General News Thread

[Michele]

The injury was serious but not life threatening, this was said some days ago.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Lotto stays in the peloton also next year.

 

[greenedge]

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentra...ggins-the-tour-transfers-and-missing-the-giro

Porte to consider riding the Vuelta (the article is before the Dauphinie).

 

[GuyIncognito]

Armstrong is back

http://i.imgur.com/60UEfEx.gif

 

[mortailcoil]

Armstrong is back

http://i.imgur.com/60UEfEx.gif

Ahh!! Nice one.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

No Boonen in Le Tour...

 

[Dazed and Confused]

No Boonen in Le Tour...

Damn, too bad.

 

[pastronef]

Ricco wearing a helmet

https://twitter.com/riccardo_ricco/status/477896328329322497/photo/1

 

[Vino's Mum]

Followed a few random links to Kolobnev's Twitter account, where he's recently started following the US Army, NASA, the FBI, the CIA, and erm, Michelle Cound:

https://twitter.com/A_Kolobnev/following

Apart from world domination, what is he up to??!!

 

[luckyboy]

Giant-Shimano announced their long-list for the Tour and Cheng Ji is on it. This guy has been with the team for 8 seasons and has done nothing. How does he keep getting contracts?
I know Giant is Chinese but aren't there any better Chinese riders?

 

[jens_attacks]

actually ji cheng is a very good domestique. but usually his work takes place before tv. i reckon he will be in le tour to chase the breakaways as always

 

[roundabout]

Austria this year

http://sport.orf.at/stories/2209850/2209851/

Just 2 sprinter stages

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Austria this year

http://sport.orf.at/stories/2209850/2209851/

Just 2 sprinter stages

Still no plan to broadcast any of the race I take it?

 

[GuyIncognito]

Armstrong is back

http://i.imgur.com/60UEfEx.gif

I cannot believe I have to explain the joke, but for the people who sent me PMs here it is

Armstrong is also an astronaut's name. An astronaut who died relatively recently. The joke is that you expected Lance and you got a guy dressed as Neil. That is not actually Lance riding.

My opinion of humans is lower than it was this morning

 

[ILovecycling]

I cannot believe I have to explain the joke, but for the people who sent me PMs here it is

Armstrong is also an astronaut's name. An astronaut who died relatively recently. The joke is that you expected Lance and you got a guy dressed as Neil. That is not actually Lance riding.

My opinion of humans is lower than it was this morning

Are you serious that you had to explain this via pm to someone?

edit: btw good gif

 

[Njbb1995]

Belkin is ending sponsership at the end of this year: http://www.teambelkin.com/teamnews/team-belkin-looking-for-new-title-sponsor-3206

 

[ILovecycling]

Belkin is ending sponsership at the end of this year: http://www.teambelkin.com/teamnews/team-belkin-looking-for-new-title-sponsor-3206

Thats a surprise for me,I mean,what else they want?They had great Tour last year,and 2014 classics were good also
Anyway its really important info,maybe Alonso or someone (Tinkoff?) will use this situation to their advantage (transfers,merge).

 

[mrhender]

Thats a surprise for me,I mean,what else they want?They had great Tour last year,and 2014 classics were good also
Anyway its really important info,maybe Alonso or someone (Tinkoff?) will use this situation to their advantage (transfers,merge).

A merge with TS would certainly be a big leap towards Tinkov's dream of owning the worlds best team (maybe ever)..
Just do some house cleaning in both teams and keep 5-8 top noch riders from Belkin, and there you have it

Seriously -Tinkov is in my mind a practical man who sees opportunities, this could very well be the best/fastest way of fulfilling His dream...

 

[classicomano]

Pathetic, they pretty much freerolled for 1.5 year on Rabobanks money and then step out

 

[ILovecycling]

A merge with TS would certainly be a big leap towards Tinkov's dream of owning the worlds best team (maybe ever)..
Just do some house cleaning in both teams and keep 5-8 top noch riders from Belkin, and there you have it

Seriously -Tinkov is in my mind a practical man who sees opportunities, this could very well be the best/fastest way of fulfilling His dream...

And they have a lot better avarage domestics than saxo.

Pathetic, they pretty much freerolled for 1.5 year on Rabobanks money and then step out

yep,thats embarrassing

 

[theyoungest]

Pathetic, they pretty much freerolled for 1.5 year on Rabobanks money and then step out

+1

Rabobank paid the contracts that were still running (i.e. most of them) and now that most contracts face renewal Belkin pull out. American hedgefund mentality stepping into cycling, not a good development. This team is definitely doomed.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

it's not so much bad news for the better riders of the team

but for the jos van emden, rick flens, jetse bol, etcs of the team this is doom. They can probably only hope for the orange cycling project or else it will be CT teams...

 

[Arredondo]

Of course, a company as Belkin has the right to step out after 1.5 years. But the fact they intented at the beginning of the season to continue for at least another year, or perhaps more years to really build a strong team, and after a couple of months saying it is enough. It doesn't deserve the price of style.

But it's their right to do it. Cycling world still has to be grateful this kind of companies are willing to invest, not the opposite.

 

[Akuryo]

A merge with TS would certainly be a big leap towards Tinkov's dream of owning the worlds best team (maybe ever)..
Just do some house cleaning in both teams and keep 5-8 top noch riders from Belkin, and there you have it

Seriously -Tinkov is in my mind a practical man who sees opportunities, this could very well be the best/fastest way of fulfilling His dream...

As much as I do like Tinkov, he will have to get some real talent to push OPQS from the throne of (on paper) best all around team. They have guys for the cobbles en masse, Kwiatkowski for Ardennes, Martin for time trials, Cavendish for sprints, Uran for GC, ...

And BMC also has a very strong roster. Okay, they lack the results, but nontheless they have the guys.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Of course, a company as Belkin has the right to step out after 1.5 years. But the fact they intented at the beginning of the season to continue for at least another year, or perhaps more years to really build a strong team, and after a couple of months saying it is enough. It doesn't deserve the price of style.

But it's their right to do it. Cycling world still has to be grateful this kind of companies are willing to invest, not the opposite.

Agree.
Belkin is making a business decision.
It would be interesting to understand the reason for it however.