End of taking the High Road?

[Libertine Seguros]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M&ob=av2e

 

[El Oso]

They did develop them well, EBH won Gent-Wevelgem
Degenkolb has won some races this year
Martin won Paris-Nice and the long ITT in TdF this year
Goss won Milano-San-Remo + Giro stage
And, Libertine will agree on this They had a very good women's team

The most important question: Where will Emilia Fahlin go?

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M&ob=av2e

Your life will be meaningless now they're gone.

 

[Mambo95]

The most important question: Where will Emilia Fahlin go?

The women's team's not dead yet. I think Uncle Bob may be able to keep that one going.

 

[leffex]

Fleche wallonne

and 2 time Ghent Wevelgem

and I still remember the Tour De Suisse of 09
Albasini, Martin, Eisel, Kirchen and Cavendish (2x) 6 outta 8

damm what a team, what a loss...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The most important question: Where will Emilia Fahlin go?

Hi-Tec Products, most likely. The other top Swedes are there even if it's a Norwegian team. And not to be blunt, but she's one of the more marketable names in women's cycling regardless of what she does on the bike.

Of the women's team:

Judith Arndt is 35 and may retire. If not, I'm sure she'll find somewhere.
Amber Neben is 36, as is Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (who will be 37 by the end of the season). Both are in a similar boat. Certainly still have plenty to offer, but if the right offer isn't forthcoming retirement won't be an issue. Charlotte Becker, Adrie Visser and Ellen van Dijk should be relatively safe, while Evelyn Stevens will probably resurface at Diadora-Pasta Zara since she'll know Manel Lacambra from the US National team. That leaves Colclough, Fahlin, Hosking, Miller and Stacher. The latter two may have to step back down to the NRC, but I'm sure that Hosking and Colclough will get to do a decent calendar even if it is only with national teams - we see plenty of races with Aussie national teams around, while Colclough will likely find a spot somewhere around the Low Countries.

 

[theyoungest]

They did develop them well, EBH won Gent-Wevelgem
Degenkolb has won some races this year
Martin won Paris-Nice and the long ITT in TdF this year
Goss won Milano-San-Remo + Giro stage
And, Libertine will agree on this They had a very good women's team

Yes, but you see, it would have been more surprising had they not achieved those major results at a relatively young age... EBH was the guy everyone wanted to sign when he turned pro, so was Degenkolb.

I mean to say: even at Milram, these guys would have been stars.

(okay, wrong example, they turned the Velitses into average riders )

 

[Mambo95]

What major races did they win?

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)

 

[roundabout]

Basically a sprint and TT team then.

 

[LugHugger]

It could be that a high position in the Tour's final GC would have been more valuable to potential american sponsors than a bunch of boring sprint wins. 19th place with a rider from a country that few Americans can find on a map does not sound that great.

Maybe. But the team's last sponsor was Taiwanese. If Americans can't find Slovakia that tells you more about the average American than what is valuable to sponsors in a global market place.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I suppose the question when comparing them to, say, Caisse d'Epargne's sponsor search last year, is what cards did Stapleton have to play with? Who was he asking?

Unzué had a roster which, though international, was primarily Spanish in its core. Stapleton's roster is incredibly diverse, with no real dominant nationality. Stapleton may have the benefit of more markets to look at, but Unzué has the benefit of the team being more appealing to the one main market he has.

Then, you have what is guaranteed. Can Stapleton guarantee suitors any riders next year? Nearly everybody at Columbia/HTC/High Road has won stuff, but sponsors will want riders that Stapleton simply won't be able to promise them. Unzué had a core roster of 8-9 riders committed to the team and was able to promise a few others who were conditional - "I will resign with you if you have a team for me to sign with".

 

[Amsterhammer]

You've really got to wonder when a team with such a palmares goes under for lack of a sponsor

I think this is sad news for the sport as a whole. Cav will be even more insufferable at Sky.

 

[SoLogy]

If Americans can't find Slovakia that tells you more about the average American than what is valuable to sponsors in a global market place.

Slovakia? That's the Greek dish that's like shish kabob right?

 

[ingsve]

I don't think this could be further from the truth.
Sponsors have zero interest in how racers are won, only in winners.
Cav is a huge bonus to them.

More likely, it is an indicator that the recent US debt crisis/possible recession has given potential sponsors cause to be cautious.
It also shows that the US cycling market is not the bottomless pit Mr Mcquaid and others, would have us believe.

Stapleton also said that all parties they were talking with as possible sponsors brought up the Armstrong and Contador cases which makes investors cautions eventhough High Road had nothing to do with those cases.

 

[Eric8-A]

So Bob has called off the team. But the year still ain't over. Is it still possible for Bob to get a call from someone to save the team?

 

[Mambo95]

So Bob has called off the team. But the year still ain't over. Is it still possible for Bob to get a call from someone to save the team?

He can't save a team if it doesn't have any riders.

 

[Ragerod]

I'm interested to know why the potential sponsor pulled out at the last minute. Did senior management say no or did Stapleton fail to guarantee Cavendish?

 

[spanky wanderlust]

Their star rider flipping the crowd off at races was not the best image. The current issue of Velonews has Cav flipping off the reader while wearing HTC kit. Perhaps Stapleton should have reigned in that sort of asshattery.

he did.

(pointless characters)

 

[NickBVK]

If you can win almost 500 races and not be able to find a sponsor, what can you do? At least Renshaw can now come as a package deal with Cav.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

he did.

(pointless characters)

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

 

[abbaskip]

I'd love to see Renshaw and Goss go to Green Edge, and take on Cavendish at Sky.

Goss obviously wasn't in top form at the tdf, but the rest of his seasons results show him to be one of the better sprinters in the peleton (along with Greipel, Farrar and Petacchi).

Renshaw leading him out, and Cavendish not having Renshaw, could make things interesting.

 

[AussieGoddess]

It is sad to see the end of HTC Highroad.

I agree with those who said there must be some major issues with the team. There are many major sports who attract sponsorship deals of this magnitude, so the sponsors ARE out there.

Yes they were looking for big money - but I am sure would have been just as satisfied with 2 smaller sponsors as they dont have a second name ....

Still - looking forward to seeing both Goss and Renshaw at GreenEdge

 

[luckyboy]

Doubt Cav's swearing has much to do with HTC's demise.

 

[Eric8-A]

If I was the owner of a big company, I wouldn't cut a deal with HTC just because Cavendish is there. My strong dislike for the guy will lead me to do that.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Doubt Cav's swearing has much to do with HTC's demise.

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."