Rabobank quits cycling!

[El Pistolero]

This has been explained before. The big public didn't know so Rabo didn't care. Now Rabobank is getting a lot of negative press for the last 2 years and they leave. It's not that complicated.

Then they shouldn't have doped their riders. In other words, they're hypocrites.

Anyway, fairly confident this team will find a new sponsor next year.

 

[Bavarianrider]

DON't see the problem. They spent huge money since 1996. It 's just natural to call it a day at one point. They've done so much for cycling.
New sponsors will coe. That's the why it is. Nothing to be sad about.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

This has been explained before. The big public didn't know so Rabo didn't care. Now Rabobank is getting a lot of negative press for the last 2 years and they leave. It's not that complicated.

rabobank the sponsor obiovusly didn't know about rasmussen etc. like no other sponsors would know unles sthey are tightly involved.

also I heard dutch government pressured rabobank to get out.

 

[theyoungest]

If by the "Dutch government" you mean an MP from the Socialist Party, yes you're right.

 

[Moondance]

So, this bank knew nothing about the doping scandals going on in their team for years and now just found out? Who the hell trusts his money to a bank like that? I bet they make a lot of smart risk-free investments with your hard earned cash - what with their eyes all closed and all.

People who know good banks... Its the 10th safest bank in the world according to this list (and its the highest non-governmental bank on that list).

The actual Rabobank are a pretty decent institution all-in-all. Never paid out big bonuses during the 'boom years' and didn't have to come begging for a taxpayer handout in the crisis years.

 

[masking_agent]

I wonder if a Christina Watches take over can happen ? That would be great

 

[El Pistolero]

People who know good banks... Its the 10th safest bank in the world according to this list (and its the highest non-governmental bank on that list).

The actual Rabobank are a pretty decent institution all-in-all. Never paid out big bonuses during the 'boom years' and didn't have to come begging for a taxpayer handout in the crisis years.

It's clearly obvious Rabobank knew all along what was going on in their team. But if we can believe their own press release they had no clue. For a bank to have no clue about your investments you have to be ****ing stupid. In other words, they're lying.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

If by the "Dutch government" you mean an MP from the Socialist Party, yes you're right.

I'm talking about minister/secretary of sports, so yes that is government

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

It's clearly obvious Rabobank knew all along what was going on in their team. But if we can believe their own press release they had no clue. For a bank to have no clue about your investments you have to be ****ing stupid. In other words, they're lying.

how were they supposed to know? you think rasmussen or menchov called up people from the bank that he was using his salary to buy doping?

 

[skidmark]

In terms of getting cycling 'past the past', maybe this is ultimately a good thing. I know team management is more directly involved than sponsors, but my understanding is that Rabo as a sponsor should have known what was going on for years and accepted it. It might be just as well for the sport to sever ties with a company that represents a link even back to the Festina years. Although it's hard to see how losing one of the most solid sponsors could be 'good' in the short term.

Even so, their withdrawal takes aim pretty precisely on the UCI, and that pressure is the only thing I can see leading to change. Money talks.

Then again, maybe this falls into Pat McQuaid's global branding strategies, and we'll see a more empowered Pat in 3 years running a ProTour with Champion System and 3 other Asian sponsored teams, while 100-year-old races get turfed from the ProTour. Nothing would surprise me at this point.

 

[Kwibus]

It's clearly obvious Rabobank knew all along what was going on in their team. But if we can believe their own press release they had no clue. For a bank to have no clue about your investments you have to be ****ing stupid. In other words, they're lying.

I'm not sure if the board knew Rabobank management looked away if the team doctors supplied doping to their riders or which riders were using. They knew something was going on.
They most certainly allready knew in hindsight a lot of stuff happened. They decided to clean up, throw some people out and move on. They had faith in the team that it would get better and that cycling would move forward.

Now after 2 years of crap they are fed up with it. Specially because they see that the UCI are part of the problem!

 

[Dutchsmurf]

DON't see the problem. They spent huge money since 1996. It 's just natural to call it a day at one point. They've done so much for cycling.
New sponsors will come. That's the why it is. Nothing to be sad about.

If a team like HTC couldn't find a new team, even with the results they got, what makes you believe Rabobank will be different? If high profile riders like Andy Schleck (who seems very marketable) can't get a sponsor, what makes you believe Rabobank can? Giant might step in and seeing how they are from Asia, the UCI will love it. But Giant isn't exactly a high profile sponsor outside cycling like Rabobank.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

...Now after 2 years of crap they are fed up with it. Specially because they see that the UCI are part of the problem!

And I can't say that I blame them. There are other option though instead of bailing out, like a breakaway league without the UCI.

 

[Bavarianrider]

If a team like HTC couldn't find a new team, even with the results they got, what makes you believe Rabobank will be different? If high profile riders like Andy Schleck (who seems very marketable) can't get a sponsor, what makes you believe Rabobank can? Giant might step in and seeing how they are from Asia, the UCI will love it. But Giant isn't exactly a high profile sponsor outside cycling like Rabobank.

