Simeoni Rants; Gazzetta Pants; RCS, C.TV Refusing to Dance?
by Chris Fontecchio on May 4, 2009 4:30 PM EDT
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Filippo Simeoni, who seems to believe that winning the Italian road title last June was the equivalent of a golden ticket, today stomped into the Federalciclismo offices and symbolically turned in his tricolore jersey in response to his team's exclusion from the Giro d'Italia. He ranted that the national federation should "explain to the fans because the national values are not respected, because the selection criteria are unclear and favor the commercial aspect rather than sports." And of course, he blamed the entire affair on Lance Armstrong, not his team's complete inability to win races and his own failure to show the jersey anywhere near the front of an interesting race. Does God love me enough to stop Lance from responding? Probably not.
Meanwhile, RCS chief Angelo Zomegnan offered that maybe Simeoni shouldn't have taken Tirreno-Adriatico so lightly (he DNF'd after falling way behind), or maybe he could have worked out his differences with Armstrong during the seven-hour parade from Milano to Sanremo. Of course, Zomegnan has now played straight into Simeoni's paranoia by even mentioning that latter point, and calling Simeoni "uncivilized" probably won't shut him down. No, only the intervention of Pat McQuaid can stop this from spiraling out of control now...
It's not hard to see how Simeoni's demons could be getting the better of him these days. Take a look at the Gazetta dell Sport Giro page -- it's practically an homage to Lance, seeking his picks to win, updating fans on his progress at the Gila, posting training videos from Livestrong, etc. Poor GdS readers are so overwhelmed with Lance-Mania that in the faves poll (so far) they are rating his chances of overall victory four times higher than those of Levi Leipheimer, despite the breathless coverage of the Gila stages where Leipheimer dominated while Lance just played along.
Finally... video coverage... ugh. Cycling.TV has nothing on its site about the upcoming Centenary Giro, save for oblique references about how you can "watch the grand tours" if you subscribe. This is a pretty clear sign that by "grand tours" they mean "tour" singular, or more specifically "Vuelta a Espana". Recall, before MSR Cycling.TV struck a last-minute deal to bring fans that coverage, which was preferable to their going dark for La Primavera. However, in doing so they pared off that race from the Giro rights, which RCS has apparently been selling as a package. Vesus has already exited the scene, as far as we know.
So... don't expect to hear Anthony and Brian at the World's grandest grand tour this year, and don't expect Vesus to cover anything either until the hotly-anticipated Dauphine Libere kicks off in June. I know, this isn't news, but chances of a last-minute deal are down to pretty much nil. I suspect we will get RAI video streams -- I am an eternal optimist. But as fine an option as that is, I do still like A&B's thoughts, and the occasional weekend highlight package on TV.
Girbecco says: "No English-language Giro video? Well played, RCS!"
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I hope RCS is happy
when we in America end up watching their race on some foreign stream instead of gladly paying some money for a English language stream, good call RCS, really are doing a great job at getting the American Lance is all we know about cycling fans to once again ignore your event.
In Chauncey we trust!
If money is exchanging hands between a human and Cycling.TV...
… there’s no “gladly paying” about it.
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
Speak for yourself
I have had no problems with cyclingtv since the final stage of P-N(knocking on a gigantic piece of wood), I would love to here Brian and Anthony’s insight for 3 weeks and I would love to be able to see some of the big stages over and over again by watching them as-live.
In Chauncey we trust!
I would simply like back the $99 they owe me.
…for simultaneously renewing my subscription and canceling my access, while not responding to emails to customer service at all. I have a MotoGP video subscription I’m itching to put that money to use for.
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
Ok, that's bad, they still run a dirty buisness
I’m just happy their streaming has appeared to improve.
In Chauncey we trust!
I would write “+1” for “what he said”, but “+1” seems… you know… positive… and I don’t really feel positive overall with c.tv.
However, yes, at our house, it has lately been… less… er… bad… than usual.
