Teams & Riders Bahrain

[fmk_RoI]

With the topic of ASO and UCI, I was thinking more of common business interests that direct payment to one another. So being good partners and furthering one another's interests, etc.

Again, real world examples please, and not vague wishy-washy claims.

It raises eyebrows when certain countries are awarded events even with major issues (e.g. human rights and/or others) but hey, as you note, this is not solely the domain of the UCI.

If we're going to cancel races in the Middle East (Boo!), China (Boo!), Turkey (Boo!) maybe all UCI races should have been cancelled in North America (Go USA!) during the Trump years. Every dingbat with a keyboard can take issue with where races are held.

 

[Ripper]

Again, real world examples please, and not vague wishy-washy claims.

If we're going to cancel races in the Middle East (Boo!), China (Boo!), Turkey (Boo!) maybe all UCI races should have been cancelled in North America (Go USA!) during the Trump years. Every dingbat with a keyboard can take issue with where races are held.

Perhaps you're reading something into my post that I'm not trying to convey. I would think the Tour de France doing well financially would be very good for the ASO, and also very good for the overall interests of the UCI. I'm sure there are other examples of races where that's the case.

Regarding where events are held, I think it is always better if there is more transparency about how the selection is made. So, not against races being held in all sorts of countries, including dodgy ones, more of the process involved that I might take issue with.

So, are you okay with the way things are being run by the UCI?

 

[the delgados]

Again, real world examples please, and not vague wishy-washy claims.

If we're going to cancel races in the Middle East (Boo!), China (Boo!), Turkey (Boo!) maybe all UCI races should have been cancelled in North America (Go USA!) during the Trump years. Every dingbat with a keyboard can take issue with where races are held.

I had a strong feeling someone was going to chime in with generalizations regarding human rights abuses. Trump was a nightmare, but he did not hunt down family members trying to escape the grasp of their husband who happens to be a prominent leader. Trump did not bring the woman back to the country and drug her to stage a PR campaign to say everything was good.
As much as I dislike Trump, he did not arrest and torture dissidents and journalists in his native country.
When it comes to human rights abuses, there is a sliding scale, and the countries being mentioned slide to the very bottom.

I know I've been warned in the past about bringing up politics, but I can't ignore someone who brings the topic up by referring to "dingbats with keyboards." Suspend me if you will, but that schit deserves to be addressed.

 

[fmk_RoI]

So, are you okay with the way things are being run by the UCI?

It's an improvement on how it was, better than the way some want it to be, and needs to be allowed to continue to evolve and improve.

 

[fmk_RoI]

I can't ignore someone who brings the topic up by referring to "dingbats with keyboards." Suspend me if you will, but that schit deserves to be addressed.

You can't understand it either, but thanks for demonstrating my point.

 

[Ripper]

You can't understand it either, but thanks for demonstrating my point.

Feargal, no need to be cranky. You could explain it.

 

[Bolder]

IOC generates far more money for UCI that ASO does.

Very true, but that also includes the 7 or so other cycling disciplines, correct ? but regarding the World Tour specifically, if I'm reading the UCI report correctly, which I may not be, team fees and organization fees are equal buckets of revenue. I would imagine that Amaury is the biggest single payee on the organization side. But I don't think the amount really matters as much as ASO being the owner/organizer of road cycling's biggest events...

 

[Ripper]

Very true, but that also includes the 7 or so other cycling disciplines, correct ? but regarding the World Tour specifically, if I'm reading the UCI report correctly, which I may not be, team fees and organization fees are equal buckets of revenue. I would imagine that Amaury is the biggest single payee on the organization side. But I don't think the amount really matters as much as ASO being the owner/organizer of road cycling's biggest events...

And to your last point, that's where the power play occurs isn't it? Without the ASO events, cycling would be perhaps much less in terms of revenue generation and importance as sport. And without a harmonious UCI that 'ensures' ASO events shine in a good light, set events do not glow as brightly. This is likely oversimplified, but I think it generally gives an idea.

 

[fmk_RoI]

if I'm reading the UCI report correctly, which I may not be

Total revenue 2019 CHF 40.7m
WorldTour revenue 2019 CHF 3.8m

I think that answers that question pretty clearly.

 

[ppanther92]

So after the Tour and the Nationals Padun was pulled from the Olympics. Surely nothing to see...

He raced Settimana Ciclistica Italiana though. But anyway, appears like a strange development to me.

 

[Eeslliw]

What about Tratnik today? He basically reduced gap to breakaway from 20 min to 5 min, alone. And then covered attacks like nothing. And when you thought he was droped for good, no he came back and kept pulling. That was for me, most impressive ride in RR OG.

 

[pastronef]

he came in at 16 minutes. he held on until the steep final climb

 

[Fergoose]

Padun in the mountains at the Vuelta starting tomorrow. He is already 90secs down on teammate Landa, so his options may be limited by the team. Bahrain generally have seemed fairly normal at the Vuelta compared to their sensational form earlier in the year.

