Rudy Pevenage to Rock Racing as Sports Director
by Jen See on Nov 19, 2008 10:54 AM EST
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Update: The mystery deepens. Lyne over at Podium In Sight has confirmed with the team that there was no press release issued on the Pavenage story. The spokesperson for the team said that there was no news forthcoming on this subject.
The spokesperson also told Podium In Sight that the team registrations were not due to the UCI until 6 December. This suggests that the ProContinental/Continental issue might yet be resolved. Should the team change its designation to ProConti, the age restrictions on the roster would no longer hold.
Update 1: According to l'équipe, Pavenage confirmed that he has a "verbal agreement" with Rock Racing, but he has not yet signed a contract. He also said that he misses the racing world.
Meanwhile, over at Cyclingnews (lead story, wow! no scrolling), they report that Rock Racing issued a press statement confirming the story. There is no sign of the press release on the Rock Racing site, however.
Original Story:Rudy Pevenage, the former mentor to Jan Ullrich, will join Rock Racing next season as a sports director. Named in the Puerto investigation as a middle man between Dr. Fuentes and his protegé, Ullrich, Pavenage lost his position with T-Mobile in Summer 2006. Pevenage joins four other Puerto-istes at Rock: Tyler Hamilton, Francisco Mancebo, José Enrique Gutiérrez, and Oscar Sevilla. The source for the reported transfer is Belgian television station Sporza.
Though rumors suggested Ullrich might come out of retirement to join Rock, the German's manager, Wolfgang Strohband, continues to deny the possibility. In a recent statement Strohband said that while Ullrich found the Rock Racing team very interesting, he had no intention of returning to racing.
Since the beginning, Rock Racing has continually courted controversy and headlines. The Pevenage signing adds a new twist to the already confusing Rock story. As Podium In Sight revealed recently, the team's roster for next season does not comply with the UCI rules governing Continental teams. According to those rules, the majority of the team's riders must be under age 28. No explanation has yet surfaced as to whether the UCI will grant Rock a waiver on the age rule or what the team intends to do about the rules violation.
The Pevenage signing only adds to the controversy around the team, as the Puerto evidence included taped phone calls between Pevenage and Dr. Fuentes. Several of the calls came coincident with the long time trial at the 2006 Giro d'Italia, which Ullrich won handily. The Rock Racing management has frequently declared an ambition to participate in the major European races. Not only are they barred from doing so as a Continental-registered team, but the signing of the Ghosts of Cycling's Past like Pevenage will do little to open the gates to cycling's most prestigious races.
Source: radsport-news.com.
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Just saw that
And I am still laughing my head off.
Whatever. I am not one to condem RR. They haven’t been caught and last year the team did much better than so many predicted. Maybe they’ll do okay again. I’d rather root for them then get a doping scandal.
Hm
Well, this certainly doesn’t say that Rock is in favor of doping. But it does say, for the umpteenth time, that they don’t care to participate in any contest to burnish anti-doping credentials. Which is their right.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 19, 2008 11:49 AM EST reply actions
"Not in favor of doping" ? Oh please
Well , they’re probably not actually. What they (he/Ball) are is horny for any kind of publicity, preferrably scandalous, to make a name for themselves. And they’re making a mockery of everyone else in the process.
If american cycling is in such dire need that it can’t afford to say thanks, but no thanks to Michael Ball then it’s probably beyond rescuing anyway. There are some things you can’t get back once you’ve given them up. Your soul is one of them I believe.
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
Hey
it’s their right. Not that I agree with it, but Ball is apparently trying to craft a bad-ass team image, which suits the sponsor’s image and sells jeans, presumably. Their whole shtick is fashion. Do we need dissenting voices in the doping war? No, but as long as they don’t cheat, as long as all their guys are acting within the rules*, the harm is pretty minimal. Do we need sponsors? Natch.
I’m not totally comfortable with their practices, given the broader context, but I think they are conducting an odd experiment of melding marketing and fashion with the team, which I find intriguing.
[*potential rules problem with the roster size, I’ve read someplace.]
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 19, 2008 1:42 PM EST up reply actions
Unlike the rest of the world,
Rock Racing obviously doesn’t buy into the stereotype that former dopers are pariahs. It’s taken me this long to figure it out, because part of me can’t believe it’s possible. Maybe this helps the brand image of Rock & Republic, but from what I see, Michael Ball truly likes cycling. So, what is it? Is he used to the “outcast” and “criminal” label so much so that it doesn’t bother him to hire former dopers? Or, does he truly feel like his team gives busted and repentant dopers a chance? Or, what … ?
+1 you're right
I’m wondering about the guys on the team who thought they would be racing in Europe next year only to find out now that theywon’t be. As well as the new guys that were hired that took the team over it’s rider limit. Those guys will be out in the cold for a ride because of all this. That is going to be a miserable place to be next year. The Pevenage situation is going to discredit the squad even more in the eyes of many cycling fans.
