General News Thread

[theyoungest]

They say the new sponsor will bring more money. Maybe they bought Argos out?

Well, they don't say explicitly that the new sponsor brings more $$$. But rather in vague terms of 'fitting with our ambitions and goals'.

Maybe Argos doesn't really mind to be shoved aside? That company has had an interesting year, with plans for a Russian takeover falling through.

 

[fraserhughes]

They say the new sponsor will bring more money. Maybe they bought Argos out?

Looks that way from reading the quotes here: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/spekenbrink-to-announce-new-sponsor-as-argos-step-aside

“Very recently, a company expressed interest in taking over the main sponsorship. The new sponsor is a good fit with our ambitious team goals,” said Spekenbrink in a team release.

The headline I think is misleading as it suggests Argos pulled out...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, they don't say explicitly that the new sponsor brings more $$$. But rather in vague terms of 'fitting with our ambitions and goals'.

That worries me, since Argos' main ambitions and goals of late have been sprints, sprints and more sprints. Hopefully Degenkolb turns into more of a Classics all-round guy, and Barguil continues to improve, and Kittel can be turned into a worthless afterthought or turn into a monster TT engine like he was as an U23.

 

[Arredondo]

That worries me, since Argos' main ambitions and goals of late have been sprints, sprints and more sprints. Hopefully Degenkolb turns into more of a Classics all-round guy, and Barguil continues to improve, and Kittel can be turned into a worthless afterthought or turn into a monster TT engine like he was as an U23.

They have signed some talented climbers, especially Daan Olivier has great potential. Too bad he had serious health issues this year, because in 2012 he finished in the top 10 in L'Avenir en L'Ain (between European top riders)

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

That worries me, since Argos' main ambitions and goals of late have been sprints, sprints and more sprints. Hopefully Degenkolb turns into more of a Classics all-round guy, and Barguil continues to improve, and Kittel can be turned into a worthless afterthought or turn into a monster TT engine like he was as an U23.

There was an interview with Spekenbrink where he talked about developing their own GC talent. He said Ludvigsson, Dumoulin, Barguil, Craddock and Olivier all had talent for GC and he thought of those five at least one or two would develop into very good GC riders.

I guess/hope they want to develop their climbing talent just like they started with their sprint talent with Degenkolb and Kittel when he turned out to be a spinter.

 

[Lupetto]

Calendars for 2015 and 2017 leaked?

http://inrng.com/2013/10/pro-cycling-calendar-uci-reform/

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Absolutely hideous-looking and must surely be somebody's idea of a joke.

 

[roundabout]

Boo, Plouay at the same time as Vuelta. Boo.

6 days of Dauphine on the other hand

 

[Parrulo]

The UCI really does a very good job at destroying everything that makes cycling great, particularly its tradition.

Races like PN, TA, VaC, VaPV(already 6 days long), Dauphine and TdS shouldn't be shortened. They are the most important 1 week races and therefore need to clearly stand out from the other second tier stage races like Romandie, ENECO, TDU, Polond and so on.

Really this does **** me off, the people in charge of cycling should know something about cycling, this is the equivalent of taking over a centenary prestigious tea house and start playing Rock music.

It simply doesn't make sense!!!

 

[LaFlorecita]

Absolutely hideous-looking and must surely be somebody's idea of a joke.

The UCI really does a very good job at destroying everything that makes cycling great, particularly its tradition.

Races like PN, TA, VaC, VaPV(already 6 days long), Dauphine and TdS shouldn't be shortened. They are the most important 1 week races and therefore need to clearly stand out from the other second tier stage races like Romandie, ENECO, TDU, Polond and so on.

Really this does **** me off, the people in charge of cycling should know something about cycling, this is the equivalent of taking over a centenary prestigious tea house and start playing Rock music.

It simply doesn't make sense!!!

That was my reaction too.

Where the **** did Catalunya go anyway?!?!?!

 

[Cyivel]

Complete ****e.

 

[Parrulo]

That was my reaction too.

Where the **** did Catalunya go anyway?!?!?!