-Greg
Of course, right when you start feeling good about them
they pull a shit move like pulling the Giro from their coverage, Bastardos!
In Chauncey we trust!
Yes - I too love The Jimbo
"I didn't look for him and I didn't see him. If you base your race on another rider, most of the time you lose."
Tom Boonen
I lost that reputation weeks ago, now I'm all cardigans and home-made bread
I am, of course, less confident now. But hey, CTV are the only people still even trying to negotiate, and I’m an optimistic soul who’s willing to believe that RAI might at some point realise it’s a good idea to stop shooting themselves in the foot.
But speaking of negotiations, how about an update on yours w/ RCS?
Even if you don’t get approval to broadcast in English, at least run the coverage through ctv so I can watch at work. I can’t get RAI or virtually any of the other video sites at work.
Thinking hard - really hard - of something witty to say....
How many times
do I have to ask you to contact me so I can get this fixed? Unless emailing me costs you a hundred bucks, seems like I might be able to help.
Aaargh
With comments like this you just might start bringing back us dis-gruntled ex-CTV customers . . .
R Mc, you need to understand
that CTV is a little like the an old communist regime. You need to know the ins and outs of the system to get things done.
- If you have problem with your account, don’t call customer service, post on a blog and wait for a friendly CTV rep to handle your case in person. It’s all about who you know, you know.
- If you have a problem with the feed, don’t call techsupport, email cyclingfans and he will relay your problems to the good folks at CTV. If you fail to do this, the feedproblems might not be recognized as an existing problem.
- If you have trouble finding info on what is being transmitted and when, for gods sake don’t go to the CTV webpage. The info is readily available from other sources (I just haven’t quite figured out where yet but I’m sure it’s out there. You just need to know where to look.)
Harold...
… a bare modicum of research is all that’s required to determine exactly who I am. From that, I have to imagine that it takes only a further moment to determine which account is mine at Cycling.TV. Finding identifying information about people on the internet really isn’t that difficult now-a-days as I’m sure you can appreciate.
Frankly, the more I like a company, the more willing I am to cut them breaks and try to use back channels to resolve my issues. The less I like a company, the more I DEMAND that they act in good faith, execute on their promises and act in a thoroughly business like fashion; hence why I haven’t asked you to resolve my customer issue. It is my understanding that that is not your job. Although if you’re standing around the water cooler and want to remind whoever runs Customer Service at Cycling TV or Jump TV to get on the fucking stick, well that’s just you talking to another employee.
Further, as I’m sure you would just as soon not deal with me, which I perfectly understand as I know I sound like a broken record of an irate customer, and you and I have never held a non-snark filled discourse, let’s just leave it to PayPal, the Better Business Bureau and whoever actually responds to Customer Service issues at CTV to resolve.
In the meantime, I will continue to exercise my privilege to try to turn as many of Cycling TV’s potential future customers away from Cycling TV as I possibly can.
Sometimes, even though you reeeeeeally want something, you have to vote with your dollar.
PS: Sorry for the threadjack, Chris.
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
by crashdan on May 5, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why do you hate Cycling TV Dan?
"I didn't look for him and I didn't see him. If you base your race on another rider, most of the time you lose."
Tom Boonen
Are you baiting me?
Is that what you’re doing? Because what I though we were, racial differences not withstanding, was just a couple of old friends, ya know? Just the both of us Californians?
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
Simeoni's also got the support
of the Lazio regional committee of the Federazione Ciclistica Italiana, who have threatened to break off all cooperation with RCS. I have no idea whether that actually means something in real terms.
that
the Lazio regional committee members are bored?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on May 4, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Sounds like there’s more than a bit of a torrential outcry. From one crazy cycling fan peer to another peer, I’ll really be down if I can’t get the full load of Giro coverage.
I shell out $60 a month for Versus, $100 a year for c.tv. Won’t they let me even have it? I’m willing to pay for it.