If I just had one more gear, I...
And Rock keeps screwing themselves
they want to get into the big European races but they keep making it harder on themselves. First they won’t become a Pro-Conti team, so at least in the rule book, they can’t get into any of the “historic” races, including the Giro. Then they keep signing these losers, who should be out of the sport and forgotten. I don’t see them at a big event any time soon, not that that really bothers me. Michael"all my riders have at least one shrunken"Ball is a disgrace in my eyes.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
ja
For me that’s so very perplexing. I mean, Ball can get publicity by making scandals and such, but if he really wants to get a return on having a team, the big races are the best place to get it. Continually, though, his team management – or he, himself – makes decisions that push the team farther and farther away from the center of the sport. Not so wise, I would think.
Getting publicity is one thing and wanting the best for your team is another
I wonder how long it will take guys like Sevilla, who really wants to ride the Vuelta again, to realize that they are getting screwed over by the Ball machine. The GT’s have other more worthy teams to give wild cards to. For instance Xacobeo Galicia is looking for a Giro and Tour invite next year, I would hope they get one before Rock does.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
I wonder about that
it does seem that publicity is the trump card for many races. Heck some folks all over the world are peeved that you know who is not only unretiring but is being welcomed back with open arms by most races. So if the presense of RR brings media awareness to a race, and probably some exchange of dough (the team provided sponsorship $$ to races at the last minute which is probably how/why they got invited) well I wouldn’t be surprised to see them at big races. Look at how HWW…. and Basso are being welcomed back in their media
That goes both ways though
some riders are not welcomed back with open arms. I think those include Hamilton and Sevilla. Basso and Armstrong were never that disgraced, and neither have actually been caught doping. I don’t think that RR has the names to bring much more awareness to the big events.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
well the same can be said: Mancebo, il Buffalo also were not caught doping
and nothing has been proven about Pevenage….
But again
Mancebo and il Buffalo will not bring the media attention that Armstrong and Basso will. So I still don’t think RR will bring much more media. I think the good majority of Americans don’t even know RR exists, and they all know who Armstrong is.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
do most Americans know Armstrong because of his cycling or because of his dalliances with starlets
I vote the latter.
Probably because he is always in the media for some reason
that’s not my point though, my point is that I don’t see RR getting much more media attention for an event, than that event already receives.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Exactly
Is a possible scenario that Michael Ball is happy with the current level of funding and success of the team? They did fairly well this year, result-wise. They generated a huge amount of buzz. Michael probably got to ride his bike with the pros as much as he wanted. Why shoot for the Pro Tour when you are having the time of your life?
Not True
Rock Racing was THE crowd draw at the starts of each stage of the ’08 ToC. Yes, they paid a kings ransom to be a sponsor yet they drew the disproportionate amount of attention, genuine or manufactured.
ToC isn't in Europe though
I’m taking about the bigger European events they hope to get into. While Armstrong will get a lot more attention for the Giro, in the US, I don’t see RR having a big impact on the media coverage for the Giro, if they were to get in. I might be wrong but that’s my take on it.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Armstrong exists on his own plane
and I’m not talking about his Gulfstream. There’s just no comparing any cyclist with him, I think (in terms of fame).
But don’t discount Rock Racing’s PR. In my (admittedly limited) experience at US race, the difference in reception and awareness of RR between 07 and 08 is incredible. The only other team you could say that for is Slipstream/Garmin, and I wouldn’t be surprised if RR has more out-of-cycling-fans awareness than they do.
At the Tour de Georgia last year,
my brother-in-law bought a jacket, hat, and coozie. I didn’t, but now I’m jealous because they look so cool…
Er
what’s a coozie?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 20, 2008 12:57 PM EST up reply actions
Isn't that the drink cooler thingy
that goes around a beer bottle to help disquise that it’s in fact a beer bottle when watching Cross in at Park that might possibly have postings that say no alcohol?
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
See... this is why cozzies are so important.
They help maintain such images. Of course that was hypothetical and I have only heard rumors… I think Jimbo tried it once. Oh wait, maybe that was the booze in the shoe thing. :-)
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
Er, right.....I won't ask.
Mind you, I have been known to nick bottles of port left on high table at university dinners. Shove it down the sleeve of your gown and smile innocently. Who would suspect? ;-)
Yeah I think a lot of who Rock hires shows
who Ball is getting advice from. Just like them signing all the ex-Phonak riders (including the informal Landis association and attempt to hire Axel M.). I have a feeling he’s not into researching the international cycling scene, he’s just listening to the guys around him.
Or...
You can say he’s getting guys on the cheap since they are tainted. Like the current US RR champion who most any other team wouldn’t touch. He couldn’t have been expensive and now RR look pretty smart on that one. And notice that RR did not sign Landis because he was too expensive.
