• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Miguel Ángel Lopez Discussion Thread

Page 43 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Wielerflits saying MAL and Movistar mutually agreed to terminate the contract.

Good Riddance to bad rubbish!

Vino will be writing him letters :)
 
I take this is an idiom but isn't it a bit uncalled for?
You've posted a number of times about Lopez in the past few days and I'm sure everybody has figured out you don't cherish him and/or his behaviour. But there's no need to disrespect people. He's not a criminal.
On a more funny note actually I do think he is a criminal; when he punched that spectator. (Honestly that is what made me love him in the first place as I have always been crazy mad att people running in front of cyclists) :D
 
If only last Saturday was erased. Things were looking up for the team. MAL guaranteed the teams a few victories per year, which is big on team without many other winners. Mas is good and consistent but much different from the Valverde/Quintana era where stage/race wins came with the high GC results. And, even this year, Valverde kept them afloat in the week-long stage races.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fantastico
I take this is an idiom but isn't it a bit uncalled for?
You've posted a number of times about Lopez in the past few days and I'm sure everybody has figured out you don't cherish him and/or his behaviour. But there's no need to disrespect people. He's not a criminal.

Not a criminal just a extremely poor team player. He is the one that showed disrespect and I only call him out on it.
Feel free to ignore my posts.
 
It cannot be that difficult! I really don't know what the hold up is, unless Movistar is having legal issues with his contract. They want to wait until September 30th.

MAL and Mas are clients of the same agent, so making things right is in the best interest of all parties. Either they have legal issues to solve or they need time so they break up only after MAL gets an offer from another team.
 
And all this because he didn't show up for dinner.

E_kCShTX0AMObOK
 
Last edited:
Yeah, always good when a team gets rid of their winningest rider.
Yeah...as a Masters racer I travelled hundreds of miles to a Stage Race to support my team and get some results. Not to mention the investment in training time, hotel and travel expenses I had high hopes for our team. We were well placed in the GC after the TT stage (we had a World Champion and multiple National TT champ on the squad) and the next 3 stages played out in our favor and we had the lead rider by 5 seconds. He had nothing to do on the last 105 mile stage but to cover one other rider and finish second to him on the last stage, should he not finish first; then he'd have the GC. Prize money was good as it was a well promoted and attended event.
Our rider covered most of the moves but the team was relentless in keeping the competition close and, as planned the outcome was going to be determined on the last 3km climb to the finish. Our teammate was confident that he'd win so I and the other well placed GC rider buried ourselves in the crosswinds to the base of the climb to maintain order and then watched the two main antagonists go up the road. It took a minute to recover and then I worked the climb and passed most of the field to finish in the top 15.
Our Main Hope was nowhere to be found at the finish. Not there to thank the team for the work, NOTHING.
Apparently his opponent sat on and outkicked him for the stage win and miffed at this; he rode around the finish line for a DQ. He loaded his bike quickly into his waiting truck and drove home. No words, no apologies...again nothing. Also-no money that would have paid for the entire teams' hotel rooms and part of the entry fees. We were all amazed and p*ssed at the childishness and selfishness.

Now you're a major pro in a 3 week stage race and you do the same thing to your hard working pro team. The money alone would be a sting as usually everyone shares the prize splits, right down to soigneurs and mechanics. As a manager how could/would you deal with it? MAL should at least write the check to his fellow Movistars.
 

TRENDING THREADS