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Teams & Riders The Great Big Cycling Transfers and Rumours Thread

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Lopez would be the only South American on the team, dont know if that is a good thing. Unless they got some others lined up too.
He speaks Italian and there are 4 Italians plus Sagan (pretty much his 2nd language) on the team, but you're making a good point, no Idea if he actually speaks english, besides the Danes everyone on Astana speaks Italian and Spanish (the Kazakhs probably mainly speak their own language plus Russian).
 
Well, Ackermann translates to "Fieldman", so I guess... basically a farmer, which isn't exactly unthinkable that Pascal has farmers in his ancestry (don't most of us?)
Though the probability of Wilco having some ancerstor who just sat in the basement are probably... hopefully... rather slim?
And I have no idea about Maximillian's chess-playing ancestry.

The cellarman is the guy who looks after the beer, so not impossible ;)
 
I don't know how you guys could forget about Buchmann's reading skills during all the "Mann discussion". If you suffer a bad tour based on health issues nobody is even making fun of your name anymore, feels bad...

Well, I remember the rumors surrounding Bora and Lopez in early June that Lopez "denied" back then. Lopez may have more offers after the tour, but Bora may have built a solid foundation of trust with their early interest. A Lopez transfer would be ambitious even for Bora and probably much more expensive to maintain than Majka. However, they are ambitious.

Should a Lopez transfer really come around, it would be another increasing sign that Sagan will leave the team at the end of 2021 in my opinion (or at least that Bora realigns itself and prepares for a time after Sagan), which is already indicated by the commitment from Politt as their new guy for cobbles, as an useful rouleur and domestique in sprints and possible TTT during a Grand Tour.

The rest of Sagan's budget could be split between possible signs of two more big names in 2021 and Bora could further expand.
(Sorry Peter, I really miss the freetime I had back in school to play a career in Cycling Manager...)
 
What I have my doubts about is that if BORA have enough mountain support to support two big GT leaders. If you look at PCS, out of 25 confirmed riders for 2021, they have only 5 or so good climbers.

Also at Astana, Lopez used to have all the team for himself usually, at BORA he is likely to end up sharing doms with someone like Ackermann for a GT.
 
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What I have my doubts about is that if BORA have enough mountain support to support two big GT leaders. If you look at PCS, out of 25 confirmed riders for 2021, they have only 5 or so good climbers.

Also at Astana, Lopez used to have all the team for himself usually, at BORA he is likely to end up sharing doms with someone like Ackermann for a GT.
Yeah, but who else has the money to sign MAL as a leader for gts in the current economic climate?
Maybe AG2R-Citroen, but who else?
 
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Well, Ackermann translates to "Fieldman", so I guess... basically a farmer, which isn't exactly unthinkable that Pascal has farmers in his ancestry (don't most of us?)
Though the probability of Wilco having some ancerstor who just sat in the basement are probably... hopefully... rather slim?
And I have no idea about Maximillian's chess-playing ancestry.

His family were beer sommeliers, maybe?

Completely irrelevant to this discussion, but I guess it was the thought of going underground that reminded me of the old Michael O'Muircheartaigh line; "Anthony Lynch, the Cork corner-back, will be the last person to let you down – his people are undertakers. "
 
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He speaks Italian and there are 4 Italians plus Sagan (pretty much his 2nd language) on the team, but you're making a good point, no Idea if he actually speaks english, besides the Danes everyone on Astana speaks Italian and Spanish (the Kazakhs probably mainly speak their own language plus Russian).

Yes. Just thought it would be good to have a fellow colombian or some other south americans around. Since they spend a lot of together. Training. Racing. It can be different just being around a lot of europeans. Hard to make yourself fully understandable or connecting with everybody.
 
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Silly question but why does he leave? Has Astana recruited someone to replace him for GT lead?

According to Vinokurov, the team's budget does not allow them to continue working with Lopez. The last race for Lopez as part of Astana will be the Giro.

Vinokurov also said: "Remember that in the Tour de France Lopez was unable to maintain the third place overall that the team relied on."
Maybe Astana is looking for another guy or they will focus on the young Vlasov?
 
The last race for Lopez as part of Astana will be the Giro.

Lopez is doing the Giro? I thought they'd split the team completely, so Lopez and "his" gang did the Tour, while Fuglsang and "his" gang will do the Giro.

What does that have to with Lopez potentially going to Bora? Or are they going with him?

It was just thought. You pointed out that it might be nice for Lopez to have compatriots as teammates, I noticed that he has to compatriot-teammates whose contracts - like his - are expiring.
And I'm not sure "compatriot-teammate" is actually a word, but now it is!
 
Lopez is doing the Giro? I thought they'd split the team completely, so Lopez and "his" gang did the Tour, while Fuglsang and "his" gang will do the Giro.

I was suprised as well when I read that Lopez will support Fuglsang in italy. It is a quote in the article above:
 
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Vinokurov also said: "Remember that in the Tour de France Lopez was unable to maintain the third place overall that the team relied on."
Maybe Astana is looking for another guy or they will focus on the young Vlasov?
Well, no other Astana rider could have finished on the podium. In fact, Fuglsang and Vlasov would have done most certainly way worse than Lopez. So, with Lopez going the lose their best GC rider. And they certainly can't replace him internally.
 
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According to Vinokurov, the team's budget does not allow them to continue working with Lopez. The last race for Lopez as part of Astana will be the Giro.

Vinokurov also said: "Remember that in the Tour de France Lopez was unable to maintain the third place overall that the team relied on."
Maybe Astana is looking for another guy or they will focus on the young Vlasov?

They relied on a third place by Lopez?
 
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Rumour has it that he's going to Bora, as their guy for the Giro. With Majka leaving (apparently to UAE as a superdomestique for Pogi) they need another gc rider for the other gts, cause the Germans are all about the Tour...
He’d be the main GC rider one would think. 1 Tour Top 5 doesn’t equal Lopez’ body of work. I’d trust him as my GC leader more so than Buchanan.
 
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I was suprised as well when I read that Lopez will support Fuglsang in italy. It is a quote in the article above:

Aah... okay. Thing is; my proficiency in Russian/Kazakh is somewhat limited.
 

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