Transfers and Rumours 2011 > 2012

[Jamsque]

Winner of this years RVV beloften. One of the brightest italian talents at the moment in my opinion (and they've got a lot!).

Excellent. Sky needed someone to keep David Apples company anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

Siutsou is a good signing and fitting with their current trend of building climbing talent. Who is Puccio, I've never heard of him?

To be honest, when Puccio was first linked a few months ago I had to do a lot of googling.

But certainly a very promising rider.

brief palmares
http://www.teamskyfans.com/puccio.html

if anyone actually has a good knowledge of him, i could really do with someone who can write a bio for him. I know virtually nothing.

oh, Puccio was confirmed back in july as having definately signed a contract with a pro tour team for 2012. And only one team so far has been linked with him.

http://www.spaziociclismo.it/?action=read&idnotizia=12302

and if anyone warns me for deliberately avoiding the forum censor i will scream

 

[ingsve]

You mean like Geraint "6" Thomas?

I don't know what's wrong with Lofkvist really, perhaps he has lost too much weight (going for the infamous wiggins look) which might have resulted in losing too much power.

Well, his results haven't been that much worse than before really. His ITT is clearly more inconsistent but his GT riding has become more consistent in the past year. He has focused very much on GT GCs and he has had his best results in GTs ever while at Sky (17th in Tour and 21st in Giro) but it's just that the focus on GTs hasn't payed off as much as when he focused on other races in the year.

If you compare this year to 2009 for example then the differences are small.

In 2009 he finished 5th in ToC in february and in 2011 it was instead 6th in Ruta del Sol. Obviously ToC was moved so the start of the season is on a lower ranked race instead which shows on the rankings.

Then in 2009 he won Strade Bianche and that would have been a goal this year as well (he even went there to train in the final climb to Siena) but Sky wasn't invited.

In 2009 he finished 4th in T-A and 10th in 2011 but the course was harder in 2011 and the competition much higher.

In the classics in 2009 he finished 6th in Fleche Wallone and in 2011 he was 25th in LBL but the main difference is that in 2011 Sky also had Uran and Gerrans so Löfkvist wasn't the sole leader.

In the Giro he finished 24th in 2009 and 21st in 2011 with the main difference being that he rode in pink in 2009 (and was credited with 6 stages in pink after Di Luca was banned). That was due to Columbias TTT though so it's something of a crapshoot.

Since the Giro he has finished 2nd in the swedish ITT champs and 18th in Fleche de Sud where Sky had Kennaugh on the podium. In 2009 he won a stage in Sachsen Tour instead.

So overall I wouldn't say that he has changed that drastically as a rider since joining Sky.

 

[jens_attacks]

Aujourd’hui, le directeur commercial du Pro Team Astana, Dr. Aidar Makhmetov et le Directeur Executif de la Fédération Cycliste du Kazakhstan, Allen Chaizhunussov, ont discuté avec Andrey Kashechkin à Monaco.

« Nous serions ravis qu’Andrey Kashechkin signe un contrat dès que possible avec l’équipe Astana, a déclaré Dr. Makhmetov, il terminerait la saison 2011 gratuitement avec nous et serait engagé pour 2012 et 2013 ».

« C’est un grand jour dans ma carrière cycliste , a expliqué Andrey Kashechkin , je souhaite vraiment réintégrer l’équipe Astana. Je suis Kazakh et cette équipe est faite pour représenter notre nation, et je suis fier de mon pays, c’est pour ça que c’est important pour moi. Il reste quelques détails à régler et je devrai bientôt signer un contrat avec l’équipe. Ma première course devrait être la Vuelta Espana, où je vise le Top 5 du classement général. »


En lire d'avantage sur Cyclism'Actu :
http://www.cyclismactu.net/news-tra...e-engager-kashechkin-17839.html#ixzz1TbTx0Nvj

FORZZA KASH!

 

[markene2]

Awsome news jens_attack

 

[janraaskalt]

Ma première course devrait être la Vuelta Espana, où je vise le Top 5 du classement général. »

Right, going to Astana and for the first time in ages having some decent results. It is not going to happen or it is highly suspicious. I put my money on the first option.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Right, going to Astana and for the first time in ages having some decent results. It is not going to happen or it is highly suspicious. I put my money on the first option.

dont be so negative :=)

 

[jens_attacks]

kash knows how to suffer.he finished in the top 20 at credit agricole in 2005 tour,he finished last year after the suspension in top 20 in vuelta.he can enter in the top10 this year no doubt but nothing more though.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

matt rendell tweeting that it will be highroad and vaconsoliel

Vacansoleil are one of the main race-animating teams. And now if this rumour is true we're going to have Bob effing Stapleton there.

