Transfers and Rumours 2013 > 2014

[42x16ss]

Good points, Spain isn't exactly a hotbed of sponsors right now

It's a shame that Santander doesn't want to sponsor a cycling team. Maybe the Caja Rural management should start talking to Alonso...

 

[Christian]

Good points, Spain isn't exactly a hotbed of sponsors right now

It's a shame that Santander doesn't want to sponsor a cycling team. Maybe the Caja Rural management should start talking to Alonso...

I feel like outsiders are maybe not always able to see the morbid irony in the fact that the only companies able to sponsor cycling teams in Spain (bar Movistar) are banks. Maybe it has something to do with the €100 billion from the EU that they got up their a$$? But I bet you Santander would be a great cycling team, cause you know what they say - the bank always wins. And especially Santander.

 

[JRanton]

Maximiliano Ariel Richeze and Davide Cimolai renew with Lampre: http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=67109

 

[Arredondo]

Yea, they really needed reinforcements since Rui Sousa, César Fonte (both to Radio Popular) and Arkaitz Durán, Ricardo Vilela and Nuno Ribeiro (all to OFM) have all split and sadly Hernâni Brôco has retired, leaving them with only Sérgio Sousa and Joni Brandão as established talents (Brandão's still establishing himself, mind). With OFM having lost Marque it would make sense for them to keep César, however I can see why Efapel would want to do the switch.

Efapel have also signed ex-Orbea and Euskaltel man Garikoitz Bravo, so hopefully this year RTP and the Volta's organisers will recognise his name and not call him "Bravo Garikoitz" for a week and a half. I wonder if they'll work out Gustavo César's name too.

I'm curious if Mestre is able to find his old climbing form back, because with that TT, and together with Veloso, they have two guys who can battle for GC victory's in all Portugese and some smaller Spanish races (if they get a invitation). And with Bravo, who did a really good job in Beijing, and Brandão, they have some nice promising climbers who can make the race hard and exciting.

Guys like Sousa and Ribeiro are getting old to, especially Nuno, who's max is now 7/8th place in GC, so it's better for Efapel that they starting to build a new team, although Mestre and Veloso are also 30+

 

[MatParker117]

Good points, Spain isn't exactly a hotbed of sponsors right now

It's a shame that Santander doesn't want to sponsor a cycling team. Maybe the Caja Rural management should start talking to Alonso...

Don't be shocked to see Santander in 2015.

 

[bikeracer33]

Can anyone explain what Elite-2 means? not conti ranks is it?

 

[gerundium]

Can anyone explain what Elite-2 means? not conti ranks is it?

Below continental, so basically amateur level.

 

[bikeracer33]

Thanks gerundium...
looks like Jacob Rathe and Nathan Haas are getting the boot from Garmin

 

[hayzer114]

Any news on who Irish Champion Matt Brammeier has signed for, he said he was close to getting a deal done earlier in the week.

 

[JRanton]

Any news on who Irish Champion Matt Brammeier has signed for, he said he was close to getting a deal done earlier in the week.

An Post, I think.

 

[asdfgh101]

Any news on Zaugg or Van Hummel (is vvbw happening)?

 

[GP Blanco]

Any news on Zaugg or Van Hummel (is vvbw happening)?

This article states that the deadline of the VVBW team is the 14th of November. When this article was published they had about halve the budget they needed.

http://www.cyclingonline.nl/artikel/2304_ploeg_vvbw_zoekt_overheidssteun.html

 

[Anderis]

Thanks gerundium...
looks like Jacob Rathe and Nathan Haas are getting the boot from Garmin

So 2 spots left at Garmin.

I wonder who's going to get them. Or maybe they will not have 30 riders in 2014?

 

[Netserk]

So 2 spots left at Garmin.

I wonder who's going to get them. Or maybe they will not have 30 riders in 2014?

