Rock Racing to Tour of Britain

dave_1

and Tyler Hamilton down to start-great news eh.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Roc ... 62667.html

DaveyL

Believe Tyler!

dave_1

DaveyL wrote:

Believe Tyler!

I'll definitely go to watch if Tyler is in...IMO he will bring good headlines for ToB

Kléber

They're probably desperate to attract teams.

dave_1

Kléber wrote:

They're probably desperate to attract teams.

This will be Tyler's first European outing in 18 months...

bipedal

rotten tomatoes at the ready

andyp

Is he bringing his twin with him?

Doobz

this is the kind of thing cycling needs to get the kids interested in the sport.

Kléber

Maybe the kids will like it but no parent will want to discover this side of cycling. A few girls in bikinis or some tatty stretch Limo can't cover up the collection of ex-dopers and liars. I'll all for forgiving repentant cheats but many of the dodgy riders on the Rock roster seem unconcerned by the truth.

donrhummy

Michael Ball's not all bad for cycling.

New fund to aid seriously injured cyclists

While there will always be crashes in cycling, rarely do they result in life-altering injuries. However, a few serious injuries this year alone has prompted the creation of a new charitable fund, dubbed the Professional Cycling Catastrophic Injury Fund. It is designed to act as a financial safety net for professional and elite amateur cyclists who suffer career-ending injuries on the bike.

Rock Racing team owner Michael Ball has spearheaded this initiative, organising the charity and bankrolling the endowment. The horrific crash by Fausto Esparza (Tecos-Trek) occurring on the final stage of the Tour of the Gila, leaving him paralyzed.

"That's where this came about," Ball told Cyclingnews. "It broke my heart to read he has two kids and that racing is his only income. That needs to change, riders can be thrown out as easily as last year's trend. I had a motivation to help this guy with some financial and moral support – that grew into doing it for many athletes. So we established the foundation."

The 501(c)3 nonprofit organisation will be funded in part by team clothing sales, but Ball issued a challenge to the rest of the industry to put in their share. "All major league sports have these types of mechanisms for their players – cyclists have none of that. So let's turn to guys like me and the public who enjoy this sport, and companies that make money off these athletes and start giving back."

"I challenge every other cycling organisation, sponsor, and manufacturer – any entity that generates revenue from bicycle racing – to contribute to this fund and support these amazing athletes for the risks they take every day. The fund will create a truly powerful and viable resource that supports our sport and takes care of our athletes – any pro or elite amateur in the world, because those are the ones that take the biggest risks."

While the organisation is still being finalised, including the creation of a web site for donations, Ball said Esparza will be the first beneficiary. "He is going to be our first endowment and I'm really excited about that." While Esparza remains in a similar condition as when he left the hospital, Ball is hoping for more. "There is hope – I know some guys from the motocross world that have had some devastating injuries and have recovered."

NOTHING wrong with what he's doing there.

Jez mon

Nothing wrong with what he's doing there. BUT a lot wrong with his bunch of suspect cyclists, especially with the British press.

Kléber

No, good stuff there, I welcome it.

But if he cares for rider health, why help the careers of those who have abused doping rules, rules created to help rider health?

Still, it's not Michael Ball I have the problem with, it's the likes of Hamilton and Sevilla.

Doobz

Kléber wrote:

Maybe the kids will like it but no parent will want to discover this side of cycling. A few girls in bikinis or some tatty stretch Limo can't cover up the collection of ex-dopers and liars. I'll all for forgiving repentant cheats but many of the dodgy riders on the Rock roster seem unconcerned by the truth.

soooo would it be better if the kids sat on their ass and played playstation all day and then started smoking some weed and then injecting some smack? that's the problem with England. Everyone over analyses everything and their kids are wrapped in cotton wool..

Who cares if they are a bunch of Ex Dopers? Bill gates used to be a hippy stoner. Do you tell your kids not to use M$ Windows?

Anything that can make people sit up and take notice of cycling is a MASSIVE bonus and I think RR has the right idea and bringing them to the U.K is awesome.

