Lidl-Trek (no longer Radioshack-Leopard Trek)

[thehog]

What date is the 10 days re UFO greenlight or not.

I Hope for the 1% chance that they say no to the merger but that would do more damage probably.

Yeah I'd love Pat to knock the merger on the head but that won't happen.

or even better maybe Riis can sign Mercedes as co-jersey sponsor for 2012?

Love to see Contador winning the Tour with the Mercedes emblem on his jersey!

 

[pugdog]

Actually no – nothing like that. The sponsors didn't pull out because they found a better opportunity they pulled out because they had no money or weren’t even in cycling to begin with and couldn’t validate their income!

So much different but thanks for bringing up the point.

Thanks for clearing that point. On the other hand didn't all these teams contract riders, without being able to honour their commitments. I really believe that contracts have become almost worthless nowadays, with them only being decided or validated in court. Pity really.

 

[thehog]

Thanks for clearing that point. On the other hand didn't all these teams contract riders, without being able to honour their commitments. I really believe that contracts have become almost worthless nowadays, with them only being decided or validated in court. Pity really.

Well no contracts are not worthless. They’re a very important part of governance. If there is a force majeure event such as a sponsor has no money or circumstances unforeseen then they’re would be provisions to support the rider through that period – one being the bank guarantee to the UCI. Which affords the riders from memory 6 months’ salary whilst they look for a new team. Non-doping clauses are also important. They protect the rider and sponsor. The Contador case is a classic example. Still afforded his salary even when he’s not racing and awaiting the outcome of the Spanish investigation. Injury and right to advanced medical treatment are also provisions of a rider contract. If the rider cannot race through injury then they shall still paid and afforded the best medical treatment to be back in a position to race again. These types of stipulations didn’t exist 10 years ago.

In saying all this the sponsor(s) are the ones stumping up the cash and the risk for the riders to go out and win and hopefully provide a return on investment. So if Hog and Becca did the deal without informing Mercedes then that’s a breach of contract – zero consultation? You serious? You cannot behave like this and it gives cycling a very poor image and won’t attract genuine long term sponsors. Problem being I think the big loser he will be the Shleck’s. This move won’t make them win the Tour. Far from it and like you say its sends a poor message that yes contracts are worthless and can be tossed aside. Riders can’t have it both ways. Andy and Frank Shleck have done a great disservice to cycling and I don’t think the change will bring them a Tour title either.

 

[Christian]

Yeah I'd love Pat to knock the merger on the head but that won't happen.

or even better maybe Riis can sign Mercedes as co-jersey sponsor for 2012?

Love to see Contador winning the Tour with the Mercedes emblem on his jersey!

Let's not forget that the company Mercedes had very little to do with LEOPARD TREK, once again it was "only" Mercedes Luxembourg. Their major objective was to be associated with the Schleck brothers, and that's what they got. Luckyboy was laughing earlier at Becca priding himself about bringing Mercedes "visibility", and while the brand itself certainly doesn't need any more visibility, Mercedes Luxembourg had many ads in the paper with the Schlecks and Cancellara and organized fan-rides with the Schlecks starting and ending at one of their dealerships ...

I certainly don't want to diminish their losses, excuse Becca's behaviour or even go as far as to contradict you, but I highly doubt Mercedes Luxembourg would want to put in such a large amount as to be the co-jersey sponsor of a cycling team (... and especially not the team of the arch-nemesis of their national heroes!).

The funny thing about it all is that the Schlecks (at least up until last year) were driving VW SUV's that they got for free from a dealership that sponsored them. Whether they continued to drive them this year I can't say, but it'll be interesting to see if they get Nissans next year

 

[Benotti69]

but I highly doubt Mercedes Luxembourg would want to put in such a large amount as to be the co-jersey sponsor of a cycling team (... and especially not the team of the arch-nemesis of their national heroes!).

Luxembourg is not that big that Merc-Lux can probably not justify a lot of money on top of all the transport (inc servicing and parts) they provided TeamShrek.

The two Travego coaches, equipped with all possible modern amenities and safety features. Before, during and after the races the Mercedes E- and C-Class race cars and Sprinter vans as well as the Mercedes A-Class will ensure that the team’s equipment, management, director sportifs and support crew are always close at hand during the many long days of racing. The Actros bike and equipment trucks, with their expandable side walls and floor plans offer a fully equipped mobile state of the art technical and office platform for the team’s staff of mechanics as well as on-the-road storage space for the team’s high end performance bikes.

that is no small change in transport! Check out what FDJ mechanics work out of and there is no coach.

Since both LEOPARD TREK and Mercedes-Benz accept nothing but the best, each side expects a fruitful and rewarding partnership in 2011 and beyond.

I see Becca does accept things less than the best...