I don't expect anything like a repeat of Padun's Dauphine form, so doubt he will be rubbing shoulders with Bernal and Roglic. The least suspicious thing he could do is get a few top ten stage results without ever threatening for the stage win. I have no idea what we will witness.

 

[Nick2413]

Padun in the mountains at the Vuelta starting tomorrow. He is already 90secs down on teammate Landa, so his options may be limited by the team. Bahrain generally have seemed fairly normal at the Vuelta compared to their sensational form earlier in the year.

I don't expect anything like a repeat of Padun's Dauphine form, so doubt he will be rubbing shoulders with Bernal and Roglic. The least suspicious thing he could do is get a few top ten stage results without ever threatening for the stage win. I have no idea what we will witness.

Do you think they’ve harnessed him in or just aren’t playing with fire for now, possibly from the TDF raid? The whole leaving him out of the Tour seemed odd. I know there was the team selection prior to Dauphine situation but it still seemed a bit fishy…

 

[pastronef]

Padun kept his program as decided in the pre season. so no Tour, then San Sebastian, Burgos and Vuelta

 

[ice&fire]

Whatever they have, it doesn't seem to work in hot weather

 

[Rackham]

Imagine Mikel Landa watching the Dauphiné & the Tour (even Caruso in the Giro), he was probably thinking "what a team!" or "I can't wait for the Vuelta!".

Jesus has forsaken Padun & co.

 

[Pinot's goat]

Imagine Mikel Landa watching the Dauphiné & the Tour (even Caruso in the Giro), he was probably thinking "what a team!" or "I can't wait for the Vuelta!".

Jesus has forsaken Padun & co.

Landa and Haig are both coming back from injury, neither are close to 100% yet. Not too sure what has happened to the others.

 

[Rackham]

Landa and Haig are both coming back from injury, neither are close to 100% yet. Not too sure what has happened to the others.

Roglic is coming back from injury. Bernal had Covid. Lopez & Mas did the Tour. There's really only Yates who could claim to have an optimal preparation for this Vuelta. I'm not downplaying Landa's Giro crash, but it's not like his rivals have been spared misfortune either.

 

[Pinot's goat]

Roglic is coming back from injury. Bernal had Covid. Lopez & Mas did the Tour. There's really only Yates who could claim to have an optimal preparation for this Vuelta. I'm not downplaying Landa's Giro crash, but it's not like his rivals have been spared misfortune either.

Doing the Tour is not bad prep, in fact for Mas I think it is ideal. The issue for Landa is that he started training so late it was impossible to get to top form. None of these riders had these issues, Roglic was clearly on form by Olympics ITT day (injuries were recovered) and Bernal had mild symptoms and was clear of all issues by mid June (less than 2 weeks after Giro) etc. Landa was saying he would probably go for stages wins even just before Burgos whilst every other rider was planning for GC. Clearly both Landa and Haig's issues have been worse than the others, I think they will both be very strong in the final week, then we see what crazy things the Bahrain riders can do.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Landa and Haig are both coming back from injury, neither are close to 100% yet. Not too sure what has happened to the others.

With Caruso you could argue that he has tried to hold his Giro shape unil the Olympics and that it has now crashed hard because of it.

 

[Fergoose]

Do you think they’ve harnessed him in or just aren’t playing with fire for now, possibly from the TDF raid? The whole leaving him out of the Tour seemed odd. I know there was the team selection prior to Dauphine situation but it still seemed a bit fishy…

I think they have belatedly decided to dial it back after the spotlight was shone on them. They would be wise to suspect they are still being monitored.

Padun and Poels both 26mins down on the stage today. Poels is understandable as this isn't his priority for the season and he has been used extensively. Haig and Landa being poor could in theory be explained by injury. But really, how many times do we have to see this team, almost to a man, collectively share peaks in form and dips in form?

Padun being preserved post Dauphine to peak at the Vuelta (rather than attending the TdF when clearly in stage winning form), then being rubbish, is not understandable. He has gone from beating leading international riders, peaking in condition and going balls to the wall on back to back mountain stages at the Dauphine, to being in the grupetto at the Vuelta on a day his team leader desperately needed him in the final kms. A day that the team had saved him for all year.

 

[ppanther92]

Good team comeback. And you should never rely on Landa in GTs anyway.

 

[Pinot's goat]

Good team comeback. And you should never rely on Landa in GTs anyway.

Landa isn't fit after injury. Haig still isn't in his final form either, they will get even stronger.

 

[ppanther92]

Landa isn't fit after injury. Haig still isn't in his final form either, they will get even stronger.

I know that Landa is not fit. But then again he has an outstanding talent to always find situations why not end up on the podium anyway.