Transfers and Rumours 2014 > 2015

[theyoungest]

Dombrowski to Cannondale.

Epic team of climbers/hills riders they are forming. If all those youngsters get their act together, that is.

Martin-Talansky-Slagter-Moser-Hesjedal-Danielson-Dombrowski-Villella-Formolo-Acevedo-Mohoric-Cardoso-Howes.

 

[Grupetto1]

he raced Austria helping Kennaugh to the win, and Poland in August. last tweet is from Aug 7th.

Indeed but he should have ridden the tour of Britain or at least Canada instead of dombrowski

 

[JRanton]

Indeed but he should have ridden the tour of Britain or at least Canada instead of dombrowski

Certainly a curious one is Edmondson. I haven't heard anything with regards to a training accident so it's either illness or he's gone all Jonathan Tiernan-Locke on us.

 

[JRanton]

he raced Austria helping Kennaugh to the win, and Poland in August. last tweet is from Aug 7th.

Last tweet is further back than that. 23rd July. Strange. Very strange.

 

[JRanton]

4 of those haven't been confirmed

It's ok. His uncle, the Team Sky doctor (or was it mechanic?) has confirmed the news.

 

[Piti4Podiums]

Alejandro Valverde has signed a contract extension through 2017 with Movistar.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Konig and Machado as stage race leaders to Nerz is, without meaning any disrespect, a big drop in expectations.

Presumably though they haven't spent all the money they save by losing Konig and Machado on Nerz. So we should expect a highish profile signing of some kind. They can't really think that Nerz or Bennett, who is a neopro, are currently big enough names to bring GT invites.

what do you expect? machado and konjig made very little money on netapp so they are happy to get nerz in replace. there won't come any other big names. not that nerz is one

 

[Arredondo]

I don't know if it's mentioned yet, but 19-year old Colombian Eduardo Estrada has signed for a WT-team for 2015.

Which team isn't clear yet, but AG2R is perhaps a logical move (because he comes from Chambery Cyclisme Formation, the development team of AG2R). But it is 'un equipo de mucho prestigio en Europa'.

No Movistar, right?

http://www.elcolombiano.com/BancoCo...trada_joya_colombiana_escondida_en_europa.asp

 

[JosephD]

Pro Cycling Stats reports that Lotto stagaire Tiesj Benoot has signed a one-year deal with the team and IAM have signed Stef Clement

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

what do you expect? machado and konjig made very little money on netapp so they are happy to get nerz in replace. there won't come any other big names. not that nerz is one

I expect a team which has recently made the step towards regular GT and other big race invites to do whatever it can to keep those invites coming. And there should be quite a number of relatively high profile riders looking for a contract, given that we are losing at least one WT team.

Look at MTN. That's their competition.

 

[Piti4Podiums]

I don't know if it's mentioned yet, but 19-year old Colombian Eduardo Estrada has signed for a WT-team for 2015.

Which team isn't clear yet, but AG2R is perhaps a logical move (because he comes from Chambery Cyclisme Formation, the development team of AG2R). But it is 'un equipo de mucho prestigio en Europa'.

No Movistar, right?

http://www.elcolombiano.com/BancoCo...trada_joya_colombiana_escondida_en_europa.asp

Given Movistar's roster situation for 2015, there is no spot for another Neo-Pro, so no, it is not going to be Movistar.

 

[janraaskalt]

Pro Cycling Stats reports that Lotto stagaire Tiesj Benoot has signed a one-year deal with the team and IAM have signed Stef Clement

That must be a fail. Neo pros must get a 2-year contract.

 

[janraaskalt]

I don't know if it's mentioned yet, but 19-year old Colombian Eduardo Estrada has signed for a WT-team for 2015.

Which team isn't clear yet, but AG2R is perhaps a logical move (because he comes from Chambery Cyclisme Formation, the development team of AG2R). But it is 'un equipo de mucho prestigio en Europa'.

No Movistar, right?

http://www.elcolombiano.com/BancoCo...trada_joya_colombiana_escondida_en_europa.asp

One would think it is AG2R, but why won't he name this team?

