to ride all three Grand Tours, I’ll get Tinkoff Bank to put up €1 million,” he said.

“They can have €250,000 each as an extra incentive. I think it’s a good idea.

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Tinkoff went on to say he thinks the Giro parcours will only encourage the chances of his plan coming off.

“I think it’s actually the easiest route we’ve seen for many years. I think it’s a good Giro route for us and for Alberto because he wants to do the double,” he said.

“It’s good that Alberto is going for the Giro-Tour double but I think the biggest and best riders should race against each other and ride all three Grand Tours.”

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see the best riders ride at the biggest races, and no one can blame anyone for accepting whatever is on offer because cyclists work as hard anyone for their wages. But is it fair on the rest of the peloton?

Granted, not many riders will schedule three Grand Tours in one year. But for people like Adam Hansen, how would they feel if a bunch of GC contenders rocked up, largely to chase the cash?

And what about the integrity of the racing? Will it be compromised in any way if cash becomes the biggest incentive for riding?

It’s one thing to suggest a rare Giro-Tour double is possible next year, but surely no one thinks anyone can mount a challenge on all three Grand Tours.

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Adam Hansen may have raced all the Grand Tours over the past three years, but his aim is to do his work as a domestique and go for the occasional stage win. He’s not challenging for GC in any of those races, let alone three of them.

And while Tinkoff hasn’t said he thinks any of his big four contenders can or should try to win three Grand Tours, why would they ride for three weeks and not aim to challenge for a podium spot?

I don’t think they’ll just ride for the cash, but neither can they maintain the form needed to be serious contenders for all three Grand Tours.

So while it’s a generous offer Mr Tinkoff, and one that may be popular with fans and TV directors, I’m not sure it’s the best look for the sport. Maybe you should spend that money on something else.

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