Judging by these three tweets, Garmin will only have 28 riders next year:

https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/399093874854871040

Garmin for 2014 (28 riders): Acevedo, van Baarle, Bauer, Brown, A. Cardoso, Danielson, Dekker, Dennis, Fairly, Farrar. (1/3)

https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/399093919993966592

Garmin for 2014 (28 riders): Fernandez, Gaimon, Hansen, Hesjedal, von Hoff, Howes, B. King, R. Kreder, Langeveld. (2/3)

https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/399093993742409728

Garmin for 2014 (28 riders): Martin, Millar, Morton, Navardauskas, Nuyens, Slagter, van Summeren, Talansky, Wegmann. (3/3)

 

[Anderis]

A bit strange. They used to have a full roster for couple of years. Maybe they decided it's better to save some money hiring 2 less riders and use it to have quality over quantity?

 

[theyoungest]

A bit strange. They used to have a full roster for couple of years. Maybe they decided it's better to save some money hiring 2 less riders and use it to have quality over quantity?

They still have guys like Ben King and Kreder, so I doubt that's the reason.

 

[Samson777]

Anyone have any idea what will happen with Horner?

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Anyone have any idea what will happen with Horner?

would be incredible if he couldn't get a decent team next year.

 

[Samson777]

would be incredible if he couldn't get a decent team next year.

Yeah, would be a story in itself. Perhaps he experience some of the same problems as LL Sanchez: http://www.feltet.dk/nyheder/mulig_forklaring_derfor_faar_luis_leon_sanchez_ikke_kontrakt/
MPCC makes it difficult, cause of clinic stuff.

Or perhaps it's just down to he fact that Horner ask crazy money, still.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

At this point his points are meaningless. He wants to be paid like a GT winner, no team wants to pay GT winner salaries to a 42 year old whose public image isn't all that great bearing in mind next to nobody believes in him. Cobo was at least young enough to justify multi-year contracts, and accepting enough of his own inconsistency to be willing to take less pay than most GT winners would.

I don't see it as sensational in the slightest that he can't get a team for next year. Most teams were already well into their plans for 2014 by the time he became a GT winner and by the time it became clear he would be on the market. Factor in the new higher salary demands due to the GT win, and a lot of teams don't have that kind of room for manoeuvre on the money front. If he were ten years younger, maybe he'd stand a chance, and somebody would take a punt on him, but it might have to be a team less concerned about public image on the doping front, like Lampre or Astana. But they've already got their plans in place. Lampre probably spent a fair amount on Rui Costa and would be looking at him and Ulissi as long term solutions, and with the current world champion they don't need the short term solution that is Horner. Astana have Nibali, and their aging doper quotient is fulfilled by Pellizotti and Scarponi. They don't need Horner either. So then where? Katyusha seem uninterested. Movistar don't need him, Quintana is their future and Valverde is consistently successful over the course of the year. Money is an issue since they've had to spend to lock in Quintana and they've had to let Costa go. You'd have to assume they'd have had more interest in keeping Costa than hiring Horner, because frankly it would be stupid not to. Costa is a guy you can build around for some time, Horner is a stop-gap at best. Trek are completely rebuilding the team, around the classics, and Horner doesn't fit that. OPQS have no room, and Urán's their guy for the GTs now anyway. He doesn't have any place at Argos, and Belkin have already spent a bunch of money buying out Luís León's contract, does anybody think they'd willingly take the risk of Horner following that? Garmin - JV has publicly described his biopassport as "hilarious". Sky have had enough missteps in keeping their zero tolerance policy believable already, and have less than zero need for Horner with Froome, Porte, Henao and co around. Cannondale? Well, they've locked Sagan down, that'll probably put them out of the running on financials, and Lotto, GreenEdge or any of the French teams seem pretty unlikely.

So ProContinental it is? Who would want him there? Certainly nobody who would be willing to pay the salary he demands. Savio doesn't mind aging dopers, but he doesn't have the money for Horner unless he gets even more sponsors. UHC likely can't afford him. Caja Rural can't. IAM aren't likely to want him with their ethos. MTN aren't looking in that direction.

