Transfers and Rumours 2018 > 2019

[MatParker117]

Re:

Well if Sky land Pinot and Soler that will put pressure on their budget which suggests they will be losing riders.

Deignan, Lopez, Intxusati, Wisniowski & a few others are out of contract.

 

[Akuryo]

Re: Re:

Well if Sky land Pinot and Soler that will put pressure on their budget which suggests they will be losing riders.

Deignan, Lopez, Intxusati, Wisniowski & a few others are out of contract.

I highly doubt that Wisniowski and Deignan make the same money as Pinot and Soler.

 

[Moviestar]

Re: Re:

Valverde has won a lot of races in his career, but perhaps Soler wants to focus on grand tours. Sky is the place to go for a couple years then. He will learn a great deal.

He won't learn because he'll be nothing more than a domestique there. He won't be able to lead the team in ANY race. Thus he will NOT learn and won't grow. Also from things Dowsett has said at Sky domestiques can't even talk to the team leaders. There is a hierarchy and it exists throughout the entire structure. He won't be able to learn anything at all from Froome because he won't be able to even talk to him.

Riders like Thomas and Bernal and even Froome when he was younger tell a different story.

They are at Sky. I'll take the words of those who are NOT there over the words of anyone who IS there. They don't want to PO their bosses. Also Froome and Thomas are very good friends so of course they are going to talk. Others who have left Sky have said similar things to Dowsett.

I expect Xabier Artetxe, Xabier Zandio & Benat Intxausti have something to do with Soler & Amador heading for Sky if the rumours pan out. Xabier Zandio in particular has recruited several Spanish speaking riders in the past.

It's Giuseppe Acquadro, an Italian agent who has many ties with Sky and Movistar. David Lopez, Castroviejo, Quintana, Amador, Intxausti, Kiriyienka etc..

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

It’s not surprising that Soler would be a target for Sky. It’s been pointed out here a few times that his mix of rouleur/climber talents is exactly what they prefer in a rider. If he goes there, he will be trading opportunities to lead for a lot more money and the possibility of improving his GC climbing.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Valverde has won a lot of races in his career, but perhaps Soler wants to focus on grand tours. Sky is the place to go for a couple years then. He will learn a great deal.

He won't learn because he'll be nothing more than a domestique there. He won't be able to lead the team in ANY race. Thus he will NOT learn and won't grow. Also from things Dowsett has said at Sky domestiques can't even talk to the team leaders. There is a hierarchy and it exists throughout the entire structure. He won't be able to learn anything at all from Froome because he won't be able to even talk to him.

Dowsett has been at Sky in 2011-2012, pretty sure that things have changed since him and Wiggins left.

yeah sounds like more a Wiggins thing than anything else - i think he once refused a British teammate a lift on his plane

Seriously? That makes him seem like a total scumbag.

 

[mariposa]

Re:

It’s not surprising that Soler would be a target for Sky. It’s been pointed out here a few times that his mix of rouleur/climber talents is exactly what they prefer in a rider. If he goes there, he will be trading opportunities to lead for a lot more money and the possibility of improving his GC climbing.

Not a surprise but a bit disappointing nevertheless less If it is true. A Movistar rider or a rider from another team shows promise in a big race and Sky want them. People criticise Movistar and other teams for not competing at the Tour but how on earth can they when their best support riders are constantly being poached.
Personally I think that Movistar do amazingly well with the budget they have.

I am beginning to agree with Nibali about restrictions on budgets to try and even the playing field.

 

[Hakkapelit]

If I was CCC (Bmc) I would go for Wisiniowski and Golas.

Oh by the way, read in a swedish newspaper that EF (ie the sponsor) would like to have more swedes on the roster.

 

[Kafviar]

Re:

If I was CCC (Bmc) I would go for Wisiniowski and Golas.

Oh by the way, read in a swedish newspaper that EF (ie the sponsor) would like to have more swedes on the roster.

Both EF and POC probably want to see more swedes.

Vaughters also said that the current generation of Swedish riders are very poor. But he said that we have some nice talents in the ages 16-19 and that EF need to be patient. Hopefully they'll sign someone this winter though. Jacob or Lucas Ericsson maybe?

 

[Gigs_98]

I really really hope that Soler stays at Movistar but I must admit, he would make one hell of a sky domestique.

 

[Red Rick]

Do Sky even have room for Soler?

I mean does the ridiculousness ever end?

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

Do Sky even have room for Soler?

I mean does the ridiculousness ever end?

+1. LOL.

What do they need him for?

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

Do Sky even have room for Soler?

I mean does the ridiculousness ever end?

They don’t have room to give all of the strong riders they assemble the opportunities their talents deserve, but they have the money to compensate for that. Plus they can offer each guy hope that they are going to help him unlock an additional climbing ability he wasn’t sure he had.

It looks as if they are trying to assemble as many of the best dual purpose flat/mountains riders in the peloton as possible. A big enough group to run the team as a kind of system, with one interchangeable rider ready to step in as another moves up the pecking order / leaves / loses form. As an added bonus, they deny the other teams the kind of support riders that smaller team sizes has placed a premium on.

