Saxo Bank crumbling?

[JPM London]

OK, thought this one needed it's own thread by now...

What is going to happen to Riis' team now that he concedes that the Schlecks as well as Fuglsang is probably going the same way as Kim Andersen and Nygaard???

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1369287.ece&sl=da&tl=en

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=da&tl=en&u=http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1369313.ece

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=da&tl=en&u=http://www.dr.dk/Sporten/Cykling/2010/06/27/183447.htm

 

[Benotti69]

not good timing for the TdF for anyone in saxo bank, Riis could get bitter..

plays into rivals of schlecks hands

 

[issoisso]

Look on the plus side:
He needs a much smaller sponsor commitment now, to finance the team
(The monster contract he gave Cancellara's still hanging, of course)

Look on the even more positive side: If he sods off it can only be good for cycling.

 

[ttrider]

i always thought they were pritty much the closest team with their character and spirit
i dont see why the shlecks would want a different 7 riders watching there back

The only reason i can think of is voigt and O Grady being the issue
they clearly are getting to old but can the shlecks really achieve better elsewhere?!

Someone like Evans has struggled for an even good team all his career so the shlecks may be in for a rude awakening

 

[goober]

i always thought they were pritty much the closest team with their character and spirit
i dont see why the shlecks would want a different 7 riders watching there back

The only reason i can think of is voigt and O Grady being the issue
they clearly are getting to old but can the shlecks really achieve better elsewhere?!

Someone like Evans has struggled for an even good team all his career so the shlecks may be in for a rude awakening

They want to get paid is the reason.

 

[JPM London]

Now confirmed by Brian Nygaard, CEO of the new venture.

Apparently they talk about "results in the classics". Wonder if that means they're also hijacking FC??

Also he mentions that he believes Riis will still have a sponsor ready...

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http://tour2010.tv2.dk/article.php/id-31707050:danskere-bekr%25C3%25A6fter-nyt-storhold.html&sl=da&tl=en

 

[ingsve]

I don't think it has anything to do with the riders on the team unless there are some personal grievances between the Schlecks and some other riders. I think this issue has more to do with the uncertain economical situation. Riis is struggling to find a main sponsor and this is not the first time this has happened. Perhaps they feel they can have better luck at getting sponsors if they cut the ties with Riis and go their own way.

 

[jonjungel]

Yeah, they want to get paid. And equally important, they want to keep working with Kim Andersen.

It's looking rather bleak for Riis. Maybe he'll take some years off.

 

[JPM London]

And if you read the comments from Nygaard the team will have very big money - always an interesting prospect for a rider...

And it's not about "believing they can get" better sponsors. They already have them. It's no question mark on that side of the fence... The grass could very well be greener in Luxembourg...

 

[Publicus]

I can't imagine this will have a positive effect on Riis or the team. It's actually worse than Astana last year IMO.

 

[Benotti69]

I don't think it has anything to do with the riders on the team unless there are some personal grievances between the Schlecks and some other riders. I think this issue has more to do with the uncertain economical situation. Riis is struggling to find a main sponsor and this is not the first time this has happened. Perhaps they feel they can have better luck at getting sponsors if they cut the ties with Riis and go their own way.

I think this has more to do with Uniballers approach to cycling and control

 

[jonjungel]

I can't imagine this will have a positive effect on Riis or the team. It's actually worse than Astana last year IMO.

I don't agree. In this case there is no rivalry between the riders. I can't see any reason why every person on Saxo Bank will not want the best possible results for the team's leaders.

 

[Publicus]

I don't agree. In this case there is no rivalry between the riders. I can't see any reason why every person on Saxo Bank will not want the best possible results for the team's leaders.

Interesting. My view is that you now have 3 or 4 riders who have been working against their manager (unbeknownst to him) to set up their own team. They've breached a fundamental trust between the two--not unlike Bruyneel did with Contador. The difference was that essentially one rider was isolated at Astana (AC) versus the division here is between 3 or 4 riders and Riis (not to mention the loss of Anderson as a DS). Couple that with my doubts about Andy's mental maturity and I'd say that Saxo is a bit worse off than Astana was last year. I obviously could be wrong, but I don't see how this doesn't materially adversely affect the team's performance.

 

[Wallace]

The simple fact about all this is that it sounds like Riis has been unable to find a new sponsor to replace Saxo Bank. If he had one, surely he would have engaged in some kind of bidding war, or effort to keep the Schlecks. The brothers have always been strongly attached to Riis, and vocal in their support of him, so their departure is most likely them seeing that the team is soon going to end, and wanting to be sure that they have the best possibly team situation lined up before then.

I wonder what will happen to Cancellara if and when Saxo folds? His cobbled victories this year should have helped cinch finding a new sponsor, but seem to have acted in the opposite way: there was so much suspicion about them (drugs, motors, etc.), that they seemed in the end to have actually been bad publicity. Which says a lot about the current environment in cycling.

 

[analo69]

How can it possibly be worse than last years Astana?

It is the DS who got sacked and I don't think there is any problems between the riders. Why do you think the riders are divided? Nobody have said so and there has been no indications thereof.

All the riders know that their aim is to help the Schlecks to win the tour. They just have to find out between themselves who is best. Then the best Schleck will have 8 rider working for him.

The loss of Kim Andersen is much worse than anything going on between the riders. He is the archithect of all CSC/Saxo Bank tour succes. Bjarne Riis is only making it look like he is calling the shots. But in reality is was Kim Andersen and has always been so.