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Let's not forget that the company Mercedes had very little to do with LEOPARD TREK, once again it was "only" Mercedes Luxembourg. Their major objective was to be associated with the Schleck brothers, and that's what they got. Luckyboy was laughing earlier at Becca priding himself about bringing Mercedes "visibility", and while the brand itself certainly doesn't need any more visibility, Mercedes Luxembourg had many ads in the paper with the Schlecks and Cancellara and organized fan-rides with the Schlecks starting and ending at one of their dealerships ...

I certainly don't want to diminish their losses, excuse Becca's behaviour or even go as far as to contradict you, but I highly doubt Mercedes Luxembourg would want to put in such a large amount as to be the co-jersey sponsor of a cycling team (... and especially not the team of the arch-nemesis of their national heroes!).

The funny thing about it all is that the Schlecks (at least up until last year) were driving VW SUV's that they got for free from a dealership that sponsored them. Whether they continued to drive them this year I can't say, but it'll be interesting to see if they get Nissans next year

What does it matter if it was Mercedes Luxembourg - it is Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) that were sponsoring the Radioshack Team:

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced an agreement with Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France and founder of the LIVESTRONG Charitable Foundation, to sponsor his new Team RadioShack pro cycling team. The multi-year partnership includes the use of a variety of Nissan products as the official vehicle of the team.
...........

 

[Christian]

What does it matter if it was Mercedes Luxembourg - it is Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) that were sponsoring the Radioshack Team:

I just wanted to present my hypothesis as to why Mercedes Luxembourg might not want to become co-jersey sponsor of any cycling team any time soon. Of course they still might. Mercedes Denmark might also come through for them and replace SunGard to get back at Becca.

Why Nissan North America wants to sponsor a Luxembourg team I do not know but I expect it is a slightly larger franchise than Mercedes Luxembourg

 

[Christian]

Love to see Contador winning the Tour with the Mercedes emblem on his jersey!

But would you go as far as to buy a Mercedes? Or suggest it to your friend? Or flipp off soccer moms??

 

[thehog]

Let's not forget that the company Mercedes had very little to do with LEOPARD TREK, once again it was "only" Mercedes Luxembourg. Their major objective was to be associated with the Schleck brothers, and that's what they got. Luckyboy was laughing earlier at Becca priding himself about bringing Mercedes "visibility", and while the brand itself certainly doesn't need any more visibility, Mercedes Luxembourg had many ads in the paper with the Schlecks and Cancellara and organized fan-rides with the Schlecks starting and ending at one of their dealerships ...

I certainly don't want to diminish their losses, excuse Becca's behaviour or even go as far as to contradict you, but I highly doubt Mercedes Luxembourg would want to put in such a large amount as to be the co-jersey sponsor of a cycling team (... and especially not the team of the arch-nemesis of their national heroes!).

The funny thing about it all is that the Schlecks (at least up until last year) were driving VW SUV's that they got for free from a dealership that sponsored them. Whether they continued to drive them this year I can't say, but it'll be interesting to see if they get Nissans next year

I was only speaking in jest I know they won’t sponsor Saxo.... but after reading your post I'm even more disgusted. I was not aware that the Shleck's were doing fan rides etc. to the dealerships. Just goes to show the effort put behind the sponsorship. Meaning it wasn't just "here's a few trucks now leave us alone". Mercedes obviously had a marketing manager who was organising and arranging such events. How sad that’s been dropped for Nissan North America.

From memory didn’t Fabs also race a Mercedes F1 car or something like that?

 

[thehog]

But would you go as far as to buy a Mercedes? Or suggest it to your friend? Or flipp off soccer moms??

I think you missed my point.

Mercedes don’t need to be a jersey sponsor. Their work is done providing the transport. Similar to what Jaguar do at Sky. In the UK there are many Jaguar advertisements with Sky cyclists but Jaguar doesn’t appear on the jersey. The Sky bus in the UK is know by many and gets a lot of airtime. My point was that Mercedes had made a large investment and maybe it was product alone but they signed a contract believing they would get a return on that investment to have the rug pulled from under their feet with zero consultation. That’s poor form.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

I just wanted to present my hypothesis as to why Mercedes Luxembourg might not want to become co-jersey sponsor of any cycling team any time soon. Of course they still might. Mercedes Denmark might also come through for them and replace SunGard to get back at Becca.

Why Nissan North America wants to sponsor a Luxembourg team I do not know but I expect it is a slightly larger franchise than Mercedes Luxembourg

And it is completely irrelevant - Mercedes have stated that they were happy to keep sponsoring Leopard and abide by their contract.

Why would it matter if Nissan NA are 'bigger' than Mercedes (Lux)? On both teams it was the brand that was highlighted, not the individual franchise.

 

[DirtyWorks]

And it is completely irrelevant - Mercedes have stated that they were happy to keep sponsoring Leopard and abide by their contract.

Why would it matter if Nissan NA are 'bigger' than Mercedes (Lux)? On both teams it was the brand that was highlighted, not the individual franchise.

Exactly. The story can be summarized as "Global brand fired by minor sport for no good reason." Details are unimportant.

 

[Christian]

From memory didn’t Fabs also race a Mercedes F1 car or something like that?