It's a rare thing to see a reigning GT winner go into the following season without a contract without having tested positive, but I really don't see where Horner is going to fit in here. Maybe he's going to have to wait for somebody else to test positive to give a roster spot. He's at the age where he can't just sit home for a year and come back like Linus Gerdemann's just done (and Linus has probably come back for less money than the contract he turned down last year, with his tail between his legs, too), because then he'll be a 43-year-old who nobody believes in.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

So ProContinental it is? Who would want him there? Certainly nobody who would be willing to pay the salary he demands. Savio doesn't mind aging dopers, but he doesn't have the money for Horner unless he gets even more sponsors. UHC likely can't afford him. Caja Rural can't. IAM aren't likely to want him with their ethos. MTN aren't looking in that direction.

Horner riding for Savio would be a dream come true

 

[Michele]

Yellow Fluo need a leader for the first 2 weeks of Giro.

 

[jaylew]

At this point his points are meaningless. He wants to be paid like a GT winner, no team wants to pay GT winner salaries to a 42 year old whose public image isn't all that great bearing in mind next to nobody believes in him. Cobo was at least young enough to justify multi-year contracts, and accepting enough of his own inconsistency to be willing to take less pay than most GT winners would.

I don't see it as sensational in the slightest that he can't get a team for next year. Most teams were already well into their plans for 2014 by the time he became a GT winner and by the time it became clear he would be on the market. Factor in the new higher salary demands due to the GT win, and a lot of teams don't have that kind of room for manoeuvre on the money front. If he were ten years younger, maybe he'd stand a chance, and somebody would take a punt on him, but it might have to be a team less concerned about public image on the doping front, like Lampre or Astana. But they've already got their plans in place. Lampre probably spent a fair amount on Rui Costa and would be looking at him and Ulissi as long term solutions, and with the current world champion they don't need the short term solution that is Horner. Astana have Nibali, and their aging doper quotient is fulfilled by Pellizotti and Scarponi. They don't need Horner either. So then where? Katyusha seem uninterested. Movistar don't need him, Quintana is their future and Valverde is consistently successful over the course of the year. Money is an issue since they've had to spend to lock in Quintana and they've had to let Costa go. You'd have to assume they'd have had more interest in keeping Costa than hiring Horner, because frankly it would be stupid not to. Costa is a guy you can build around for some time, Horner is a stop-gap at best. Trek are completely rebuilding the team, around the classics, and Horner doesn't fit that. OPQS have no room, and Urán's their guy for the GTs now anyway. He doesn't have any place at Argos, and Belkin have already spent a bunch of money buying out Luís León's contract, does anybody think they'd willingly take the risk of Horner following that? Garmin - JV has publicly described his biopassport as "hilarious". Sky have had enough missteps in keeping their zero tolerance policy believable already, and have less than zero need for Horner with Froome, Porte, Henao and co around. Cannondale? Well, they've locked Sagan down, that'll probably put them out of the running on financials, and Lotto, GreenEdge or any of the French teams seem pretty unlikely.

So ProContinental it is? Who would want him there? Certainly nobody who would be willing to pay the salary he demands. Savio doesn't mind aging dopers, but he doesn't have the money for Horner unless he gets even more sponsors. UHC likely can't afford him. Caja Rural can't. IAM aren't likely to want him with their ethos. MTN aren't looking in that direction.

It's a rare thing to see a reigning GT winner go into the following season without a contract without having tested positive, but I really don't see where Horner is going to fit in here. Maybe he's going to have to wait for somebody else to test positive to give a roster spot. He's at the age where he can't just sit home for a year and come back like Linus Gerdemann's just done (and Linus has probably come back for less money than the contract he turned down last year, with his tail between his legs, too), because then he'll be a 43-year-old who nobody believes in.

Firstly, way too much clinic material here. Secondly, can you direct me to the Vaughters quote?

 

[karlboss]

Firstly, way too much clinic material here. Secondly, can you direct me to the Vaughters quote?

Horner's contract is highly clinic related, he's had good performances but his Vuelta was his best by a long way, released his biopassport, which was brought immediately into question by anti doping experts. That fact must surely have teams thinking A. he can't perform at the same level again, or B. This a positive waiting to happen.
Honestly the only contract he could sign is low, with a high bonus for results, for a team that doesn't care about how they are perceived.

I've no idea about Vaughters, but http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...ers-published-biological-passport-values.aspx this article explains the issue.

 

[jaylew]

I've already seen that article. It doesn't have anything about Vaughters.