-Greg
by gregm on May 4, 2009 4:54 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I know nothing
Nothing!
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on May 4, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions
cool
but it’s like another language where the words don’t register.
by cg. on May 4, 2009 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions
The issue is automatically closed: get used to photo caption text. File 2009 Giro broadcast rights under “lost in translation.” To English speakers, RAI is not very nice.
-Greg
quite well played....
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Chris - Greg should get a free year's subscription to Podium Cafe for his post.
Just take it out of petty cash.
"I didn't look for him and I didn't see him. If you base your race on another rider, most of the time you lose."
Tom Boonen
A whole year?
Sheesh, that’s generous—at least if you’re talking the fifty bucks a month I pay for unlimited posting privileges. One of the other tiers might be more like it—maybe not the $35/month for up to 20 posts a week, but the $25/month for 10 and under seems fair.
Um…those are the same rates everybody gets quoted, right?
You need to do this race two or three times before you can win, despite what Cunego showed us last year: winning in his first try--Frank Schleck, on Amstel Gold
Only for serious posts
All packages include unlimited snark.
Simeoni did nothing last year except for that one day in June
and has done nothing this year, he’s not that exciting of a rider and his team isn’t that good. Someone should tell him that winning the Italian nationlal championship doesn’t make him the face of Italian cycling, imagine if Sevilla would have won the Spanish championship last year, there would be no one outraged that his RR team didn’t get into the Vuelta.
In Chauncey we trust!
Sevilla
I think he at least has fans. Does Simeoni actually have any fans?
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on May 4, 2009 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions
It did
send shivers down my spine. I do try to distinguish the region from the SS Lazy-o’s though.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on May 4, 2009 5:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Clearly Eustice
is describing Sevilla’s thighs and how they pump up and down as he pedals.
by australopithecine on May 4, 2009 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
"And then, I hold his waist, just like this..."
“… and we start to dance…”
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
Where's the Giro-atmosphere?
Simeoni talks beautiful English and has il Tricolore! For what it’s worth, I’m sure Simeoni and Co. would have been prefered by RCS instead of Xacobeo without Mosquera.
Moreover, that is not the Girbecco I know and love! Girbecco is not a philosopher with social-realistic claims. No, look at Girbecco – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEWUKjuZ4co – that is Girbecco! He’s soap-operating ‘cause he’s the Giro! You put too much head and too little heart in Girbecco. The Giro is all Italian, it’s impulsive, grande and dramatic! Flash them horns, ’Ecco!
Girbesso all impulsive?
I wonder whether he was skinned afterwards for dropping all those little hints as to where the prizes were. Watch him and wonder.
Girbecco should have...
humped the hostess. That’s what a real goat would have done.
by ManBicycleThing on May 4, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
CTV does actually mention the 2009 Giro on its site
but, as I’ve previously posted, you really have to go digging for it. Yes, from the front page the “Packages” link lists no Giro/Italian Pro Cycling package and the Gold package doesn’t list the Giro … but if you search for “Giro” under “articles” in the search box on the left side towards the top, the first link that comes up says “Giro d’Italia” package. Sure, the date on it is 05/23/2008, which on pretty much any other website or dealing with any other company I’d disregard as useless and out-of-date – but if you click on it anyway (humour me ;-) ) , you find the following info:
The highly prestigious Giro d’Italia is always eagerly anticipated by the teams, riders and fans alike, providing three weeks of superb racing year on year. The 2009 edition is set to follow suit, when we’ll see the cream of international cycling talent, including Lance Armstrong, battle it out for the highly coveted Maglia Rosa.
So, presumably the CTV web people decided to update the link that’s dated last year with this year’s information, rather than updating the link easily accessible from their main page. Does that surprise anyone?
oh, but it also has the following:
Please note that the internet rights for the Giro d’Italia are still under negotiation with the rights owners. We are working as swiftly as possible to confirm this event and hope to bring you confirmation in the very near future.