It is there for 2015 but they seem to want to ditch it for 2017. . . Ya lets just ditch the oldest 1 week race in the professional calendar

 

[BigMac]

It is there for 2015 but they seem to want to ditch it for 2017. . . Ya lets just ditch the oldest 1 week race in the professional calendar

#cooksonslegacy

 

[Netserk]

I beg for ASO, RCS (and other organizers) and the teams to start a breakaway league.

 

[Pentacycle]

It is there for 2015 but they seem to want to ditch it for 2017. . . Ya lets just ditch the oldest 1 week race in the professional calendar

It's all about their target of removing all the overlap of racing, but I don't see an upside to that. Especially when you do keep Bayern Rundfahrt, one of the worst races in the world, while discarding Catalunya. The solution to the PN/Tirreno and Suisse/Dauphiné overlap also doesn't seem to make any sense at all.

 

[Netserk]

I don't see the problem with the overlap. There's overlaps in every sport. Imaging if football matches weren't allowed to be played simultaneously... :O

 

[Parrulo]

The overlap is an absolute no issue, teams still have to send 2 different teams to each race so what's the point?

And its not like they totally overlap, it's 2 days of overlapping for crying out loud

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Teams have squads of 30 fricking riders. Pro Continental teams can send two teams to simultaneous races. Just because the races no longer overlap doesn't mean the same riders will do Paris-Nice and Tirreno, or Dauphiné and Suisse. And even if they do, that just reduces squad size and leaves fewer positions at the pro level available for riders, and so more people lose their jobs. The overlap thing is about selling TV rights, nothing more. I can't imagine that people who know and understand this sport have got together and not realised these fundamental and incredibly obvious flaws.

 

[roundabout]

The UCI really does a very good job at destroying everything that makes cycling great, particularly its tradition.

Races like PN, TA, VaC, VaPV(already 6 days long), Dauphine and TdS shouldn't be shortened. They are the most important 1 week races and therefore need to clearly stand out from the other second tier stage races like Romandie, ENECO, TDU, Polond and so on.

Really this does **** me off, the people in charge of cycling should know something about cycling, this is the equivalent of taking over a centenary prestigious tea house and start playing Rock music.

It simply doesn't make sense!!!

Ouchie. They haven't helped themselves in recent years, but still ouchie.

 

[roundabout]

Teams have squads of 30 fricking riders. Pro Continental teams can send two teams to simultaneous races. Just because the races no longer overlap doesn't mean the same riders will do Paris-Nice and Tirreno, or Dauphiné and Suisse. And even if they do, that just reduces squad size and leaves fewer positions at the pro level available for riders, and so more people lose their jobs. The overlap thing is about selling TV rights, nothing more. I can't imagine that people who know and understand this sport have got together and not realised these fundamental and incredibly obvious flaws.

Dauphine + Suisse in a 6 day format would probably be doable but I feel it is likely that people would do altitude training instead.

 

[pastronef]

from 2017 we have Dubai Qatar Oman on 2nd division, together with Omloop, Romandie, Pays Vasco, Paris Tours and others... meh

http://inrng.com/medias/images/procyclingcalendar2017uci.jpg

 

[BigMac]

It is all about the globalization of cycling. Who needs ToC when you have Beijing.

 

[Parrulo]

Ouchie. They haven't helped themselves in recent years, but still ouchie.

Well even in his better years(talking about modern times ofc) Romandie has never been on the same level as the other stage races i mentioned. Particularly the non spanish ones.

Still this is major BS, February just became the official oil money month and i bet races like Algarve, Haut Var and the Tour de Med will have a very hard time getting quality fields.

I know they have had their share of financial problems in the past, but ditching Catalunya is like taking a huge smelly dump on cycling's history.

The TdS and the Dauphine, just like you pointed out, will also take a major blow by losing 3 whole days of racing each, and in case of the TdS since the organization isn't nowhere near as powerful/rich as ASO they could get in major trouble seeing their product being devalued like that.

 

[pastronef]

.

Still this is major BS, February just became the official oil money month and i bet races like Algarve, Haut Var and the Tour de Med will have a very hard time getting quality fields.

Mallorca and Andalucia are in the same situation

 

[roundabout]

While it's not ASO and people organizing the TdS are merely a subsidiary, IMG is pretty big.

http://imgworld.ch/e_content.php?MAIN_RUB_ID=35&subcatid=37