RadioShack and Lance to Form New Cycling Team in 2010
by gregm on Jul 23, 2009 12:57 PM EDT
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Video announcement from Lance.
"To be able to compete for an American team comprised of the world’s top cyclists, supported by the best coaches and staff — I couldn’t be happier to partner with RadioShack, a truly iconic American brand."
From VeloNews:
RadioShack Corporation will form an American ProTour team, and, beginning next year, Lance Armstrong will compete for Team RadioShack "as a cyclist, runner and triathlete," the company announced in a press release.
Google news search on "armstrong radioshack."
RadioShack sells Garmin!!
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saw that too
that’s somewhat presumptuous to assume that they’re getting a PT license IMO … wasn’t the deadline for applications a few days ago or something (remember reading something about the Sky application going in just in time)? if so and they’ve already applied for PT status, means they’ve been planning this for a while… (or I could be wrong and they still have lots of time to apply for PT status)
This will have been in the works for months now...
… no way a corporate sponsor signs on the dotted line in a few weeks time. Also, I doubt that someone as rightly knowledgeable about the sport and it’s politics as JB and LA would allow a single thing to slip through the cracks…
Oh… that’s also the group that signed Basso to Discovery :D
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
What the hey...
When is Basso’s suspension over? Ethics101
Already is
unless he’s been suspended again and I missed it somehow
Yes, the deadline was 3 days ago
And UCI will announce the licenses in September. 5 licenses expires this year, but it’s possible that more than 5 teams are interested in a license.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Jul 23, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
McQuaid
thinks that’s somewhat presumptuous also
http://www.ciclonews.it/news_scheda.php?id=18353
75 75 75 75 75 75...
ahahahahahahahahaha!!! What happened to talking about one’s favorite way of preparing hot dogs?
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
uh oh
I zapped that thinking it had to do with word count.. was that a Radio Slack joke??
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2009 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions
No... I think it was the way he built the fanpost up to the 75 word minimum....
… I had forgotten all about that since I have blog superpowers.
Respect the Shit List; it respects you.
yes, that's it
I later added some additional text, which made the filler unnecessary. Thanks, Chris!
big confusion about Radio Shack in Canada last few years...
the Canadian division was sold off, bought by Circuit City but some sort of lawsuit so then they couldn’t use the Radio Shack name and all the stores got switched to “The Source by Circuit City”. Except then with Circuit City’s bankruptcy the stores were bought by someone else (?Bell). and along the way, Radio Shack tried to re-open separate stores in Canada but I’m not sure that actually worked as I can’t recall actually seeing a Radio Shack store anywhere here recently…
Strobe lights
and alkaline batteries, and phone cords, and fuses, and project boxes?… the place is geek heaven. Makes perfect sense to me. Cyclists are geeks, and geeks love radio shack, so they have a huge untapped geek pool to pull into cycling…
calls to mind this awesome Onion article:
by plinytheelder on Jul 23, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
wonderful!
Thanks link.
Is Mervyn’s gonna co-sponsor as rumored?
by thisisntthezodiac on Jul 23, 2009 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Because it's The Onion?
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Jul 24, 2009 4:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh...
Rereading my comment makes me think that it sound harsh, and that was not intended. I’m sorry for that.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Jul 26, 2009 4:29 AM EDT up reply actions
it’s actually a joke paper, check out their current front page about how they sold the paper to the Chinese, classic comedy right there
by plinytheelder on Jul 24, 2009 4:27 AM EDT up reply actions
check the sports section
NASCAR: Why Is It Not Done On Thousands Of Bicycles?
Dude, I can see my house from here
they meant
ubiquitous.
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
It's all coming clear now
This is why Lance & co have been slagging on Garmin this week. RSLS would never have chased down a fellow American, cause it’s a real all-American team.
"Never swing a small stick. " Andy Hampsten
Hey folks
I can understand the joking humor and slagging here really, I’m a fun loving kind of gal! I’m just wondering how people are missing how awesome this is, to have another American based (Hopefully Pro) cycling team.
Regardless of your opinion of Lance and Johan Bruyneel, this is a good thing, isn’t it?
Go Lance!
+1 million
(I’ve never done the + whatever thing before).
I’m a bike fitter, so this is the best news I could possibly receive. My disdain for LA and JB aside, they are good for my business. I hope they help Trek sell a trillion Madones that don’t quite fit people (well, at least in the San Diego area) :-)
by The Team Chef on Jul 23, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I wonder if this will lead to some movement on the...
