Riders had been hoping to compete in Tour of Spain
Controversial riders Riccado Riccò and Michael Rasmussen have been trying to gain entry to the Vuelta a España, with the riders reportedly negotiating with Quick Step and Saxo Bank respectively to gain a slot on their teams. However it appears that time has run out for both. Even if the squads in question sign them up, they have missed a UCI deadline and will be unable to take part.
Vuelta organisers Unipublic yesterday released a provisional start list for the race, detailing a large number of selected and reserve riders on the 22 teams which will take part.
Quick Step has listed Carlos Barredo, Dario Cataldo, Kevin De Weert, Davide Malacarne, Branislau Samollau, Andreas Stauff, Matteo Tosatto and Wouter Weylandt as its initial lineup. Tom Boonen, Addy Engels, Kevin Hulsmans and Nikolas Maes are the reserves.
Team Saxo Bank has opted for Anders Lund, Fabian Cancellara, Baden Cooke, Juan José Haedo, Domenik Klemme, Gustav Larsson, Stuart O’Grady and its appointed leaders, Andy and Frank Schleck. There are just two reserves, namely Kasper Klostergaard Larsen and André Steensen.
Neither Rasmussen nor Riccò appear anywhere on the start list, and that is the reason why they will not ride.
“It’s true that they cannot race,” said a Vuelta spokesperson to Velonation. “According to the rules of the UCI, the list can not be changed.”
According to other sources, the deadline was last Sunday, August 8th.
Riccò has just been released by his Ceramica Flaminia team, and is now a free agent. However the move has come too late for him to be an entrant in what would be his first Grand Tour since testing positive at the 2008 Tour de France.
Rasmussen has also failed in his bid, but that may actually serve him well. He was hit by mononucleosis earlier this year and told Politiken in early June that some advice was that he shouldn’t even be training. However he continued to do so regardless.
“It is very frustrating that I have no idea when I will be on top again. I have consulted four different experts,” he said at the time. “Two have said that I must remain completely at rest, while the other two say that I can work out gently. I chose to listen mostly to the last two, but it is not a nice feeling that I do knot know whether it harms or benefits when I sit on the bike.
“I go for regular checks and have given a lot of samples. The only thing I am waiting on now is getting the green light. On the other had, I’ve also been told that it might take between two and eight months before the virus has left the body, and that the best cure is rest and patience. But I don’t have much of the latter.”
He was racing with the Miche team earlier this season but left in order to be able to sign for a bigger setup and thus gain entry into top events. He has a personal sponsor who will cover his salary and so there would be no extra cost to whichever team chooses to bring him on board. Fashion watch designer watch designer Christina Hembo met Bjarne Riis in recent days and he said that he is thinking about whether or not to bring the Dane on board. “We’ve talked about things, and I am considering it like I consider when I get other requests from riders who want in on the team.”
If he became part of the Saxo Bank setup, he’d be racing alongside Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, who recently signed a two year contract. He said that he has no objections to him become part of the lineup. The Spaniard won his first Tour after Rasmussen was ejected from the race after lying about his whereabouts in the weeks leading up to it.
“With regard to Michael Rasmussen, he is a rider who I think has paid for the situation he was previously in,” he said, referring to the 36 year old’s suspension for lying about his whereabouts during the 2007 season.
“He is a rider who has already achieved a lot. But in this context, it is Riis who must make the decision.”
The two riders will compete tonight in a street race in Riis’ home town of Herning in Denmark.