They just need to reduce their payment demands, that's all.
It' much easier to find a sponsor for 4 Millions then for 10 Million Euros.
That's the wayit is in a free market.

 

[WillemS]

So, team Giant it will be.

As mentioned above, the costs have to go down. One way to do that is releasing the non-WorldTour parts of the current team construction. As Rabobank stated their intent to continue supporting Vos, and some additional riders, until the next Olympics and their decision to continue supporting Cyclo-cross and "amateur" parts of the team, the only real remainder will be the WorldTour-team. This means the gap to fill for additional sponsors besides Giant is smaller than it would have been if the team would have continued with the current extensive structure (development teams, women's team, etc.).

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

their ct team is also gone

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Then they shouldn't have doped their riders. In other words, they're hypocrites.

Anyway, fairly confident this team will find a new sponsor next year.

Ofcourse the sponsor is hypocrite. That's why I think it's stupid to stop now. At least show some balls and deal with the negative press and try to get positive press. Turn it around. But they just leave the moment all goes to ****.

Not a bank I'd trust. (thats why i dont have a rabobank account anyway )

 

[El Pistolero]

Ofcourse the sponsor is hypocrite. That's why I think it's stupid to stop now. At least show some balls and deal with the negative press and try to get positive press. Turn it around. But they just leave the moment all goes to ****.

Not a bank I'd trust. (thats why i dont have a rabobank account anyway )

Yes, I feel the same. Anyway if they find a new sponsor I'm sure at least the jerseys will look much better.

And if not, most of the riders should be able to find a new team.

QS could use someone like Tankink and any team with GT ambition could use a domestique like Ten Dam.

The neo pro's will perhaps be the biggest victim in all this. Perhaps Vacansoleil or Argos-Shimano can pick a couple of them up.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

They just need to reduce their payment demands, that's all.
It' much easier to find a sponsor for 4 Millions then for 10 Million Euros.
That's the way it is in a free market.

Because 10 million is a lot for any serious company? Rabobank doesn't even start caring about 10 million more or less unless you add a few more zeros at the end. Compared to what is paid in other sports, 10 million is nothing. You can hardly buy 1 decent football player with 10 million. The exposure in the Tour alone makes it more than worth it, IF the sport could be without negative press for a few years.

And besides, it isn't like there are lots of costs you can cut in cycling anyway. The payment for most riders and staff isn't that big. There are a few riders per team that make decent money, but not that many that you can cut 6 million. And if there were sponsors willing to pay 4 million, you would think someone would have gotten 2 of those and made a team out of it. Simple fact is that as sponsor you have to be half insane at the moment to sponsor a cycling team.

 

[luckyboy]

their ct team is also gone

Well this isn't true

 

[El Pistolero]

Well this isn't true

Anything he says usually isn't true.

I'm glad they still keep their cyclocross team as well.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Anything he says usually isn't true.

I'm glad they still keep their cyclocross team as well.

I have to stop agreeing with you all the time

 

[the asian]

Its Procycling: every so often, teams change sponsership or go under, nothing new here.
But lets hope those owners committed to cycling can get together & push for change in UCI.
Oh well, we can but dream!

Yr, but they were sponsors for 17 years, They were the longest standing sponsor of a pro Team. And they also sponsored Women's, Continental, development and Cyclo Cross teams. They are not just a random cycling sponsor.

Honestly I never thought Rabo would quit sponsoring Pro cycling . Big shock

 

[El Pistolero]

Yr, but they were sponsors for 17 years, They were the longest standing sponsor of a pro Team. And they also sponsored Women's, Continental, development and Cyclo Cross teams. They are not just a random cycling sponsor.

Honestly I never thought Rabo would quit sponsoring Pro cycling . Big shock

Lotto has been sponsoring cycling teams since 1985.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's clearly obvious Rabobank knew all along what was going on in their team. But if we can believe their own press release they had no clue. For a bank to have no clue about your investments you have to be ****ing stupid. In other words, they're lying.

Although not a bank, Liberty Seguros are still a financial institution. Liberty Mutual are a US-based insurance conglomeration (based in Boston). Liberty Seguros is their Iberian arm, split into Spanish and Portuguese branches. The parent company back in the US were pretty naïve as to their team's behaviour, and because of the split between members of the Grupo Liberty Seguros in Iberia didn't really think about the continuation of the Portuguese team in the wake of the pull-out after Puerto; they pulled out of cycling altogether after Ribeiro, Guerra and Nozal's positives at the 2009 Volta.

Then, a year later, Liberty Seguros were back, starting a new biopassport compliant, all-Portuguese team. They'd even completed most of the signing procedures, had about 10 riders signed for the season, DSes and team staff all in place, when Liberty Mutual heard what was going on and shut it down leaving people scrambling for spots, and some of the riders took retirement instead, most notably enormously promising youngster Vitor Rodrigues. They were simply totally oblivious to their own organisation in Portugal on that front. I wonder if they even know Liberty Seguros still sponsor races and U23 teams over there.