They weren't F1 cars but they did drive some special Mercedes racing cars at Spa Francorchamps (which is apparently broke now and rumoured to be bought by Becca's business friend Gérard Lopez, main investor behind the Lotus Renault F1 team). I think it was before Flèche or before Liège.

My point was that Mercedes had made a large investment and maybe it was product alone but they signed a contract believing they would get a return on that investment to have the rug pulled from under their feet with zero consultation. That’s poor form.

Yes, "I think we can all agree on that"

Why would it matter if Nissan NA are 'bigger' than Mercedes (Lux)? On both teams it was the brand that was highlighted, not the individual franchise.

It would matter if The Hog's comment about Mercedes Luembourg co-sponsoring Saxo Bank hadn't been made in jest, because according to my hypothesis Nissan NA would have a much larger budget to spend on cycling teams than Mercedes Lux. However since the initial statement was a joke, it might be futile to discuss my counter-hypothesis

 

[Polish]

Perhaps Radioshack might get a better sponsorship opportunity and pull the rug on the team? .

Wouldn't be surprised if this happens.

"Radioshack will not start the TdF in 2010 err 2011 ooops 2012.
Well, if they DO start, they will not make it to the finish.
If they do finish, it will not matter.
They are irrelevant and freaking out."

What is the average length of a Sponsor's Contract in Pro Cycling?
One of these years you guys will inevitably get it right lol.
"We told you so! We told you so!"
Yes, you certainly did. Team Nostradamus.

"I predict Mercedes will no longer sponsor cycling in 2012"

 

[Polish]

Team Coast ran out of money, Pegasus was not a sponsor and had no funding.
Linda McCartney had stopped yet the 'team' continued searching for sponsors even though they had no money.
:

It would have been nice if Radioshack-Nissan-Trek bailed out those teams too.
But c'mon, there is only so much One Team could do.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Firing Mercedes to get Nissan is like Hugh Grant cheating on Elizabeth Hurley with a hooker.

 

[Christian]

Firing Mercedes to get Nissan is like Hugh Grant cheating on Elizabeth Hurley with a hooker.

I guess Nissan was willing to do things that Mercedes just wouldn't.

 

[Benotti69]

I guess Nissan was willing to do things that Mercedes just wouldn't.

i guess Brendan Beehan is needed now and i quote

The big difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex for money usually costs a lot less.

 

[Anonymous]

"Radioshack will not start the TdF in 2010 err 2011 ooops 2012.
Well, if they DO start, they will not make it to the finish.
If they do finish, it will not matter.
They are irrelevant and freaking out."

What is the average length of a Sponsor's Contract in Pro Cycling?
One of these years you guys will inevitably get it right lol.
"We told you so! We told you so!"
Yes, you certainly did. Team Nostradamus.

"I predict Mercedes will no longer sponsor cycling in 2012"

Well, those predictions were as accurate as the Uniballer (and his legions of minions) thinking he could compete for a Tour win in comeback 2.hasbeen. I mean, that second year, I think Kenny Van Hummel could have kept up on the mountain stages. Unfortunately, we will never know because ASO didn't invite the well respected rider of that pair to their race that year. Frowny face.

 

[Anonymous]

Firing Mercedes to get Nissan is like Hugh Grant cheating on Elizabeth Hurley with a hooker.

...a transvestite hooker...

 

[Race Radio]

It looks like Wonderboy might have got the best of this deal

CSE sells their sponsors to Becca and pockets a nice up front commission. When the indictments come RS can site an exit clause in their contract and walk away from a sponsorship that adds no value to their brand.....everyone is happy, except for Becca, he is left holding the bag.

 

[thehog]

It looks like Wonderboy might have got the best of this deal

CSE sells their sponsors to Becca and pockets a nice up front commission. When the indictments come RS can site an exit clause in their contract and walk away from a sponsorship that adds no value to their brand.....everyone is happy, except for Becca, he is left holding the bag.

http://espn.go.com/olympics/cycling/story/_/id/6962005/radioshack-leopard-trek-deal-intriguing-start

"Someone must have made the suggestion that Bruyneel creates Tour de France winners.''

 

[Race Radio]

http://espn.go.com/olympics/cycling/story/_/id/6962005/radioshack-leopard-trek-deal-intriguing-start

"Someone must have made the suggestion that Bruyneel creates Tour de France winners.''

Ha, great article.

Radioshack basically says there are plenty of clueless groupies that they can sell batteries to

and

If the investigation changes course, we'll address it at that time."

Translation: We are milking the groupies for now, but as soon as the $hit hits the fan we are out of here..... Lance who?

 

[KuotaRocket]

Firing Mercedes to get Nissan is like Hugh Grant cheating on Elizabeth Hurley with a hooker.

finally, someone understands what this forum is about...

 

[MacRoadie]

"Someone must have made the suggestion that Bruyneel creates Tour de France winners.''

Yeah, and his initials are "J.B."...