Because of this, we advise prospective customers interested in the current live races (and the races so far this year) to invest in the Premium package. This purchase will be refunded if you choose to upgrade to a Gold or Silver subscription at a later date (NB no later than May 21st). In the event that we are unable to carry the Giro d’Italia we will arrange compensation for Gold North America and Italian Pro Cycling package subscribers.
presumably that’s why any Giro coverage in their race calendar is listed as “to be confirmed” … and a bit odd, because according to their “packages” link, they no longer have a package entitled “Italian Pro Cycling”. I haven’t had the courage to actually log in recently to see if there is yet further conflicting information listed elsewhere on the site, only accessible to actual subscribers.
I’ve actually been reasonably happy this season with the performance of CTV (other than that first weekend with Het Nieuwsblad that was a disaster) – but the inconsistencies and confusion of their website in general (even after they revamped the website how many times?) really can’t be excused IMO.
"refund"
Heh… heheheh… bwaaahahahahahahahahahahaahhhahaahaaa….
I hope you can afford to lose that money.
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
"you" in the general "you" sense...
…not “you” as in “you”, guidemd.
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
no worries for me ;-)
I am not currently subscribed to Gold or any sort of Giro package (only Premium, because I’d expected RAI-International to have coverage on my cable TV – though that looks like it isn’t happening either, at least not for the starting day of the Giro).
Last year I bought premium
Then they came out with the gold package so i asked for a refund if i upgraded. Guess when i got the refund
'nuff said right over there ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~>
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
coverage update
(well, only in the sense that there are still apparently negotiations continuing, not really any news) – Pete at cyclingfans.com has tweeted about an hour ago,
Giro d’Italia: RAI asking way too much $$ for TV/online rights. Versus has already declined. Negotiations continue w/others. Stay tuned.
Yeah
It can be hard to know whom to believe, but this story has been going around for a while. I blame RAI.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on May 4, 2009 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Personally I think RAI isn't all that great anyway
sure the announcers are cool but they don’t show all that much live, compared to events in Spain and France their amount of live coverage is limited. Then they Geo-restrict their programs which is annoying as hell but that’s another conversation.
In Chauncey we trust!
what do you mean by rai doesn't show all that much live?
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Outside of the Giro, T-A, MSR, and Lombardia
they rarely show any other cycling live, and there is a ton of Italian cycling. Compared to France for instance, were they show smaller events like Tro Bro and Dunkirk live or Spain were they show smaller events like Asturias and Castilla Leon live.
In Chauncey we trust!
you're not watching the right channel.... check out the RAISport Piu schedule.... that's where the action is
such as giro del trentino, and the giro di toscana on sunday…
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
A Lot of the French stuff isn't so easy to get now
France 3 have cut back a lot and most racing is on subscription channels, either Eurosport France or Sport+. And even then they don’t cover the range that RAI does.
maybe it's because italy doesn't have the regional television broadcasters like france and, especially, spain
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
I read the title as 'Simoni rants' and got terribly excited, wondering what he'd said about Basso/Cunego now.
Oh well, that will come at some point I’ve no doubt!
Yes
That’s not for two more weeks or so.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on May 4, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions
lol, yeah
Entirely too premature for Simoni rantage. Soon ;-)
And actually, he might start ranting early this time around – there are mountains in the first week.
Sheesh, this thingy is going to be fun!
Yeah
I have a post cued for May 25th. Just need to drop in a blockquote.
CQRanking.com, you complete me.
by Chris Fontecchio on May 5, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
GD, MF, SOB!!!!!!!!!!! Hello ctv, give us what we're paying for! If you're engaged in black ops
to get a deal done, give us a wink and a nudge – I don’t think I can stand not watching the Giro, especially when ctv hasn’t been firewalled at work.
I don’t want to play the lawsuit card, but, um, I know a lawyer or two and have a law student coming to work for me this summer. Can we say “special project?”
