Transfers and Rumours 2014 > 2015

[Eyeballs Out]

Brailsford was just on SSN - he said negotiations are at an advanced stage with an additional two riders

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Brailsford was just on SSN - he said negotiations are at an advanced stage with an additional two riders

Bloody hell. How many riders are they losing to make all of this room?

We can only hope the next two are for the classics etc rather than two more fringe GC men.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Brailsford was just on SSN - he said negotiations are at an advanced stage with an additional two riders

Viviani and someone else maybe?

There could be an exodus at Sky this season.

 

[JosephD]

Remaining Sky riders without confirmed deals for 2015

WIGGINS Bradley
CATALDO Dario
SUTTON Chris
ROWE Luke
KNEES Christian
ZANDIO Xabier
EDMONDSON Joshua
DOMBROWSKI Joe

Dombrowski heavily linked with Garmin-Cannondale and Cataldo is reportedly on Astana's radar.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Viviani and someone else maybe?

There could be an exodus at Sky this season.

Yeah, it was a sky-friendly interview long on rhetoric and short on specifics but the gist seemed to be big changes at Sky this offseason to shake things up a bit. They're still in negotiations with Wiggins also

 

[pink_jersey]

Henao has contract till 2016.Stannard as well.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Remaining Sky riders without confirmed deals for 2015

WIGGINS Bradley
CATALDO Dario
STANNARD Ian
HENAO Sergio Luis
SUTTON Chris
ROWE Luke
KNEES Christian
ZANDIO Xabier
EDMONDSON Joshua
DOMBROWSKI Joe

Dombrowski heavily linked with Garmin-Cannondale and Cataldo is reportedly on Astana's radar.

Being completely ruthless and trying to fathom out how many spaces Sky have to fill those riders (2?) - I'd retain Henao and Stannard possibly Rowe and Cataldo.

Yes I've heard that Dombrowski is off to Garmin and Zandio is to retire.

 

[MellowJohnny]

But then if Sky have the proposed Conti development team, they can shuffle some riders into that I guess?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

But then if Sky have the proposed Conti development team, they can shuffle some riders into that I guess?

Of those, only Rowe and Edmondson would even remotely make sense there though.

I'd keep Knees. He's been a hell of a domestique for them considering they picked him up off waivers after the Pegasus collapse.

 

[Hakkapelit]

Of those, only Rowe and Edmondson would even remotely make sense there though.

I'd keep Knees. He's been a hell of a domestique for them considering they picked him up off waivers after the Pegasus collapse.

One would think Bora would be aiming for a guy like Knees.

 

[MellowJohnny]

One would think Bora would be aiming for a guy like Knees.

I was thinking the very same but I wonder if wages would be an issue. Bora are not the biggest but Sky certainly are.

 

[Afrank]

They can't possibly provide leadership opportunities for all of Porte, Roche, Konig, Nieve, Henao, Kennaugh and Poels. The money must be very big indeed to have most of them as worker bees. Even the chosen two or three of them will have quite limited opportunities, given that Froome comes first.

My money is on Nieve and Kennaugh getting the shaft completely, and I can only guess that Sky think Henao will take a long time to recover. Even assuming that, there are still too many cooks.

I really hate this kind of "hoarding" in super teams. It reduces the sport to a financial arms race and makes racing dull.

Giro- Porte, Konig co-leadership.
Tour- Froome leader; Porte, Nieve, Henao, Kennaugh as domestiques.
Vuelta-Roche maybe for GC leader or someone like Konig or Henao if they have the form. Vuelta can serve as a whoever's left and whoever has the form are free to take their own chances kinda race.

Some of the guys aren't really suited for a GC leadership role at a GT, Kennaugh's not there yet, Nieve was signed to be a domestique, Poels not there yet. Vuelta should be most of these guys's opportunity to go for stages or GC if they think they can. Don't think anyone would be too disappointed in serving those roles *coughexceptRochecough*.

 

[search]

I was thinking the very same but I wonder if wages would be an issue. Bora are not the biggest but Sky certainly are.

to be honest, Knees is no one I would pay an awful lot of money for. Knees has been Milram's leader in every single race for years, he even was their gc rider for the Tour, and has done exactly nothing. He is a fantastic domestique - but that's not exactly what a team like Bora needs.

 

[Afrank]

Of those, only Rowe and Edmondson would even remotely make sense there though.

I'd keep Knees. He's been a hell of a domestique for them considering they picked him up off waivers after the Pegasus collapse.

Thought the same thing, maybe Edmondson found something better. He certainly hasn't done much at Sky so far.

 

[MatParker117]

Sky are currently at 21 riders for next year assuming Wiggins, Rowe, Knees, Stannard, Henao, Edmonson & Sutton stay that leaves space for Viviani and one of I guess Pozzovivo, Brajkovic, Schleck or a classics guy.

I kind of hope it's Schleck just so Steve Peters can get Andy on his couch.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Sky are currently at 21 riders for next year assuming Wiggins, Rowe, Knees, Stannard, Henao, Edmonson & Sutton stay that leaves space for Viviani and one of I guess Pozzovivo, Brajkovic, Schleck or a classics guy.

I kind of hope it's Schleck just so Steve Peters can get Andy on his couch.

Maybe the other guy will be Tom Dumoulin as the rumour mill suggests?

 

[MatParker117]

Maybe the other guy will be Tom Dumoulin as the rumour mill suggests?

Under contract with Giant-Baldness Cure for 2015.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Under contract with Giant-Baldness Cure for 2015.

Can they buy him out of that contract though?

 

[roundabout]

to be honest, Knees is no one I would pay an awful lot of money for. Knees has been Milram's leader in every single race for years, he even was their gc rider for the Tour, and has done exactly nothing. He is a fantastic domestique - but that's not exactly what a team like Bora needs.

He was surprisingly good in 2008-2009 or so. But that was then.

I suppose it depends on how much he is asking

 

[theyoungest]

Can they buy him out of that contract though?

I doubt they're as desperate to poach him as they were with Wiggins. And I doubt Dumoulin is as desperate to leave.

 

[kenk09]

The whole Dumoulin thing was just a throwaway comment from Wiggins, and then Brailsford answering questions about that throwaway answer.

I'm sure they'd love him. I'm sure every team would love him.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Just thinking of what the sky tour team may be next year :

Froome, Porte, Konig, Roche, Thomas, Nieve, Kennaugh, Poels, Eisel/Kiryienka

Think there may be a few broken hearts next July.

 

[roundabout]

Not sure if already posted, but Kern is not being retained by Europcar.

 

[search]

He was surprisingly good in 2008-2009 or so. But that was then.

I suppose it depends on how much he is asking

yes, it is. But I think Burghardt (who extended with BMC now though) or Wegmann would be a better choice for Bora

edit: Burghardt extended his contract last year already, missed that

 

[Parker]

Just thinking of what the sky tour team may be next year :

Froome, Porte, Konig, Roche, Thomas, Nieve, Kennaugh, Poels, Eisel/Kiryienka

Think there may be a few broken hearts next July.

Too many climber types - Froome doesn't need too many of them. A priority has to be keeping Froome from crashing, so someone like Stannard will be in.