Cash Strapped Astana to Fold?

[Mellow Velo]

Picked this up from elsewhere. Bit of a shock, if true.
http://translate.google.com/transla...xolodnyj-dush.html&sl=ru&tl=en&hl=ru&ie=UTF-8

I can think of a couple of rescue package sources/options.

I wonder if now might be a good time for Pat McQuaid to announce a lifting of Vino's ban?

 

[Zoncolan]

Picked this up from elsewhere. Bit of a shock, if true.
http://translate.google.com/transla...xolodnyj-dush.html&sl=ru&tl=en&hl=ru&ie=UTF-8

I can think of a couple of rescue package sources/options.

I wonder if now might be a good time for Pat McQuaid to announce a lifting of Vino's ban?

Could hardly make the jist of it. Gotta love that Russian English
I doubt McQuaid can be that much of an ***, but we also saw some pretty shocking decisions from him in the past.
Vino's ban expires in August anyway, right?
It should be a few interesting weeks to follow

 

[LugHugger]

That really would be the icing on the cake, wouldn't it?

 

[BroDeal]

Oil and natural gas prices must be causing a lot of pain there.

It could not happen to a more deserving team.

 

[franciep10]

if this is true we would be seing reports of it allover the cycling pages, if it is true thank god

 

[brun sweater]

...so if i understand correctly, those guys in that link claims to know that the Astana riders haven't been payed this month? Or won't get payed next month? So Astana will close down taking effect imediately?

That would be huge news!

 

[laura.weislo]

Unofficially, it appears there is no truth to the story. I have a feeling from how it is written that it is a bit of sour grapes by Kazakh fans who feel their national team has been overtaken by outsiders.

But who knows - it certainly wouldn't be the first time a Bruyneel/Armstrong team has folded. Somehow I doubt Mr. Armstrong would allow that to happen this time, however. He surely has motivation to stay in the sport for a while and powerful backers who could step up to the plate with a new sponsor.

It does make a bit of sense that the team might seek outside sponsorship. If most governments are busily trying to shore up their economies, then dropping $15mil on a bike racing team might not make sound financial sense. If anything happens to this team, I suspect it will only be to see the turquoise and yellow colors of Kazakstan only on Bazayev - who, btw, has been riding really, really well.

 

[BigBoat]

Could hardly make the jist of it. Gotta love that Russian English
I doubt McQuaid can be that much of an ***, but we also saw some pretty shocking decisions from him in the past.
Vino's ban expires in August anyway, right?
It should be a few interesting weeks to follow

I think Astana has probably "spent" a lot of money on Patrick.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Especially when that bike team was set up, primarily for one man, who remains unable to ride.
Makes sense to expect the worst and to try and do something about it.
Not only the Kazakh government who are short of cash.
The team's biggest non-Kazakh sponsors are Nike and Trek. Nike and Trek are both undergoing layoffs and Trek workers have been taking unpaid weeks off to save the company money.

Don't think the new backer will be SRAM, however.

Armstrong owns part of SRAM, but they sold a large interest in the company to a section of Lehman Brothers, which is now attempting to make it's way independent of the bankrupt Lehmen parent.

 

[Weatherman]

Maybe wrong but don't you reckon Bruyneel would have ensured the money from kasakhstan was an upfront payment, he wouldn't want to be caught short half way through the year.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I wonder if now might be a good time for Pat McQuaid to announce a lifting of Vino's ban?

I'd like to see the UCI use their anti-doping charter he agreed to sign on him, and force him to pay back a year's salary.

Vino should never be allowed to race again IMO. And he should be stripped of his obviously doped up Vuelta win.

Bruyneel would have ensured the money from kasakhstan was an upfront payment, he wouldn't want to be caught short half way through the year.

JB is powerful, but not that powerful. This isn't Donald Trump here. I think for someone like JB, the director of a sports franchise, to insist that the team get all the money put into some form of protected securities (like, US municipal bonds) is unrealistic. Take a look at Michael Ball, he shrewdly (crookedly?) separated his millions from clothing, from his pennies he spends on his cycling team, thus making sure he didn't have to pay Baden Cooke, and could be late with payments to others. Businesses that back sports teams don't (often) use the company's bank account to cover it, they do what Ball did. Otherwise they end up like Crest, whose owners sank everything into getting that team off the ground, and it when it failed, it drove Crest (the parent company) into bankruptcy court, and the owners ended up penniless.

 

[Anonymous]

i think JB will be perfectly happy and probably has american sponsors lined up ready to move in... astana, or the khazak companies was a convenient sugar daddy for him for a few months while he got the team running, US bikes etc, and i think he will be perfectly happy to now return to an american sponsor..

that said.. i think the story is all a bit of a storm in a teacup..

 

[Mellow Velo]

I may be wrong here, but I thought that JB doesn't hold the PT licence. That is in possession of the Kazakhs.
In which case, I wonder what happens there?
They would have to get hold of that licence. A possible buyout?
Can't just form a team, mid season, without putting in all the necessary paperwork, guarrantees and passport subs, unless they get carried over.

Otherwise, as a new team, they would have to start at Pro Conti level and until added to the UCI list, wouldn't be eligible for a GT wildcard.

Any ideas who the new US sponsors might be, given the current economic situation?

Edit: Seems there was something to this rumour, after all. Although, things seem to be on the mend.....
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/2009-04-16-1559872264_x.htm


I wouldn't be surprised to see Caisse D'Epargne pull out, if Valverde bites the Italian dust. The French bank is just like all the other banks-struggling.

 

[whiteboytrash]

You can see the stern faced Kazah accountants going over the monthly books with the Hog;

"OK Hog, team buses for €300,000, yes we had those in the communist days so check that must be valid ?"

