New Belgian team in the making: Omega and Lotto breaking up
by tgsgirl on Apr 29, 2011 9:21 AM EDT
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PrintAccording to Belgian newspaper De Morgen, the rumours which have been around for a while are true: Omega Pharma and Lotto are about to break up in 2012. One of them wants to be more Belgian, the other sponsor is aiming for a more international image. To find out which is which, and more importantly - WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO GILBERT - go look after the jump.
Come on. It's more interesting than the wedding.
A pat on the back to those of you that guessed that Lotto wants to be Belgian and Omega wants the world. Is this surprising? Not even a little bit.
You see, Lotto is owned by the Belgian government, and the new Belgian superteam (super!) will have government backing. Secondary sponsor would be Belgacom. The telecom company (partly owned by ... the Belgian government) was rumoured to be one of the sponsors interested in Team Lay-O-pard, which caused a bit of turmoil in Belgium. Why would Belgacom, a Belgian company, back a Luxembourgian team? What was wrong with out own teams? Well, nothing apparently. Belgacom have officially confirmed that they are talking with Lotto about a new 2012 cycling team, so this isn't just baseless rumours.
Tertiary sponsors: Adecco. The interim company is headed by CEO Patrick De Maeseneire, who quite likes cycling and has previously dabbled in the peloton when he was at the head of Chocolade Jacques.
And what about Gilbert? Gilbert knows nothing. "I only know what I read in the press. I've never seen anything like this, it's all quite bizarre. The team is having its best year ever, and still there's a change that the cooperation stops. But apparently, the two sponsors don't get along anymore. I'll wait and see what happens. I don't have a deadline, and with the results I've got got I don't need to worry. There are plenty of candidates to negotiate with me."
So, where do we think he'll end up?
- LOTTO - Yeah, duh. A Belgian superteam will want the best cyclist (Belgian and international) in the world in their team. There's more though. Gilbert is a loyal man. More important than money (rumour: €3mil yearly salary) to him is a team made for him, with the right managers, the right ds, the right teammates. After Amstel, he gave all his teammates €5000 from his own pocket, because they did so much work for him. He wants the freedom to pick his guys. Vacansoleil, you know you're gonna loose Leukemans, right?
- QUICK-STEP - no, I'm not kidding. Quick-Step, now with extra heavy bags of Czech cash, want Philippe Gilbert. Tombo and Gil on the same team? I think I might die. Would it work? Don't know. Do you? Please tell me in the comments!
About the others, nothing is known. Greipel and VDB, where do we think they'll go?
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Someone get a sofa for Albertina to faint on…
Lotto and Omega will find and agreement and extra cash
The team will buy more international riders and Phil will stay (well payed). That’s how I see it.
Agree, its hard to see Belgiums biggest future star going abroad now.
There will be forces working in Belgium to find a solution for Gilbert.
It's the snoring, isn't it?
They should’ve remained as Silence – Lotto.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
Those Canyon bikes are growing on me.
I hope he stays with Lotto….
"In road cycling tires 25mm is the new 22mm"
-Chris Fontecchio, PdC April 2011-
smiley face-y
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Looks like they have sweat stained armpits...
by JustJoshinYa on Apr 29, 2011 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions
If they don't
Then they weren’t working hard enough in-the-break/reeling-the-break-in/soloing-to-victory…
Sometimes I take comfort in the fact that there is a parallel universe in which I'm winning both versions of VDS.
by omnevelnihil on Apr 29, 2011 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Gilbert and Boonen
totally works. They’re not all that similar; Gilbert doesn’t even start Paris-Roubaix, Boonen doesn’t seem to like MSR. The only place they clash is de Ronde. No laughing matter. But most Rondes involve so much luck that you can’t count on both of them being at the front, in great shape. And even if they are, is that so bad?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 10:25 AM EDT reply actions
see boonen and devolder
worked out pretty well
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Yeah but the hierarchy there was well defined
Boonen > Devolder
It worked in Devolder’s favor both times. And certainly Boonen and Gilbert could work something out.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
perhaps better
Boonen always seemed to think of himself as much more deserving. In this case he might be more enthusiastic about sharing.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Gilbert is Wallonian, isn't he?
