Two Weeks Out. If the energy was up a week ago, things have gotten even more hyped for all of the teams headed to le Tour now.
Cyclists will have ridden themselves into or out of spots as the final places are essentially solidified based on a combination of form, usefulness to team goals and personality.
If the form and function of two riders is essentially akin, then other considerations enter the equation. A key aspect is knowing which rider is easier to get along with.
When with close mates it is difficult to handle three weeks of exhausting racing under huge pressure from both within and without the team.
Add this to long bus transfers and sharing the dining table and hotel rooms and things are inevitably tense for all involved.
So if you’re saddled with a social twit, stress levels within the team may be unnecessarily high. Thus of course personality is part of the selection battery.
Other selection factors can be related to the wishes of the sponsors. The nationality of the rider can be another point that tips the scales more or less in their favour.
The nationality of the team itself, as well as team sponsors will dictate these decisions to some extent.
Thus foreign riders who are social doofuses (or is it doofi?) need to be bloody good on their bike, or they won’t get a ride at le Tour!!