you heard it here first: RR gone

mylesrants

the sums never added up


Rock Racing is folding


Rock Racing is folding ASAP. Rock and Republic is laying off 40 employees, and shutting down the cycling team immediately. More as we find out more information.

www.bikepure.org

SAD FOR THE CLEAN RIDERS

hockinsk

Hoy winning SPOTY & Rock Racing folding within the same 24 hours. Please, I can't take any more good news.

redddraggon

I'm surprised you beat Iainf to the post :shock:

Richrd2205

Frankenstein's monster is dead!
The whole thing's been borked since the licence renewal balls-up & something was going to have to give (having 28 paid riders with the wrong average age with a maximum of 20 )....
I don't have too much sympathy for those who signed to the project, but it's annoying that Micheal Ball gets lots more publicity & the riders take the hit....

timoid.

Good riddance. Dopers or no, he's still screwed over a lot of riders rather callously

timoid.

mylesrants wrote:

the sums never added up


Rock Racing is folding


Rock Racing is folding ASAP. Rock and Republic is laying off 40 employees, and shutting down the cycling team immediately. More as we find out more information.

www.bikepure.org

SAD FOR THE CLEAN RIDERS

Isn't there more than a hint of irony that this website (BikePure) is being promoted by plastic wristbands, a fashion statement popularised by a man that the site must hold as public enemy number one.

Ho hum

iloveshimano

"here to stay" eh?

donrhummy

I don't think that's accurate.

http://www.velonews.com/article/86002/t ... --republic

Rock Racing released the following short statement Monday night: "Rock Racing will continue to race in 2009. Tyler Hamilton, Rahsaan Bahati and Justin Williams will defend their U.S. national titles. More important information about the team's plans will follow."

Rock Racing spokeswoman Martine Charles said she could not elaborate on the team's fiscal or staffing situations, but insisted "we will be racing next year."

I think that's why Iainf didn't post anything: it was just a rumor.

Kléber

Iif the business is in trouble, it's common to put on a brave face rather than say "look we're going down, the team's axed" as customers and suppliers alike will flee the business.

I'm no fan of the team and think Ball has treated cycling disgracefully but not all the riders and staff deserve to lose their jobs ahead of the 2009 season.

iainf72

Kléber wrote:

Iif the business is in trouble, it's common to put on a brave face rather than say "look we're going down, the team's axed" as customers and suppliers alike will flee the business.

It's interesting to take a look at the stock market performance of some of the sponsors at the moment. I can see a lot of companies seriously considering their futures as sponsor, especially the smaller ones.

Caisse d'Epargne took a bit hit yesterday. The Kazak economy is looking a bit unhealthy, Russia is staring into the abyss...

Scary times. I wonder if any tractor manufacturers are looking for some exposure?

skavanagh.bikeradar

A retreat to the darker ages is a worrying possibility as sponsors without the financial or moral clout to insist on clean teams move in.

Jez mon

It's not really brilliant news at all, and whilst there may be claims that RR will continue, it doesn't sound too likely.

I'm not a Rock Racing fan and am not about to shead tears if Mr I believe is out of a job, but I can't help but feel sorry for the support staff who get paid little anyway.

Besides, it's a team a team who did bring some showbiz style to cycle racing, they were a bit outrageous, a bit fun, and not really that successful.

6288

skavanagh.bikeradar wrote:

A retreat to the darker ages is a worrying possibility as sponsors without the financial or moral clout to insist on clean teams move in.

i think the opposite ... without big sponsors riders don't get the big wages and without the big wages the demands are lessened to 'justify their wage' ... plus PED's cost money that won't be in the sport ...

case in point is both Frank Schelck and Ivan Basso ... they both felt they needed (or as they say, consider) to cheat in the hope they woudl make it from big-time to mega-time and the mega-money ... i bet both would not have risked there current livelihood if they knew there wasn't potloads of cash in waiting ...

iainf72

6288 wrote:

case in point is both Frank Schelck and Ivan Basso ... they both felt they needed (or as they say, consider) to cheat in the hope they woudl make it from big-time to mega-time and the mega-money ... i bet both would not have risked there current livelihood if they knew there wasn't potloads of cash in waiting ...

If I might channel Dick Pound for a minute, how many rich power lifters do you know?

Kléber

Many low ranking riders have been using banned substances, not to earn big bucks but merely to keep their contracts.

Sport is a winner takes all environment where if you dope, you can collect a big payoff. But at the same time, doping in cycling has been like an arms race, once a few start doping many are "forced" to do the same so they can literally keep up. By the time this happens, each rider ends up no stronger than their rivals but having to pay money to buy the doping products, risking their health and liable to a ban too, so everyone - except the preparartori - is worse off.

mylesrants

'heard today from the horses mouth.

Mr Ball found out 3 weeks ago ,(why he has been a-wall)
The team initially applied for UCI PRO Continental team status. it was granted then Rock Racing turned it down, as it required immediate payment of a higher deposit. The money wasnt there.
Staying at the continental level means their expensive roster is too big .
Rock and republic released statement today is smoke. There is no money to keep primary manufacturing running , so there will be no funds for sponsorship. To promote what?
. It's not nice, but the party is over

I agree, any money pullout of cycling is bad.
The clean teams will survive as the mainstream media love the new Real future of cyclesport.

www.bikepure.org

iainf72

mylesrants wrote:

The clean teams will survive as the mainstream media love the new Real future of cyclesport.

You honestly think as the economic downturn really bites "clean" teams will stand a hope? No one is going to have money to throw around at a vanity project, teams will need to show a good ROI and how do you achieve that? By winning.

afx237vi

What about Garmin? Didn't win all that much in 2008, but a clear winner in terms of publicity and good press generated.

Murr X

mylesrants wrote:

The clean teams will survive as the mainstream media love the new Real future of cyclesporrt.

Now thats what I call positive thinking!
To hell with the facts.

Some of our media might be praising our cyclists at present (and I hope it continues) but not really with road racing and then the german media aren't too happy right now either.

Cheers

iainf72

afx237vi wrote:

What about Garmin? Didn't win all that much in 2008, but a clear winner in terms of publicity and good press generated.

A valid point. However, it's the honeymoon period for that team and in the longer term they need to be a winning a lot more. If there were 10 teams of a similar ethos then would they be as interesting?

Come to think of it, are they that interesting? Last issue of Pro Cycling with had an interview with DZ, issue before that St David. Do they generate much press in non-English speaking countries?

Let's hope Doug Ellis didn't have a lot of money invested with Madoff, eh?

robmanic1

Cool, does that mean they'll be flogging the kit cheap? Mrs manic fancies me in that get-up.