Bahati screwed by Landis?

[Anonymous]

So did Landis inadvertently (or maybe advertently?) screw over the Bahati racing team when he dropped his doping bomb? Landis' departure also meant the departure of the title sponsor OUCH, of which the owner is Landis' good friend. Now it looks like Bahati's team is out of money and "s" out of luck.

I don't understand why OUCH would feel the need to leave regardless of Landis' accusations. I really like Bahati and I hate to see him get screwed two years in a row. First, by the farce that was Rock Racing and now by OUCH leaving them, essentially, dead in the water without a life jacket.

I just don't feel too comfortable with a title sponsor's decision mid-season to just suddenly pull sponsorship. It didn't seem like OUCH was in a financial crisis so it seems it was more of a personal decision. You'd think there'd be a contractual obligation on OUCH to either continue until the end of the season or at least have to "buy" out the rest of the season so it wouldn't be detriemntal to the team like it was to Bahati. I guess not though...

Hopefully Bahati, the riders and staff can land on their feet again.

 

[Wheels Go Round and Round]

now you realise the man...............Flandis is

 

[eleven]

Who knew that the first casualty of Floyd's accusations would be...His own team?

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Who knew that the first casualty of Floyd's accusations would be...His own team?

I dunno. The three stooges who posted first on this thread?

Regardless, Landis did screw this team. Frankly, I have very little regard for Landis. The guy's a liar and a cheat, but I have little doubt his comments on Armstrong/USPS/Levi are true.

 

[eleven]

I dunno. The three stooges who posted first on this thread?

^Always clever, Moose

 

[bridgeman]

I did not understand when all those who said Landis is a great guy for spilling the beans, without thinking through all the implications. While I am not a big Armstrong fan I am not in agreement with the methods used by those who are obsessed with taking him down. If you want Armstrong out, do not use Flandis because of his high creep factor.

 

[Race Radio]

Bahati was already dead.

 

[BroDeal]

Bahati had money problems months ago. Landis carried the team by bringing his friend's surgery center on as a new sponsor. The team is now right back where it was at the beginning of the season, which is to say up the proverbial brown creek without a paddle.

The team's business model was never viable.

 

[trudat]

ONly because they hired Floyd. And the management were just incompetent.

 

[flicker]

I dunno. The three stooges who posted first on this thread?

Regardless, Landis did screw this team. Frankly, I have very little regard for Landis. The guy's a liar and a cheat, but I have little doubt his comments on Armstrong/USPS/Levi are true.

Seconded here. As nice a guy as Floyd has seemed and how he has cosieed
up to so many(Lance, LeMond ,Bahati, the Phonak owner) Floyd has screwed every last one of them. What a talent Floyd is.

 

[Anonymous]

Bahati screwed by landis...?

Thats like comparing bahati to the rich old pensioner who marries the 20 year old model

They both knew what they were getting into

 

[Vegan Dave]

I also gotta wonder what kind of team would want the support of doctor who remains protective of an admitted doper and perjurer.

As bad as Landis is, what does this all say about Kay?!

 

[WC Roadie]

The Bahati team rode a great race at Philly on Sunday, Rahsaan seems like a good guy and I know Bobby Lea is. I feel bad for Lea, wish he'd get on a solid team. Flandis is a fraud and scum, I hope he gets everything he deserves, unfortunately, yes I feel he is screwing others as well.

 

[djconnel]

Ouch came on because they hired Landis. Ouch then left when they fired Landis. I hardly think it's certain an alternate sponsor would have been brought on had Landis not been hired, especially since Landis was their only hope for that highly valued TOC invitation. But Landis could have made just as strong a case in his admission without naming specific riders.

Interesting to see the UCI squirm in response to Landis' claims of a cover-up. It wasn't all bad.

 

[Anonymous]

The Bahati team rode a great race at Philly on Sunday, Rahsaan seems like a good guy and I know Bobby Lea is. I feel bad for Lea, wish he'd get on a solid team. Flandis is a fraud and scum, I hope he gets everything he deserves, unfortunately, yes I feel he is screwing others as well.

well speaking as a non-american, the first I really even heard of bahati was when landis joined. They should thank him for that at least.

 

[python]

I dunno. The three stooges who posted first on this thread?

