GEOX Quits !

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

+1

Which teams have space on their rosters? Saxo Bank for one... maybe Lotto but they seem to be after Belgian/Northern European riders.

rabo have spots. but i doubt they want to expand anymore on thier current team.

Cobos late season resurrection now seems even more suspicious, Gianetti knew that the sword was hanging over their heads..now theres a depressed guy on his team who might not care about a possible suspension anymore...

ughh. Please go away.
Cobo was always very talented, your ignorance shouldn't = suspicious.

I like how cobo is the suspicious guy, while he had shown signs of real climbing ability and GT contention.

 

[luckyboy]

What an utterly oxymoronic thread with utter bile and guff spouted by posters with a considerably higher post count than sane folks with a life.

Get over it....a sponsor has simply pulled out of the sport.

Nowt more than that, if the truth be told.

lol, they've put their entire staff out of a job at the worst possible time.

 

[craig1985]

From luckyboy's comfirmed transfer's thread, we have Danielle Colli (TT1) and Xavi Florencio (Katusha) already have rides for next year which is lucky for them, as well as Sastre retiring.

Tomas Alberio (ITA)
Mauricio Ardila (COL)
David Blanco (ESP)
Matthias Brändle (AUT)
Vidal Celis (ESP)
Giampaolo Cheula (ITA)
Juan José Cobo (ESP)
Daniele Colli (ITA)
Marco Corti (ITA)
David de la Fuente (ESP)
Fabio Duarte (COL)
Arkaitz Durán (ESP)
Fabio Felline (ITA)
Xavier Florencio (ESP)
Noè Gianetti (SUI)
David Gutiérrez Gutiérrez (ESP)
Dmitry Kozonchuk (RUS)
Marko Kump (SLO)
Denis Menchov (RUS)
Matteo Pelucchi (ITA)
Daniele Ratto (ITA)
Carlos Sastre (ESP)
Rafael Valls (ESP)
Marcel Wyss (SUI)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Geox-TMC_season

Do Movistar have enough spots for Durate and Ardilla, they are both Colombian which would fit their Latin America demographic, although I would imagine in Colombia Durate would be a bigger name than Ardilla, either way I'm sure Ryo, Libertine, and our Colombian friends know a bit more than me

Also, how about Durán to EE? As he was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz in the province of Álava. If there is any room, Kump could go to Astana as they will have a few Slovenian riders on the team next year and Katusha could find some use for Kozonchuk. Felline to either Liquigas or Lampre, which could be a goer for mine, but again if they would be interested in him and have spots open. BMC I think have spots open and if they want more Swiss riders, than there is (Noè) Gianetti and Marcel Wyss.

I'm not mentioning Cobo, de la Fuente and Menchov as they shouldn't have too much trouble in getting a ride next year.

I think the likes of Ratto, Peluchi, Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, Corti, Cheula, Celis, Valls, Brändle, Blanco, and Alberio might have some difficulty in getting a ride for next year.

This is me just speculating where I think riders could be a perfect fit for, but feel free to tell me that my post was a load of rubbish

 

[luckyboy]

Well Gianetti probably won't get a ride unless Mauro gets in somewhere.

I'd be surprised if any of Felline, Menchov, DLF, Cobo, Ardila, Duarte and Valls didn't get a contract somewhere.

 

[craig1985]

Where do you think Valls will go to, Movistar?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Blanco will either retire or go back to Tavira since they're losing Cardoso and Mestre. Vidal Celis could similarly find himself plying his trade either in the domestic calendar with someone like Burgos 2016 or in Portugal. Durán fits Euskaltel, but it might be dependent on their UCI status whether they have room. If Movistar can't pick up Duarte and Ardila I'm sure Coldeportes will be interested.

One thought is that Italian Continental team W.I.T. was formed from the ashes of the dying CarmioOro-NGC team, which was at a higher level. If the sponsors are interested they might be able to pick up the likes of Brändle, Corti and Pelucchi and pad out the team.

 

[el_peras]

Celis wasn't in the team this year. He were at Letua in Malaysia
http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/rider.asp?riderid=2686

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

The 2011 Vuelta, like the 2009 Vuelta, was realistically two weeks long.

Still more of a GT than the 2011 Tour de France though, of course.

At least the Vuelta 2009 had a worthy field.

2010 and 2011 was a joke

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

you woukld think pelucchi could get a ride with one of the italian teams.

young decent sprinter.

 

[no_slipstream]

heard there was a sponsor for the womens team called Phurmuncher, waiting in the wings, probably from Germany.

 

[craig1985]

Still no word on the fate of the women's team though.

 

[MADRAZO]

"I think the likes of Ratto, Peluchi, Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, Corti, Cheula, Celis, Valls, Brändle, Blanco, and Alberio might have some difficulty in getting a ride for next year."

Every teammanager with free spots ought to be fighting over Ratto. Huge talent and I would be very surpriced if he fails to get a contract, but you never know.

 

[Jancouver]

Perhaps Geox is breaking up with Gianetti and will join some other WT or French Pro Conti team? That would guarantee spot at TDF.

How about Europcar, FDJ? I wouldnt be surpised if they would join GreenEdge if they get the WT license. Or perhaps even the new mysterious sponsor of Skill - Shimano?

 

[Luke Schmid]

Perhaps the UCI should allow teams to sign 1 Geox rider outside the 30 rider limit.

I was not a great fan of the team and did not want them to get a WT license but I did not want them to fall over though.

