Lidl-Trek (no longer Radioshack-Leopard Trek)

[maxmartin]

Only too true. It is no way to repay your teammates for their efforts in the first week.

Well, first not everybody put the race as the most important objective in his life. second, he probably know he has a very slim chance to beat F&W in the final time trial, in the tour once you suffered it is extremely difficult to recover. Why not take time off to recover to focus on Olympics. As he said many times in the beginning of the season that his biggest objective this year is Olympic road race and time trial race.

 

[ElChingon]

Well, first not everybody put the race as the most important objective in his life. second, he probably know he has a very slim chance to beat F&W in the final time trial, in the tour once you suffered it is extremely difficult to recover. Why not take time off to recover to focus on Olympics. As he said many times in the beginning of the season that his biggest objective this year is Olympic road race and time trial race.

So why has he finished any other previous year, he had no chance of winning the Tour? He should exit Cippo style at all GT's by the statements people are making.

 

[BillytheKid]

Well, first not everybody put the race as the most important objective in his life. second, he probably know he has a very slim chance to beat F&W in the final time trial, in the tour once you suffered it is extremely difficult to recover. Why not take time off to recover to focus on Olympics. As he said many times in the beginning of the season that his biggest objective this year is Olympic road race and time trial race.

That does make sense and because he can do what he did in the first week, he gets away with it. I still don't agree with it, but I also don't agree with the placement the road events at the Olympics. How many others are going home now? Your sponsor pays you to ride the most televised cycling event in the world for a reason, not to ride the Olympics.

 

[Sylvester]

HAIMAR ZUBELDIA allez allez allez

 

[Fidolix]

Of course he should go home to his childs birth, cycling is not everything, its a sport, not your life.
And if anybody on that team gave the sponsors what they pay for this season it´s Canc.
Only he and Fuglsang have actually showed few results worth to mention.

He should stay and work for the team?

What team? They don´t have a top 10 gc contender anyway, what to stay for, they ride like a junior team from virgin island, probably the stupidest tactics anybody ever showed in the tour, even more dumb than FDJ showed today.

Go home Canc, watch your kids birth and prepare for the Olympics, some people here obviously forget who dominated the TT throne for years, and think you are over the hill, leave this boring tour and prepare to kick some seriously azz in London!!

 

[DominicDecoco]

Look, I understand how huge it is to be there for the birth of your child. And especially to be there for your wife, for those of you who don't know! DO NOT screw that up.

But .... uhhhh .... you were hired to be a leader on your team in the biggest bicycle race (by far) in the world. And you bail out mid-way through? It's kind of a big deal. And it makes me think that he thinks this team or at least his time on this team is finished.

It makes it look like the portions of the race he was most interested in were over with so he was taking his ball and going home. I know he has a huge following and deservedly so, so I am going to take heat. I am pretty surprised I didn't see more commentary here. Wondering if there isn't another discussion I missed.

That does make sense and because he can do what he did in the first week, he gets away with it. I still don't agree with it, but I also don't agree with the placement the road events at the Olympics. How many others are going home now? Your sponsor pays you to ride the most televised cycling event in the world for a reason, not to ride the Olympics.

I'm yet to read such bollock* elsewhere.

 

[veganrob]

Got no problem with him leaving. Be with your wife and family at one of the most precious times in life. If anyone has the credibility it is Fabian. There will be more races and more Tours. Only can be at your childs birth once.

 

[movingtarget]

HAIMAR ZUBELDIA allez allez allez

Who would have predicted that ? He has done well. He was always a top 10 rider but has been mainly doing domestique duties for the past few years. It would be good to see him get another top 10 finish and he should based on what's happened so far. I wonder if Frank will try something in the mountains next week ? Not saying he will be successful but he should go for a stage win.

 

[movingtarget]

Although he has done fuc* in all those races he's been at in this season, it's reasonable that he skips the Vuelta. Nobody expected anything else anyway.

He has to look after his brother Andrew while they watch dvds on how to improve TT riding and descending. Frank was quite passionate last week when a journalist told him that "he looked upset" after he was involved in a fall. The guy was a fool and Frank's response was fair. If only the Schlecks could get that aggressive on the bike !

 

[Christian]

Close to the end?

According to media reports, Flavio Becca could soon lose the license for his ProTeam, Radioshack-Nissan. The company holding the license is making huge losses.

Tageblatt has access to the balance of accounts of 2011 of Leopard S.A. It shows a loss in the first year of €7.6 million. Meanwhile, in the international edition of Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) of this Saturday, one can read that "Insiders are of the opinion that Flavio Becca will soon lose his license"

According to the document from auditing-company Deloitte, Leopard S.A. finished the first business year (26.07.2010 to 31.12.2011) with a loss of €7.618.109,60.

