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Teams & Riders Transfers and Rumours 2019 > 2020

Page 65 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Huh? So... apparently there are some legal issues preventing Sofia Bertizzolo from joining Movistar next year, but... she's joining from a team that's folding! Can someone with better understanding of Spanish enlighten me?
Nevermind, figured it out. Though, I don't think it makes much sense...

Here's the link to Movistar's explanation. Basically as they are going to be a women's WT team their riders are not allowed to have other jobs. I think it's a bad rule by the UCI, but unfortunately Movistar can't do anything about it after trying.
 
Here's the link to Movistar's explanation. Basically as they are going to be a women's WT team their riders are not allowed to have other jobs. I think it's a bad rule by the UCI, but unfortunately Movistar can't do anything about it after trying.
I can see the reasoning behind it, as it’s clearly an area that would be open to abuse if they could hire riders who were expected to maintain a 2nd job for a shel company etc.

But at the same time, presumably she was to take a sabbatical from the police force to ride for them, as has been done before by many other riders in emergency services occupations. Seems a shame that an accommodation couldn’t be reached.
 
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This appears to be what is happening. This is actually from cyclingnews' article:

Cyclingnews understands that athletes from nations such as Italy, Germany and France, among others, who have paid full-time contracts through the government are not permitted to simultaneously hold paid full-time contracts of employment elsewhere.

Bertizzolo would either have to give up her government contract in order to sign with a Women's WorldTeam or instead compete with a second-tier UCI Continental team that is not obliged to offer riders a base salary.

Bertizzolo has taken to social media to confirm her situation saying that Italian law prevents a female cyclist from signing professional contracts. She stated that while there are exceptions to this rule in Italy, such self-employed contract adjustments would not be legal in accordance with Spanish employment laws.


It appears that this is a situation where we have an Italian law that is not compatible with a Spanish law where employment is concerned.
 
Bertizzolo has taken to social media to confirm her situation saying that Italian law prevents a female cyclist from signing professional contracts.

Wait… Italian law prevents female cyclists from signing professional contracts? You don't mean professional cycling contracts, surely…

How does that work for riders like Tony Martin, who is a policeman, and Nino Schurter, who is army?

Has Martin ever been employed as a policeman, or is he just trained as one?

Anyway, Jesper Schultz to Riwal


Politt to ICA confirmed
View: https://www.facebook.com/IsraelCyclingAcademy/posts/2044315139005367?__tn__=K-R
 
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I don't think it's the italian law preventing this to happen.
Plenty of italian female cyclists (Guderzo and Longo Borghini spring to mind) are under contract with the army or various police forces, while riding for trade teams.

Looks like it's a very unfortunate combination of Italian law and Spanish law:

She stated that while there are exceptions to this rule in Italy, such self-employed contract adjustments would not be legal in accordance with Spanish employment laws.
 
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I don't think it's the italian law preventing this to happen.
Plenty of italian female cyclists (Guderzo and Longo Borghini spring to mind) are under contract with the army or various police forces, while riding for trade teams.
It's not something exclusive of female cyclists, the vast majority of italian athletes works for the army or police because with them (via their gruppo sportivo) they have granted support for development and during their career and (most important) a job for when they quit with the sport. Doing only the sport is sustainable only for top level team sports (football, basket, volley) and individual professional sports (tennis, cycling, golf) and generally only for males (excluding tennis where there are huge prize moneys also for women), outside that is almost a forced thing entering in the army or police to have a shot.
 
I don't think it's the italian law preventing this to happen.
Plenty of italian female cyclists (Guderzo and Longo Borghini spring to mind) are under contract with the army or various police forces, while riding for trade teams.
The way I understand it, it's because of the introduction of minimal salaries in Women's cycling. So far they probably were working as free agent or something like that, while now the WT teams need to hand out "real" contracts.

Alé BTC Ljubljana did not apply for WT status, so it's no problem for Guderzo, while I guess Bertizzolo (and also Charlotte Becker at FDJ, by the way, who for exactly that reason changed teams) now had to decide between professional cycling and their other job.

No idea how Longo Borghini is going to handle it, but she may be among those earning enough from cycling to quit her job at the police?!
 
Paternoster is in police as well.
And Cecchini.
And many others.

As Nirvana said, this is standard procedure for most italian athletes in minor sports (every winter sport for instance, or athletics). They're officially employed by police forces or army so they have a base monthly salary and can focus on training and racing. Major difference is that in cycling you're paid by a private company (a trade team) to do your job while in most other sports I mentioned you compete for your country and evertything you're earning is prize money or sponsorship, so no real job contracts.

I don't believe these female cyclist get enough money from their trade teams to lightheartedly quit their jobs with the police forces or the army.
 
Paternoster is in police as well.
And Cecchini.
And many others.

As Nirvana said, this is standard procedure for most italian athletes in minor sports (every winter sport for instance, or athletics). They're officially employed by police forces or army so they have a base monthly salary and can focus on training and racing. Major difference is that in cycling you're paid by a private company (a trade team) to do your job while in most other sports I mentioned you compete for your country and evertything you're earning is prize money or sponsorship, so no real job contracts.

I don't believe these female cyclist get enough money from their trade teams to lightheartedly quit their jobs with the police forces or the army.

I believe this happens in UK too where some of the olympic skiers are in the Army
 
About bloody time.

lt was nice of Lefevere to say this about Archbold;
“Lefevere also said he was really pleased to sign Kiwi Archbold with Irishman Bennett; both of them partners in the sprint since their time at An Post-Chainreaction.

“We know how important it is for a sprinter to have a lead-out man that he fully understands and has faith in,” said Lefevere of Archbold.

“While we have several excellent lead-out guys already here, when it became clear that we could add Shane to our squad to help Sam, it made complete sense.”
 
About bloody time.

lt was nice of Lefevere to say this about Archbold;
“Lefevere also said he was really pleased to sign Kiwi Archbold with Irishman Bennett; both of them partners in the sprint since their time at An Post-Chainreaction.

“We know how important it is for a sprinter to have a lead-out man that he fully understands and has faith in,” said Lefevere of Archbold.

“While we have several excellent lead-out guys already here, when it became clear that we could add Shane to our squad to help Sam, it made complete sense.”

It’s quite amusing how Archbold has slotted into the very limited “Irish” cycling infrastructure. His move to the European Tour was with An Post. His first European win was at the Ras. He was brought to Bora to support Bennett. After Bora dropped him after he missed most of a season injured, he was signed by Aqua Blue. When Aqua Blue went under, he went to Evo Pro. And then he was brought back to Bora to support Bennett and now follows him to DQS. He should really be entitled to an Irish passport at this point.

Is he the only rider of any nationality who rode for all three Irish UCI teams (not counting the Italian teams that used to domicile themselves in Ireland for tax reasons)?
 

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