How would the Flemish fans react if Boonen ended up helping Gilbert to victory in De Ronde?
That
er, kind of asking for a generalization. Undoubtedly Flemish nationalists would be against it, but I’m not so sure about anyone else.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Gilbert is accepted by everyone, pretty much
It helps that he speaks Dutch very well.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
it could bring the country back together!
like in the olden days of monarchies, country A’s princess marries country B;s prince, and now the countries are friends. is same sex marriage legal in belgium?
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Cavendish/The Stig has won Flandrien of the year too...so idk how much that award determines your Flemish-ness ;)
by Vlaanderen90 on Apr 29, 2011 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Confusingly enough
The Flandrien of the year award is just a best cyclist thing, regardless of whether you’re actually a Flandrien or not.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
see how happy they look together?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
This could be
the Bromance of the Century!
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Doesn't that honor go to Contador and Andy?
Conta’s wink & hug at the end of the stage…
Heartfelt video apology…
The specialized video of the two together…
- Seriously “get a room” stuff…
by JustJoshinYa on Apr 29, 2011 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I meant *this* century
2011-2111.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Well if we're going to use the tgsgirl scale of happiness we need some parameters.
How do you feel about puppies? Babies? Sunshine? Rainbows? Cobbles?
Sometimes I take comfort in the fact that there is a parallel universe in which I'm winning both versions of VDS.
by omnevelnihil on Apr 29, 2011 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions
perfect caption contest material!
Gilbert: “Tom, I’m riding you off my wheel just like I will on all our training rides when we’re on the same team” ;)
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
by plinytheelder on Apr 29, 2011 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions
ah
right, legwarmers. Probably not from the Tour of Flanders then.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Where do Coucke and Sergeant wind up
in this scenario? Does one team wind up with most of the contracts and another start from scratch?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 10:26 AM EDT reply actions
Coucke owns Omega Pharma
So, ehrm, I’m guessing he’d stay with Omega, who want more international glory. So I guess they keep Greipel? Don’t know, tbh.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
all riders hava a contract with a Omega-subholding.
It’s that holding that ons the Worldtour license too
Right, you mentioned this before
I need a short memory upgrade
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
This puts Lotto in a very weak position
if they want to go solo, they don’t have any riders to start with and no license either
No
though they have such a long history in the sport they could probably pull things together in a couple years.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
More questions
What’s Leukemans’ contract situation? Surely he’s the #3 Belgian, if you’re building a Belgian Super Team and you miss on the first two, you gotta go get him.
Also, what wedding?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 10:32 AM EDT reply actions
Leukie has a contract til the end of 2012
So unless there’s a buy-out, Phil will have to do without his best bud for a little while longer.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Leukemans will never go back to the current Omega Pharma - Lotto management after what happened:
The team doctor prescibed him a medicine which contained some sort of testosterone. Leukie used the medicine, tested positive, got suspended and was fired by the team. They let the doctor finish his (one year) contract and never apologised to Leuke, nor supported him (legally or financially) in his struggle to prove his innocence.
UCI suspended him since a rider is responsible for the substances in his body. Even if his team doctor subscribes it.
I got the impression that Leukemans would have wanted to return to Lotto, but they didn't want him.
For the aforementioned reasons (although obviously Lotto have a different twist to the story).
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions
he's good friend with Phil,
but I’m sure he expected some sort of apologies, some recompensation or some staff members to leave. When he talks about the affaire, he’s always really bitter.
I can see them ending up on the same team, he can't win races but he's always there in the final.
Just the kind of guy Gilbert needs (or needed until the resurrection of Vanendert).
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
More from Lotto:
The national lottery has confirmed that it is saying goodbye to Omega Pharma as a partner: “Our visions of a future joint project differ.” The national Lottery wants to build a Belgian topsportteam “with the development of Belgian talent and presence in the Belgian races as the most important factors”, they say. “Lotto-players want to cheer for their own Belgian cycling heroes, and we have to ensure that happens. The amount of sympathy for a team which gives chances to young talent, is huge.”
