- Jan 16, 2012
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Omega Pharma Quickstep chasing Contador
An article from the Danish cycling site feltet.dk today.
Sorry had no time to edit the translation from google, but I think its possible to get the general idea what it says.
Alberto Contadors quarantine expires on 5 august, then he is free to run again. And not necessarily for Bjarne Riis and Saxo Bank. The Belgian team manager Patrick Lefevere, where Danish Brian Holm's sports director, stands ready with a quote in the millions.
Contador has repeatedly stated that he feels very well treated by Bjarne Riis and the team, and he is therefore also repeatedly come out with statements that clearly indicate that a return to the Danish team is the absolute most realistic option. It requires that Bjarne Riis will not have solved two major problems that Patrick Lefevere and Omega Pharma Quick Step have not.
Money
Bjarne Riis must have a very large sum to pay Contadors salary. Rumors in parts of the cycling press yesterday at an annual salary of up to 4 million euros or approx. 30 million Danish kroner. Specialized Bicycle Sponsor (which funnily enough also sponsors Lefeveres team) will probably co-fund the salary, but Riises problem is that his sponsor, Saxo Bank, now will only sign one-year agreements, pt. means that the team is only guaranteed until the end of 2012. And although perhaps. designed an extension, so this will only further set of one year. Ie currently Riis is not able to provide Contador a contract for such two-year length. And less probably can not do it.
The problem, Patrick Lefevere and Omega Pharma QuickStep not. Lefevere, the Czech tycoon Zdenek Bakala in the back, and he is particularly interested in attracting Contador, which the team also tried unsuccessfully in 2010, when Contador left Astana.
The Belgian sports newspaper Sportwereld claim - and we expressly point out that this is unsubstantiated rumor - that Bjarne Riis is currently negotiating with a potential major sponsor and at the same time should have asked his riders to be patient and wait to negotiate with other teams.
World Tour points
Should Contador as expected return to Saxo Bank, then Bjarne Riises problems are not solved for that reason. Exactly as in the case with Team Movistar and Alejandro Valverde, then Contadors any victories do not give points to the UCI rankings for the next two years, which means that Bjarne Riis still go out and get reinforcements to the team that can gather enough points to to keep the place on the World Tour.
Also at this point, Patrick Lefevere and Omega Pharma Quickstep much better off. The Belgian team, ending several other riders who can score / have already scored lots of UCI points. You only have to mention Tom Boonen, currently. leads the individual rankings.
Here Bjarne Riis basically choose between two strategies for getting out of this apparent mess. He can assign new riders who can supply points, and here the possibilities are limited for the 2013 season.
But the most realistic possibility is enough to postpone the UCI rule - on a returning rider can not reap the UCI points up to two years after the end of quarantine - for a judicial review. The rule is that many players also suggests, in fact a violation of the civilian labor regulations, and many believe, therefore, that Riis will have a very good chance to overturn the rule, which Team Movistar and Alejandro Valverde probably like will help.
An article from the Danish cycling site feltet.dk today.
Sorry had no time to edit the translation from google, but I think its possible to get the general idea what it says.
Alberto Contadors quarantine expires on 5 august, then he is free to run again. And not necessarily for Bjarne Riis and Saxo Bank. The Belgian team manager Patrick Lefevere, where Danish Brian Holm's sports director, stands ready with a quote in the millions.
Contador has repeatedly stated that he feels very well treated by Bjarne Riis and the team, and he is therefore also repeatedly come out with statements that clearly indicate that a return to the Danish team is the absolute most realistic option. It requires that Bjarne Riis will not have solved two major problems that Patrick Lefevere and Omega Pharma Quick Step have not.
Money
Bjarne Riis must have a very large sum to pay Contadors salary. Rumors in parts of the cycling press yesterday at an annual salary of up to 4 million euros or approx. 30 million Danish kroner. Specialized Bicycle Sponsor (which funnily enough also sponsors Lefeveres team) will probably co-fund the salary, but Riises problem is that his sponsor, Saxo Bank, now will only sign one-year agreements, pt. means that the team is only guaranteed until the end of 2012. And although perhaps. designed an extension, so this will only further set of one year. Ie currently Riis is not able to provide Contador a contract for such two-year length. And less probably can not do it.
The problem, Patrick Lefevere and Omega Pharma QuickStep not. Lefevere, the Czech tycoon Zdenek Bakala in the back, and he is particularly interested in attracting Contador, which the team also tried unsuccessfully in 2010, when Contador left Astana.
The Belgian sports newspaper Sportwereld claim - and we expressly point out that this is unsubstantiated rumor - that Bjarne Riis is currently negotiating with a potential major sponsor and at the same time should have asked his riders to be patient and wait to negotiate with other teams.
World Tour points
Should Contador as expected return to Saxo Bank, then Bjarne Riises problems are not solved for that reason. Exactly as in the case with Team Movistar and Alejandro Valverde, then Contadors any victories do not give points to the UCI rankings for the next two years, which means that Bjarne Riis still go out and get reinforcements to the team that can gather enough points to to keep the place on the World Tour.
Also at this point, Patrick Lefevere and Omega Pharma Quickstep much better off. The Belgian team, ending several other riders who can score / have already scored lots of UCI points. You only have to mention Tom Boonen, currently. leads the individual rankings.
Here Bjarne Riis basically choose between two strategies for getting out of this apparent mess. He can assign new riders who can supply points, and here the possibilities are limited for the 2013 season.
But the most realistic possibility is enough to postpone the UCI rule - on a returning rider can not reap the UCI points up to two years after the end of quarantine - for a judicial review. The rule is that many players also suggests, in fact a violation of the civilian labor regulations, and many believe, therefore, that Riis will have a very good chance to overturn the rule, which Team Movistar and Alejandro Valverde probably like will help.
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