Regardless, Landis did screw this team. Frankly, I have very little regard for Landis. The guy's a liar and a cheat, but I have little doubt his comments on Armstrong/USPS/Levi are true.

i dunno you have a pretty good set of super sensitive antennas disguised in those antlers

now all you need is dr mas to decode the messages and apportion them according to the dna owner

 

[flicker]

well speaking as a non-american, the first I really even heard of bahati was when landis joined. They should thank him for that at least.

Well TSK I will buy Floyd Landis a ticket to England. Can you sponsor Floyd while he finds he finds employment in your home country.

 

[JA.Tri]

Sad event for all concerned, Bahati only recently on my horizon so have little knowledge of the team.

FL departing was perhaps a necessary outcome, however blaming FL for departure of sponsor is harsh.

The sponsor quitting the team was a foreseeable/likely? outcome, given FL's departure. However the sponsor alone is answerable for making the decision to quit the team and deciding the manner of that seperation.

 

[Anonymous]

Well TSK I will buy Floyd Landis a ticket to England. Can you sponsor Floyd while he finds he finds employment in your home country.

cant afford to sponsor him, but weve got a spare room. Can happily put him up and try and get him a few shifts at a local pub or something, and the riding is nice here.

 

[WC Roadie]

well speaking as a non-american, the first I really even heard of bahati was when landis joined. They should thank him for that at least.

I guess if you follow the no publicity is bad publicity way of thinking. I don't expect people outside the US to know about Bahati as he and his team is a local domestic race team.

Sad event for all concerned, Bahati only recently on my horizon so have little knowledge of the team.

FL departing was perhaps a necessary outcome, however blaming FL for departure of sponsor is harsh.

The sponsor quitting the team was a foreseeable/likely? outcome, given FL's departure. However the sponsor alone is answerable for making the decision to quit the team and deciding the manner of that seperation.

The owner of OUCH is best friends with Floyd, maybe the only one he has left now, so of course I would expect OUCH to pull sponsorship once Landis was booted or quit the team.

Per the Bahati website, On the Rivet, LLC. has taken over management and are seeking new sponsors. I hope someone steps up.

 

[scribe]

Who knew that the first casualty of Floyd's accusations would be...His own team?

Well. Cycling MUST burn to be rebuilt...... so let it burn.

 

[Anonymous]

So Landis brings OUCH with him when he signs in March (pretty late don't ya think?). OUCH leaves with Landis in late May (after what, a whopping 70 days?). Bahati team is immediately in financial distress.

How the hell is this on Floyd?

 

[scribe]

So Landis brings OUCH with him when he signs in March (pretty late don't ya think?). OUCH leaves with Landis in late May (after what, a whopping 70 days?). Bahati team is immediately in financial distress.

How the hell is this on Floyd?

No sponsor is going to step in that wake.

 

[9000ft]

Well. Cycling MUST burn to be rebuilt...... so let it burn.

While that might be a point of view worthy of debate, IMO, if pro cycling burns, at least in the US and maybe Europe it will not recover, at least not for a long time. Many teams will loose their sponsorship, good people will loose their jobs and races, already on shaky ground due to the economy will loose sponsors and shut down.

I know for a lot of people who post here, no price is too big to pay to bring down Lance Armstrong, but I'm guessing it's not their jobs that will be effected if pro cycling "burns"

Plus, I'm not so sure that even if it where to be "rebuilt" it will be very much different in regards to PEDs. PEDs have been a part of pro sports for as long as there have been PEDs and I suspect that as long as there is big money to be made throwing a ball, or racing a bicycle and as long as everybody loves a winner and nobody loves a looser PEDs will be with us. (2nd, place, just the first place looser and nothing is worse than a doper - except for someone who races like they're clean). That's something probably no one, including those who are using the PEDs are happy about, but we don't live in a pure realm of clean and righteous sportsmanship. Pro athletics is a competitive business and anyone in business will tell you, it's always a game of pushing the limits to find an edge.

None of that's to say the best possible anti doping techniques and strong rules fairly and completely enforced shouldn't be part of the game, But IMO, to think that any pro sport is ever going to be some bastion of clean sportsmanship is a bit naive.

 

[this_is_edie]

If I get this straight, the team had no money even before OUCH came onboard as a sponsor and that allowed them to survive for one (or two) more months.

Yet, this is the same team that had a well publicized launch at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. (See velonews' take on it) So who paid for the launch? If they were that strapped why did they do such an expensive event?