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
hehe ;)
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
by plinytheelder on Apr 29, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Sounds wonderful, a crypto-fascist cycling team.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
It was OTT
but still. How many non-Belgians will this “super” Belgian team end up with? None? Are all the non-Belgians (not that there are huge numbers) going to be out of a job?
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Of course it was, and je m'excuse.
But this little tidbit, I don’t like it.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
No, I don't especially either
though most teams are nationalistic one way or another, or more than we’d probably like to admit, anyway.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Of course they all have to serve their sponsor's interests.
And if that sponsor has a purely Belgian interest, then so be it. But don’t feed me this nationalistic BS please. “Lotto-players want to cheer for their own Belgian cycling heroes”, blegh.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Lotto players are Belgians
who’s the most popular rider in Belgium? Gilbert. By a long shot. Then Boonen, even when he’s not winning big. Then, I don’t know, Nys? And then Cancellara maybe.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
JVDB?
Gotta be top five.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought nobody liked him? ;-)
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
It's the mountains, it's not our thing
He’ll get there quickly if he pulls off another ride like in 2010 though.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
not your thing
but more so than Football.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I meant it's not what we get excited about
Well, we get less excited about it than we do about cobbles.
Not that that stopped me from hijacking a wifi connection with my phone in a very dodgy Dakar bar to find out if VDB managed to hang onto his fifth spot.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
that
sounds like an interesting story…
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Fanpost!
(with pictures pls)
Sometimes I take comfort in the fact that there is a parallel universe in which I'm winning both versions of VDS.
by omnevelnihil on Apr 29, 2011 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't mean the hookers
(although I see how it reads that way – sorry) just pics of a dive bar in Dakar. But I think this is a Quixotic pursuit anyway.
Sometimes I take comfort in the fact that there is a parallel universe in which I'm winning both versions of VDS.
by omnevelnihil on Apr 30, 2011 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions
D'oh
His eternal tag line.
The only thing worse than not winning a VDS race is winning a non-VDS one. -- Chris...
I don't think it *is* purely about sponsors' interests.
Which teams aren’t nationalistic in any way? HTC? Leopard, maybe? (They ought not to be given the paucity of Luxembourgish riders but they sort of are…).
The French teams all are. The Italians ditto. Rabo certainly. Saxo are still sort of identified as a “Danish” team despite the international line up.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Re Saxo Bank
Not the least because they have always had Danish sponsors.
And interesting thing from yesterday, when Sean Weide felt the need to point out that BMC isn’t a Swiss team, but registered in the USA.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Apr 29, 2011 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, and Farnese Vini is a British one....
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
yes & anyone would think Ireland
was stuffed full of pro-riders looking at the teams that have been registered there
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Colnago is Irish
You’ve seen IrishPeloton and FMK root for them, haven’t you? Gets crazy sometimes.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Apr 29, 2011 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Registration is just that, registration
An Post – Sean Kelly is registered in Belgium, but I think we can safely say it’s not quite a Belgian team.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Hmm
I don’t think Sean’s point was necessarily nationalistic. It’s more a point of accuracy. It’s the kind of detail that a media rep notices and points out, nothing more.
I didn't say it was nationalistic
Just said it was interesting, I’ve always seen it as a Swiss team myself.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Apr 29, 2011 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, but look at their sponsors.
I don’t even know what Lampre does, but I guess they only do it in Italy. Liquigas has an Italian market, and if I had to guess, I think some interest in the Eastern block as well. Saxo… mostly Danish customers, I assume. Etc. etc.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Correct.
They’re in Turkey & Portugal as well as Italy. But in Italy cycling’s very nationalistic all the same. Look at the handwringing that went on until Pozzato got his win last Giro. Look at the handwringing that went on when Gilbert (much as they like him) won Lombardia. Especially since everyone at the finish seemed to be waving a bloody Padania flag.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
You're shitting me?
