Rumours "Contador wants to leave" & "No Tour for LA+JB without a new Sponsor"

[Bala Verde]

http://www.wielerupdate.nl/nieuws/2009/05/29/geen-tour-voor-armstrong-zonder-nieuwe-sponsor_11358/

It's in dutch, but apparently originally reported by RAI.

LA won't go to the TdF if they don't find a new sponsor. Even if they find a new sponsor, it is rumoured that Contador leaves the team anyhow. According to Spanish media, Caisse d'epargne wants to contract him.

UCI is contemplating about pulling the plug June 1st, by revoking the UCI license. Obviously this has to do with the lag in rider's salary.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Sounds like they've been smitten with a heavy dose of reality.
Forum pundits may often be cynical, but they are often correct.
In accommodating a guy who is used to calling all the shots, there was always going to be rifts.
They have taken on the Kazakh fed in the media and look to have lost.
Contador leaving will not be purely down to money, but the same battle for supremacy.

If the team folds, who will shoulder the majority of the blame and was the comeback worth the cost?

 

[luckyboy]

If the team folds, who will shoulder the majority of the blame and was the comeback worth the cost?

Will it not be the sponsors who haven't paid? Or have I missed something?

 

[Jamsque]

It will be interesting to see how well Contador rides without JB's "expert assistance".

 

[BroDeal]

So WTF is going on here? The team racing in Spain claims they have all been paid. Horner says that he is receiving his paychecks. Who is not getting paid?

The UCI has scheduled a date to yank the team's ProTour license.

Are they behind on their UCI bribe payments?

 

[RdBiker]

At least Bruyneel said that after their change of the jersey (fading out the sponsors) some money came from the Kazakh sponsors so I guess that would mean that they get another month's or two's salary.

As long as Valverde's ban doesn't get enforced outside Italy I can't really see Caisse having the money to pay Contador. They can't just cough up another million annually (on top of the million they already pay to Alejandro) to pay for Contador even if they wanted to. IF Valverde gets banned then it's of course another story. You really really have to have deep pockets if you want to pay for two top of the line riders and their support riders so Valverde and Contador on the same team doesn't sound probable.

Cycling really is in a bad state if there would be no new sponsors interested in a team that is definitely the best stage racing team in the world right now. Armstrong should get a new sponsor with ease since all he has to do is open his mouth and even the newspapers in Greenland will print a story. Heck, even Contador himself could get a sponsor to sign. Oh yes and then they have Leipheimer who is capable of delivering wins for at least a few seasons. So let's see what happens.

 

[issoisso]

They can't just cough up another million annually (on top of the million they already pay to Alejandro) to pay for Contador even if they wanted to

FYI Valverde's salary is 2.7 million euro.

As for Contador, I'm pretty sure most sponsors would fork over extra to have him on the team. Especially a sponsor such as Caisse for whom an extra 2 million or so really wouldn't be that much more.

Notice that Contador, in case he leaves, isn't going to command a tremendous salary just this year. This because budgets are already filled up, to an extent.

 

[Snake8]

How can he leave if the team doesn't fold? Isnt he under contract for two years?

Of course if the team folds or doesnt pay him he should be able to move, but I'm in the camp that thinks he'd have a hard time picking up a decent ride at this time of year.

 

[boalio]

As long as Valverde's ban doesn't get enforced outside Italy I can't really see Caisse having the money to pay Contador. They can't just cough up another million annually (on top of the million they already pay to Alejandro) to pay for Contador even if they wanted to.

Could it be a breach of contract if Valverde gets banned? So Caisse would have an out to switch Contador in?

 

[Bala Verde]

How can he leave if the team doesn't fold? Isnt he under contract for two years?

Of course if the team folds or doesnt pay him he should be able to move, but I'm in the camp that thinks he'd have a hard time picking up a decent ride at this time of year.

Don't they, like other employees, just have a month's notice?

 

[SpeedWay]

Will it not be the sponsors who haven't paid? Or have I missed something?

Ya you missed something. HINT: the same individual responsible for global warming and the economic crisis the world is facing.

 

[Snake8]

Don't they, like other employees, just have a month's notice?

Month? Two weeks seems standard fare here in US, however most employees do not sign employment contracts. Not sure about Europe, but it was my understanding that contracted riders had little choice but to ride out their contracts as long as the team pays them...

 

[ElChingon]

Shall we agree that riders dressed without the fade are getting fully paid and those with the fade are not?

I'm just thinking that if a rider is wearing an older worn jersey we might get it wrong?

I still don't see the difference between QuickStep's jersey issue earlier this year and the faded Astana jersey's, as in why the UCI has allowed it. Its yet another inconsistency with the UCI and their rules...

Then, if you're not getting paid why would you buy new jersey's? I don't think they're really affected about the non-pay if they can go out and make custom-custom jersey's.

 

[jaylew]

And now there's this. It seems to imply that things might be looking good for Astana to get a start at the Tour at the very least. From the homepage:

Prior to the start of the Giro d'Italia, the Astana team was facing the possibility of a loss of its ProTour licence due to the non-payment of salaries. The team reportedly had to use its bank guarantee in order to pay riders, as several of its Kazakh sponsors had not coughed up the cash.

McQuaid confirmed that things are improving, but that certain guarantees would have to be met in order to secure the team would hold onto the licence.

"To the best of my knowledge, the bank guarantee has been repaid," he said. "As far as I am aware, everything is up to date with them. But having said that, it is still not completely clear. We have asked for other things to be put in place in order to ensure that the team continues and the payments stay right until the end of the year.

"In other words, we don't want a situation where the Tour de France finishes and then the payments stop going through. We need certain guarantees from them."

A deadline of June 1 was originally put in place, but this has now been extended. "We are still in correspondence with them in relation to that," he said. "There is still a possibility that we could be going to the licence commission in early June asking for a withdrawal of the licence."

 

[craig1985]

If Astana make it through and past the Tour, I wonder if Team Sky are watching and waiting to see what happens. But if that were to happen, Contador would have to put to bed any links to Puerto for good. I suppose if he changed teams now I guess he would try and bring his mate Benjamin Noval with him.

 

[Anonymous]

Shall we agree that riders dressed without the fade are getting fully paid and those with the fade are not?

I'm just thinking that if a rider is wearing an older worn jersey we might get it wrong?

I still don't see the difference between QuickStep's jersey issue earlier this year and the faded Astana jersey's, as in why the UCI has allowed it. Its yet another inconsistency with the UCI and their rules...

Then, if you're not getting paid why would you buy new jersey's? I don't think they're really affected about the non-pay if they can go out and make custom-custom jersey's.

i'm not clear on how johann get's paid. i'm under impression the sponsors pay the riders and support staff and johann owns all the stuff... buses, bikes.. you know.. all the gear, including the jerseys so that was out of his "pocket" so to speak, the reason being to get the attention of the sponsors, and it looks like it worked... sort of.
he has an ownership interest doesn't he?
that might put him outside the salary thing.
in auto racing you make money by raising more money from sponsors than it cost to race. is it not the same here? so if the team isn't profitable he could be losing money.
i could be wrong. some of the stuff i've read has been contradictory.

 

[terry31]

Ya you missed something. HINT: the same individual responsible for global warming and the economic crisis the world is facing.

Alternative energy sources are, I think,
and there is that direction which will deduce the world from crisis.
The epoch of oil and gas monopolies will end.