I hate this sport sometimes.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I really dont understand how after performing so well in 2008 and 2009, how he has a second place in strade bianche and nothing else in the two years at sky.

He top 20'd the tour, ahead of Brad, was part of the Vuelta withdrawal and was then ill for the Giro.

It's disappointing, but I wouldn't go that far to suggest he's done nothing, or fallen completely out of form.

 

[markene2]

 

[jens_attacks]

i didn't see kash smiling since a long time...

and damn that's a big jersey

 

[will10]

Is Kash small or just far away?

 

[Sophistic]

it think thats the shirt for their next signing:Bud Spencer

 

[peloton]

i didn't see kash smiling since a long time...

and damn that's a big jersey

Good to see him back with Astana.
lol at the huge jersey!

 

[jobiwan]

Gianni Meersman CONFIRMED to RadioShack on his personal site

Link to Site
Rough English translation

 

[search]

lol at the huge jersey!

is Backstedt doing the Tour de Pologne coverage on Eurosport UK?

Maybe someone can send him a message and ask when he's gonna ride his first race for Astana

 

[l.Harm]

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/110801_fusie_reactie_gilbert

Gilbert has interesting offers from BMC, Lotto, Quick Step (next year with Omega Pharma) and Astana.

He didn't want to hear the news about the merge between QS and OP in the press, he says he should have been informed.

 

[Zaschrona]

Frantisek Rabon will go from High Road to another ProTour team where he signed a 2 year contract. He will say where he'll go and another interesting info on this Wednesday.

 

[Jancouver]

Frantisek Rabon will go from High Road to another ProTour team where he signed a 2 year contract. He will say where he'll go and another interesting info on this Wednesday.

Quickstep is my bet. Since they are trying to bring more Czech riders. Kreuziger is next if Astana sign Nibali

PS Doufam ze se pletu ....

 

[cobblehead]

if not already mentioned:

Stijn Vandenbergh (katyusha) has signed a contract with the omega-pharma-quick step-team.

in the meantime we might be heading for a legal battle as omega-pharma claims that, since they are the licenceholder for omega-pharma-lotto and they are continuing as main sponsor of the new omega-pharma-quickstep-team, all existing contracts with omega-pharma are still valid and that all the riders of whome the contracts aren't finished will either have to stay with them of buy off their contracts.

This would mean that riders like Gilbert, Vandenbroeck, Greipel,... will either ride for omega-pharma-quickstep next season or will have to pay big money to get out of their contract..

 

[boomcie]

if not already mentioned:

Stijn Vandenbergh (katyusha) has signed a contract with the omega-pharma-quick step-team.

in the meantime we might be heading for a legal battle as omega-pharma claims that, since they are the licenceholder for omega-pharma-lotto and they are continuing as main sponsor of the new omega-pharma-quickstep-team, all existing contracts with omega-pharma are still valid and that all the riders of whome the contracts aren't finished will either have to stay with them of buy off their contracts.

This would mean that riders like Gilbert, Vandenbroeck, Greipel,... will either ride for omega-pharma-quickstep next season or will have to pay big money to get out of their contract..

Pretty sad and sour behavior. Seems like a shady move to me.

 

[cobblehead]

what did you expect with a team led by the combo coucke - lefevre?

 

[just some guy]

if not already mentioned:

Stijn Vandenbergh (katyusha) has signed a contract with the omega-pharma-quick step-team.

in the meantime we might be heading for a legal battle as omega-pharma claims that, since they are the licenceholder for omega-pharma-lotto and they are continuing as main sponsor of the new omega-pharma-quickstep-team, all existing contracts with omega-pharma are still valid and that all the riders of whome the contracts aren't finished will either have to stay with them of buy off their contracts.

This would mean that riders like Gilbert, Vandenbroeck, Greipel,... will either ride for omega-pharma-quickstep next season or will have to pay big money to get out of their contract..

I´m pretty sure Gilbert contract is finished at the end of season 2011 anyway so no problems for him

VBD2, Greipel and doppelgaengerVDB2 will be different

 

[cobblehead]

I´m pretty sure Gilbert contract is finished at the end of season 2011 anyway so no problems for him

VBD2, Greipel and doppelgaengerVDB2 will be different

according to Omega-Pharma Gilberts contract had an option for one extra season with the team, an option that omega-pharma used some time ago.

Since they used the option they claim he is bound to them for one more season...