Is this fantasy cycling?

[craig1985]

Contador, Schlecks, Cancellara and others to switch teams for 2011, says Italian newspaper | Velonation

But don't Caisse d'Epargne have to get a new sponsor before they can go about offering €7m a year at Bertie?

 

[Jamsque]

Contador to Caisse is very possible and has been discussed for years, if Team Santander doesn't get off the ground in time for 2011 then I think that move is almost a dead cert.

What Cancellara and the Schlecks do is still dependant on whether or not Riis has secured a new sponsor (which seems likely), and how much cash that new sponsor has. Assuming he does have to slim down his wage bill for 2011, I think Cancellara to BMC makes a lot of sense, they are a Swiss company after all, and have something of a classics team in the making with Ballan and Hincapie.

Schlecks to Astana I have a hard time believing, and I certainly hope it doesn't happen. I would lose an awful lot of respect for those two if they ditched Bjarne after all he has done for them, and to be brutally honest I would be a lot less inclined to think they were riding clean if they went to Astana.

Interestingly that article also suggests Cunego to Team Sky. There was some rumour a couple of weeks ago that Garmin were interested in him too.

 

[Cerberus]

Contador, Schlecks, Cancellara and others to switch teams for 2011, says Italian newspaper | Velonation

But don't Caisse d'Epargne have to get a new sponsor before they can go about offering €7m a year at Bertie?

Cancellara might go to BMC if Riis doesn't find a new sponsor and Contador leaving Astana is hardly news. The Schlecks contract is up this season and if Riis the sponsorship issue isn't settled they have to go, but I just don't see Astana as a logical destination. There're reasons why Contador is leaving, so I'm sceptical about that part of the story,

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Contador to Caisse is very possible and has been discussed for years, if Team Santander doesn't get off the ground in time for 2011 then I think that move is almost a dead cert.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Team Santander getting off the ground in time for 2011 by being the benefactor that prevents the longest-running team in the current péloton from disbanding.

My personal hopes are that Team Santander doesn't materialise just yet and they spend a year marketing the team as one of their subsidiaries - Banesto. Despite the fact that they're essentially the same company, I'd view Banesto much more favourably than Santander; Santander would seem like Team Sky or Team Radioshack, one of those horrible, super-corporate entities brought upon by big money johnny-come-latelies, while Banesto and cycling belong together.

Actually, as long as I'm living in fantasy land, I hope Caisse d'Epargne have a sudden change of heart, come into some money and stay on sponsoring the team. Their kits are niiiiiice.

 

[Jamsque]

I hadn't thought of that, but Santander stepping in to replace Caisse d'Epargne as the sponsor of that team makes a lot of sense. I agree it would be nice to bring back the old Banesto name, but I don't think Santander would be willing to dump so much money into the team and not have their name on the jersey.

 

[Ferminal]

blackcat was adamant last year that Cancellara to BMC for 2011 was going to happen.

 

[craig1985]

And I read a magazine article on the state of Swiss cycling and they mentioned the prospects of Cancellara riding for BMC.

 

[Jamsque]

You have to figure that Cadel would be absolutely ecstatic to have Spartacus on his TdF squad next year, especially if there is a TTT.

 

[la.margna]

Schlecks to Astana I have a hard time believing, and I certainly hope it doesn't happen. I would lose an awful lot of respect for those two if they ditched Bjarne after all he has done for them, and to be brutally honest I would be a lot less inclined to think they were riding clean if they went to Astana.

Agree with the rest, but how can one even have the slightest doubt about the Schleck brothers being pumped up like all the rest, considering Frank ("amigo de birillo") paid several thousand Euros to Fuentes for "training plans"

You have to figure that Cadel would be absolutely ecstatic to have Spartacus on his TdF squad next year, especially if there is a TTT.

Wow. That would be great for Cadel! Two new strong guys to help in the mountains, Spartacus in a possible TTT and flat stages.

