Lidl-Trek (no longer Radioshack-Leopard Trek)

[killswitch]

Johan really is an evil genius. No matter what **** goes down, he always comes up smelling of roses and will once more have the dominant team at the tour.

They will win the team GC for sure, but Contador (if he's there) will win again unless Andy grows up and drastically changes his mentality and approach.

 

[BillytheKid]

Johan really is an evil genius. No matter what **** goes down, he always comes up smelling of roses and will once more have the dominant team at the tour.

Neither Schleck can ITT. They should keep Leipheimer and infuse his DNA ability to do so.

 

[webvan]

So what did the Ratshack renew in July then http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/8...ioShack-will-continue-for-two-more-years.aspx ? Confusing...Hadn't realized that Nissan was already onboard, guess they're getting some free advertising out of this "merger".

Someone mentioned Olympus SARL, is that the entity that has the UCI licence for RS ?

EDIT - well apparently, not, Olympus SARL had the Astana 2008 licence http://tinyurl.com/3rbjtvr but no mention for RS in 2011...

 

[thehog]

Just when you thought the sport was becoming more credible..... (queue Jaws theme)......

 

[hfer07]

So what did the Ratshack renew in July then http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/8...ioShack-will-continue-for-two-more-years.aspx ? Confusing...Hadn't realized that Nissan was already onboard, guess they're getting some free advertising out of this "merger".

this move goes back to the beginning of 2010 as part of the Bruyneel/LA masterplan to stop Contador-just got a bit derailed due to the Federal Investigation....

Someone mentioned Olympus SARL, is that the entity that has the UCI licence for RS ?

EDIT - well apparently, not, Olympus SARL had the Astana 2008 licence http://tinyurl.com/3rbjtvr but no mention for RS in 2011...

yes- Olympus SARL own by LA & Bruyneel along with Bill Stapleton(LA's lawyer) are the current owners of the RS licence- I also recall barely something about Livestrong involved in the ownership too

 

[Race Radio]

LA/Bruyneel's company Olympus Sarl is luxemburg-based
Knowing how clever & greedy LA/Bruyneel are-I cannot picture them not "profiting" from this so called "merger"-their lawyers are sharp & probably have already secured that-what is announced is just a smoke screen

It is luxemburg registered but it is based in Brakel, Belgium. Regardless Olympus was the holding company he used when he manged Astana. The Radioshack team was owned by the Austin based CSE. The ultimate boss was Armstrong's lawyer Bill Stapleton.

With the Austin based team folding it has to be asked if they ever planned to have a team in 2012 in the first place. They made little effort to sign new riders and only tied in a few key riders. This late in the game they only had a few riders for next year, about 1/2 of what they needed. It appears the extension was nothing more then a press release, a way to save face.

More importantly what happens with the U23 team?

 

[thehog]

It is luxemburg registered but it is based in Brakel, Belgium. Regardless Olympus was the holding company he used when he manged Astana. The Radioshack team was owned by the Austin based CSE. The ultimate boss was Armstrong's lawyer Bill Stapleton.

With the Austin based team folding it has to be asked if they ever planned to have a team in 2012 in the first place. They made little effort to sign new riders and only tied in a few key riders. This late in the game they only had a few riders for next year, about 1/2 of what they needed. It appears the extension was nothing more then a press release, a way to save face.

More importantly what happens with the U23 team?

U23 is funded 90% by Livestrong. Its stays.

 

[Anonymous]

The telling issue will be scarves or no scarves.
I'm thinking the scarves are history.

And wonder what will happen to the LeOpard Trek bikes?
Sweet deals on E-Bay?

I have to say, that Mercedes logo them sure gives them some class.

 

[mewmewmew13]

Is it too far of a reach to infer that the timing of legal brouhaha involving mr Bruyneel and others is somewhat coincidental with the whole 'mystery' moving and shaking of the RS to RNT nee LT ??

Is there some way that Johan can tidy up house and save some biz entity and emerge from his legal troubles with not too much damage?

I may be way off but just speculating. There is so much confusion and under -reported info still out there...

 

[mewmewmew13]

..btw it would be nice if Johan just took a long vacay from the sport, but not sure if that will happen.

...wait for it...Polish! 3-2-1....

 

[Dr. Maserati]

What's wrong with a good business deal? So your saying nobody else in the sport makes money. Look at that greedy bunch that run Sky. The nerve, making a profit and all.....

Are Sky making a profit? I have no problem if they (or Bruyneel) are.

But I think thats one of the problems in the sport is that very few teams are making a profit - they are merely going year to year and are reliant on big sponsors or sugardaddys to survive.

 

[MacRoadie]

Fabian is totally boned, Joe-Han will do nothing for the Classics, Fabian will be left out on plank for those races and then made into the Schleck's Bee-ach, made to lose 10 lbs and ride solely in the mountains the day after P-R, to get his climbing legs if he wants to even be considered for le Tour team long list.