I was sure they manufactured eels.
Sometimes I take comfort in the fact that there is a parallel universe in which I'm winning both versions of VDS.
by omnevelnihil on Apr 29, 2011 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep.
The only context in which I’ve ever seen Saxo other than in cycling is their London-based analyst doing the talking-head thing on Newsnight during the various financial crises over the last few years. Had it not been for cycling I’d have no idea they were Danish.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
nationalism
I think is a bit different here. If a team just wants all Slovenians because they want to speak their language, eat their food, make a point about Slovenia, that’s one thing. But all Belgians is different. Belgium is a cycling subculture with its own season-within-the-season. I don’t think the motivation here is as much about pure nationalism as it is about the particular brand of cycling. Right?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
But is Slovenia really a useful example here?
An Italian team like Colnago might be…
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
fine
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Currently, it's 16 Belgians out of 26 riders
Don’t think that ratio will change much.
Coucke wants the Tour, and to get there, you’re better off with foreigners. Lotto wants cobbles & Ardennes, and to get there, you’re better off with Belgians* (or you know, just Gilbert). I’m talking domestiques and leaders here.
*at least, not much any foreign rider can do which a Belgian can’t (a certain Swiss dude not included)
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
I think most teams that want to internationally competitive know that they have to hire the best riders regardless of nationality
Katusha, Rabobank, Sky, Astana.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
True to a point
That’s what I meant when it comes to climbing.
But when Sky has a choice between two absolute master climbers, all alike in ability but one’s British and one’s Spanish … guess which one they’ll buy.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Absolutely
But I think the main goal of these “national” teams is to develop young British/Russian/Dutch riders and to win races. And if your country’s riders can’t get the 2nd one done, they bring on international riders.
Of course the ideal is to win races with a rider from your country. But the important thing is to win at all.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Actually, in Rabo's case, it's not just the need for wins that causes them to go international.
Rabo does business in Holland, Spain and Australia… California and New-Zealand too, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they signed an American and a Kiwi soon ;)
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Where are these British master climbers of whom you speak? ;-)
So essentially we’re getting a Belgian classics team & a sort-of-Belgian GT team, then? Even so, I keep thinking of that very odd moment Tour before last when it became apparent that Cadel was no longer really Belgian enough for *Lotto & Van den Broeck was in fact the leader…
You do get the reverse effect though. Sep would evidently rather be at Garmin, for instance.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
And the next year VDB got 5th in a very competitive Tour
VDB deserved co-leader status
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
It wasn't about the next year at the time, though, was it?
It was about a rider who thought he was the team leader being unexpectedly not supported by his team mate (or, for that matter, his team).
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Cadel was sick at (or just before) the 2009 Tour
So it’s really a moot issue about who the team rode for.
Now, the 2009 Vuelta.. that’s a different story. Cadel did get screwed by his teammates there.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
True.
But it’s not a moot point in the sense that Cadel didn’t get the support he expected to get from the team. If you sit down in the bus & say, Cadel’s ill so we’ll ride for VDB, fine. But that wasn’t what happened.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Sep would evidently rather be at Garmin, for instance.
Maybe that’s part of the problem. Or part of why Lotto wants to focus more on development.
QST stopped their involved with Beveren 2000 because they get putting money in the team, and the guys coming out of the program kept joining foreign teams (Ghyselinck to HTC was the final straw). Maybe by giving youngsters a chance Lotto want to put a stop to that.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
You telling me Sep couldn't have found a spot on a Belgian team??
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Nonononono
Sep – one of the biggest Belgian talents out there – apparently thinks that he is best off at Garmin. Maybe Lotto wants to make sure that in the future the talented young kids think “maybe I best go to Lotto, they’ll give me a real chance to prove myself there.”
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
I was kidding. ;-)
Point is though that if kids like Sep want to escape the pressure that being a talented young Belgian on a Belgian team, redoubling the Belgianness of said team may not entirely help.