Buy low, sell high, isn’t that how its done?
Great point, can't argue with that
Maybe it’s a bit of control thing as well, those guys need him more than the average untainted rider or staff. I thought it was weird that he added a forum to his Rock Racing site where all the posts have to be approved by Ball himself.
No it isn't.
This comment has been approved by Michael Ball.
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
by fmk on Nov 19, 2008 4:44 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Michael Ball is a marketing genius.
This comment has been edited by Michael Ball.
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
by fmk on Nov 19, 2008 4:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
This comment has been deleted by Michael Ball.
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
Michael Ball
has hacked my editors tools?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 19, 2008 4:50 PM EST up reply actions
gaaaaahhhh, the horror!
I promise my password contains upper and lower case letters and alphanumerics and I did not share it with anyone, not even my cat.
Maybe
just speculatin, but maybe he’s got a pretty low opinion of the cycling establishment and thinks he can buy his way into whatever he wants in on. He might be right, though I’m not taking that bet.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 19, 2008 1:44 PM EST up reply actions
If he thinks buying your way into events
instead of getting into them because of the squad you have, or the achievements you have accomplished, well than I have a low opinion of his cycling establishment, just sayin.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
But
RR was arguably the 2nd best US-based team last year (if you count Columbia as being in transition to the US as most folks here said earlier this year) after Garmin. Meanwhile several US teams folded. And to me that makes some symmetrical sense: The two most successful teams showed a lot of flash. While Garmin touted their white hats as frequently as possible, RR were the bad-ass Raiders. Both approaches worked. Both teams had riders who excelled.
And honestly Ball should have a very low opinion of the cycling establishment. Same with Vaughters and Stapleton.
I don't disagree with you
I think RR had a great year and I think everyone should have a low opinion of the cycling establishment, but I’m just saying that if Ball thinks that buying your way into events is the way to go, then I disagree with him.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
good points ursula
I must admit that they were much better than I expected last year and by the end of the year, they were racing as a team. it was interesting to watch.
yep agree with that, for Ball this is a bizness just like his fashion business
where the more buzz the better, and money talks. Now will money also buy his way into races, well I wouldn’t bet against it at this point, again looking at what is going on.
I do think that RR messed up completely by not going Pro Conti this year, somebody was not paying attention.
Pro Conti
yeah I don’t get that either, why it didn’t happen. Well if he gets a Grand Tour invite then maybe he figured he didn’t need to be a Pro Conti.???? We’ll see how this plays out.
the pro conti thing
That was the part that prompted my comment about cluelessness. The Puerto riders yeah, that’s publicity on the cheap. I’d agree with someone’s comment upthread that they were bargain signings and they get a lot of press. Makes some sense. But failing to reg the team correctly is just plain dumbassedness.
Pavenage is a poor signing because of his baggage and because he’s not an especially good DS. Why bring on someone with that baggage who isn’t even good at his job? Dumb idea.
That wasn't meant to sound like scolding you
More a “where else do you expect to find a controversial DS” tone. If you are lucky.
what I don't get is
Didn’t he fuck this up last year, too? I recall him talking big about a number of races, and wasn’t it in some press conference where someone said “Uh, Michael, you’re not eliglble for that until your licensed as a pro continental?” And he was all “Oh, hmm, I’ll have to check into that . . .”? Seriously, he didn’t do his homework after that? I just have a hard time sorting that.
Velo news interview, I think
He was going on about getting a wild card invite to the tour, or the Giro, and someone told him that he had the wrong kind of license.
yes, that's it
But my ability to criticize has been temporarily revoked by my demonstrated inability to get the difference between your and you’re down, so I’ll just be quiet for a bit.
(I try to live by the rules I’d impose on others . . .)
Rules are for suckers
but now that you mention it, what is the difference? I’m to full of cough syrup and vitamin I to think clearly about such distinctions today
rules shmules
unless it’s a rule that requires us to receive pinarellos.
that is a rule i’ll be happy to follow.
I guess Manolo Saiz's asking price was too high?
Leaving aside the European races, it will be interesting to see if the Tour of California sticks to its guns and excludes the OP riders again.
by Susie Hartigan on Nov 19, 2008 12:44 PM EST reply actions
Saiz to Rock, ha!
That would have been so spendiferously fabulous.
The Tour of Cali indeed has a decision to make. Hmm, I’m going to guess they ride this year, but could be wrong.
Yep
My guess is the scene on the Rock team bus at Cali next year will bear a striking resemblance to Fuentes’s office waiting room.
