Rasmussen to Acqua & Sapone
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6960640.stm
Why would they get involved with a rider with such a tarnished reputation after the TDF?
Why would they get involved with a rider with such a tarnished reputation after the TDF?
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carlstone wrote:Why would they get involved with a rider with such a tarnished reputation after the TDF?
publicity0 -
carlstone wrote:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6960640.stm
Why would they get involved with a rider with such a tarnished reputation after the TDF?
Big name + reputation on the wane or in tatters + desperate to salvage career = cheapish yet high-profile signing for outfit who don't have a huge wages budget.
Something along those lines has happened a few times in football (Gascoigne, Collymore, etc.)
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
I understand what you are saying but surely riders with tarnished reputations (even if Rasmussen isn't quite as bad as some others) should be spurned by all teams if Pro cycling is to regain any credibility? Teams taking on these riders are just prolonging the agony.
I am/was a fan of Rasmussen, I liked his quirkyness, but he has really let himself down IMO.0 -
I understand what you are saying but surely riders with tarnished reputations (even if Rasmussen isn't quite as bad as some others) should be spurned by all teams if Pro cycling is to regain any credibility? Teams taking on these riders are just prolonging the agony.
I am/was a fan of Rasmussen, I liked his quirkyness, but he has really let himself down IMO.0 -
I understand what you are saying but surely riders with tarnished reputations (even if Rasmussen isn't quite as bad as some others) should be spurned by all teams if Pro cycling is to regain any credibility? Teams taking on these riders are just prolonging the agony.
I am/was a fan of Rasmussen, I liked his quirkyness, but he has really let himself down IMO.0 -
Posted 3 times! Ooops how did that happen?0
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Not sure... good post though.0
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As far as i can see, the team are making a quick buck. Get him into some races to get some results until he is proved to have done something wrong. I'm not sure if he is excluded from UCI races for the rest of the season is he?0
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Cynical move by Water and Soap.-- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --0
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He's too expensive apparently
from cyclingnews
Acqua & Sapone: Rasmussen too expensive
Former Rabobank rider Michael Rasmussen hasn't found a new home at Italian Professional Continental squad Acqua & Sapone, with team director Palmiro Masciarelli saying that while the squad is still assesing the possibilities it feels employing the Dane would be too expensive. The pair came together last week to discuss the possibility of Rasmussen, who was spectacularly dumped by Rabobank while leading the Tour de France, riding out the season with Masciarelli's team.
"We're still looking into it, but it seems difficult," Masciarelli told AP. It's not like we can get him for free."
Having defended him to the world's media the previous day, Rabobank made the painful decision to dump its Tour-leading rider after former professional Davide Cassani alleged that Rasmussen was in Italy at the time he claimed to be in Mexico, one of Rasmussen's reasons for not properly filing his documents to assist out-of-competition dope testers.
"It would be too much for a team like ours," said Masciarelli, adding that Rasmussen wanted a contract for 2008 as well. "If we sign Rasmussen we would have to get another five or six riders to support him in big races."
The Danish rider looks set to rider criteriums, as he has done over the past few weeks, for a while longer with Tinkoff Credit Systems quashing rumours it was also interested in the rider. "There hasn't been any contact," Tinkoff team manager Omar Piscina stated. "With the cases we've had this year - [Tyler] Hamilton and [Danilo] Hondo - we're going to be very attentive to which riders we sign in the future. It taught us a lot. Things have changed. We're focusing on our younger riders."0 -
I wonder if they are retreating with a bit of dignity in lieu of the negative feedback?0