I can see the point about Lotto wanting a return on their investment in young riders (in part Sky was not so much about “a British Tour winner in five years” but about giving all those riders BC were producing somewhere to go) , but their development team seems very happy to support young Brits at the minute & you’d hope they’d also want to see a return on those…
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Former feeder team, cosponsored by QuickStep
They stopped this year, partly because the guy behind the team was getting too old (Willy Van Keirsbulck, Guillaume’s grandpa), and partly because QS pulled out for reasons described before.
Former Beveren 2000 riders:
* Jan Bakelants
* Dries Devenyns
* Gert Dockx
* Jan Ghyselinck
* Kristof Goddaert
* Olivier Kaisen
* Thomas Kvist
* Nikolas Maes
* Kevin Seeldraeyers
* Kristof Vandewalle
* Julien Vermote
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Belgium has Topsport Vlaanderen, no other country has such a team.
Their talents get to ride all the bigger races, in Belgium and just across the border. I wouldn’t want to call it an unfair advantage, but Belgian youngsters sure get all the chances in the world.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Of course there is, in no other country you can find the money for such a team.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Italy?
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Yes, Orbea comes close.
But what big races do they ride?
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Castilla y Leon, the Mallorcan races, Ruta del Sol, Klasika Primavera, GP Miguel Indurain, Clasica de Almeria, Burgos … that’s pretty big for a continental development squad.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
True.
It’s not all the Northern and Ardennes classics though. And Topsport also ride Burgos.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
TopSport is ProConti
Continental teams can’t ride World Tour races, right?
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Euskie has Orbea Development Team
Some French amateur teams are run as feeder squads I think (VC La Pomme or something like that)
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
But these are all development teams.
Topsport is a team for young pros, at the start of their career. I can’t think of an equivalent.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
It's a development team
Just a professional development team.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
No, not the apple team I think
They have more non-French riders than French, most of them from the Baltic states (didn’t get a French licence, got one in Latvia instead).
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Apr 29, 2011 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Where are all those teams in the biggest classics?
Topsport get to ride them.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
As I said elsewhere
a team like Colnago… gets in the big Italian races, mostly, plus a few others.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
No I'm not.
I think they’d like to have a shot at LBL though.
by blackswangreen on Apr 29, 2011 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
hahaha sorry, that would just destroy those guys...
mentally, you don’t want 19-21 year olds riding LBL. There would be no finishers…it would be a waste of money and a spot in the race.
by Vlaanderen90 on Apr 29, 2011 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Fleche might have been a better example.
But I guess this is just the point: you can’t compare Topsport to other teams, because there aren’t any teams like that. Young riders who haven’t yet drawn the attention of the big teams who still get to ride the big races.
by blackswangreen on Apr 30, 2011 5:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Topsport only gets to ride the Belgian races because they're a Belgian team
with the exception of PR.
Same for CSF: they get toi ride MSR and Giro.
Because they are Pro-Continental...that is the whole point
hell, Topsport riders Italian fall races now.
Orbea, Itera-Katusha, Chipotle-Sugar Labs won’t be riding big classics anytime soon
by Vlaanderen90 on Apr 29, 2011 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Well yeah, because Colnago isn't in Belgium and there would be
10 other pro-conti teams to chose from before they ever thought about them
by Vlaanderen90 on Apr 29, 2011 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
That was my point:
TSV gets to ride the belgian top races, CSF the italian top-races.
Home-ridership is an important element
Get a haircut!
Sometimes I take comfort in the fact that there is a parallel universe in which I'm winning both versions of VDS.
by omnevelnihil on Apr 29, 2011 9:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Pozzovivo makes all the difference.
He can do a top-10 in the Giro. On what basis do you invite Topsport to LBL, other than (indeed) the home advantage?
by blackswangreen on Apr 30, 2011 5:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Rabo CT...
I think there are a lot of these teams now.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
hm
I seem to be losing the thread here. Nested comments… there’s only so much they can do in a crowded Cafe.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I ordered an espresso 10 minutes ago
Where is it?