The conclusion of the auditers: with such a huge loss, the board of directors are required by law to summon a general assembly of the share holders, which will decide whether the company will be terminated or not.

Journalist Andreas Burkert (SZ) writes in his article "Revolution of the national heroes" among other things that the riders who complained about late paiments were "aces": "Luxembourg's national heroes, the Schlecks, as well as Fabian Cancellara. In addition, the Dane Jakob Fuglsang contacted the UCI. According to the records, at least one rider has sued Leopard S.A. by ways of a private company of his".

http://www.tageblatt.lu/nachrichten/luxemburg/story/Vor-dem-Aus--23058974

Complete article in today's print edition, I shall try to get one

 

[BillytheKid]

He has to look after his brother Andrew while they watch dvds on how to improve TT riding and descending. Frank was quite passionate last week when a journalist told him that "he looked upset" after he was involved in a fall. The guy was a fool and Frank's response was fair. If only the Schlecks could get that aggressive on the bike !

They have been aggressive. It just they are climbers who can race GC if the show fits.

 

[Forunculo]

@TourDeJose
Süddeutsche Zeitung reports there are payment problems with Radioshack. Fuglsang, Schleck, Cancellara appealed to UCI (via @andreas_burkert)


lol Flavio Becca has balls, he doesn't pay his superstars.

 

[Christian]

Carlo Rock (speaker of Leopard S.A.) said on Luxembourg Radio that "there is a war going on between Sky, Radioshack-Nissan and us (sic)" and inferred that Rupert Murdoch is trying to discredit the team by spreading false rumours through the Süddeutsche Zeitung, to which he has "a very close relationship".

He did however acknowledge that the numbers published by Tageblatt are correct, but said that this did not pose a major problem. The team's future is assured for another two years through a bank guaranty that lies with the UCI. Recently all their accounts were audited and nothing suspicious was found.

The rider having sued Leopard S.A. through his company is indeed Jakob Fuglsang. Rock: "This affair is actually pretty simple. Last year, we paid Mr. Fuglsang's salary to a private company. This year, we were told to pay them to a different company. We then asked for legal documents assuring us of the seriousness of this company, because we do not want to be involved in any way in money laundering. To this day, we are waiting for these documents".

Source: Radio RTL

Some further numbers from the balance of accounts:

Salaries for riders: €10.6 million
Salaries for employees: €1.5 million
Salaries for doctors: €300.000
Participation at UCI biological passport program: €120.000
Corporate identity: €400.000
Traveling expenses: €1.4 million

Input of Flavio Becca's financing company Promobe Finance SPF: €5.5 million
Debts towards others: almost €7.7 million
Debts of others towards Leopard S.A.: almost €3.6 million
Input of sponsors: €9.5 million
Other gains (Leopard-Trademark): €2.5 million
Penalties for enticing riders away from other teams: €618.500
Amount to pay to riders for image rights: €1.3 million

Promobe Finance SPF acts as a guarantor for losses or debts of Leopard S.A.

Source: Tageblatt print edition

More to follow soon

 

[Nocontest]

Of course he should go home to his childs birth, cycling is not everything, its a sport, not your life.
And if anybody on that team gave the sponsors what they pay for this season it´s Canc.
Only he and Fuglsang have actually showed few results worth to mention.

He should stay and work for the team?

What team? They don´t have a top 10 gc contender anyway, what to stay for, they ride like a junior team from virgin island, probably the stupidest tactics anybody ever showed in the tour, even more dumb than FDJ showed today.

Go home Canc, watch your kids birth and prepare for the Olympics, some people here obviously forget who dominated the TT throne for years, and think you are over the hill, leave this boring tour and prepare to kick some seriously azz in London!!

+100 I can't believe the attitude of other posters around this.

 

[BillytheKid]

Carlo Rock (speaker of Leopard S.A.) said on Luxembourg Radio that "there is a war going on between Sky, Radioshack-Nissan and us (sic)" and inferred that Rupert Murdoch is trying to discredit the team by spreading false rumours through the Süddeutsche Zeitung, to which he has "a very close relationship".

He did however acknowledge that the numbers published by Tageblatt are correct, but said that this did not pose a major problem. The team's future is assured for another two years through a bank guaranty that lies with the UCI. Recently all their accounts were audited and nothing suspicious was found.

The rider having sued Leopard S.A. through his company is indeed Jakob Fuglsang. Rock: "This affair is actually pretty simple. Last year, we paid Mr. Fuglsang's salary to a private company. This year, we were told to pay them to a different company. We then asked for legal documents assuring us of the seriousness of this company, because we do not want to be involved in any way in money laundering. To this day, we are waiting for these documents".

