General News Thread

[Red Rick]

The Dutch province of Utrecht was interested in getting the start of the 2020 Vuelta, but after seeing the price ticket of 2 million Euro's it's not gonna happen

https://www.telesport.nl/artikel/150327/wielersport/kosten-vuelta-schrikken-provincie-utrecht-af

 

[capuldemetal]

route du sud

http://www.velo-club.net/post/route-d-occitanie-le-parcours-de-l-edition-2018-devoile
goodbye route du sud,welcome route d'occitanie

 

[d-s3]

Interesting reading:
http://www.velonews.com/2018/04/news/outer-line-scapegoat-travails-michele-acquarone_464374

 

[Sestriere]

Sunweb signed a new, indefinite (!) sponsoring contract with the team. The contract includes a two-year cancellation period which basically means that if sunweb would want to quit they will still finance the team for two years so they could find a new sponsor.
I've never really heard of such a system in cycling but I certainly would like to see more of those deals.

 

[RedheadDane]

Yeah. That's really cool!
Wish that was a requirement for sponsors, but guess it would make attracting sponsors somewhat difficult...

 

[Netserk]

Why? It's practically a two-year contract (well, it would be absurd to cancel it immediately, so more like a three-year contract) that is extended one year every winter until it isn't.

 

[Squire]

Re:

Why? It's practically a two-year contract (well, it would be absurd to cancel it immediately, so more like a three-year contract) that is extended one year every winter until it isn't.

It's a lot more stable situation compared to almost every other team, and it's great news for cycling.

 

[GuyIncognito]

I agree with Netserk, it's what several other teams already have just spun as something else for marketing - as per usual Sunweb policy.
It all depends on what the contract says or doesn't say about how soon they have to tell the team they're pulling sponsorship. If it says they only have to give 1 month notice then it's not even what several others already have. We don't know, we don't have the contract.

Not to mention Sunweb is a travel agency and those are notorious for never being in a financial safeground no matter how profitable they are at any moment. So at any time the company could blow up and there goes the sponsorship. It's why van der Schueren was lambasted for taking Vacansoleil as sponsor a few years ago.

 

[Squire]

Re:

I agree with Netserk, it's what several other teams already have just spun as something else for marketing - as per usual Sunweb policy.
It all depends on what the contract says or doesn't say about how soon they have to tell the team they're pulling sponsorship. If it says they only have to give 1 month notice then it's not even what several others already have. We don't know, we don't have the contract.

Not to mention Sunweb is a travel agency and those are notorious for never being in a financial safeground no matter how profitable they are at any moment. So at any time the company could blow up and there goes the sponsorship. It's why van der Schueren was lambasted for taking Vacansoleil as sponsor a few years ago.

It says that if they decide to pull the sponsorship, it will run for that season plus two more years. Unless the company goes out of business, that's a heck of a lot better than most other teams have.

 

[Robert5091]

Long article from J Post with Sylvan Adams - a man who can get the Prime Minister to take a spin with him.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Sports/Israels-cycling-godfather-climbs-mountains-553073

 

[Gigs_98]

The Österreich Rundfahrt route was just announced and it's brutal. Two flat (more or less) flat stages, 4 medium mountain stages, of 3 have uphill finishes and two high mountain stages with mountain top finishes on the Kitzbüheler Horn and the Fuschertörl (Großglockner). The facts that all four medium mountain stages have more climbing than the two high mountain stages (three have over 3000 meters of climbing!!!) and that one of the medium mountain stages finishes with a 3.6km @ 9.3% climb tell you pretty much everything you need to know. I just hope that this route doesn't again mean a super weak starter field since nobody wants to torture their stars with this route. In any case, the racing should be good

Website:
http://www.oesterreich-rundfahrt.at

 

[roundabout]

Will there be live video coverage?

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Will there be live video coverage?

Don't find anything on that. I hope there will be a live stream like in previous years.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It never ceases to amaze me how an organizing committee which has so many dozens of options available to them never discovers anything new.

 

[Popchu]

While I don't know anything about the health condition of Mauricio Soler, it's great to see him on the bike.

What a rider he was.

 

[RedheadDane]

The Grand Tour Record is up for graps!

It's just a matter of starting the Tour this year, and then continue until the Vuelta 2022.








(Unless I've miscounted...)

 

[Valv.Piti]

The real question is why he is wearing Sky-colours. Henao/Bernal? But yeah, nice to see he is doing well.

The Grand Tour Record is up for graps!

It's just a matter of starting the Tour this year, and then continue until the Vuelta 2022.








(Unless I've miscounted...)

Would be sad in a way if the record should belong to such an insignificant and unspectacular rider like him, but oh well....

 

[RedheadDane]

You don't think riding 20* GTs in a row, working for your team leaders and grapping two stage wins for yourself along the way, is significant and spectacular?
Not to mention his rather significant and spectacular personality.









*Assuming he'll finish this one. Otherwise, breaking the record becomes - a bit - easier.

 

[Valv.Piti]

No, he has been anonymous for the last 4 years or so and definitely shouldn't have ridden some of the GTs he has been selected for. Also, when you have ridden this many GT's, you are bound to have done something..

 

[RedheadDane]

His team seems to think he's been doing his job...

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

His team seems to think he's been doing his job...

I think there were a few GT's where Lotto just let Hansen ride so he can keep his streak upright. Let's not forget this got them quite a lot of media attention over the last few years and Lotto hardly ever starts a gt with a leader who needs the whole team for support. They have for years been a team which is just about stage hunting and Andre Greipel who over these years has been their only clear leader won't really care whether the 9th man in the team is Hansen or someone else who isn't part of his leadout anyway.

 

[RedheadDane]

Just seems a bit strange to me to call him insignificant and unspectacular, when simply getting the idea of "this is what I'm gonna do with my life!" is rather spectacular.
Then there's the whole engineering thing.

Also realised that it's not necessary to wait for the Tour to attempt to break the record; basically anyone* who finishes this Giro can attempt it.





*Well, not anyone, obviously.

 

[hrotha]

"I'ma ride in the pack anonymously for 3 weeks", which is what he was doing lately, is hardly spectacular or commendable.

 

[pastronef]

Re:

The real question is why he is wearing Sky-colours. Henao/Bernal? But yeah, nice to see he is doing well.

yep, I think he got the kit from the Henaos or Bernal
and you can notice he wears the Suomy helmet from his Barloworld days

 

[zlev11]

Re:

While I don't know anything about the health condition of Mauricio Soler, it's great to see him on the bike.

What a rider he was.

wow, this is genuinely heart-warming. I always thought he was in much worse condition, it's great to see he can get out on the bike again.