End of taking the High Road?

[cineteq]

All the talk about Cavendish [yawn]
But more important where is Tony Martin going?
Saxo, BMC, Leopard?

 

[cycledp]

Fleche wallonne

That's still not a big deal. I think they won the Tour of California one year, too, but, again, who cares?

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I guess the good news is that Geox will now get a World Tour license. They have paid their dues...unlike some other upstart teams.

 

[Maxiton]

Well, crap. I was hopeful they could go on. From here it looked like Stapleton was running (or owning) a great organization. I've seen (here in the forum) some oblique references to problems in the organization. Does anybody have a clue what those problems were?

Because if there wasn't something seriously wrong with HTC-Highroad, that prospective sponsors knew of but few spoke about, then that leaves one other conclusion: one of cycling's most successful, high profile, best run teams just folded for lack of a sponsor.

For Stapleton, his having to go cap in hand to sponsor prospects, and without success, must have begged the question of why putting more of his own money into this sport would be well advised. It did occur to me, when I was making my rather optimistic comments a few days ago, that he would ask himself this. I was in hope, however, that he would say to himself, I've got a solid and winning thing here and I'm not letting it fold that easily. I guess there was more to it than that for him. Or less.

In any event, this isn't exactly a good sign for pro cycling.

 

[luckyboy]

I guess the good news is that Geox will now get a World Tour license. They have paid their dues...unlike some other upstart teams.

Did Geox get rejected because of their shady past + Gianetti or because Footon were crap?
Either way their past hasn't changed and they haven't set the world alight with their results this season.
Europcar would be best to move up.

Anyway what about Lotto? GreenEdge will take HTC's place, and the QST-OP merger leaves one space still. Then again Katusha's license is up for renewal so maybe they can fall out of the WorldTour. edit: though looking at the UCI Rankings they aren't languishing near the bottom surprisingly.

 

[Tigerion]

Did Geox get rejected because of their shady past + Gianetti or because Footon were crap?
Either way their past hasn't changed and they haven't set the world alight with their results this season.
Europcar would be best to move up.

Anyway what about Lotto? GreenEdge will take HTC's place, and the QST-OP merger leaves one space still. Then again Katusha's license is up for renewal so maybe they can fall out of the WorldTour. edit: though looking at the UCI Rankings they aren't languishing near the bottom surprisingly.

Well Rodríguez is currently the 5th rank rider in the world so that might have done something do boost their ranking.

The top how many teams get automatic renewal of their license? But as sad as it is to see a great team fold, that is now 2 slots that have opened up for greenedge.
I think Geox chances of a license will really depend on the Vuelta, if they don't do anything there I'm not sure they will get a pro-license.
Not sure if this is right but apparently there results for this year are
1st Clasica de Almeria, Matteo Pelucchi
1st Stage 3 Giro del Trentino, Fabio Duarte
1st Stage 2a Brixia Tour, Fabio Felline

That isn't pro-tour material right there

Europcar have a good chance, with about 20 wins in the season, huge respect gained holding yellow during the tour as well as taking the white. I would say they are in a better position to get it than Geox.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

if any of this has anything to do with cavendish it is because bs couldn't guarantee keeping him.

the stapleton model was always going to be a tough sell. this team folded because its budget is way too big. with the retracting global economy it is natural that cycling sponsorship will retract.

 

[Ragerod]

The point is that it may make it harder to find a sponsor. Some potential decision makers will look at the image of the team's star rider and think, "We do not want any part of that." Maybe if Michael Ball wants to sponsor another team then it would not matter, but how many corporations want to spend $10M to be associated with a petulant chav flipping off the crowd. That is Cav telling his teammates, "F*** you. I do not care what effect my actions have on the team."

They wouldn't want any part of doping and cycling's bad image. Cavendish is a marketing dream. He's a winner and does so on a regular basis, he supplies journalists with quotes and his bad boy image is much better than the bland, boring image that some cyclists convey. Cavendish is cycling's version of Lewis Hamilton and he's one of the most marketable sportsmen in the world despite being petulant and whining when he doesn't win.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

That's still not a big deal. I think they won the Tour of California one year, too, but, again, who cares?

Exactly.

Apart from 22 Tour stages, 15 Giro stages, 10 Vuelta stages, 3 GT points jerseys, 2 Milan-San Remos, 2 Gent-Wevelgems, Paris-Nice, 2 Eneco Tours, 2 Tours Down Under, a Tour of California, a Tour of Germany, a GP Plouay and 3 Scheldeprijs did they won very little*


*(Apart from those other 300 races, of course)

and this, no big races indeed

 

[Moondance]

While i have never liked High Road/Columbia/HTC due to how insufferably boring they made ever flat GT stage the last few years I'm sad to see them go. They developed some outstanding talent over the years, which other teams will profit from now.