I still think Riis has a team next year. There has been some indications and akward smiles when the riders got interviewed today after the Danish Championships. But I don't know anything for sure. My guess is that it will be announced in one of the days leading up to the Tour.

But it seems as if the Schlecks are leaving before next year if the new team gets established. Perhaps some other riders as well. A lot of the Saxo bank guys live in Luxembourg near Kim Andersen. Too bad in my opinion. But it will leave plenty of room for some of the Danish riders to proove what they are worth.

 

[Publicus]

How can it possibly be worse than last years Astana?

It is the DS who got sacked and I don't think there is any problems between the riders. Why do you think the riders are divided? Nobody have said so and there has been no indications thereof.

All the riders know that their aim is to help the Schlecks to win the tour. They just have to find out between themselves who is best. Then the best Schleck will have 8 rider working for him.

The loss of Kim Andersen is much worse than anything going on between the riders. He is the archithect of all CSC/Saxo Bank tour succes. Bjarne Riis is only making it look like he is calling the shots. But in reality is was Kim Andersen and has always been so.

I still think Riis has a team next year. There has been some indications and akward smiles when the riders got interviewed today after the Danish Championships. But I don't know anything for sure. My guess is that it will be announced in one of the days leading up to the Tour.

But it seems as if the Schlecks are leaving before next year if the new team gets established. Perhaps some other riders as well. A lot of the Saxo bank guys live in Luxembourg near Kim Andersen. Too bad in my opinion. But it will leave plenty of room for some of the Danish riders to proove what they are worth.

Precisely why I think this is a bigger deal than Astana. I didn't say there was an issue with or between the riders. I said the issue is the potential division between Riis and 3 or 4 of his riders. They've lost their best DS a few days before the Tour, and the remaining DS (presumably Riis) has to be smarting at the way this has all played out. Maybe it doesn't have any effect on them. It just doesn't seem likely that it won't.

 

[HL2037]

I guess firing Brian Nygaard was not such a good idea...

 

[Christian]

I think this has more to do with Uniballers approach to cycling and control

Yes that is what I think as well. Creating your own team seems to be very en vogue.

I don't know if they'll get paid more in Luxembourg, the economic situation isn't much better here than anywhere else in Western Europe.

They will certainly take Laurent Didier with them, as for Fuglsang, I don't know - the Schlecks leaving Saxo is the best thing that could happen to him, now he can be the only leader there, and he definitely has the potential IMO.

However the only thing that I don't understand is: Why build a completely new team from the scratch when you can just take over an already existing and well-functioning one??

Much of Saxo Bank's cars and technical equipment was in Luxembourg anyways, many riders and staff live there ... I dont see why the sponsors are taking such a huge risk when they can just take over all the structures.

The problem might be Riis: he might not have wanted to step down and still keep in control.

 

[euanli]

I guess firing Brian Nygaard was not such a good idea...

Who went to Sky in November and who has now apparently left for this new LUX team.

 

[Mainerider]

These guys all carry some baggage, but over the long term Riis has been pretty successful in the business end of cycling. I'm a bit surprised that one of his subordinates is plugged in enough to land a big bucks sponsor, when he hasn't been able to.

 

[Alpechraxler]

So the next step would be Cancellara moving to BMC ?!?

 

[RedheadDane]

From a Danish POV it could be a really good thing for the team to completely disappear. (Which is very likely) That way the pro-riders will be more forced to spread out. As it is now nearly all the Danes on Pro-tour teams are on Saxobank, with Brian Vandborg, Lars Bak, Rasmus Guldhammer and Martin Pedersen being the only exceptions I can think off...

 

[hfer07]

it's the worst time ever to break that kind of news-I'm trying to imagine the morale of the team could ever have by now, knowing that their captains will part ways after the tour.....

PS: I was waiting for the hog to break the news on September 15th..

 

[ingsve]

From a Danish POV it could be a really good thing for the team to completely disappear. (Which is very likely) That way the pro-riders will be more forced to spread out. As it is now nearly all the Danes on Pro-tour teams are on Saxobank, with Brian Vandborg, Lars Bak, Rasmus Guldhammer and Martin Pedersen being the only exceptions I can think off...

Another consequence would be that there would be fewer danish pro riders and danish cyclists would have a harder time getting into the PT.

 

[Kazistuta]

From a Danish POV it could be a really good thing for the team to completely disappear. (Which is very likely) That way the pro-riders will be more forced to spread out. As it is now nearly all the Danes on Pro-tour teams are on Saxobank, with Brian Vandborg, Lars Bak, Rasmus Guldhammer and Martin Pedersen being the only exceptions I can think off...

I disagree.... a lot of the current pro Danish riders wouldn't be racing at this level hadn't it been for a Danish team... Jonas Aaen, Andre Steensen, Frank Høj, Kasper Klostergaard and Anders Lund most likely would be racing at pro continental level if Riis hadn't been there.

I've grown rather fond of the two Schlecks over the years, but actually I wouldn't mind them leaving for another team and Riis to acquire a new sponsor, since that would leave room for some interesting new names. Spartacus and Schleckalitoes have had a major dip in the Saxobank money pool, and when supporters are supposed to be delighted about a signing of Baden Cooke (with all due respect) I think it says it all about the general economic situation on the team.

Let's have Brajkovic, Bakelandts, Bonnet, Michael Matthews, Westra, Jelte Slagter, Rui Costa or other interesting names... *drooling*

And good luck to Andy & Frank if it comes to that!