It’s a grim vision of the future, but they clearly plan to pass the perfect Tour winning machine on from Froome to Bernal, possibly with a brief transition period where Thomas and others get to try their luck behind its controls.

 

[WKA311]

Re:

If I was CCC (Bmc) I would go for Wisiniowski and Golas.

Oh by the way, read in a swedish newspaper that EF (ie the sponsor) would like to have more swedes on the roster.

CCC/BMC could go after Majka. If Buchmann and Formolo both do a good Vuelta I could see Bora letting him go after this Tour. And also they should hold on to Szymon Sajnok. Destroyed the Dookola Mazowsza last week and is Omnium World Champ on the track. Only 20 years of age. Seems to be a good talent.

 

[del1962]

Re: Re:

Do Sky even have room for Soler?

I mean does the ridiculousness ever end?

+1. LOL.

What do they need him for?

Might need to replace Moscon

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re: Re:

Do Sky even have room for Soler?

I mean does the ridiculousness ever end?

+1. LOL.

What do they need him for?

So that other teams won't have him

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Do Sky even have room for Soler?

I mean does the ridiculousness ever end?

+1. LOL.

What do they need him for?

So that other teams won't have him

I don’t think that’s their main reason, but I certainly think that they are aware that monopolizing the best rouleur/climber dual purpose riders in the peloton denies everyone else access to what are, with smaller teams, the most valuable type of domestique.

 

[Red Rick]

Sky at this point are playing monopoly, building houses on each city, while refusing to build hotels just to corner the market.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

It is a bit amusing that a change designed to stop them from protecting their leader with a perfect for all occasions team of three super climbers, three dual purpose riders and two super rouleurs has just led to them buying every one of the best dual purpose riders in the peloton who isn’t one of their main rivals.

I’m trying to think of who else they’ll probably offer for over the next few years. Muhlberger from Bora look like a good fit, maybe Konrad too.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

Rumor that Soler is leaving Movistar and heading to Sky.

Pinot and Soler potentially going to Sky? You have to think Thomas is leaving if both of those rumors are true.

Who knows. Soler is still learning and unfortunately if he goes to Sky that learning and development is going to be stopped.

Buddy, to say an aspiring GT contender, can learn nothing from riding on the best GT team in the world, seems rather weird

There is a lot more to it than just race experience as a leader........ If everything was about that experience, everyone should pull a Barguil - then they could all be captains and learn more than anyone else

I think Sky is the best possible place for a future contender, to learn what it takes 24/7/52 to win GTs.

 

[kenk09]

I mean it's not as if Movistar is any less crowded in the GC rider department.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Rumor that Soler is leaving Movistar and heading to Sky.

Pinot and Soler potentially going to Sky? You have to think Thomas is leaving if both of those rumors are true.

Who knows. Soler is still learning and unfortunately if he goes to Sky that learning and development is going to be stopped.

Buddy, to say an aspiring GT contender, can learn nothing from riding on the best GT team in the world, seems rather weird

There is a lot more to it than just race experience as a leader........ If everything was about that experience, everyone should pull a Barguil - then they could all be captains and learn more than anyone else

I think Sky is the best possible place for a future contender, to learn what it takes 24/7/365 to win GTs.

Wouldn't it be 24-7-52? Otherwise it's seven years.

 

[King Boonen]

Not really followed so maybe it's a known thing, it Bouhanni moving on? Pretty sure he wasn't in the Cofidis advert shown on French TV during the Tour.

 

[loge1884]

not sure it has been mentioned already, but Stefan Küng seems to be heading to Groupama/FDJ .... I am not quite convinced that is the best option for him though, in my view he'd be better off in a team with potential classics winners (e.g. Bora) and/or some outfit needing a strong man in TTTs (e.g. Sunweb, LottoNL if we forget about Sky) .... pacing Démare doesn't sound like maximizing your career ....

 

[Der Effe]

He'll have shared leadership if he signs for FDJ.

Kuznetsov and Smit sign a new one-year deal for Katusha. Strakhov will be a trainee as from 01/08, probably signing a contract for 2019 and 2020.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

Rumor that Soler is leaving Movistar and heading to Sky.

Pinot and Soler potentially going to Sky? You have to think Thomas is leaving if both of those rumors are true.

Who knows. Soler is still learning and unfortunately if he goes to Sky that learning and development is going to be stopped.

Buddy, to say an aspiring GT contender, can learn nothing from riding on the best GT team in the world, seems rather weird

There is a lot more to it than just race experience as a leader........ If everything was about that experience, everyone should pull a Barguil - then they could all be captains and learn more than anyone else

I think Sky is the best possible place for a future contender, to learn what it takes 24/7/365 to win GTs.

Wouldn't it be 24-7-52? Otherwise it's seven years.

Absolutely - brainfart - will chage it - because I'm embarasssed