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Apr 29, 2011 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Here you go Mr McQuaid
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I paid McQuaid
to ban coffee “art”.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Apr 29, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
fistfights
are out back. And don’t upset the pot smokers.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I wasn't staring
I was trying to get the bartender’s attention.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Funny
do they have goats on Tattooine?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
they ride them on hoth.
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Canada has their nice shiny new pro conti Spider tech team
as it is only their first year (at pro conti) they are getting the invites they can.
Dwars, E3, Sarthe, Turkey, ToC, Colorado, hopefully the two Canadian races as well.
16 of 19 riders are Canadian!
'When playing a game, the goal is to win, but it is the goal that is important, not the winning' - Dr. Reiner Knizia
by bought with blood on Apr 30, 2011 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
My take on Sep
is that he thinks the sport is international and it’s in his best interest to broaden his horizons. He also might get more of a thrill out of leaving home, though such personal things I don’t know, and even if he felt that way now, presumably Boonen did too for a little while.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
It also helps that he is young and teams like Garmin and HTC are known for developing young riders
I think some of the things both teams do, like giving all theirs riders wind tunnel time and giving every rider the best equipment add up to a better experience for young riders.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Katusha only hires the best Russians and then goes after big names
while having a developmental team which develops the younger Russian talent. With the budget they have I think they actually do it quite right.
It's Timofey MOZGOD time
Ujiri for MVE
Karl for COY
GALLO!!!
Lotto Belang?
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Apr 29, 2011 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions
You sad it, not me.
And this is in Time, when UCI does so much to farther internationalize the Cycling.
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
Vacansoleil
They probably have tons of money, and then w/Gilbert/Devo/Leukie/Hoogie=Ardennes/Cobbles domination? Plus, they’re the only team that seems like they have the ‘sort it out on the road’ strategy down.
Sminer: I blame KARMA for everything.
Jens: I've heard it's a bitch
Water Girl: I heard it ran over your dogma
Great! I love this scenario!
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
I think Boonen really needs a co-captain
I think Boonen has several good years left, but the pressure of carrying a team is too much for an aging superstar. Gilbert and Boonen would barely overlap, they’d get tactical benefits where they do, and the pressure on both would diminish.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Oh yes, & not even sponsoring a cycling team
will persuade me Adecco has any virtues. Sorry.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
The real question here is where the Lotto licence will come from
and if they will even try for a ProTeam licence or go for Pro Conti? The talk of “sympathy for a team which gives chances to young talent” suggests the latter.
This is what I was getting at
If they aren’t looking for, or likely to get a ProTeam licence I can’t see PG at Lotto.
I wondered that.
Does sound like a downgrade,doesn’t it…
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
How will Lotto
be different than Landbouwkrediet? Personally I am all for a third big Belgian team, not merely because of my biases but in terms of the distribution of talent. Belgium produces a lot of guys. There’s also nothing wrong with a team being a bit less international by today’s standards. Quick Step are the true Belgian cobbles-first team but they probably fall more in the they’re-all-really-international group, with its steady diet of foreigners and pursuit of the Tour. So yeah, good concept.
But aren’t Landbouwkrediet already acting as the stay-at-home Belgian team? And Topsport too, albeit perhaps with a younger bent? Where does Lotto fit in among those teams? Does it buy up all their best talent and muscle them out of the scene?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:36 PM EDT reply actions
TopSport is a whole other thing
No competition there. I think the plan is for the guys who come from TSV to go to the new Lotto except for Garvélo (Sep) and Vacansoleil (Crrrrrrrazy Thomas).
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
And I think they mostly wanna be
better than Landbouwkrediet.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Or at least have an easier to pronounce name.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Please
Could you do a podcast of reading PdC posts. I’ll subscribe.
"It's really who can just push the biggest gear the fastest and the hardest, and I want to be that guy" - GHH
That would only seem fair
"It's really who can just push the biggest gear the fastest and the hardest, and I want to be that guy" - GHH
For some reason it won't download
(but I only tried one browser, and it’s not like I need to learn how to pronounce it :))
Here’s a pleasant & free service for soundbites like this: http://audioboo.fm/about/audioboo
The only thing worse than not winning a VDS race is winning a non-VDS one. -- Chris...
