Why base a US team in Spain?

[JMBeaushrimp]

This speculation is ridiculous.

It's lovely, good climate, nice roads, drivers that are used to cyclists being all over them, the weather is great, the people are wonderful, the food is outstanding (although you may want to steer clear of the steak), and the cost is low vs the rest of temperate europe.

Doping is not a seasonal geographic issue.

If a team has the 'shnitz' to be registered as Div 1, that should be a little more suspect than where they're based. It's the money, not where they're living.

 

[TexPat]

This speculation is ridiculous.

It's lovely, good climate, nice roads, drivers that are used to cyclists being all over them, the weather is great, the people are wonderful, the food is outstanding (although you may want to steer clear of the steak), and the cost is low vs the rest of temperate europe.

Doping is not a seasonal geographic issue.

If a team has the 'shnitz' to be registered as Div 1, that should be a little more suspect than where they're based. It's the money, not where they're living.

Yessir, I'd live in Girona again. Great place. Friendly locals. Great roads. Great scenery. And the only place on the planet where I haven't been accosted by motorists. So, it wins on the lifestyle argument.

 

[laziali]

Winner.

Please close thread now.

+1billion. now go return that dead parrot

 

[JPM London]

To paraphrase Monty Python's Life of Brian:

"All right, apart from the international airport, the good roads, the nice scenery, the easy access to the mountains, the low cost of living, the proximity to Barcelona, the existing cycling community, the favourable tax rate, the quality of life and the warm climate, what have the Gironans ever done for cyclists?"


It's obvious that they've only gone there for dope, because nobody elsewhere in Europe has ever managed to dope.

"Did you find anything?"
"Yes sir, we found this spoon"
"Well done, Centurion!"

 

[khardung la]

To paraphrase Monty Python's Life of Brian:

"All right, apart from the international airport, the good roads, the nice scenery, the easy access to the mountains, the low cost of living, the proximity to Barcelona, the existing cycling community, the favourable tax rate, the quality of life and the warm climate, what have the Gironans ever done for cyclists?"


It's obvious that they've only gone there for dope, because nobody elsewhere in Europe has ever managed to dope.

Hilarious, definitive. +1

 

[BotanyBay]

It's logistically absurd if you want to be close to races.

It's not if you want to be near Dr. Fuentes.

Where is/was his clinic located?

 

[The_Z_man]

Tyler Farrar lives in Ghent, Belgium. Does that mean he's clean?

Seriously, I remember being shocked when I heard that he was going back to Belgium after the Vuelta for a break. I assumed that he lived in Gironda like everyone else on Garmin.

P.S. Considering how many times transport industry workers, not to mention other workers, go on strike in France, wouldn't Spain be a better bet anyway?

 

[TubularBills]

This speculation is ridiculous.

It's lovely, good climate, nice roads, drivers that are used to cyclists being all over them, the weather is great, the people are wonderful, the food is outstanding (although you may want to steer clear of the steak), and the cost is low vs the rest of temperate europe.

Doping is not a seasonal geographic issue.

If a team has the 'shnitz' to be registered as Div 1, that should be a little more suspect than where they're based. It's the money, not where they're living.

I realize you meant it 'tongue in cheek' but an astute observation i.e. you'd think that quite a few Girona based Pros would test positive for Clen if Eastern Spain does indeed have a contaminated beef problem. I'll bet the Pros eat a lot of beef while training/living there. Maybe Contador could request they test a random sample of Spanish based riders to indicate how widespread the taint is.

 

[hrotha]

I realize you meant it 'tongue in cheek' but an astute observation i.e. you'd think that quite a few Girona based Pros would test positive for Clen if Eastern Spain does indeed have a contaminated beef problem. I'll bet the Pros eat a lot of beef while training/living there. Maybe Contador could request they test a random sample of Spanish based riders to indicate how widespread the taint is.

Even assuming contaminated meat is common in Spain, that wouldn't work very well. Clen disappears from the body pretty fast. Contador's samples turned out clean after two or three days, I think.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

I realize you meant it 'tongue in cheek' but an astute observation i.e. you'd think that quite a few Girona based Pros would test positive for Clen if Eastern Spain does indeed have a contaminated beef problem. I'll bet the Pros eat a lot of beef while training/living there. Maybe Contador could request they test a random sample of Spanish based riders to indicate how widespread the taint is.

Did you just say my taint is widespread?

You leave my taint out of this... them's fightin' words...

 

[The other McHoy]

Another possible reason is that when cyclists find somewhere they like they tell their teammates to come and join them and therefore it continues to attract newcomers. The area gets publicity via the cycling magazines and the attraction grows further etc. etc.

Just like Girona, the area around Denia on the Costa Blanca attracts a large number of riders such as Chris Horner, Tomas Vaitkus (and Liz hatch), and Alexander Kolobnev. They are based there primarily for the quality of the roads and training routes, the weather and the fact that it's a decent place to live. Nothing sinister in that. More than one of the pros currently living there did not want to be based in Girona for the simple reason they didn't want to spend all of their time riding with their team mates. They prefer to train by themselves or with friends.

 

[simo1733]

A lot of the anglophone pro's used to be based around Nice untill the clampdown post Festina. Then all of a sudden Spain became more popular

 

[Benotti69]

A lot of the anglophone pro's used to be based around Nice untill the clampdown post Festina. Then all of a sudden Spain became more popular

Bingo

why move from the home of pro cycling and riding in the alps training for the TdF and a more central location....

 

[washedup]

They move there for the easy dope! Of course! No, they move there for (insert reason).