Transfers "Rumours & Reality" and Young Guns

[Galic Ho]

The best team for Evans would surely be Radioshack. He could be a super domestique in the mountains for Armstrong in the tour de france. Evans doesn't like media attention and Armstrong would certainly take that away from him. He could then be leader at either the Giro or Vuelta with a good team behind him and would have a reasonable chance. Armstrong could teach him how to handle the media and to convert high places into a winning effort.

Won't work because Cadel still talks like he wants to win le Tour. He really should give up, he can't beat Contador. Try the Giro.

Agree about Silence though. The team owner Marc Coucke is a moron. So are the the DS and manager. Three goofballs all with no clue on how to win a grand tour. The Herald ran a piece at the end of the tour in Sydney with quotes from Coucke. Cadels year "sans". Idiot, the whole team had a year sans, Cadel restored what little dignity they have. Apparently Van Den Broucke complained after slowing everyone down for a minute in the TTT with his fall and then being dropped altogether because he couldn't get back. Any team that favours a pawn (domestique) over the knight is asking for trouble. Undermining a man who has shown some mental scarring in the past in public, mid tour no less, is bad policy and bad diplomacy. It like hurling a hand grenade into your own platoon. Madness! I'm convinced Jurgen will be on equal parring at the next tour if Cadel remains regardless of whether he improves by a considerable margin.

As for a team to go to? Matt White apparently isn't a fan of Cadel. Garmin is therefore out. CSC isn't an option. Rabobank, nope, not after this Vuelta. Katusha, perhaps...but those contracts are harsh...five times your salary penalty for a doping infringement. Harsh! At least they have money. Cadel will want to be compensated financially in lieu with his current contract (apparently around the $2 million aussie dollar mark). Lampre is perfect (the closest one will get at least). No major GC rider other than Cunego and the worst performing team monetary wise at the tour this year...they can only go up. Cadel should beg the Italians to give him a job as nobody else will. Oh and hire another climber to help Cunego and pray there is no TTT. Sky is a no no...they have publically stated they want a British tour winner by 2014. Cervelo...possible but do they have the money to afford Cadel? Carlos could use the help...compromise by Cadel? Yeah, I don't see it coming.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Won't work because Cadel still talks like he wants to win le Tour. He really should give up, he can't beat Contador. Try the Giro.

Agree about Silence though. The team owner Marc Coucke is a moron. So are the the DS and manager. Three goofballs all with no clue on how to win a grand tour. The Herald ran a piece at the end of the tour in Sydney with quotes from Coucke. Cadels year "sans". Idiot, the whole team had a year sans, Cadel restored what little dignity they have. Apparently Van Den Broucke complained after slowing everyone down for a minute in the TTT with his fall and then being dropped altogether because he couldn't get back. Any team that favours a pawn (domestique) over the knight is asking for trouble. Undermining a man who has shown some mental scarring in the past in public, mid tour no less, is bad policy and bad diplomacy. It like hurling a hand grenade into your own platoon. Madness! I'm convinced Jurgen will be on equal parring at the next tour if Cadel remains regardless of whether he improves by a considerable margin.

As for a team to go to? Matt White apparently isn't a fan of Cadel. Garmin is therefore out. CSC isn't an option. Rabobank, nope, not after this Vuelta. Katusha, perhaps...but those contracts are harsh...five times your salary penalty for a doping infringement. Harsh! At least they have money. Cadel will want to be compensated financially in lieu with his current contract (apparently around the $2 million aussie dollar mark). Lampre is perfect (the closest one will get at least). No major GC rider other than Cunego and the worst performing team monetary wise at the tour this year...they can only go up. Cadel should beg the Italians to give him a job as nobody else will. Oh and hire another climber to help Cunego and pray there is no TTT. Sky is a no no...they have publically stated they want a British tour winner by 2014. Cervelo...possible but do they have the money to afford Cadel? Carlos could use the help...compromise by Cadel? Yeah, I don't see it coming.

AG2r is cadel's answer. I think may still be able to challenge AC if he gets the right course and gets back his tt form of 06/07. i also think he would have to climb like he did at the dauphine this year & with support he might have a chance. S/L is a badly run and shabbily organised team.

matt White, well his opinion doesn't bother me. the incident with columbia at the tour lost the respect i had for him. it was a clear cheap shot.

 

[Cerberus]

AG2r is cadel's answer. I think may still be able to challenge AC if he gets the right course and gets back his tt form of 06/07. i also think he would have to climb like he did at the dauphine this year & with support he might have a chance. S/L is a badly run and shabbily organised team.

matt White, well his opinion doesn't bother me. the incident with columbia at the tour lost the respect i had for him. it was a clear cheap shot.