In my estimation this doesn't so much say something about a (coming) bad spell for the financing of the teams, but more that even in this day and age, it still is pretty much necessary for a team to have a 'national identity'. High Road was always an 'American' team, but never really had any Americans, it was always an American Foreign Legion composed mostly of a varied assortment of Euros and a cadre of Aussies and a Kiwi or two. Why would an American company invest in a team of foreigners? With GreenEdge on track it appears that all big cycling nations save Germany have at least one team which has that distinct nationality.

I hope this doesn't herald the end of the 'multicultural team'...

 

[maltiv]

Really sad news, they might have made some races boring but any team with Cav would have to do that. A lot of people who deserve to be pro will have a tough time getting a new contract I guess.

 

[LugHugger]

While i have never liked High Road/Columbia/HTC due to how insufferably boring they made ever flat GT stage the last few years I'm sad to see them go. They developed some outstanding talent over the years, which other teams will profit from now.

In my estimation this doesn't so much say something about a (coming) bad spell for the financing of the teams, but more that even in this day and age, it still is pretty much necessary for a team to have a 'national identity'. High Road was always an 'American' team, but never really had any Americans, it was always an American Foreign Legion composed mostly of a varied assortment of Euros and a cadre of Aussies and a Kiwi or two. Why would an American company invest in a team of foreigners? With GreenEdge on track it appears that all big cycling nations save Germany have at least one team which has that distinct nationality.

I hope this doesn't herald the end of the 'multicultural team'...

High Road, were never/have never been an 'American' team. They are the spawn of Telekom [German], were briefly sponsored by an American sportswear company [Columbia] before a Taiwanese sponsor came in for the last 2 years [HTC].

 

[spalco]

A very sad day for cycling, when the no. 1 team in the world can't find a sponsor and has to disband.

Indeed.

 

[zigzag wanderer]

The point is that it may make it harder to find a sponsor. Some potential decision makers will look at the image of the team's star rider and think, "We do not want any part of that." Maybe if Michael Ball wants to sponsor another team then it would not matter, but how many corporations want to spend $10M to be associated with a petulant chav flipping off the crowd. That is Cav telling his teammates, "F*** you. I do not care what effect my actions have on the team."

And yet there was never any doubt that Cav would find a team for next season. I wonder why, if he's such marketing poison?

Cav says he made a final decision on Saturday. Stapleton says his new partner pulled the deal on Sunday. That suggests to me that sponsorship was dependent on Cav staying, not leaving.

 

[spalco]

One thing I'm looking forward to though is next year's flat stages in the Tour being just as "boring" as the last couple years and with the same winner too. Anyone who thinks it was Renshaw or Eisel or Goss or Martin or whoever else that is the reason Cavendish won so many stages has a lot of disappointment ahead of them imo.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Sky will become the next boring team next year with Cav. The hate for Sky will increase.

 

[Eric8-A]

Sky will become the next boring team next year with Cav. The hate for Sky will increase.

Then I'm going to be wishing for Sky to disband

 

[richardp]

Then I'm going to be wishing for Sky to disband

Why the hate for Sky? Maybe the subject for another thread, but the pro-team returned to Planet Earth this year and done quite well so far, in lots of races. Please explain?

Here in the UK I see what a great investment they are making in cycling at all levels - the city centre Sky rides, the Sky Ride Schools programme, plus the sponsoship of the national track team. All good.

If Cav is signing for Sky, great - with him and Bradley it will be like Lewis Hanilton and Jensen Button at McLaren - some tension, but some great racing. Bring it on.

Big shame about THC though - I hope the womens team continues.

 

[janraaskalt]

Big shame about THC though

If after all those successful years people still don't know it's HTC, I can imagine they quit sponsoring.

 

[Swabian Lass]

Sky will become the next boring team next year with Cav.

Oh I don't know. Assuming Cavendish does go to Sky, watching how the team reconcile Cav's sprint team and Wiggins GC aspirations will be entertaining.

Plenty of scope for sulks and tantrums!

 

[Swabian Lass]

i hope jan ullrich and danilo hondo will bring sponsors and they will make this team like it used to be, t-mobile style,german team,no more sprint trains.

sad day for cycling.and i wasn't even a fan.

I wish. I'd love to see Jan involved and I#d love to see a German ProTour team. I'm not sure that German sponsors or the german media are ready for it yet, though. When all the cycling coverage on German tv is ARD and ZDF going on about doping it doesn't help.

 

[roundabout]

If after all those successful years people still don't know it's HTC, I can imagine they quit sponsoring.

Maybe he likes his weed too much.

 

[ingsve]

Cav did not get the message. Current issue of Velo (News) magazine.

Great. Another crybaby article about Cav. Why does he keep digging himself a deeper and deeper hole?

 

[Anonymous]

And yet there was never any doubt that Cav would find a team for next season. I wonder why, if he's such marketing poison?

Cav says he made a final decision on Saturday. Stapleton says his new partner pulled the deal on Sunday. That suggests to me that sponsorship was dependent on Cav staying, not leaving.

To be honest, Stapleton should have got Cavendish to extend his contract a long time ago.

 

[euanli]

True dat. Last winter Cavendish was practically begging for a new contract from Stapleton. But Stapleton played hardball and chicken and lost out.