Fabian should be putting in a call to Big Jawge to get the 411 on what will likely be left of his classics season...

Maybe a solo win on Pla d'Adet to ease the pain?

 

[The_Z_man]

Flavio Becca said "In modern cycling you cannot move forward without strong sponsors." I guess by "modern cycling" me means for the last 50 years.

I have said on this board that these teams without a title sponsor aren't the way to go. They never have been.

The team kit they came up with should have had "This space for rent" printed in the big white area.

 

[theyoungest]

Are Sky making a profit? I have no problem if they (or Bruyneel) are.

But I think thats one of the problems in the sport is that very few teams are making a profit - they are merely going year to year and are reliant on big sponsors or sugardaddys to survive.

Making a profit is impossible in this sport. The winner of the biggest race, and most watched yearly sports event in the world, gets 450,000 euros. That's an utter joke.

 

[thehog]

Note that "inner circle" riders stay. I'm surprised Canc signed on with no classics team. Its fairly obvious the Shlecks were approached and agreed to the plan with Becca. What's sad is Andy and Frank asked a lot of the Saxo riders to get on board the Leopard train to now abandon them.

 

[Nielsa]

Making a profit is impossible in this sport. The winner of the biggest race, and most watched yearly sports event in the world, gets 450,000 euros. That's an utter joke.

It's the reality of stadion-less sports, though. A normal ticket to a Manchester United league game is 50 euros, times 60k people = 3 million €. And they have 19 league home games + FA cup + league cup + CL. Then the much higher TV money since the English league is on pay TV everywhere.

 

[jobiwan]

And I thought Omega Pharma-Quick Step was bad!!!

Radioshack-Nissan-Trek...

At least we can stop hearing P&P say LAY-O-PARD!
Small victories, ya know!

 

[Polish]

..btw it would be nice if Johan just took a long vacay from the sport, but not sure if that will happen.

...wait for it...Polish! 3-2-1....

If you truly love your job, every day is a vacation.
In that sense, Johan has been on a long vacation ever since 1999 lol.

But Johan is in Spain with his current team - Radioshack-Nissan-Trek.
They have cool jerseys and bikes btw.
Radioshack-Nissan-Trek.

Of course, Johan is always planning ahead.
Planning to win the 2012 TdF no doubt.
I am already looking forward to the race too!

 

[jobiwan]

So do Hermans and Rast stay with this team? That'd be an awkward meeting with Johan.

 

[filipo]

Hard to field a team made up largely of old guys and cheap rookies. Going into 2012 with only 2 riders ranked in the top 50 would be a real challenge to have a competitive team. Regardless of other issues it is a smart move by Johan.

I now look back on all those breathless interviews and profiles of Matthew Busche with an even greater degree of cynicism. If you know what I mean.

 

[mewmewmew13]

Fabian should be putting in a call to Big Jawge to get the 411 on what will likely be left of his classics season...

Maybe a solo win on Pla d'Adet to ease the pain?

But NOT the maillot jaune...almost but not quite.

 

[mewmewmew13]

And I thought Omega Pharma-Quick Step was bad!!!

Radioshack-Nissan-Trek...

At least we can stop hearing P&P say LAY-O-PARD!
Small victories, ya know!

There is no way they will get out that mouthfull...maybe they will shorten it to Radio-Trek....Radio N Trek
or Ra-Nis-Trek..

or Rek

 

[eleven]

Thats the riders - and that was in the press release.

But you said:

So who will be running the team?

The same management as RS - CSE etal.

 

[eleven]

Really? I missed that part of the press release, could you point it out for me?

IT's not in the press release.

Are you saying that Johan will run a different team because right now it appears that his team is dead.

No, I'm saying Johan will be running the New RS team.

 

[Christian]

Quite sad that seemingly ALL the riders were left in the dark and even Kim Andersen apparently. This is so terrible. Obviously the Schlecks, Cancellara and Robert Wagner must have known, but not told their friends?! After so many years together with Andersen and Fuglsang (to name only those two) they couldn't tell them?! And why not?? Robert Wagner and Cancellara are at the Vuelta right now and while Fuglsang wonders what the hell is going on they just say nothing?! I wonder what the climate in the team is like now ...

Since it's the LEOPARD TREK structure that "survives" I wonder what they're going to do with the riders ... they have clearly too many and according to wort.lu only Stuey and Voigt had one-year contracts, the others at least two years. I guess they'll have to pay a lot of money to "get rid of them". I hope they at least have the decency to tell riders like Mortensen and Stamsnijder NOW if they should start looking for a new team, and they let riders like Fuglsang go if they don't want to stay anymore even if they are still on contract.

So if even the head DS and top riders didn't know about this, then it must have been VERY secretive ... but apparently not secretive enough because L'Equipe found out. I guess someone must have leaked it - maybe Bruyneel himself. Maybe it was supposed to stay a secret for longer and then they could have told Andersen & Co before making it public. I hope they would have.