AC is a pretty damn good TT too, Cadel might be better if he's in top shape, but only by a little and AC will demolish him in the mountains. Bearing a collapse by AC I just don't see Cadel beating him. Still there's no shame in "only" getting to the podium in the Tour which seems realistic to me.

 

[luckyboy]

Moncoutie..... Stays another year with Cofidis!

great stuff

 

[Kingsley A]

Sky is a no no...they have publically stated they want a British tour winner by 2014.

I don't see why this makes Sky a no no. Currently there is no British rider who is an obvious GC contender in the next few years. Bringing in an experienced GC rider like Evans on a two or three year contract could well help Sky's aims. It would give the domestiques something realistic to work for in the short term and his experience could help bring on the bright young future hopefuls such as Peter Kennaugh and Ben Swift (I am guessing Sky will make a big play to sign Swift when his Katusha contract expires at the end of next year).

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

AG2r is cadel's answer. I think may still be able to challenge AC if he gets the right course and gets back his tt form of 06/07. i also think he would have to climb like he did at the dauphine this year & with support he might have a chance. S/L is a badly run and shabbily organised team.

evans will never be able to cimb with contador, neither will much of the field. Don't be fooled by the dauphne, that wasn't a contador going very hard, and still evans failed to lose him. As for time trialing, I'd suggest they are at least on par.

Nope, Evans will never win the tour now (both Contador and Schleck are a level above him... with more riders emerging... gesink anyone?) He should ride basso's 09 schedule next year. Give the giro and vuelta a serious go.

 

[Bala Verde]

Tiago Machado (Madeinox) is negotiating with RS, but nothing has been agreed upon.

 

[auscyclefan94]

AC is a pretty damn good TT too, Cadel might be better if he's in top shape, but only by a little and AC will demolish him in the mountains. Bearing a collapse by AC I just don't see Cadel beating him. Still there's no shame in "only" getting to the podium in the Tour which seems realistic to me.

I would still rate Evans a better TT than AC. i would still put Menchov and Leipheimer ahead of him. The past two years evans hasn't time trialled overly well. He tt'ed well in the dauphine. We must remember that AC will not have the team quality he had this year at the tour. i still think sastre, menchov and evans and chuck in leipheimer, if they play their cards right on a course which will suit them they might be able to beat him. i think they need to make AC more vulnerable and isolated as it was only saxo bank this year who took it up to astana as the leaders of rabo, liquigas, cervelo and even S/L were all way behind. if the course is like this years or 2008's then AC will win. 06/07 gave more opportunities for a time trialling gc contender win.

 

[issoisso]

Tiago Machado (Madeinox) is negotiating with RS, but nothing has been agreed upon.

Funny how Caisse's been trying to get him for over a year, then Radioshack jump in and suddenly have the supposed lead

 

[Bala Verde]

Funny how Caisse's been trying to get him for over a year, then Radioshack jump in and suddenly have the supposed lead

The report was from Biciciclismo, and mentioned that Caisse (as well as Xacobeo) had shown its interest as well, but it concluded that Caisse would not have a vacant position on the squad. For whatever that's worth.

See Machado mantiene negociaciones avanzadas con Radio Shack, y Xacobeo también está interesado

furthermore:

Mattia Gavazzi to CSF Group Navigare

 

[Izoard]

evans will never be able to cimb with contador, neither will much of the field. Don't be fooled by the dauphne, that wasn't a contador going very hard, and still evans failed to lose him. As for time trialing, I'd suggest they are at least on par.

I don't disagree with you, although I think AC is one of the bigger D's in the peloton. His hx is one thing (previous teams, etc), but the 2007 TdF is what drove it home for me. AC and MR may be natural climbers, but MR has always been very shady (right back from the MTB days), and AC was able to respond to every acceleration. The Giro win, while he was on vacation, just added icing to my opinion.

It is, btw, just that - my opinion. Perhaps in a couple of years, if AC is not seriously implicated in something new, I will change it. But hx has taught me where there is smoke there is fire (Riis, Pantani, Ricco, di Luca, Armstrong).

Dang - I should have made this comment in the clinic. Apologies to all!

 

[Izoard]

Agree about Silence though. The team owner Marc Coucke is a moron.

Agree 100% No matter what you think of CE, his team is managed by total idiots. One reason you can be sure Silence does not have organized doping - these guys look like they are sometimes trying to lose (I am talking about the management, not the individual riders).

The Herald ran a piece at the end of the tour in Sydney with quotes from Coucke. Cadels year "sans". Idiot, the whole team had a year sans, Cadel restored what little dignity they have.

Yup, Couke is a Grade A idiot. CA had a better year than most of the team. Let's count who had wins

 

[kease7]

Back to cycling transfers & rumours please

AG2R La Mondiale signed cyclists Julien Bérard, Anthony Ravard and Kristof Goddaert for the next two seasons.

