Spidertech suspends racing for 2013 season

[maxmartin]

how does this even work?
If you can't collect enough points in 2013 season, how can you prove you are worthy the WT status for 2014 season???

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/spidertech-suspends-racing-for-2013-season

 

[Afrank]

How does a cycling team suspend racing? Duggan won't be very happy about this I bet.

"We wouldn't have signed contracts if we'd been planning this all along. We've found spots for almost all of the guys so far."

So does that mean the entire team is just going to go away until they get sponsors, how can management be so sure the riders would even come back to the team once the sponsors are found?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

How does a cycling team suspend racing? Duggan won't be very happy about this I bet.



So does that mean the entire team is just going to go away until they get sponsors, how can management be so sure the riders would even come back to the team once the sponsors are found?

A: they can't, and they are as full of hopeful PR spin (probably to keep sponsors happy and willing to stay on) as when PureBlack Racing and Scott-Marcondés César-São José dos Campos were talking up their hopes of going WT and entering the Tour de France. I'm sure at least some of the riders would go back, especially those who've been there for a number of years.

The thing is, the cost of a UCI continental licence is pretty low. The cost of a ProContinental licence is humongous in comparison. It looks like they've spent a lot more on travel and the likes to get a good race program in Europe this year too, and riders like Ryan Roth, François Parisien and Guillaume Boivin have had good years... but maybe it hasn't been enough to combat the huge investment that the last couple of years of Pro-Continental licence payments have been, considering most of the races they've done have been .1-rated events they could have entered as a Continental team anyway, and so the licence has been a huge expenditure for a bunch of exposure in mid-level races in a market their sponsor has little interest in, and some break-of-the-day exploits in their home WT races.

There are some promising cyclists cutting their teeth at Spidertech, but unfortunately for the team, the step up a level was a bit too much too soon for some of the riders for them to balance the budgets, I'd fear.

 

[janraaskalt]

If you can't collect enough points in 2013 season, how can you prove you are worthy the WT status for 2014 season???

Hire better riders for 2014. Teams don't collect points (well, not too many), riders do.

 

[maxmartin]

Hire better riders for 2014. Teams don't collect points (well, not too many), riders do.

the thing is riding in 2013 and hiring better riders are not contradictory to each other, you don't have to suspend riding in 2013. That just does not make any sense

 

[Zigster]

Totally bizarre. I would be surprised to see Spidertech in 2014.

 

[Rui Quinta]

I think they haven't sponsor to keep Conti Pro on 2013 and prefered stop and to search good sponsors to 2014 instead fall to Conti team. They have hope to be WT, but it's just it.

 

[janraaskalt]

the thing is riding in 2013 and hiring better riders are not contradictory to each other, you don't have to suspend riding in 2013. That just does not make any sense

I was answering the theoretical question.

I don't believe Spidertech will return to the peloton either, let alone World Tour.

 

[theyoungest]

It's not impossible, Greenedge springs to mind as a new team straight into the WT. Everything's possible if you've got the $$$ and buy yourself some WT points.

Of course Hesjedal would be the most interesting name for them. If he wins the Giro once again he'll be worth quite a lot of points

 

[janraaskalt]

It's not impossible, Greenedge springs to mind as a new team straight into the WT. Everything's possible if you've got the $$$ and buy yourself some WT points.

Australia has a much, much stronger pool of riders than Canada. Even if Hesjedal, Tuft and Meier go to Spidertech, the team is not even close to the World Tour.

 

[McGill]

If bauer could get hesjedal, I think they could make it work. He wouldn't come alone, and corporate sponsors from north america could probably get behind him. It's not impossible to think that some riders at sky wouldn't like to go to an english (and french) speaking team where they could lead a team at a grand tour, instead of grabbing bottles for wiggins.

From what I hear, most of the riders are going to continental teams. If spidertech comes back in '14, it's favourable as those riders can rack up points in the interim, like WT teams getting riders from the asian tour. Thus, they'd only need to sign a 4 or 5 marquee WT guys with 'real' points.

still, I don't think it's going to happen.

 

[metaCYCLE]

stinky stinky business

 

[Afrank]

If bauer could get hesjedal, I think they could make it work. He wouldn't come alone, and corporate sponsors from north america could probably get behind him. It's not impossible to think that some riders at sky wouldn't like to go to an english (and french) speaking team where they could lead a team at a grand tour, instead of grabbing bottles for wiggins.

From what I hear, most of the riders are going to continental teams. If spidertech comes back in '14, it's favourable as those riders can rack up points in the interim, like WT teams getting riders from the asian tour. Thus, they'd only need to sign a 4 or 5 marquee WT guys with 'real' points.

still, I don't think it's going to happen.

I can't see Hesjedal leaving Garmin any time soon, even if it did mean a chance to ride for a Canadian team. With Garmin he has gone from potential classics contender to GT top 10'er to a GT winner.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I think they haven't sponsor to keep Conti Pro on 2013 and prefered stop and to search good sponsors to 2014 instead fall to Conti team. They have hope to be WT, but it's just it.

that seems to me the stupidest decision

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

If bauer could get hesjedal, I think they could make it work. He wouldn't come alone, and corporate sponsors from north america could probably get behind him. It's not impossible to think that some riders at sky wouldn't like to go to an english (and french) speaking team where they could lead a team at a grand tour, instead of grabbing bottles for wiggins.

From what I hear, most of the riders are going to continental teams. If spidertech comes back in '14, it's favourable as those riders can rack up points in the interim, like WT teams getting riders from the asian tour. Thus, they'd only need to sign a 4 or 5 marquee WT guys with 'real' points.

still, I don't think it's going to happen.

hesjedal won't bring in nearly enough points to become wt and besides he would need an even better season next year

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Posted Monday, June 24th, on the Spidertech Taping facebook page:

"In October I truly thought my days as a professional were over. #Spidertech stepped up and showed a belief in the athletes it had already invested in and worked to ensure that our development would not disappear in spite of a crumbling program...Without sponsors like Ray and Spidertech in Canada, Canadian cycling would not be half of what you are seeing today and I am just happy he believed in all of us even more than we did in ourselves at times. "

-Zach Bell
2013 Canadian National Road Champion