Uno-X Pro Cycling Team

[ingsve]

I don't think a Swedish or Finnish brand would benefit the team much. There isn't much direct talent there to get in which would benefit the squad rather than diluting it. Especially without a dev team if that happens.

The best thing might be a British sponsor. That fits fairly well temperament wise and language wise, they'd just have to swap to English instead of Norwegian/Danish. Also GB has a fair number of talented pros at the moment so there might actually be a chance of getting a couple who would improve the squad.

Another alternative would be to check out some of the better continental teams from Czechia or Poland etc. which doesn't have a national presence in the PT or WT and the provide a pathway for riders from that country into the PT/WT.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I don't think a Swedish or Finnish brand would benefit the team much. There isn't much direct talent there to get in which would benefit the squad rather than diluting it. Especially without a dev team if that happens.

Eriksson brothers at Tudor are out of contract next season. A Swedish sponsor that brings the two of them and 5-8m euros in would benefit the team a lot (mostly the money of course)..

 

[Monte Serra]

Eriksson brothers at Tudor are out of contract next season. A Swedish sponsor that brings the two of them and 5-8m euros in would benefit the team a lot (mostly the money of course)..

There's next to no interest in Sweden in men's professional road cycling. I would be quite surprised if there's a company willing to pony up a significant amount of cash. Especially as the economy is doing not too well.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

There's next to no interest in Sweden in men's professional road cycling. I would be quite surprised if there's a company willing to pony up a significant amount of cash. Especially as the economy is doing not too well.

All it takes is one company boss/owner that watch Tour de France and would like to be on the inside

 

[ingsve]

Eriksson brothers at Tudor are out of contract next season. A Swedish sponsor that brings the two of them and 5-8m euros in would benefit the team a lot (mostly the money of course)..

Ya, mostly the money but kind of dilute the team. Not make it better at least.

 

[Roku]

Some news about the future of the team:
- The budget was last year around 18 million Euros.
- Reitan Group (owners of Uno-X and Rema1000) want to cut their costs to around 15millon a year.
- Dropping the Development team saves around 1M a year.
- If (when) they fail to win promotion to World Tour in this cycle the team will continue on without any change, with the same goal about reaching WT status as soon as possible.

And the maybe most interesting part:
- They are now talking to sponsors outside of Norway/Denmark and it's being reported that it might be happening something soon!

If it's a foreign co-sponsor there are two possibilities:
1. It's a bike brand or something similar that doesn't necessarily have a connection to any given nation. Hushovd might have some old connections? Uno-X BMC or Uno-X Cervelo?

2. It's a brand that wants to bring in a couple of riders from a new country. Ideally it would be a Swedish or Finnish brand, but I don't really think that's realistic. I guess the "only Norwegian/Danish riders" philosophy might be dropped.

Ericsson brothers and Jaakko Hanninen. Make it happen.

(I know Jaakko is probably bound for retirement once his contract ends with Ag2r this year, but still... )

 

[Boehmand]

An outside possibility could be a Latvian brand (Reitan is in Latvia too) - as Skujins is out of contract at the end of the year too, and at 32 might not get an extension with Trek.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

An outside possibility could be a Latvian brand (Reitan is in Latvia too) - as Skujins is out of contract at the end of the year too, and at 32 might not get an extension with Trek.

I feel quite certain that Skujiņš is going to continue at Trek, unless he wants to retire to spend more time with his family, but that would be odd considering he's having his best season ever.

 

[Boehmand]

I feel quite certain that Skujiņš is going to continue at Trek, unless he wants to retire to spend more time with his family, but that would be odd considering he's having his best season ever.

It's easier for a Latvian brand to get a stake in Uno-X than in Trek... also I DID say "outside possibility"

 

[RedheadDane]

(I know Jaakko is probably bound for retirement once his contract ends with Ag2r this year, but still... )

That's harsh! Dude's 27...

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It's easier for a Latvian brand to get a stake in Uno-X than in Trek... also I DID say "outside possibility"

Someone in the potato business might be able to convince him to move.

 

[staubsauger]

UnoX should call up Madis Mikhels & Jan Kirsipuu as soon as possible!

 

[RedheadDane]

Someone in the potato business might be able to convince him to move.

Does anyone know his opinion on potato chips?

"Uno-X KIMs"?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Does anyone know his opinion on potato chips?

"Uno-X KIMs"?

Or this company

 

[RedheadDane]

Or this company

Even better!

 

[ingsve]

Not sure if people have heard the full story from Fleche Wallonne after the fact so I'll tell it here.

People sort of assume that Uno-X rode so well and had their whole team finish when so many others abandoned the race because they are used to riding in bad weather so they can handle it better than others. That's not really the case. Or at least not in the way that people assume.

The truth is that they handled the race better than most others because they were better prepared for it. When the team leaders saw the weather forecasts and that it was going to be cold and snowy, the had everyone wear woolen undershirts from the start of the race. That goes against the traditional wisdom is cycling which says that you add layers on top that you can take off later as needed rather than putting something warm on underneath. The Norwegian riders were even complaining about being too hot at the start before the bad weather set in but once the snow and cold hit, they were all warm and comfortable while many others were in complete shock.

So it's not a matter of really being tougher and used to the cold, it simply comes down to the old Nordic saying that "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing".

 

[Boehmand]

Someone in the potato business might be able to convince him to move.

That's a rather insulting view of Latvia

 

[Samu Cuenca]

That's a rather insulting view of Latvia

Skujiņš is very open about his love for potatoes. It has nothing to do with him being Latvian.

 

[RedheadDane]

That's a rather insulting view of Latvia

He is the one who constantly makes comments about how much he loves potatoes.

 

[Boehmand]

Skujiņš is very open about his love for potatoes. It has nothing to do with him being Latvian.

Apologies, I was unaware of that, I thought you were making a racist comment

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

In all fairness, who doesn't love potatoes?

I don't trust people who don't like potatoes. There is just something shady about em....

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Apologies, I was unaware of that, I thought you were making a racist comment

No worries.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

In all fairness, who doesn't love potatoes?

I don't trust people who don't like potatoes. There is just something shady about em....

I like potatoes, but peeling them is probably the one thing I hate most in the world.

 

[Boehmand]

I like potatoes, but peeling them is probably the one thing I hate most in the world.

So eat them with the peel

 

[Samu Cuenca]

So eat them with the peel

I do that sometimes for that exact reason.