 

[craig1985]

If everybody is fit, they would have a killer Classics team come RVV, Roubaix etc.

Cance, Ballan, Hincapie, Burghardt...

Agree with the rest, but how can one even have the slightest doubt about the Schleck brothers being pumped up like all the rest, considering Frank ("amigo de birillo") paid several thousand Euros to Fuentes for "training plans"



Wow. That would be great for Cadel! Two new strong guys to help in the mountains, Spartacus in a possible TTT and flat stages.

Too bad Frank has just become a father and not in 2006, otherwise he would of had a perfect alibi.

 

[Jamsque]

Maybe I am guilty of viewing the Schlecks with rose-tinted spectacles, but I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Riis' doping confession gave me hope that he really is committed to clean cycling, and I want to believe in his team.

 

[scribe]

Cancellara might go to BMC if Riis doesn't find a new sponsor and Contador leaving Astana is hardly news. The Schlecks contract is up this season and if Riis the sponsorship issue isn't settled they have to go, but I just don't see Astana as a logical destination. There're reasons why Contador is leaving, so I'm sceptical about that part of the story,

Yes. I don't see much fantasy to any of these scenarios. Like it or not, Armstrong has once again raised the bar on how the cyclists on the top end of the sport go about business. Now all these guys want their own teams built for them and around them.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I really hope canca doesn't go to BMC, I just don't like the team. It's also with the same people of doping phonak...

 

[joy118118]

After strong rumours, SunGard is set to be Riis's main sponsor as of next year

good news for saxo bank

 

[Cerberus]

good news for saxo bank

Really good news, I'd like to see official confirmation though. As they say there have been strong rumours for a while, but nothing has been confirmed. Of cause nothing has been dis-confirmed (is that a word?) either.

ETA: CQ says that Riis announced it on his facebook page yesterday evening, but I can't find it. seems odd that Riis would announce it on Facebook rather than a press conference, but on the other hand it's not the first of April.
http://twitter.com/CQranking

ETA2: It seems really odd that they would write something on a facebook page but not on their actual homepage. particuarly since no one seems sure that the face book page is actually theirs. I call BS.

 

[tgsgirl]

I really hope canca doesn't go to BMC, I just don't like the team. It's also with the same people of doping phonak...

Amen. Don't do it Fab!

 

[Cerberus]

Really good news, I'd like to see official confirmation though. As they say there have been strong rumours for a while, but nothing has been confirmed. Of cause nothing has been dis-confirmed (is that a word?) either.

ETA: CQ says that Riis announced it on his facebook page yesterday evening, but I can't find it. seems odd that Riis would announce it on Facebook rather than a press conference, but on the other hand it's not the first of April.
http://twitter.com/CQranking

ETA2: It seems really odd that they would write something on a facebook page but not on their actual homepage. particuarly since no one seems sure that the face book page is actually theirs. I call BS.

The facebook page is here. The announcement (in Danish) reads: Get used to the new name! From 2011 the name is Team SunGard."
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bjarne-Riis/131353823097?ref=search

The page is updated very rarely and no announcements have been made there previously. It doesn't really seem like either a fake page or an official one. Still quite sceptical.

 

[euanli]

Don't these big sponsor announcements usually come around the Tour so maximum exposure is created?

 

[Cerberus]

Don't these big sponsor announcements usually come around the Tour so maximum exposure is created?

I believe they do, the handling of this is really odd if it's for real. Also odd if t's a joke though.

 

[khardung la]

I agree it would be nice to bring back the old Banesto name, but I don't think Santander would be willing to dump so much money into the team and not have their name on the jersey.

Actually Banesto is still a bank, it is just one of the many of the Santander group. It makes more sense though to call the team "Santander", since Banesto is basically a Spanish bank while Santander has gone multinational and is a big monster right now.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

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Andy & Franck to domestique for LA: slight name change RadioShleck