…annoying UCI rule about NC races being unavailable to ProConti and higher teams in the US? It makes all kinds of sense in Europe, and absolutely none whatsoever in the US, Canada, and other non-european countries with more limited domestic calendars.
Also, where the hell are LA, JB & Co going to find enough high level riders to fully staff a ProTour team? One wonders just how much of Astana the think they’re bringing along. Contract issues anyone? Or perhaps they think they are taking the PT license with them?
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
I'm sure they will probably try to bring up a few of those kids from the U25 team (Trek-Livestrong) though I do not think any of them are ready for that level at all...
They are going to probably take as many riders off of the domestic circuit that they can and then they will bring guys over from Astana and then some from any other team that might be moving down or folding…
by Vlaanderen90 on Jul 23, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
Looks like they are trying to pull a Felt-Garmin/Rabobank: development + proteam all in one. Makes sense. And as long as they feel enough external pressure to play the “drug-free atmosphere from juniors up” card. PR wrangling aside…i’d be all for another act like that.
"Never swing a small stick. " Andy Hampsten
and as long as Radio Shack sticks around after Armstrong retires
I haven’t been following very closely, perhaps they’ve made a long committment.
by plinytheelder on Jul 23, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree on that score....
…I just hope they don’t poach the living shit out of everyone else’s development squads, especially that involves prematurely bringing riders along to make numbers. You may be right about saving the tushy of a few guys who’d be out of work otherwise, but the real question is whether all of this is going to be enough to make them competitive.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
Doesn't it just...
…and the degree of predictable adolescent hero worship coming from Taylor re: Lance just upsets me. There is no way that’s a healthy attitude. Mentors should surely be trusted and listened to and confided in, but not, I think, idolized.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
More the pinching of young riders from other teams for me.
We all pick our own heros & not necessarily wisely, but if people have put time & effort into developing young riders, & then some other team comes along & buys them up (or they perceive that team to be more glamorous, potentially successful etc.), rather in the manner in which the top football clubs go round hoovering up promising young players from lower league clubs, well…
Part of it is the market.
The young riders absolutely should be able to maximize their value, and I sure as hell don’t want them to end up in some sort of indentured servitude to a farm club. That’s no good. So offering guys opportunities they might not get within they system where they currently are, say b/c there just aren’t spots for all the good junior riders on the senior team, isn’t inherently bad at all.
That said, poaching Phinney seemed ugh. I wonder whether he wasn’t getting quite the support, given his focus on the track, from Felt/VMG as Trek/Livestrong promised. That’s an impression one could get. But he also got one of the super hot prototype felt track bikes, and most of the rest of the senior US team didn’t rate those, so I really don’t freaking know what happened there.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
Truth in that.
But in football, for instance, quite a few top clubs pay lip service to the idea of a youth academy & then fill it up with talented 16/17 year olds nicked from elsewhere. When it comes to the senior side ( & admittedly unlike in cycling, there are no limits on the number of players to a squad), you get the most powerful clubs essentially hoovering up players not because they really want or need them but so that no one else can have them. Players are happy to go along with this because none of them want to think that they’ll be the one sitting on the bench just collecting the cheque all season. When I look at, say, the concentration of talent on Columbia, it reminds me a bit of that. Not that I’m saying it was intentional on their part, but it does seem quite a few of their riders will be upping sticks at the end of the season…
indeed
though who is on it?
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2009 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes
though he warned that his wit is much drier in a live presser.
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2009 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm happy about a new American team and that there is a new sponsor.
and retain the right to hold judgment on how satisfying this is until I see how it plays out.
Did I miss it or was there any information on how long the sponsorship is for? Is it only for the 2010 Lance team?
If so they're going to have a hell of a time recruiting...
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
seems like they're saying that Lance is going to be
a cyclist, runner, and triathlete for them, so maybe he will continue the team somehow in that way even after he’s done with pro cycling?
It makes sense, as popular as triathlon has become in the States.
In fact, I’d imagine that RadioShack is probably looking at more revenues from the ancillary streams than it is from the strictly “cycling” portion of the team. Also, Lance’s age is actually a benefit for that because, bottom line, he inspires older professionals (like me) to get back into our respective sports and continue to compete—at whatever level we can. And it’s the older professionals that have the money to buy all the super-expensive gear.
As for recruiting, I’d imagine that they already have a pretty good idea of who they’ll have on the team. They probably had that worked out a month ago. These guys are two organized for any other result.