Duarte and Ardila to Coldeportes would be fun but Duarte probably can get a place on a WT team.

Marcel Wyss to BMC would seem to be a reasonable fit.

 

[craig1985]

I've never been a fan of Gianetti's teams or even Cobo himself, and I wasn't wanting him to win the Vuelta, and I could live with Geox pulling out, but not in this way. Nothing against Saur, but they didn't offer anything different or better then what Geox would have done.

 

[gregod]

i thought i read somewhere during the vuelta that geox would be pulling out at the end of the season. geox wanted to move to F1, i think.

it is disappointing. i bought a pair of geox driving mocs because they decided to support cycling. i don't think i will be buying their shoes anymore.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Menchov to Katusha, Cobo to Movistar seems logical to me. What Geox did was pretty low.

Makes sense and agreed.

Nice chance for Riis to get a few signings.

If only Riis still has any budget left, which I doubt at this point.

could Geox be obliged to pay for the 2012 $$$ just like happened with team T.Mobile when they quit in 2007 ?

hoho. sweetness that would be.

what stuff does Goo (my pronounciation of Geox) make anyway? Shoes? Looks like they stepped in a pile of doggie Goo.

 

[skidmark]

I agree with Ryo, I just don't see how anyone could think Geox 'pulled out' today... seems like there must be a bigger back story (sorry guy who tried to insult everyone who thought something was going on by pointing out their post counts, does 700 in 2.5 years suggest I have enough of a life to speculate?)... Obviously something was up when they didn't fill out the paperwork 3 weeks ago. I could imagine the most likely scenario, knowing what I know of Gianetti, UCI politics, etc that they said they were going to pull out, he tried to assure them he'd sign Cobo etc so they'd get enough points to be guaranteed WT, told the team it wouldn't be a problem, dragged everyone crossing their fingers to the last minute and then in the end they didn't have enough evidence to guarantee WT so Geox said 'sorry, no way'. In other words, Gianetti plays both sides of the fence, no one in Geox trusts him, no one in UCI trusts him, so the cards are stacked against the team.

Either way, it's a shame as the team was interested in really exciting talent, and was one of my favourites to follow, Gianetti aside. And it's a shame that this whole debacle does nothing to counter the stereotype of Italian business dealings in cycling (and more generally) as shady and full of backstabbing intrigue.

Anyone think Noe G is gonna get a ride with a team higher than Conti level next year?

 

[gregod]

Menchov to Katusha, Cobo to Movistar seems logical to me. What Geox did was pretty low.

while i am extremely disappointed with geox deciding to remove the ugliest kit from the pro ranks, in their defense, i believe this decision was made before the vuelta. as was pointed out in the CN article, other than the vuelta win the team has had few wins and nothing (vuelta excepted) too high profile.

<snip>

what stuff does Goo (my pronounciation of Geox) make anyway? Shoes? Looks like they stepped in a pile of doggie Goo.

i know you are being tongue-in-cheek, but they make pretty good inexpensive shoes. unfortunately for geox, they lost this customer forever with their decision to abandon cycling.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

i know you are being tongue-in-cheek, but they make pretty good inexpensive shoes. unfortunately for geox, they lost this customer forever with their decision to abandon cycling.

You are right. I was being tongue-in-cheek to express my displeasure with their decision to abandon at THIS time. They prolly do make a great shoe, but that's not how I'll remember the Goo company.

 

[royalpig180]

Perhaps the UCI should allow teams to sign 1 Geox rider outside the 30 rider limit.

I was not a great fan of the team and did not want them to get a WT license but I did not want them to fall over though.

Duarte and Ardila to Coldeportes would be fun but Duarte probably can get a place on a WT team.

Marcel Wyss to BMC would seem to be a reasonable fit.

A nice thought, but not really doable. This would require the teams to also come up with the cash for another rider's contract, as well as further divyiing up the racing schedule to include them.

 

[gregod]

Perhaps the UCI should allow teams to sign 1 Geox rider outside the 30 rider limit.

...

A nice thought, but not really doable. This would require the teams to also come up with the cash for another rider's contract, as well as further divyiing up the racing schedule to include them.

it depends on the team. some teams were stretched to the limits with the 30 man rosters and others had 2 or 3 riders that were way underutilized and ended up racing alone in smaller races.

The UCI could make it voluntary to allow one or two extra riders. i don't think they will. they will probably consider it a better policy to hold out for a last minute or even late applicant (because they profit from selling licenses) than to find immediate protour spots by increasing rosters.

 

[Kwibus]

In my opinion Vuelta isn't even worthy of being called Grand Tour anymore

It's the smallest of the 3, but it certainly is a Grand Tour. I expect quite a good line up for this year with the WC in Limburg this year. The climbers want to ride the Vuelta to have good form in Limburg.

 

[Luke Schmid]

A nice thought, but not really doable. This would require the teams to also come up with the cash for another rider's contract, as well as further divyiing up the racing schedule to include them.

Both the issues you mention are real, I agree it is not ideal but some teams might have access to the money, BMC, Katusha and Astana come to mind as possibles, and might still feel they are lacking something.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

It's the smallest of the 3, but it certainly is a Grand Tour. I expect quite a good line up for this year with the WC in Limburg this year. The climbers want to ride the Vuelta to have good form in Limburg.

That's the problem: it's a prep race. It doesn't matter that the field is stronger than in the Giro. That's besides the point.