 

[Kokoso]

Add König to the list. He looks promising.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Such a waste from sky that. Has anyone heard anything about Josh Edmondson? He's not raced for ages and getting a bit worried for him

sky really waste all their talents, boswell, dombrowksi, edmondson, nathan earle(not too big a talent though) and now sebastian henao is nothing but **** since the giro

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I don't know if it's mentioned yet, but 19-year old Colombian Eduardo Estrada has signed for a WT-team for 2015.

Which team isn't clear yet, but AG2R is perhaps a logical move (because he comes from Chambery Cyclisme Formation, the development team of AG2R). But it is 'un equipo de mucho prestigio en Europa'.

No Movistar, right?

http://www.elcolombiano.com/BancoCo...trada_joya_colombiana_escondida_en_europa.asp

I think is ag2r. estrada is really the only good thing that has come from betancurt for that team lol

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I expect a team which has recently made the step towards regular GT and other big race invites to do whatever it can to keep those invites coming. And there should be quite a number of relatively high profile riders looking for a contract, given that we are losing at least one WT team.

Look at MTN. That's their competition.

clealry netapp under their new sponsor have a s*** low budget and are just happy to continue exist

 

[JRanton]

sky really waste all their talents, boswell, dombrowksi, edmondson, nathan earle(not too big a talent though) and now sebastian henao is nothing but **** since the giro

Certainly they have a poor record of developing young talent. They have a much better with improving older riders though. I wonder if this is to do with their training techniques, which the older guys are better able to handle.

 

[Jancouver]

Soon to be announced ...

Konig to Katusha ... 1M per year + TDF leader support. Purito to focus on Giro and Vuelta.

 

[JRanton]

clealry netapp under their new sponsor have a s*** low budget and are just happy to continue exist

And with one less WT team it should be even easier to secure a Tour wild card than this year so no need to push the boat out.

Assuming the Alonso team doesn't happen you've basically got the 17 current WT teams (excluding current Cannondale team) and then five wild cards for Cofidis, Team Bora (NetApp), IAM Cycling, Bretagne-Seche and MTN Qhubeka.

There are so many Colombians in the world tour now that the underperforming Colombia team won't be of much interest to ASO I wouldn't have thought.

 

[JRanton]

Soon to be announced ...

Konig to Katusha ... 1M per year + TDF leader support. Purito to focus on Giro and Vuelta.

Wow. That's a bold move from Katusha. They do need another GC rider though and with no Russian GC rider on the horizon I guess Konig is one the best available.

I thought the Sky rumours were a bit odd. It's yet more evidence of how unreliable cycling rumours are from journalists.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

And as Germany seems to be getting some live coverage for the Tour again next year ASO will surely get a German team into the Tour.

Estrada to Ag2r? I hope not. He's shown pretty much nothing the whole year.

 

[MellowJohnny]

I expect a team which has recently made the step towards regular GT and other big race invites to do whatever it can to keep those invites coming. And there should be quite a number of relatively high profile riders looking for a contract, given that we are losing at least one WT team.

Look at MTN. That's their competition.

I would say that there is probably a big difference in budgets between Netapp and MTN. I think Netapp have done extremely well recently with a small squad of riders. MTN on the other hand have a lot more money and in some respects a bigger talent pool/advertisment market with Africa.

 

[Afrank]

Soon to be announced ...

Konig to Katusha ... 1M per year + TDF leader support. Purito to focus on Giro and Vuelta.

If true, then this is a fantastic signing! Purito looks like he may be on the out and not likely to win GT (plus will probably focus on Giro-Vuelta until retirement anyway).

Great opportunity for him to get full leadership in his races of choice and for Katusha to get a new GC rider.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

clealry netapp under their new sponsor have a s*** low budget and are just happy to continue exist

Possibly, but as they were unsuccessfully trying to keep Konig, the budget can't be all that low. To be able to make him any kind of sane offer at all, they must have at least some money.

As it is, they have lost De La Cruz and almost certainly Machado and Konig. That's pretty much everyone who can climb. And brought in only Nerz. They don't even have people to support him. Even if they are on a reduced budget, that exchange should free up some money. And with the WT effectively losing a team and other WT teams beginning to phase down their squad sizes, there have to be some WT level riders going at PCT prices (like Machado last year).

If Nerz really is their "star" signing they had better hope that he kicks on and even more so that Bennett develops into an excellent sprinter. Because apart from Barta inevitably taking his national ITT championships, nobody else on the team is likely to do very much.