Wait ‘til they announce that Andy Potts is also on the team… or something like that. Clearly, it’s a broader brush approach, and I’d imagine it’s a MUCH larger level of funding to achieve the effect, at least initially. If it shows results, then that’s good. if not, well, that’s when you’d see the one-season-and-done team next year.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
good point re: triathalon
It’s getting really popular here too, & it is often “older” returnees to sport who get involved. My brother, who was a really good runner & swimmer when he was younger, has just started to do a bit…
Well, when you're in your later 30's or so...
…you just can’t keep up with the kids in the primary events. I mean, I can’t put in the time to even get close to keeping up with them. But I can do multi-sport and significantly cut down their advantage because 1) endurance seems to improve (some) with age, and 2) I have a lot more experience with a lot more kinds of sport than I did when I was in HS and college.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
Oh I had one of those!
Most of the kids I knew who had one of those, well, didn’t have girlfriends. :P
My fave app was a “graphical” (really text characters floating around) space game that used fake writes to the cassette(!) tape drive for sound. You put an AM radio next to the computer, and the fake tape writes made sound effects. It was so awesome!!! Sound from a computer!!!
guy I went to hs with wrote programs for the local bank on a trs80
paid cash for his first car . . .
went to work for ms straight out of college.
filthy rich.
Does anybody know the contract lengths for the astana riders? If Astana stays alive, how
are they going to bring riders over? Bert has 1 more year, so maybe theyll bring him over after Lance rides 2010 on his own? I assume they want Horner and Levi. Chechu is a lock if he still wants to ride. I wish there was more info about team budgets and rider contracts.
JUst read that JBs company holds the Astana contracts and can take the riders to a different team?
doesnt make sense to me?
Yeah, I think that's right.
The Kazakhs have the licence & JB’s company has the rider contracts. The interesting question would then be what are the terms of JB’s contract with the Kazakhs?
Oh Christ, so...
…lordy lordy. Radio Shack could essentially be Astana, with Astana having to start from scratch. Here Vino, it’s all yours. Enjoy it.
Oh that’s actually kinda funny… in a slimy underhanded sort of way.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
Yeah silly me I'd assumed he was going to have to recruit a team...
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
if i remember correctly, there's a clause in the riders's contracts that if jb leaves astana for another team, the the riders's contracts are null and void
or, i believe at least conta’s is…
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
So, he still could still drag Bert witrh him to Radio Shack?
that will surely not happen, but dear god that would suck!
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
I have a very hard time
conceiving of any minimally-lawyered deal that would give him the power to do that. I suspect everything just gets voided (with some ridiculous and interminable attempt to prove that the JB-Astana split was for cause, in the background).
Send it to the Hague; if that fails, hello United Nations?
Mon coeur appartient aux les forçats de la route.
Problem is enforcement.
In Kazakstan, no less. A few palms crossed with silver can make all the problems disappear.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
I'm imagining my reaction to a Kazakhstan choice of law clause
1. Coffee on keyboard
2. Pull out red pen . . .
JB's twitter today
Every choice you make has an end result.
what do y’all suppose that’s supposed to mean?
means about the same as his previous tweet:
It is easy to sit up and take notice, what is difficult is getting up and taking action.
by plinytheelder on Jul 24, 2009 3:36 AM EDT up reply actions
someone here referred to Bruyneel as owning a “platitude generator,” that was a good line, I think that was Gavia actually
by plinytheelder on Jul 24, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
A Team Radio Shack nickname?
I haven’t seen any good attempts yet à la Sexy Bank or Disco, etc
It seems a difficult name to have fun with
sometimes life is a false flat
there’s some B-52s angle but…ah maybe too predictable
by plinytheelder on Jul 24, 2009 4:28 AM EDT up reply actions
BATTERY OF THE MONTH CLUB!!!!!!!
Interesting news. Back in the day when I was getting my free 9 volts we called it Rat Shack.
Team Rat Shack. Nice ring, no?
The setting: TdF, 2010
French cycling authorities: Welcome to the Tour, Team RadioShack.
Lance: Thank you.
French cycling authorities: We understand that RadioShack is a company involved with, how you say, the technologies.
Lance: Why yes, RadioShack is a source of electronic consumer goods for 30 million customers a year, and did you know it has 35,000 employees…
French cycling authorities: Pee into the cup, please.
Lance: What? No, you don’t understand. RadioShack sells gadgets, not drugs. It has nothing to do with…
French cycling authorities: Pee into the cup, Monsieur Armstrong. S’il vous plait.
Lance: Can I have some privacy please?
French cycling authorities: Non! We need to make sure it is your pee, not some fake technology pee. Merci, and welcome to the Tour.
What's another word for Thesaurus?
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