"Yes of course Vladimir, team buses all valid"

"Bikes €250,000, we had bicycles in the good old days of Lenin. We gave them to the people as they couldn't afford public transport, Hog I think this expense is OK?"

"yes Vladimir bicycles are a key part of what we do"

"Team radios Hog for €235,000, I think that's OK as you need you may need to radio into base when caught up in battle ?"

"Yes that's right Vladimir, team radios for battle"

"Hog, what's this charge for €1,000,000 to Ferrari ? - I don't remember seeing any Ferrari's in this team ? Do we really need to spend so much on Italian high powered sports cars ?"

"Errrr Vlad this expense is not actually for a car......"

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

LMAO funny!

 

[peloton]

I may be wrong here, but I thought that JB doesn't hold the PT licence. That is in possession of the Kazakhs.
In which case, I wonder what happens there?
They would have to get hold of that licence. A possible buyout?
Can't just form a team, mid season, without putting in all the necessary paperwork, guarrantees and passport subs, unless they get carried over.

Otherwise, as a new team, they would have to start at Pro Conti level and until added to the UCI list, wouldn't be eligible for a GT wildcard.

Any ideas who the new US sponsors might be, given the current economic situation?

Edit: Seems there was something to this rumour, after all. Although, things seem to be on the mend.....
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/2009-04-16-1559872264_x.htm


I wouldn't be surprised to see Caisse D'Epargne pull out, if Valverde bites the Italian dust. The French bank is just like all the other banks-struggling.

yes, you are wrong here. JB/his company holds the PT license, the Kazakhs only fund the team.
With the current economy crisis, we might see even more teams having the same trouble.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Cycling was already having a lot of trouble with every other event and every other discussion tarred with doping (look at these boards for example). But the economic downturn has even bottomed out, so I'm sure this isn't the last story we'll hear. It may end up where there's so little money, we end up with one team able to afford some big stars, and everyone else working for pennies on the dollar.

Did JB purchase Astana's license when he came over? Or did he bring the Discovery license with him?

 

[Power13]

yes, you are wrong here. JB/his company holds the PT license, the Kazakhs only fund the team.
With the current economy crisis, we might see even more teams having the same trouble.

I'm not certain that is accurate...Astana already existed and had a PT license when Bruyneel joined them.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

It seems irrelevant. When the season is over Astana is going to fold as is, then come back next year with a smaller budget with desperate riders, including a freshly doped up Vino and Kashekin.

This will leave JB in the same position he was in two years ago when Disco folded, leaving him to find a sponsor with deep, deep pockets to cover his fat team payroll. If he couldn't do it before when the economy was way better, in this climate I don't see it happening.

Contador can then sign with a Spanish team, Levi can move to a Continental team and race against Floyd until he retires, and Lance will have been shown he really doesn't have it anymore, and retire for good.

 

[ElChingon]

Well a part of me is happy and another part sad. First the sad side is some cool riders like Horner, Popovych, Rubiera, Kloden, Contador, Zubeldia, will be out of a ride aka team. Hopefully not for long and they'll be able to join another ProTour team fast. Of course the dismantling of another ProTour team is sad.
The happy part is the team has too many possible contenders as it is and dismantling it will be good for the sport, I think. This will distribute the riders hopefully equally to the rest of the current ProTour teams. Hopefully, Popovych to Katusha or back to Italy? Horner hopefully to Columbia or back to Fuji (the manager). Rubiera most likely will retire this time. Zubeldia back to Euskatel. Lastly, Contador back to the fold of with Caisse, with the right team to back him at the Tour, sure it will conflict with Valverde but that makes it even sweeter

 

[Mellow Velo]

That's why I asked. I thought the old licence Bruyneel held, lapsed after he found no sponsor to replace Discovery. With a limit to the number of these licences, it must have gone elsewhere.
Astana got PT status under the old Astana Wurth label:-

The new Astana management initially tried to buy the ProTour licence of the former Liberty Seguros-Würth team, held by Manolo Saiz. However, Saiz was reluctant to sell, so Astana applied for a licence in their own right. Initially, the new team was based in Switzerland under the holding company of Zeus Sarl and managed by former Tour de Suisse organiser Marc Biver. Vinokourov was the team's debut leader.

The UCI ProTour license commission first informed Astana that they would not be granted a ProTour License for the 2007 season. Following UCI's decision not to grant a ProTour license, the organizers of the three Grand Tours informed Astana Team that they would be included, regardless of ProTour license status. On December 20, 2006 the UCI License Commission relented and awarded Astana Team a 4-year ProTour license.

So, JB doen't hold a PT spot to take elsewhere. However, should Astana fold, I'm sure, with Pat McQuaid on speed dial, it would only be a formality that he be granted a new licence, as required.

Oh and nice to see that this site is now taking the rumours seriously.
Tough times ahead......and not just for the Astana All-Stars.

I suppose the immediate question should be; Armstrong aside- Can they afford to pay to have all these stars under one sponsor, or are they going to have to sell Kloden or Levi, at some point, to pay Contador?

 

[LugHugger]

I suspect that if there is substance in these reports that we are seeing the death of Astana as a Super Team. I think it's clear from comments made late last year/earlier this year that Contador would be happy to jump ship given what he feels is the JB/LA bias within the team. I don't see him working with JB again, do you? I think that it's likely that Zubeldia would then jump too, probably into whichever squad Contador moves to. Kloden maybe goes to Milram, if they can afford him. I think that Leipheimer is still competitive so maybe goes to Slipstream with his buddy JV although I don't know how their relationship is nowadays. As for Lance, I think that reality bites and he moves into MTB endurance events full-time and is a runaway success.