Transfers and Rumours 2011 > 2012

[Anonymous]

Boonen connected to Rabobank

A Belgian at Rabobank ?
Boonen in orange ?

http://www.ciclismo-online.it/index...mmano-il-ciclomercato&catid=42:news&Itemid=54

Boonen to Katusha or Rabobank
they also say Huschovd to Europcar or Vaconsoliel
Cavendish to Sky
Marco Pinotti, Pippo Pozzato, Luca Paolini, Matthew Goss, Leigh Howard and Simon Clark to greenedge
Gilbert to Quickstep

 

[kjetilraknerud]

I just read that Vegard Robinson Bugge of Joker-Medrida has been invited to a Quick Step training camp in Kortrijk in June. They apparently are inviting a bunch of young riders to come and train so that they can get to know them. Does anyone know more about this? Is it something they usually do?

Good to see that Bugge get's a chance to impress, he's certainly one of the best domestic riders in Norway at the moment, with a very nice 6th place in the U23 Tour of Flanders this year for example.

 

[Anonymous]

Ciclismo reporting Kanstantsin Sivtsov potentially to Sky

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Ciclismo reporting Kanstantsin Sivtsov potentially to Sky

Would be a good signing for them. Solid mountain domestique and now also a GT top 10 candidate.

 

[hatcher]

And a good friend of Cav. Just saying.

 

[theyoungest]

Would be a good signing for them. Solid mountain domestique and now also a GT top 10 candidate.

With a bit of luck, yes.

 

[auscyclefan94]

With a bit of luck, yes.

Just like Kruiskwijk

In all seriousness, does that mean BMC are left with nothing? No Boonen or Gilbert?

 

[taiwan]

Sky are really very similar to HTC. Like HTC minus the fastest guys plus some classics specialists.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

With a bit of luck, yes.

Indeed. But when was the last time you watched a GT where nobody in the top 10 "got lucky"?

 

[janraaskalt]

I just read that Vegard Robinson Bugge of Joker-Medrida has been invited to a Quick Step training camp in Kortrijk in June. They apparently are inviting a bunch of young riders to come and train so that they can get to know them. Does anyone know more about this? Is it something they usually do?

They have also invited riders from Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Eritrea (Teklehaimanot perhaps?) and Latvia (I'm guessing Skujins and Flaksis).

First time, with an eye on the future: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/quick-step-and-lefevere-go-talent-spotting
It is a camp during the Giro Bio, Thüringen-Rundfahrt and Tour des Pays de Savoie, so lots of talents won't be available.

 

[Archibald]

in bodybuilding it actually worked out that way as all attention and sporters basically went to the juicing league.

old habits die hard for riders - winning and claiming you're clean when you're not seems quite common. anything to be on the podium, and it's not like they can't avoid the testing.
anyway, that's enough out of me on this - don't want to hijack the thread clinic-stylee

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Just like Kruiskwijk

In all seriousness, does that mean BMC are left with nothing? No Boonen or Gilbert?

just like every other year. bmc has the most money but no riders want to go there, look at cancellara

 

[taiwan]

just like every other year. bmc has the most money but no riders want to go there, look at cancellara

Cancellara basically just stayed on his old team though.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Cancellara basically just stayed on his old team though.

 

[The Sheep]

Just like Kruiskwijk
(

How was he lucky?

 

[theyoungest]

How was he lucky?

He wasn't. Failed troll attempt

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I just read that Vegard Robinson Bugge of Joker-Medrida has been invited to a Quick Step training camp in Kortrijk in June. They apparently are inviting a bunch of young riders to come and train so that they can get to know them. Does anyone know more about this? Is it something they usually do?

They have also invited riders from Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Eritrea (Teklehaimanot perhaps?) and Latvia (I'm guessing Skujins and Flaksis).

Nope this is the first time they do so.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I hope HTC don't leave, I'm not a fan but I hate seeing teams disappear. Don't like them winning? How about other teams move up to their level then HTC move down to the level of the other teams.

So other teams move up to the level of HTC. We have five teams working to make sure every stage is a bunch sprint, which means five times as many domestiques killing themselves to make it a sprint, which means more races go to sprints.

Sounds GREAT. That's why I want HTC to move down a level rather than everybody else join them at the race strangulation threshold.

And is the 'poaching' that GreenEdge are doing much different from any other team on the pro circuit?

Probably not, but they're doing it more publicly, and given that we now know riders can hold teams to ransom if they have those precious UCI points, they're doing it at a time when it's more likely to raise ire and people are more aware of it.

if you really liked gilbert you would want him to go to BMC.

Why? So you can soil yourself with joy as a BMC fan? It's like saying "if you don't think BMC is the best place for him you're not a Gilbert fan". BMC already have more than enough solid classics guys. I'd rather see them try to use the numbers game to depose the dominant Gilbert than watch an Ardennes version of the HTC tedium train.

I like Rigoberto Urán. I don't like Team Sky, but I want to see Rigo do well. The same should go for any other rider. If you like them, you like them.

 

[roadbiker]

I doubt, that Gilbert will go to Sky.

Cav's contract expires after 2011 and it was said a hundred times, that Sky will very likely be his new team which would be quite logical. But of course it could turn out differently.

And two new big guns -> I don't know.

Sky needs a top classic rider for the cobbles. The other classics are well covered.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Sky needs a top classic rider for the cobbles. The other classics are well covered.

Errrrrrrrrrrrr.

Sky's cobbles squad is clearly stronger than their Ardennes. The addition of Uran and Gerrens coming back to life is the only reason I deleted the word significantly from the previous sentence.



In any case, they're apparently signing Langeveld, to add to their army of top 20 contenders on the cobbles.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

I doubt, that Gilbert will go to Sky.

Cav's contract expires after 2011 and it was said a hundred times, that Sky will very likely be his new team which would be quite logical. But of course it could turn out differently.

And two new big guns -> I don't know.

Sky needs a top classic rider for the cobbles. The other classics are well covered.

If Hagen gets rid of his injury problems and Thomas continues to improve, they could be a very strong duo for the cobbles in a couple of years IMO.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Just like Kruiskwijk

In all seriousness, does that mean BMC are left with nothing? No Boonen or Gilbert?

And what luck did Kruijswijk have? He didn't gain any time from breakaways, he didn't profit from other contenders falling. He did it by own strength, he was with the 5/6 best climbers in the 3rd week.

 

[Matty_Tucks]

I doubt, that Gilbert will go to Sky.

Cav's contract expires after 2011 and it was said a hundred times, that Sky will very likely be his new team which would be quite logical. But of course it could turn out differently.

And two new big guns -> I don't know.

Sky needs a top classic rider for the cobbles. The other classics are well covered.

Sky is basically just British Cycling. So yes, logical. Especially if HTC folds as has been suggested here before.

 

[taiwan]

If Hagen gets rid of his injury problems and Thomas continues to improve, they could be a very strong duo for the cobbles in a couple of years IMO.

Anyone else think it's stupid to sign youngsters for the cobbled classics? Experience counts, and cobbles riders have a decent shelf life. Better with someone like Roger Hammond than Boasson Hagen, but I may be going too far there.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Anyone else think it's stupid to sign youngsters for the cobbled classics? Experience counts, and cobbles riders have a decent shelf life. Better with someone like Roger Hammond than Boasson Hagen, but I may be going too far there.

I tend to agree, and that's probaly why they signed Flecha in the first place - unfortunately he'll probably never win a classic. But then again, I didn't think Van Summeren or Nuyens could either.