PhilGil says no to Astana, gs breathes sigh of relief
by tgsgirl on Jun 14, 2011 2:30 PM EDT
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PrintAccording to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad there are only five teams left in the race to sign the best cyclist in the world - don't argue: my story, my rules - and Astana is not one of them. "The most important reason for us for signing somewhere is that Gilbert will have a good team around him, and that he can sign a three year deal", says Gilbert's manager Vincent Wathelet. Astana, for instance, can only offer Phil a two year deal. So no, Gilbert will not be meeting the Kazakhstan of the 21st century. Pity. It looks nice, albeit pretty empty.
So where will he go? Well, there are five contenders left. Three of them make gs happy, two of them make gs want to find a corner to cry in. Which is bad, cause the nearest corner to my current position has a 1.5 meter high cactus in it. It's sharp and pointy. Trust me, I know.
Where was I? Oh, right. Five teams left: Quick Step, BMC, Team Sky, Lotto and Omega Pharma. You don't need me to tell you which give me sadface and which give me happyface, right?
The article questions whether Sky will have the dough to buy mister Phil, because they're also hunting down the Cavmeister. And he can't be cheap. He has a Peta to upkeep. Gilbert himself has previously stated that he prefers a Belgian project. Omega Pharma has previously stated that they want to become a general classification team - can you say JVDB? - so their odds may be off too. "We still have some time", says Wathelet. "On 1 August we will officially declare where his future lies."
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there are rules Pigeons, this isn't 'nam
"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."
What the FUCK, has anything got to do with Vietnam? What the fuck are you talking about?
by Sarah Connolly on Jun 14, 2011 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions
well, maybe not a literal connection...
"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."
HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE CRAZY?!
Is ant1 the only one here who gives a shit about the rules!?
What would Deming do? (+8:00 GMT)
We don't need no stinkin' rules
Frustration has a way of releasing itself, rarely in a logical manner. -jsallee00
Oh, so cruel!
What did I ever do to deserve such treatment from you?
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Heh, I was offering it as a crumb of comfort!
Because as far as we know, their sponsorship is up this year, no?
by Sarah Connolly on Jun 14, 2011 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
JB + Gilbert.
Thats a mutiple GT winner project right there.
JB will wait 10-12 years and strike
You gotta have a replacement for Horner lined up at some stage.
We've speculated about it before, but I think Boonen + Gilbert could be a lot of fun...
Sky? Besides money, I don’t see why for them. Is Flecha leaving? Thomas seems to be developing well and they still have the second coming (EBH), right? Anyway, they are meh to me…
I will hope for OPL or QS. BMC wouldn’t be terrible…but please not SKY!
Sky needs a bankable star. They have none.
Gilbert or Cav would solve the problem.
They've not really got a leader for the hilly classics
And RVV is a good race to have lots of cards to play
Let it be BMC.
(hmmm, wonder if I can…)
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Gilbert is also being tracked by Manchester City
because they are required to seek out every athlete available no matter which sport.
I hear they sent him a picture of a Bentley
filled with shiny beige suits
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
I will never get tired of Belgian fashion!
by Sarah Connolly on Jun 14, 2011 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I actually think this is *more* terrible than the wedding suit...
…though really, the trainwreck is mostly concentrated on the neckware. I mean, good lord, in both cases.
No, that's Real Madrid
City goes after what’s left.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Jun 14, 2011 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions
And then both get outclassed by Barcelona
right that was the correct order. Well City would be the first choice if it weren’t situated in…Manchester…
Wowzers, it's looking like it might be Quick Step
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
What am I talking about...obviously Landbouwkrediet has the inside track
Gilbert + Kruopis = A new dawn for Belgian/Lithuanian relations
by Vlaanderen90 on Jun 14, 2011 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
whoa
is it possible to say anything bad about the guy?
[Wait, right, the beige suit.]
If cobble delusions are wrong, who wants to be right? -JFS PGH
by Chris Fontecchio on Jun 14, 2011 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
11th in the 2003 nationals
The awe for Phil, it just keeps growing.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Taking your bike for run.
This does not compute.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Sky obviously bad...
…but what’s the other bad? BMC? Or one of the Lotto twins?
Is this a serious question?
Belgian team vs. Cuddles’ team. Hmmmmmm.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Not simply nationalistic
I like Garvélo and Rabo (really!) and Liqui and Euskaltel (crazy carrots) and … but BMC? Not so much.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
I'm surprised no ongoing talks with Leopard.
Maybe that’s happening on the ‘down low’?
’Yo?
What would Deming do? (+8:00 GMT)
Maybe their pockets are infinitely deep?
I don’t know, but Cance plus mechanically challenged Schleck plus gravitationally challenged Schleck plus back-up posse… that can’t be cheap.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
GVA is worried
" I left OPL to do my own thing, something which is impossible with Gilbert in your team. Phillipe doesn’t easily give gifts. He wants to win everywhere. That’s good for the fans, but less so for his teammates. He’s a brilliant cyclist, but him joining BMC would not be ideal for me. I wouldn’t be able to ride for myself in races like MSR or LBL. The team management have told me not to worry, I will always get chances to ride for myself. That’s nice, but if they really want Gilbert, they’re not not going to buy him because of me. And I’ll have to deal with that."
Whiner. I get it, but… whiner.
(source = sporza)
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
Not a very smart move IMO
Now the neverending stream of questions about their relationship will keep coming AND it’s always a good idea to stay friends with the big guns. You never know you’ll need them one day, e.g. after a bad season when your contract expires.
And of course…. whiner!
I didn't think it sounded whiny though
It’s an honest assessment, he acknowledges PG’s superiority but notes how it will affect him. I like this honest approach rather than saying everything is great with PG coming to the team and then leaving or causing bad vibes in the team. He lays the cards on the table.
+1
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
I'm with Broerie here
GVA vs. Phil has caused enough trouble as it is, so wouldn’t it have been smarter to just shut up until – if – Phil actually signs? I mean, take your concerns to the management, yes, but maybe this shouldn’t have been in public.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
and this will be the exact same problem with Boonen and Gilbert on the same team.
Boonen will be squeezed out of key races.
I think if anything
someone else to share the spotlight would be a good thing for him.
I like tinkering with the boys.
- majope
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