All they’ll have to do is fill up the fridge with bags of blood and lay out some pamphlets on menopause symptoms and the importance of an annual pap test, and Rudicio. Sevilla, Hamilton, Paco, and the Bufalo will feel like they’re back in sunny Spain.
by Susie Hartigan on Nov 19, 2008 1:32 PM EST up reply actions
Rock Racing the Paris Hilton of cycling
Next we’ll see Pevanage’s sex tape released on the Internet, though the thought of it makes me curl up in the fetal position.
I’ll just lay here for a while.
"Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill"
-- Fausto Coppi
I don't think I will ever function normally again
after having that image planted in my brain. Perhaps with years of therapy…..?
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
Its' a matter of time
before they just up and hire Fuentes as their team doctor. Quit wasting time with the riders he supposedly helped, and go straight to the source.
er cyclingnews states that they got the info from a RR press release
that would make it pretty official
the cn story says
" He will become directeur sportif, according to a press release from the team. " what press release?
CN gets a lot of stuff wrong
although they usually change or remove the story fairly quickly. They haven’t done that with this one yet.
Also, regarding the age issue, 13 of the 25 riders on Rock’s 2009 roster are under the age of 28 so the questions about their roster have been resolved. All of that stuff was based on speculation before the roster was announced.
It Should Be Pointed Out...
Rock Racing was the only professional cycling team profiled in 2008 by ESPN The Magazine and USA Today.
Granted, ESPN.com had a few regular features on Garmin-Chipotle (actually, several of them came when the team was “Slipstream Sports”) but what I would like to see is one of the U.S. teams get a spread in Sports Illustrated (and it not solely focus on Lance Armstrong).
by Chief Commissaire on Nov 19, 2008 3:34 PM EST reply actions
why does the rock racing site
look like an album cover for a very bad metal band?
really, i’d like to know this.
Because Rock and a metal band are very similar
they both have a lot of gruppies, and they both have members who have used a lot of drugs. They’re practically the same thing.
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Everyone has their flaws :)
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
And further on the transfer front
Cicloweb has a list of the currently unemployed. I couldn’t say for sure how complete it is – it looks a bit Italian biased to me – but there are far fewer names than I expected to see bearing in mind the big casualties we have seen among the teams.
Surprising names there include Niklas Axelssen, Oscar Gatto and Perez Cuapio, all of whom seemed to have performed OK last season. Unless…..
Sadly it seems that poor Angel Gomez Gomez won’t be back. Nor Andrea Moletta, although he may have lots of little brothers to play with instead.
Does
having him in charge of my VDS team count?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 20, 2008 12:57 PM EST up reply actions
At this moment, I'd say there is a 50/50 chance this will go the same way as RR did with Cipollini
A great way to keep them in the news,
Maybe Ball can gain some new contacts along the way.
Then, after a major race like the ToC they part ways siting philosophical differences.
At no time in his history has Pevenage been a capable DS, but RR can get a lot of off season press by bringing him in and then letting him go in the spring and both parties come out ahead on the arrangement.
lol, well
It’s more than 50/50 now. It’s confirmed that the CN story is wrong. No press release. D’oh.
If you look at RR's press history . . . .
. . . they have done very well staying in the media on all sorts of rumors and partial truths which is a very smart, and cheap way of marketing.
I wouldn’t trust a damn thing written on them.
I think Ball likes to get things in the press just to have a bunch of people run around in circles screaming about whatever and how this is an example of how RR is destroying the integrity of professional cycling.
Hook, line, ’n sinker . . . .
actually
The story was more likely Pavenage trying to get himself into the media, not Rock Racing, since the story originated in the Belgian press, and specifically Sporza. The quotes from Pavenage at l’equipe make it pretty clear that he wants back into cycling.
It’s freakin’ hysterical that CN quoted a non-existent press release.
Well, I could see Ball BS'ing Pevenage and getting to think something would happen . . . .
. . . he is really good at that.
Just say enough to Pevenage to get him out on a limb and then if the response is super negitive, like it is, just let the guy fall and RR still gets a ton of press.
Like I said, it is a very cheap way of marketing.
If I were to guess . . .
. . . a more likely reason for all this bluster is that Pevenage is just plain broke.
His golden boy is not paying out anymore and he really has not other skills then to be a leach.
He saw a lot of money, and is trying to get in on that, but I really doubt it is going to happen.
Ball is crazy, but he is not that stupid.
Pevenage officially confirmed by RR
and Ullrich will not join the team, but apparently the meeting Ball scheduled was indeed to talk about a comeback, and that led him to Pevenage.
(via CN)
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
Forgot to mention the best part of this
from the same CN article, Ball has this to say about Pevenage
“He is probably the greatest DS in the last 20 years, his resume speaks volumes of accomplishments, those Belgian directors are unbelievable”
Crack aint good for you kids
"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt
10 Minutes with Michael Ball
The Rock Racing leader discusses his team’s plans for 2009, why we need to let bygones be bygones and whether Jan Ullrich might join the team.
http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-3-9-18194-1,00.html
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