 

[TRDean]

AG2R La Mondiale signed cyclists Julien Bérard, Anthony Ravard and Kristof Goddaert for the next two seasons.

Interesting...I thought Goddaert was going to Skil.

 

[KazakhNeRider]

New Astana Manager

according to unconfirmed insiders info - Giuseppe Martinelli is going to be presented to UCI as new Astana manager

 

[kease7]

Juan Manuel Gárate and Dmitry Kozontchouk both extended their contracts with Rabobank for one year, the Dutch ProTour team announced.

 

[craig1985]

No. Brad Wiggins has a base in Girona as well. Of course he lives in England but only in the off season.

So why does Farrar live in Belgium in the racing season, or is that only when the Classics are on?

 

[Henrik]

Skil-Shimano has confirmed their interest in the young Norwegian Frederik Wilmann (son of Jostein Wilmann for those of your who can remember 30 years back).

Frederik is a rider we like. He is a talent in the mountains, and that is what we need to make the squad complete. We have been lacking a GC contenter for the big races, and we want to build a team around him.
Rudie Kemna

He will most likely sign for them during the worlds, according to the paper (Adresseavisen).

http://www.adressa.no/sport/article1387556.ece (In Norwegian)

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Marc de Maar (Rabobank) to Team Ouch

 

[thehog]

Patrick Lefevere, the general manager of QuickStep, said Tuesday he is in "constant contact" with Alberto Contador, discussing the possibility that the Tour de France winner might ride for the team in 2010.

"For now we are waiting,” Lefevere told the Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen. “We really have to see if the Union Cycliste Internationale takes any action on the ProTour license of the Astana team. If the team’s license is revoked, there is a good possibility that we can recruit Contador."

"Discussions with Contador are serious,” said Lefevere. “I have had two serious conversations with his manager and I have twice spoken with Contador, most recently last Friday."

"For a rider of that level, any sponsor would be willing to make a big effort," he said. "At this point, I am leaving five openings on the team, just in case I can sign him and leave him spots to bring on riders of his choice, too.”

Source: The Hog.

 

[Runitout]

Patrick Lefevere, the general manager of QuickStep, said Tuesday he is in "constant contact" with Alberto Contador, discussing the possibility that the Tour de France winner might ride for the team in 2010.

"For now we are waiting,” Lefevere told the Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen. “We really have to see if the Union Cycliste Internationale takes any action on the ProTour license of the Astana team. If the team’s license is revoked, there is a good possibility that we can recruit Contador."

"Discussions with Contador are serious,” said Lefevere. “I have had two serious conversations with his manager and I have twice spoken with Contador, most recently last Friday."

"For a rider of that level, any sponsor would be willing to make a big effort," he said. "At this point, I am leaving five openings on the team, just in case I can sign him and leave him spots to bring on riders of his choice, too.”

Source: The Hog.

I thought you claimed that your sources said Contador to Garmin was 'a done deal'. Straining your credibility to talk about Quickstep now.

It seems a more likely move to me though, based on philosophy and culture. I can't see Contador doing the group love in Girona thing.

 

[il_fiammingo]

So why does Farrar live in Belgium in the racing season, or is that only when the Classics are on?

He speaks Flemish, so he didn't have a choice but to live in Ghent.

 

[progressor]

When does september 5th occur ? Surely it hasn't come and gone already?

 

[Publicus]

Patrick Lefevere, the general manager of QuickStep, said Tuesday he is in "constant contact" with Alberto Contador, discussing the possibility that the Tour de France winner might ride for the team in 2010.

"For now we are waiting,” Lefevere told the Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen. “We really have to see if the Union Cycliste Internationale takes any action on the ProTour license of the Astana team. If the team’s license is revoked, there is a good possibility that we can recruit Contador."

"Discussions with Contador are serious,” said Lefevere. “I have had two serious conversations with his manager and I have twice spoken with Contador, most recently last Friday."

"For a rider of that level, any sponsor would be willing to make a big effort," he said. "At this point, I am leaving five openings on the team, just in case I can sign him and leave him spots to bring on riders of his choice, too.”

Source: The Hog.

Funny, I didn't know you wrote for AFP. This was posted on Velonews over a hour ago with an AFP sourcing/byline.

http://www.velonews.com/article/98139/contador-in-talks-with-quickstep

Well that just ended your credibility as a source on AC's future.

 

[thehog]

I thought you claimed that your sources said Contador to Garmin was 'a done deal'. Straining your credibility to talk about Quickstep now.

It seems a more likely move to me though, based on philosophy and culture. I can't see Contador doing the group love in Girona thing.

The Garmin deal is a done deal. I was just reporting the "noise".