McEwen leaving Silence Lotto

donrhummy

To Tinkoff?

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 49,00.html

CRACK Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen will leave Silence-Lotto for a new professional road cycling team next year.
The 36-year-old Quenslander has sgined with Tinkoff, the outfit run by Russian businessman and cycling enthusiast Oleg Tinkov.

“I've signed with a new team for next year but I'll wait until later in the year to make any announcements about what I'm doing and let the new team announce it,” said McEwen, whose contract with Belgium-based Silence-Lotto expires at the end of the year.

“Whatever team it is, I'll let them announce it.”

feersumendjinn

Hasn't Evans been linked to Tinkoff also? Wonder if McEwan will be that happy if Cadel turns up demanding the team be built around him..

dave_1

I think Mcewan is a spent force and should not have stood in Evans way this year...he deprived the team of a solid domestique I guess...am sure Evans will not want to share with him...there is no room for the two of them

Monty Dog

"crack" as in broken? He should take a leaf out of Zabel's book by acting a 'road captain' and using his knowledge to help his team rather than just himself. He's too much of an egotist to be attractive to most teams apart from the washed-up no-hopers at Tinkoff or Red Rock?

Kléber

I like McEwen, he speaks his mind and can offer intelligent analysis of the racing. But most sprinters don't win much as they get older, his best years are behind him. Good for him if he's cashing in those russky roubles, but Tinkoff aren't exactly getting a winner as his palmares is getting thinner every year.

dave_1

Mcewan should have had the decency to let Cadel pick the team..

flattythehurdler

I wonder if he'll be able to have an indian summer at tinkoff a la linford/michelle smith.

rustychisel

Dave_1 wrote:

I think McEwen is a spent force and should not have stood in Evans way this year...he deprived the team of a solid domestique I guess...am sure Evans will not want to share with him...there is no room for the two of them

WTF are you on about? As I recall reading or hearing in the past few weeks, McEwen worked his lugs off - mostly to help Cadel - and Cadel acknowledged his effort, describing him as a 'lieutenant' on the road, a team captain who helped with motivation and tactical advice.

Spent force? Dunno.

As a sprinter? Certainly bettered.

Stood in his way? Can you instance this garbage?

Deprived the team? Of what? Another lesser rider such as [cough cough] Popovich? Wow! Colour me impressed.

I think you're leaping feet first into conclusions not supported by the facts, and bending possibilities to suit your made up opinion. To ascribe your opinion to another ("Evans will not want to share with him") is just plain absurd.

dave_1

rustychisel wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

I think McEwen is a spent force and should not have stood in Evans way this year...he deprived the team of a solid domestique I guess...am sure Evans will not want to share with him...there is no room for the two of them

WTF are you on about? As I recall reading or hearing in the past few weeks, McEwen worked his lugs off - mostly to help Cadel - and Cadel acknowledged his effort, describing him as a 'lieutenant' on the road, a team captain who helped with motivation and tactical advice.

Spent force? Dunno.

As a sprinter? Certainly bettered.

Stood in his way? Can you instance this garbage?

Deprived the team? Of what? Another lesser rider such as [cough cough] Popovich? Wow! Colour me impressed.

I think you're leaping feet first into conclusions not supported by the facts, and bending possibilities to suit your made up opinion. To ascribe your opinion to another ("Evans will not want to share with him") is just plain absurd.

look at USPS...no way would LA have allowed a sprinter in the way of his ambitions...that is wtf I am talking about. TDFs are won by a single dedicated team...Evans said in interview he did not have an opinion either way about Mcewan...so he was not supportive. RM is old and getting slower. I presume you are a fan of some kind...

rustychisel

As it happens I'm no fan of Robbie's, I reserve that for the hometown boy Stuey O'Grady, but I hate the idea of seeing someone libelled when they've given their best (and managed not to whine about it too much also).

TDFs are won by a single dedicated team... true, but a much stronger and better team than SilenceLotto I'm afraid. The reason - in part - McEwen was ineffectual in the sprints is because he subordinated his desires to the team good, working very hard on the flatter stages to that effect.

How can you possibly say from your understanding of stage racing that McEwen "stood in the way" of Cadel's ambitions???

disgruntledgoat

Plus Zabel winning those Green Jerseys didn't seem to have too negative an effect on Riis/ Ullrich.

rustychisel

disgruntledgoat wrote:

... effect on Riis/ Ullrich.

Careful!!!! There's an elephant in the room - I'm 60% sure.

disgruntledgoat

Well, i'm not ignoring it, as Virenque, Dufaux, Pantani, Escartin, and some random eastern bloc riders were hardly whiter than white were they?

drenkrom

I must have hallucinated... has someone just compared Silence-Lotto 2008 to USPS? Line up the team rosters side by side and have a good, long look. There is no possible comparison. Let's not even get close to the budget question, then. Lotto lined up the absolute best team they could, considering their loss of Horner and Jufre. They were never going to compete with CSC!

The Lotto guys rode to the best of their capacities for Evans. McEwen was in front of Cadel in the last 10km's of most sprint stages. He would never have been there had he been completely gunning for the sprint. Hell, you never see him before the 700m mark, usually. Some of the other guys put in monster rides, Van Summeren in particular, leaving absolutely everything on the road just to catch back up to the front group before the last climb, resupply Evans, give it a final turn on the front, then completely imploding.

It'll take way more than McEwen leaving for Evans to win the Tour with Lotto. The departure might free up some substantial wage packet for reinforcements, though. One thing is for sure, you can't blame McEwen for Evans' loss. Popo maybe, McEwen no.

dave_1

rustychisel wrote:

As it happens I'm no fan of Robbie's, I reserve that for the hometown boy Stuey O'Grady, but I hate the idea of seeing someone libelled when they've given their best (and managed not to whine about it too much also).

TDFs are won by a single dedicated team... true, but a much stronger and better team than SilenceLotto I'm afraid. The reason - in part - McEwen was ineffectual in the sprints is because he subordinated his desires to the team good, working very hard on the flatter stages to that effect.

How can you possibly say from your understanding of stage racing that McEwen "stood in the way" of Cadel's ambitions???

what part is libel... ?? His presence on the team diverts resources...even Robbie M would admit that...he personally has done nothing wrong other than be someone opf an ability but with few results in 08 to take a spot needed for a better climber. Chill out Rusty

andy_wrx

It's hardly like the team were all about leading-out McEwen and hence not able to support Evans.

McEwan didn't get lead-outs from the team, rather the team were protecting Evans on the flat stages but couldn't support him properly on the big climbs, left him isolated.

But Evans said on at least a couple of occasions that Robbie had been working for him as a domestique.
- wasn't Robbie well-up in the front group on a couple of the climbs rather than lurking back in the grupetto ?

Kléber

You could probably build a lead out train of Cancellara, Steegmans and Boonen for McEwen and he'd still get thrashed by Jimmy Casper.

LangerDan

Kléber wrote:

You could probably build a lead out train of Cancellara, Steegmans and Boonen for McEwen and he'd still get thrashed by Jimmy Casper.

Jimmy Casper? At the moment, McEwen would get thrashed by Jimmy Crankie.