Source: Radio RTL

Some further numbers from the balance of accounts:

Salaries for riders: €10.6 million
Salaries for employees: €1.5 million
Salaries for doctors: €300.000
Participation at UCI biological passport program: €120.000
Corporate identity: €400.000
Traveling expenses: €1.4 million

Input of Flavio Becca's financing company Promobe Finance SPF: €5.5 million
Debts towards others: almost €7.7 million
Debts of others towards Leopard S.A.: almost €3.6 million
Input of sponsors: €9.5 million
Other gains (Leopard-Trademark): €2.5 million
Penalties for enticing riders away from other teams: €618.500
Amount to pay to riders for image rights: €1.3 million

Promobe Finance SPF acts as a guarantor for losses or debts of Leopard S.A.

Source: Tageblatt print edition

More to follow soon

Yes keep the muck in the flow. I am sure there are troubles, but as my man Horner said he's never been on but one team that pay on time. So is this really news?

My guess is that Becca will be allowed out. The new team will be Nissan-Trek
with an end to Bruyneel. Horner, Bobby Julich and Gallopin?

 

[Alpechraxler]

They have been aggressive. It just they are climbers who can race GC if the show fits.

As you can see in the latest video Frank even started growing a beard

 

[Christian]

According to the article in Süddeutsche, "The Schlecks are waiting for their share of the image rights, on which they pay separate taxes in Luxembourg. This makes for about a quarter of their salary. And because these payments have apparently been missing already since the Tour 2011 and until at least the second quarter of 2012, both must be missing a higher six-figure sum. Cancellara received his salary twice with significant delays. Delayed salary payments are supposed to be the rule, rather than the exception, for the 80 employees of the team"

Source: Tageblatt

 

[HL2037]

He did however acknowledge that the numbers published by Tageblatt are correct, but said that this did not pose a major problem. The team's future is assured for another two years through a bank guaranty that lies with the UCI.

How reassuring

No wonder that these guys are not motivated to kill themselves for this team...

 

[Christian]

What I find most interesting is that they accuse the Murdoch group, therefore Sky, of deliberately spreading false rumours in a "very big war" that is supposedly going on right now.

I have often read comments by British users who refer to Murdoch as "scum of the earth" so it seems that at least theoretically this is something this group would do. On the other hand most of RSNT financiers and managers are also very sketchy people.

Wasn't Murdoch also behind that big scandal where they tapped the phones and e-mail accounts of politicians in England?

You can find the audio of the interview here:

http://sport.rtl.lu/cyclissem/news/280095.html (luxembourgish)

 

[HL2037]

What I find most interesting is that they accuse the Murdoch group, therefore Sky, of deliberately spreading false rumours in a "very big war" that is supposedly going on right now.

I have often read comments by British users who refer to Murdoch as "scum of the earth" so it seems that at least theoretically this is something this group would do. On the other hand most of RSNT financiers and managers are also very sketchy people.

Wasn't Murdoch also behind that big scandal where they tapped the phones and e-mail accounts of politicians in England?

Yes, the News of the World scandal. But since it backfired badly and the responsible people had to give tearfull public apologies I would think that they would keep a low profile for a while.

Especially since team SKY seems to be dominating quite without the help of Süddeutche Zeitung.

 

[Christian]

At least the part about them being broke does indeed only seem to be a storm in a waterglass (perhaps mounted by Murdoch/Sky? Tbc!) as Leopard S.A. writes in a press release:

"From the beginning of (Leopard's) activities in cycling and its demand for a license with the UCI, the business plan foresaw an important deficit for the first season which would be covered by its shareholders.

The balance of accounts concluded on 31 December 2011 is conform to these previsions. The company's and the UCI's auditors have not only validated all the team's accounts but also confirmed the financial capacity to continue its activities."

http://sport.rtl.lu/cyclissem/news/280095.html

 

[afpm90]

One thing I don't understand. Why would Murdoch or the Sky group start a war against Radioshack?

 

[Christian]

One thing I don't understand. Why would Murdoch or the Sky group start a war against Radioshack?

Yeah that's a good question but according to Leopard's press agent that is what is going on right now, don't know who started it ...

 

[HL2037]

But if the team is not bankrupt then why not pay the riders on time? Another scare tactic from Bruyneel or?

Also there was the story about the kitchen truck. Last year it was shown off in the press. This year it is gone, and the compagny who built it hasn't been payed yet.

 

[BillytheKid]

One thing I don't understand. Why would Murdoch or the Sky group start a war against Radioshack?

Who knows? Gossip. Sky have to report the news like anyone else. Given the history of the sport, they could possibly be taking pressure off gossip about them with gossip about the other guys. :