Thinking hard - really hard - of something witty to say....
Patience is a virtue, right? Currently no one has rights to the Giro in the US for TV or online.
There is no way the Giro peeps will allow that to happen. Seriously, with Lance riding? Bad business. CTV is playing hardball and going down to the wire. Just wait. Someone will blink.
as far as I can see
in Australia, SBS is showing a daily highlight of 30 mins at night. and 15 mins of daily update in the morning.
Rai International is zero@*#&)^#*&
and that is all.
damn.
I have to admit
I have some sympathy for Simeoni on this one – I know I’m in the minority but…not to have the tricolore in the centenary Giro? It does seem like an abomination to me.
"No, only the intervention of Pat McQuaid can stop this from spiraling out of control now..."
Bwahahahahaha! It has to be time for this pic now, right?:
Anne Gripper brought a bad case of "making sense" with her
but good ol’ Pat managed to put the kibosh on that before it got out of hand.
Somehow
I’m guessing that almost no one on this forum has ever read Willaim Joyce’s “The Leaf-Men and the Brave Good Bugs”????
Who knew?? It's in development as a movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848537/
promo-interview about book:
http://www.bookpage.com/9610bp/childrens/theleafmen.html
Rationale for mentioning: There’s a phrase: "The Leaf-men turned to the Long-Lost Toy and said “Only you can save things now.” Somehow that made me think of McQuaid . . .
Those wacky Italians
Let me see if I understand this —
First, the Giro lands Armstrong — a ticket to big $$ in American TV rights.
Second, it writes a parcours designed for strong team like Astana (a/k/a Team Lance) rather than one the many strong, individual Italian climbers.
Third, it dumps its own national champion — don’t want to upset Lance.
Fourth, Lance breaks his collar bone, spoiling his chance of contending for the Rosa.
Fifth, and not surprisingly, with Lance now a non-factor, Versus does not want to pay top dollar for the broadcast rights in the US.
- * * * *
Predictions:
1. The Giro will have to get what it can at the last moment from CTV just to cut losses.
2. Levi Leipheimer and Astana will dominate the Giro and embarrass the Italians riders.
3. CTV will rack up a surprising number of US viewers due to the Levi angle.
4. Italy will be sorely disappointed that it sold out its national tour or a mess of pottage.
somehow all this stuff seems entirely plausible
by plinytheelder on May 5, 2009 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
This should actually be a reply way above
“How many times do I have to ask you to contact me so I can get this fixed? Unless emailing me costs you a hundred bucks, seems like I might be able to help.”
I’m in the same “re-up ($) and cancel access” boat, although I think my no-access subscription has actually run out by now. The password/login help provided is BS. Shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get what I pay for. Especially painful when I was a multi-year C.tv user.
I was actually willing to play the game again to see the Giro. C.TV “on-demand” “as live” replay is a beautiful thing.
News from the "will they ever learn" dept.
After losing one of their Giro squad when the IOC discovered that the it that old-guy-still-has-it-in-him Davide Rebellin actually had in him was long lasting EPO variant CERA, team Diquigiovanni Androni has shown pretty clearly where it thinks the future of cycling lies by hiring as his replacement one Leonardo Bertagnolli, last heard of when accused by Ivano Fanini of being one of Dr Ferrari’s favourite transvestites.
Nobody gets away with cheating under the watchful eyes of Gianni Savio
I’ve read it myself in Procycling.
Hmm, suddenly the Vuelta is to be confirmed on CTV
could this be in anyway connected? As in, they fork over a bit more cash than they’d like to RCS to get Giro rights an therefore maybe can’t afford the Vuelta? All I know is if they show neither GT they can forget about getting any more money from me and most everybody else who is a subscriber.
In Chauncey we trust!
Agreed
If they can’t keep their word . . . .
They are really
Just saving up for olympic rights in 2012… just you wait.
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