Screw all the old fashioned retro people who think RR doesn't fit in.. You think Ploughman Craven gets any kids looking at them going "wow cool?" I dont think many kids would turn a blind eye at them

robmanic1

I'm with Doobz, it's only the cycling "purists" who are uncomfortable with RR's image. Cycling already has a p*ss poor image among non-cyclists, wait until they see the hard-rock uniform of RR tearing around the UK!

cougie

Love the kit. Love the bikini babes. Not keen on their ethics.

robmanic1

cougie wrote:

Love the kit. Love the bikini babes. Not keen on their ethics.

Ethics, schmethics

blazing_saddles

Yes, we are a league of our own in setting the highest possible standards of cleanliness, here, in the UK. :roll:
How will this help our rider's credibility?

Where even Georgia were reluctant, we put out the red carpet.
Show's the T of B is not as secure and growing, as we would like to think.

Kléber

Doobz, it's not an "either/or" thing is it? Kids aren't going to abandon their Toystation games just because of Rock Racing. Rock Racing aren't doing the Tour de France but I don't see many Frenchmen in anguish at the prospect of the youth "doing some smack", all because Whiner Hamilton isn't there.

Besides, it's hardly "over analysing" things to point out that doping is the sport's biggest problem and it's probably not the way forward to invite a team packed with infamous cheats!

Moomaloid

And why exactly are they going to attract people to the sport? Coz the girls are hot and the kit looks good?

And what happens when the UK gutter press start publishing articles about the ex dopers they employ.

I love the idea of the team, i just don't like the way they've done it. And does anyone really give a t o s s about John'Boy Hamilton?

i might just go to check out the girls though

Tell me, did anyone actually purchase the over priced jerseys in the end??

drenkrom

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Yes, we are a league of our own in setting the highest possible standards of cleanliness, here, in the UK. :roll:
How will this help our rider's credibility?

There are Brits on Rock Racing? No. How does the invitation of a team with a "bad reputation" affect UK riders' credibility? You can use Rock Racing as your lightning rod of hate and contempt in cycling, but let's not go tooooooo far.

They are unconventional, they are loud, their boss is a complete d!ck and they hired guys no one else would touch, but they have been an exciting presence at pretty much every race they entered this year, even winning some with class. If, for you, that is less important to a race than a team's reputation (never mind their negative test results), it's good that you aren't an organizer. A race is a business as well, and ensuring it is as fun to watch as possible is a sound decision.

iainf72

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Show's the T of B is not as secure and growing, as we would like to think.

That's the crux of the matter.

Well, I never thought it was secure and growing but that's another story. Unless the team has some Brits on it it's difficult to attract the other teams. Especially with some of the disasters of the last few years.

fast as fupp

as long as they bring their evadne im all for it :twisted:

mattm_uk

If Hamilton doesn't bring one of his dogs then I'm not turning out to see him...after all it was his playfulness with those animals that had me believing...

victorponf

Sevilla was second behind Valverde last sunday in the Spanish championship, maybe he is going to go to UK too

Pirahna

Who's the bloke with the tattoo on his face?

GroupOfOne MkII

According to this Petacchi's riding

http://it.eurosport.yahoo.com/02072008/45/petacchi-giro-gran-bretagna.html

Don't believe everything you read though!

Iain, I think it's actually suprising how many teams without Brits, or even with sponsors who I don't think have a link to the UK come and ride The ToB. For example Agritubel last year, and Topsport Vlaanderen every year come to think of it!

jimmythecuckoo

iainf72 wrote:

Well, I never thought it was secure and growing but that's another story.

...worth a thread on its own?

LangerDan

What exactly is the issue with Rock Racing that doesn't apply to other riders / teams attending the ToB? Petacchi (whose ban will just have expired) will be riding the ToB with LPR who we all agreed at the time of the Giro were shady in the extreme. Yet we're not getting our Rock & Republic spangled hot-pants in a twist. What about the spectre of T-Mobile or perhaps Johnny V. and Holy David (as VR have taken to calling him).

dave_1

Tyler served his time...I will even cheer for him as he's screwed up massively in his life.

redddraggon

Dave_1 wrote:

Tyler served his time...I will even cheer for him as he's screwed up massively in his life.

Aye, Tyler looks clean now, he couldn't win a raffle, never mind a bike race, in his current form.

cougie

I'll not cheer for Tyler - he has screwed up - but keeps lying about it. Just come clean man.