Fuck
That is hard. I don’t think I can replicate the bouw part, haha.
The only thing worse than not winning a VDS race is winning a non-VDS one. -- Chris...
Landbouwkrediet in Dutch.
The only thing worse than not winning a VDS race is winning a non-VDS one. -- Chris...
Rabobank verrry Dutch.
The only thing worse than not winning a VDS race is winning a non-VDS one. -- Chris...
on the basis of those
I have a much better chance of learning “Flemish” than I have “Dutch”
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
I just wish we could have a gs v ted pronounce-off
for EVERY name in Dutch!
by Sarah Connolly on Apr 30, 2011 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
OK
so they probably absorb or crowd out Landbouwkrediet (which I have spelled correctly several times now, thankyouverymuch), and they get into a friendly arrangement with TSV to keep the Seps at home, as much as possible. [That latter role, wasn’t QSI already doing that? Or maybe they aren’t as friendly with TSV as the Lotto team would be?]
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
TSV is fairly neutral
as far as I know. QST had Beveren 2000 as their feeder team, Lotto still has Omega Pharma – Lotto Davo. Not sure if QST has a deal with another team this year.
Look, mini-Lotto!
(Tosh Van der Sande winining LBL junior)
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
yah
well, it’s a small country and a small community within the sport. They surely don’t need formal arrangements with feeder teams. All those guys know where to find each other.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Getting harder and harder with increased professionalization
Like Sep said in his interview with Chris, after G-W he got himself an agent and then they looked over the proposals from different teams. I’m pretty sure a more likely scenario not too long ago would be one of the local big teams getting together with Sep’s dad and/or his DS in the smaller teams to and an easy, smooth move over into the bigger local team was worked out, being the logical solution. The teams like QS and Omega more or less counted on those transfers happening but that just isn’t a certainty anymore.
Right
so the relationship between the teams is about as valuable as knowing someone where you want to get a job. Ensures an interview, but that’s it.
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Adecco
I like the idea of a job search company sponsoring a team.
“So Tom, why would you like to ride with us?”
moo
"If you were a plant, what plant would you be?"
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Apr 29, 2011 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Their recruitment methods were considerably less sophisticated
back when I temped for them.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
just
some rags and a bottle of chloroform?
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Apr 29, 2011 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
You line them up over the trapdoor and then hit the switch...
after that it’s the first mate’s problem to get the recruits back to the ship and out to sea.
Sometimes I take comfort in the fact that there is a parallel universe in which I'm winning both versions of VDS.
by omnevelnihil on Apr 29, 2011 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions
And now a super combined team for the Lotto women?
I know few of you may be interested but a new Belgian Lotto team could be a joint venture with the current womens’ cycling team. Now that would be cool.
Definitely
Headline sponsor for two teams, they must combine them, finally. But yeah, what Jens says, it’ll probably not be straightforward with Honda/Rochelle’s increased role.
The only thing worse than not winning a VDS race is winning a non-VDS one. -- Chris...
It's a very awkward looking position for the women's team
Especially with the Honda/Australia Cyclelab/South Africa links and the fact that Lotto are also a sponsor for Grace Verbeke’s Topsport Vlaanderen team. I’d hate to have to be the one trying to keep everyone happy there.
Fuck, I thought every time someone got too close. I'm here. You brake but I do not brake. I felt a slap to my right buttock, an Italian called "Occhio" because she wanted along. Will you along? Fuck. I sit here. And I gave my bike a swing to the right so that the brakes had to be Italian. She screamed evil.
Marijn deVries' experience of the RvV
Gilbert is going to Astana and have Vino as his DS!!!
It's Timofey MOZGOD time
Ujiri for MVE
Karl for COY
GALLO!!!
sugar daddy?
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
FP photo.
Can I just say this: Man against boys.,
Below the jump photo
Can I just say this: that’s a lot of Cav babyfat
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
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